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Calling all truly dedicated steampunk fans: the World Sky Race is a round-the-planet race for lighter-than-air craft, kicking off from London sometime in 2011. See www.worldskyrace.com for particulars.
Aiming a little higher up, SpaceShipTwo has successfully glided all by its own self from 45,000 feet, landing at the finally official Mojave Air and Space Port.
Meanwhile, at the top of the atmosphere, Vulture 1, aiming for the paper- airplane altitude record, was successfully released at 89,541 feet. Sadly the ground track was only captured for the last 6,000 feet or so of the descent, but there is some lovely video of the release and photos from the ascent at http://www.theregister.co.uk/science/paris/ (warning: NSFW wordplay).
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman were partly right! Everyone who has read Good Omens has learned that a demon altered the plans of the M25 in England to form a satanic symbol; now confirmation comes from the Pioneer Engage Church, an evangelical sentry in Leatherhead, that definite signs of evil have been detected around junction 9 of that very highway.
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