Countering our world’s obsession with the fast and efficient, Barros has fashioned the Passing Cloud – a unique and ground breaking means of transportation that would allow people to float on giant balloons among the clouds, meandering from one drop off spot to another around the country. The Passing Could is environmentally friendly, has an incredible futuristic design, and would be fueled solely by the wind. Wherever the wind takes it, the Passing Cloud goes.

If you have somewhere to be, the Passing Cloud probably wouldn’t be your best bet, since you can’t predict the end point of the Cloud’s journey or how long it will take to get there. Having said that, it would be pretty ideal for the cruise ship and train riding bunch who can enjoy the process of getting from one place to the next.

Barros’s has a particularity romantic view of his product,

It’s an unique journey. The feeling of floating in the atmosphere – on top of a cloud – with an open schedule and unknown final destiny. All National Ground would be potentially covered at virtually no cost and the help of the wind. The journey becomes your destiny.

Sounds a bit touchy-feely to us, plus he seems to have left out any mention of the impact of bad weather would have on his invention, but we still love this concept and think it would be incredible to see it fully realized in real life.

All Images: Tiago Barros/Cargo Collective

Yanko Design has come up with a commuter bike that can fold up to 8 inches wide. That means it could easily fit on the subway even during rush hours, or you can sneak it on a plane in your backpack (well, maybe).

Plus, you don’t have to lift it, since the back wheel stays on the ground once it’s folded. So you can easily wheel it on a train whether you are in New York City or Berlin.

Image: Yanko Design

Problems? Well, as Tree Hugger relates, the wheels are also tiny, which may cause a bit of a problem when riding it around the city. Watch out for those potholes and uneven sidewalks!

Also, as some commenters note, a larger person might not do so well on the bike, simply for the fact that the wheels are so close to the ground already. Busted wheels are not a pretty thing.

There are more than a few other fold-up bikes currently on the market, as NYCEWheels relates. Those include electric fold-up bikes, full-size bikes that can fold down, and at least one that can roll on its hind wheel, similar to the Yanko Design.

Image: Yanko Design

So where can you pick up one of these tiny bikes to take on your next country-hopping excursion? Well, the only problem is that it’s in “prototype” phase, which means no one knows if or when it’ll make it to market.

For now, it just looks pretty and versatile in pictures.

Jetstar flyers got a show watching the urinater wobble back and forth while relieving himself in the aisle of the plane. The alleged man was seen mixing whiskey in a Burger King cup with a friend before the incident occurred. After the confiscation of his alcohol, the man was let off with a fair warning, the women with the scarf was handed towels and other travelers sat uncomfortably next to his urine stains for the duration of the remaining flight.

Image: skyfaller/Flickr

The incident, however, was not the first in which a customer decided to urinate outside of the restroom in his or her travels. In August of 1989, after being upset about the bathroom wait, Izzy Stradlin of Guns N’ Roses chose to urinate on a plane’s floor. But in Izzy’s defense, he is a rock star.

What are airlines doing about these drunk urinating passengers? Not much. Future flyers, watch out for that man mixing whiskey in a fast food cup near your aisle because your leg, scarf or carpet space could be next!

What does a test pilot do? They fly new and modified planes to determine whether or not they’re safe to put into the air. Essentially, every time a test pilot steps into a plane to be tested, the outcome is never certain. How’s that for a dream job? Test pilots have been flying the new Boeing 787 for 1,800 hours so far. The ultimate challenge, however, is figuring out how the plane behaves in crosswinds, among the most treacherous of winds in aviation.

Keflavik Airport in Iceland has lately become the hot spot for crosswind testing, and recently, the 787 Dreamliner test flight team went looking for winds that would shift the flight of their craft at a perpendicular angle. Most airlines wouldn’t even consider landing in such conditions. Fortunately, most pilots are ballsy enough to give it a whirl – it’s a matter of pride, after all.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nKFGQCAg3c[/youtube]

This test is vital because pilots need to know how strong a crosswind can blow while still managing a safe landing. This is usually determined by how much the control surfaces (like the ailerons, rudder and elevator) help keep the airplane flying straight along the runway without crabbing or slipping in the wind.

And if you’re wondering just how important negotiating a crosswind in a real-life situation, just check out this crazy video from an attempted landing in Hamburg.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfB4xyM7tMw&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

So really, is there any reason to doubt the capability of your pilot?

[Photo: Rennett Stowe]

For the second year in a row, Scandinavian carrier SAS holds the title for the most punctual airline in Europe, according to this article at The Telegraph. Data compiled by Flightstats showed that between May and July, SAS flights arrived on time over 90% of the time. Contrast that with Britain-based EasyJet, which had a miserable record of being on time only 52.45% of the time. A bit of a shock was RyanAir outperforming British Airways (69.18% vs. 68.22%) in the punctuality category.

Back in February of this year, Forbes.com posted an article that listed Southwest Airlines as the most reliable airline in the US. However, they are also quick to point out that only five percentage points separate them and number 10 on the list, JetBlue. They chalk this up to the fact that most major carriers use the exact same air routes, which are very busy at all times. Skywest and United rounded out the top three, at second and third, respectively.

Msnbc.com took it a step further and listed the most punctual airlines in the world. It might not come as a surprise that Japan Airlines topped the list, citing a 90.95% rate of flights arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled time with rival Japanese carrier, ANA, coming in at a close second at 90.37%. Europe’s top on-time airline, SAS, was listed third in the world. The full list (and slideshow) can be seen here.

So if you’re planning a trip and time is of the essence, you may want to try Flightstats’ up-to-date tool, On Time Performance Rating.

[Image: Hyougushi / Flickr]