TYB
I don't know if that's just a meme or not, I don't have the link.
But there was something like it.
https://x.com/RichardGrenell/status/1879533103703851366
Auckland Airport delays flights, police notified after drone incursion reported
29 Jan, 2025 10:45 PM
Five flights at Auckland Airport were briefly delayed this morning after reports of a drone straying into the airport’s controlled airspace.
An Airways New Zealand spokesperson said at 10am, Auckland Air Traffic Control received a public report of a drone near Ormiston, inside Auckland Airport’s control zone.
“As a precaution, five flights were held for approximately five minutes while air traffic control assessed the situation. In line with procedure, police were notified.
“The airport’s control zone includes areas where aircraft fly at lower altitudes during take-off and landing. Drone operators need approval from air traffic control to be able to fly in this airspace.
“Drone users should check airshare.co.nz to find out where they can fly safely and to log their flight with air traffic control if needed.”
It comes more than three weeks after a drone hovered close to the top of Auckland’s Sky Tower to capture the spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks footage.
A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesperson said the authority had received multiple reports regarding drone footage taken in Auckland on December 31.
“Civil Aviation Rules prohibit flying over people or property without consent, at night, within 4km of an aerodrome, or higher than 120m from the ground.”
The footage, shot at night, shows New Year’s Eve in Auckland’s CBD from above and flies over multiple properties and appears to be higher than 120m.
“If a drone operator is certificated under Civil Aviation Rule part 102 some of these restrictions may not apply,” the spokesperson said.
People called out the drone operator online, questioning whether they had official clearance to fly in the area.
“How did anyone get permission to fly over all those people, fly within four Kms of two heliports, and at night?” one Reddit user said.
“If this person doesn’t have full certification and part 102 he needs to be talking to a lawyer.”
“Of all the dangerous illegal things you can do with a drone this was spectacular,” another said.
“What an idiot, multiple flights on his channel illegally flying around Auckland. Filed a report with the CAA, good luck to him.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-airport-delays-flights-police-notified-after-drone-incursion-reported/QA37XIAI4FBODOY372OESIRH3U/
George Knapp comments on White House drone revelations, ‘What the —’
Updated: Jan 29, 2025 / 07:07 PM PST
After months of speculation surrounding mysterious drone sightings over New Jersey, the White House disclosed this week that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had, in fact, authorized the flights as part of a research program.
The first question that could have been asked by journalists in the White House press corps would start with two words.
“What the —”
The second question would be whether the entire leadership of the FAA was off on a two-month spelunking retreat deep inside the bowels of the earth and thus didn’t know about these mystery drone swarms.
What’s the deal?
Since late November, residents across New Jersey have reported seeing unidentified drones in the skies, prompting widespread media coverage and speculation.
Former Gov. Chris Christie said one flew over his home, while NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers claimed a drone passed over his car.
Hundreds of photos and videos surfaced on social media, fueling concerns and leading Congress to demand answers. The FBI launched an investigation but initially admitted that the drones’ origins were uncertain.
“We just don’t know, and that’s the concerning part,” said Robert Wheeler Jr., Assistant Director of the FBI’s critical incident response group.
According to the White House, the FAA suddenly remembered that it had authorized flights of research drones. How many are there, and over what area? The FAA website doesn’t say.
In December, the FAA signed a joint statement with the FBI and the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, saying that it was dispatching advanced detection technology and trained observers to help investigate the drone mystery.
The FAA had also ordered flight restrictions on drones over much of New Jersey.
But it didn’t fess up.
The situation escalated in December when drones reportedly breached restricted airspace over a nuclear facility in New Jersey and multiple military installations along the East Coast.
Similar incursions were documented at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, which resulted in a temporary shutdown.
Around the same period, formations of unidentified drones entered highly restricted airspace over four major U.S. Air Force bases in the United Kingdom.
Media reports indicate that the U.S. deployed its most advanced counter-drone technology but failed to neutralize or track the intruders.
Additionally, a year prior, Langley Air Force Base in Virginia experienced a series of 17 consecutive nightly drone intrusions.
Officials acknowledged they deployed their best counter-drone technology, but it was ineffective against the unknown aircraft.
Theories about the origins of the drones have ranged from foreign adversaries—such as China, Russia, or Iran—to unknown private entities.
Exasperated officials in New Jersey didn’t buy those theories back in December and might not swallow this one, either.
It seems like the FAA should be able to answer some pretty basic questions. For instance, when did it authorize the unknown research drones? How many of them were authorized?
Over what period of time were they authorized? Why didn’t it come clean when so many agencies, including the FAA itself, were trying to figure this out?
https://www.8newsnow.com/investigators/george-knapp-comments-on-white-house-drone-revelations-what-the/
See the future at the Robotics and Drone Arena
January 29, 2025
A major presence in ISE’s new Hall 8.1, the Robotics and Drone Arena is presenting a curated programme of presentations and demonstrations highlighting the latest capabilities of these technologies.
Presented by LANG AG, the Arena is where groundbreaking concepts meet fascinating applications that show how the future is taking shape.
The industry-leading companies showing their solutions are:
Unitree Robotics – Quadruped and humanoid robots
UVify – Modular lightshow drones
DJI Enterprise – commercial drone applications
WG Drones – Lightshow drones
Flock Drone Art – From ideation to execution
Airmedia – Drones for media production
LANG AG – Hands-on drone and robot experience
Many of these companies also have exhibition stands close to the Arena.
The Robotics and Drone Arena is a window to the future at ISE 2025. Check out the full four-day Robotics and Drone Arena programme on the ISE website.
ISE 2025 is the 21st edition of the world-renowned trade show for the audiovisual (AV) and systems integration industry.
It features more than 1600 exhibitors across seven Technology Zones, and covers a total of 92,000 sqm of space open to attendees.
Its audience comprises not only the AV sales channel – distributors, dealers, integrators and consultants – but also attendees from a wide range of vertical markets where AV solutions are deployed, including corporate, retail, residential, education, hospitality, venues and entertainment, visitor attractions and many more.
https://www.installation-international.com/ise-daily/see-the-future-at-the-robotics-and-drone-arena
https://www.iseurope.org/show-features/robotics-drone-arena
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/01/29/seven-wyoming-sheriffs-seeing-mystery-drones-still-have-no-answers/
Eight Wyoming Sheriffs Seeing Mystery Drones Still Have No Answers
January 29, 2025
At least eight Wyoming sheriffs have received reports of mysterious drone activity in recent weeks.
Three of those have documented mystery drone sightings over energy infrastructure, like power plants and oil and gas fields, the sheriffs told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.
The outlet reached out to every sheriff in Wyoming on Tuesday and Wednesday, after President Donald Trump announced that similar mystery drones spotted over New Jersey late last year were not from enemy sources.
Trump’s spokeswoman said Tuesday that the drones were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The president’s assurance with respect to New Jersey drones contains slightly more information than the federal government ventured last year. But it’s not enough to diminish multiple Wyoming sheriffs’ concerns over sightings in their own counties.
“We remain in close communication with our state and federal partners, but we still don’t have a conclusive explanation for these flights,” Jason Mower, spokesman for the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office, told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.
The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office has received 10 confirmed reports of unusual drone activity since early December. These display “similar” formations to those patterns reported across the nation, and most sightings happen after dark, Mower said.
He described some grid-like formations, straight-line patterns, and some more spoke-like formations with multiple drones branching off from one large, central drone.
Sheriff’s Office employees have seen the drone flights with their own eyes, and some people have furnished videos, he added.
The initial reports were of drones over the Jim Bridger Power Plant. That’s concerning, said Mower. Most of the other reports have been more random locations.
“My impression is, it’s a far wider-spread issue here in Wyoming and has been pretty much this entire time,” Mower said.
“So the (president’s) statement today specific to the activity over New Jersey does very little to ease our minds or give us any clarification or answers as to what’s happening here in Wyoming.
Sublette County Sheriff KC Lehr said his county has logged multiple sightings since Jan. 1, ranging from the county’s southernmost border to its northern end.
These sightings range from patterns involving two or three devices, to 10-12 in formation.
“We’ve had two accounts of very large drones – and when I say very large they’re talking like the size of a Volkswagen vehicle – and several smaller drones flying in a grid pattern around that singular drone,” said Lehr. Others appear to be grid searching.
“We haven’t been able to determine the origin, or where these drones are going once they leave,” he added.
Law enforcement agents have confirmed the sightings, Lehr added. Many are over the “mesa” – a stretch of oil and gas infrastructure.
Lehr’s office has reached out to every energy industry operating in the area, he said. His office has deployed search teams at night and obtained video footage, which it has been forwarding to the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security’s new tips site.
So far no one has come forward and admitted to operating the drones.
The president’s statement focused on New Jersey, but that leaves questions still burning in Wyoming, Lehr said.
Campbell County Sheriff Scott Matheny has had multiple drone sightings reported to his office. And in that county, it’s nearly impossible to avoid energy infrastructure.
“We have lots of structures here: the power plants and the coal mines,” said Matheny. “At some point they are (flying over those things) because you can’t not when you’re in Campbell County.”
Matheny’s undersheriff Quentin Reynolds has seen the drones in person as well, the sheriff added, after speaking to Reynolds in the background of the call.
But these drones don’t appear to be flying in coordinated patterns, thought two were spotted flying together, said Matheny. The sightings are typically, but not always, after dark.
Matheny said he’s curious about the drones, but with numerous other things to manage, including an uptick in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, he’s not yet overwhelmed with worry over the drones.
The sheriffs of Weston, Johnson, Natrona and Niobrara County all have had mysterious drone sighting reports in recent weeks, their respective sheriffs and spokespeople told Cowboy State Daily.
Johnson County Sheriff Rod Odenbach said people are reporting them to the west and southwest of Kaycee – on the slope of the Bighorn Mountains and not near any energy infrastructure.
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Those reports have included video documentation showing grid patterns, he said. It’s not illegal to fly a drone generally, Odenbach noted.
“They’re doing something. I just don’t know what they’re doing,” he said, adding that he’s been in touch with the state’s Homeland Security office and is hoping to hear back from that agency or another agency in the near future.
“Because right now, really, we don’t have much to go on.”
Niobrara County Sheriff Randy Starkey has been seeing drones or getting drone reports since October – well before the drone frenzy erupted in New Jersey.
They’re flying over the Lance Creek area, which is a large fossil bed, but no known energy infrastructure, he said.
Starkey met with a drone expert Wednesday but walked away with many questions still unanswered.
“If anybody knows why they’re flying around or what they’re looking for, they could contact the sheriff’s office,” said Starkey. “If somebody knows what’s going on, that would be awesome.”
In Weston County, Sheriff Brian Colvard has had a couple reports from a resident in the Buckhorn area, but deputies have not confirmed the sightings.
“I don’t disbelieve they’re seeing them, but I don’t know if it’s a hunter or somebody flying – or if it’s totally mysterious,” said Colvard. That sighting was not near any energy structures or mines.
The town of Newcastle has a refinery “right in town,” said Colvard. “And we haven’t witnessed anything like that over our resource-driven stuff.”
The drones over Washakie County aren't over any infrastructure as far as Sheriff Austin Brookwell knows. His office has received reports of drone sightings southeast of Worland toward the Badlands, and closer to the Big Horn mountains - all nighttime sightings, he said.
Kiera Hett, spokeswoman for the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office, said via email that the office had one report of suspicious drone activity in mid-January, but the deputies have not substantiated the claim. She did not immediately respond to follow-up question regarding energy infrastructure.
Of the state’s 23 sheriffs, 12 told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that they haven’t had any mystery drone reports in recent weeks.
Those were in Albany, Big Horn, Carbon, Converse, Crook, Fremont, Goshen, Laramie, Park, Platte Sheridan, and Uinta counties.
Though Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken hasn't had mysterious drone reports, he empathizes with those law enforcement agencies that do.
"Based on the sheer volume and reports from other sheriffs in the state, I have concerns as well," Bakken said.
The sheriffs of Hot Springs, Lincoln, and Teton counties did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.
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Edinburgh NLP expert captures 'UFO' sighting near St. Mary's Cathedral
Updated 30th Jan 2025, 08:52 GMT
Edinburgh NLP practitioner Lewis Thornhill spotted a UFO flying over Scotland’s capital.
Standing outside St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral, Lewis was on his way to meet Knights Kitchen owner Christine Longstaff for their regular coffee catch-up when he noticed a flash of sunlight reflecting off a metallic object moving through the sky.
He quickly pulled out his phone and managed to capture photos of the long, silver UFO.
"As I took the snapshots, I stood in awe, mesmerised by its shape and color as it headed in the direction of Fife," Lewis recalled.
"Moments after it disappeared from view—almost like a scene from a Hollywood film—a helicopter flew over Calton Hill, possibly in pursuit of the 'Jetsons' enjoying Scotland’s capital.
"Looks like 2025 is shaping up to be a year where we may soon be inviting ET round for tea—perhaps in a galaxy not too far away."
https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/community/edinburgh-nlp-expert-captures-ufo-sighting-near-st-marys-cathedral-4966989
'Suspicious drone activity' | Carmel police warn drones are being used by criminals to scope out homes
Published: 10:43 AM EST January 29, 2025
Updated: 10:19 AM EST January 30, 2025
CARMEL, Ind. — Carmel police are warning that drones are being used in burglaries, and they want citizens to be on alert.
In a post on social media, the Carmel Police Department said drones have been found in connection with recent burglaries — but not in Carmel.
Late in the afternoon of Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, they sent 13News the following statement:
"We do not have any active cases where we believe a drone was utilized in this fashion here at CPD."
Police are urging residents to report any suspicious drone activity saying, "your awareness can make a big difference in helping us keep our neighborhoods safe."
Carmel police ask anyone who sees a suspicious drone to report them to 317-571-2580.
In November 2024, the sheriff's department in Los Angeles reported burglars were using drones in gated communities there.
Homeowners told NBC4 in Los Angeles that they believe thieves were using drones to case their homes before making the break-in. One victim said he followed the drone to a group of men who started running away.
Call police. Do not shoot the drones down.
According to the FAA, which regulates drones, they are focused on safety, not privacy. If you have a privacy concern about a drone, you should call police.
If there is a safety concern, you should also call local law enforcement, though you can contact the FAA as well.
Either way, it is illegal to shoot at an aircraft, including a drone. The FAA warns a drone hit by gunfire could crash into innocent bystanders or property or hit something else in the air.
If you shoot at a drone, you could be the one who ends up charged with a crime by federal, state and/or local authorities.
https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/carmel-police-warn-drones-are-being-used-in-burglaries-department-cops-thieves-casing-homes-privacy-faa-uas-uav/531-6534ab1f-a769-41ac-9c76-de7d6258e28f
https://www.facebook.com/CarmelPD
Alien Cube: UK startup launching 1st billboard and memes to the Moon
January 28, 2025
The Alien Cube, a durable titanium capsule designed to withstand the harsh lunar environment, will house a memory card containing digital content and engraved titanium plates featuring photos and messages from individuals around the world.
To increase the chances of being understood, messages on the front of the cube are written in various alien languages from iconic science fiction franchises such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Futurama, and others, each of which has developed its own unique language.
The Cube will also feature a dedicated space for brand logos, showcasing pioneering companies that are eager to join this extraterrestrial adventure.
We are currently in discussions with several brands specializing in extreme gear and clothing, who recognize the unique opportunity to align their image with this groundbreaking mission.
Alien Cube has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise the final funds ($181,000 more) needed to secure a contract with a leading lunar transportation company for the payload.
NDA is already in place, so potential partners include ispace, Astrobotics, Intuitive Machines, and Firefly Aerospace, all of whom have recently achieved or plan their successful lunar missions.
“We believe humor and memes are a universal language even on the moon,” said Stepan Myannik, artist and founder of Alien Cube.
“This project is a unique opportunity to engage with potential alien life and eventually brainwash them with our content - it is a space where people can now send their Selfies,Tik Toks, Instagram Stories and Memes showcasing human creativity and culture.”
https://news.satnews.com/2025/01/28/alien-cube-uk-startup-launching-1st-billboard-and-memes-to-the-moon/
https://www.indiegogo.com/