Buffalo, New York
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STS-128 Comes Home
Streams of smoke trail from the main landing gear as space shuttle Discovery touches down on Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base to conclude the 14-day STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. Image Credit: Jim Ross
Keiichi Iwasaki, 36, left his Japanese home in 2001 with just 160 Yen ($2) in his pocket after becoming bored with his air-conditioning job, the UK's Telegraph reports.
After cycling the country for a year he decided to extend his journey to South Korea and, eventually, 36 other countries.
During his trip Mr Iwasaki was attacked by a rabid dog in Tibet, robbed by pirates and was even arrested in India.
He cycled over 45,000 kilometres during his marathon adventure and become the first Japanese man to climb Mount Everest from sea level without using any transportation.
Mr Iwasaki said he raised funds from performing tricks, and only his “strong will” has kept him on his bike.
He chose to avoid air travel and opted for cycling or ferries for transport in order to soak up the atmosphere.
''I didn't want to use aeroplanes because I wanted to see and feel everything with my own skin. With bicycle, I can always feel the air and atmosphere of the place.''
Mr Iwasaki is in Switzerland and hopes to climb Mount Blanc, Europe’s highest peak, before travelling to Africa and the US over the next five years.
He plans to write a book about his adventure.
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Leibovitz wins reprieve on $24M loan
Celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz has won an extension in a financial dispute that threatened to strip her of the rights to her many famous images.
Art Capital Group, a financial services company specializing in the art world, announced Friday that it has given the U.S. photographer more time to repay her $24-million US loan.
It did not say how long the extension would last, but it has withdrawn its lawsuit against Leibovitz, 59.
Art Capital Group had loaned the photographer money to cover her debts, but she had to put up the rights to her images as collateral.
Leibovitz, who has taken many memorable images of actors, artists, politicians, musicians and other public figures, including one of a pregnant Demi Moore, got into financial trouble because her spending outstripped her considerable income.
She faced a deadline to pay the loan on Tuesday, but neither side released information about was happening as the deadline passed.
The photographer has created images for Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone and Vogue and shot such famous subjects as John Lennon and the Queen.
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A Day of Remembrance
Visible from space, a smoke plume rises from Manhattan after two planes crashed into the towers of the World Trade Center. This photo was taken of metropolitan New York City the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, from aboard the International Space Station. "Our prayers and thoughts go out to all the people there, and everywhere else," said Station Commander Frank Culbertson of Expedition 3, after the attacks. Image Credit: NASA
(via nasa.gov)
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Set a Passcode Lock with Find My iPhone
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With Find My iPhone, you can help protect the information on a missing iPhone by remotely assigning a four-digit passcode lock. This is especially useful if you've never set a passcode before or if you want to set a new one.
To use this new feature, first install the iPhone OS 3.1 Software Update. Then if you want to remotely set a passcode lock, log in to your MobileMe Account, choose Find My iPhone in the column on the left, and click Remote Lock.
Packing for the Voyage Home
In the grasp of the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm, the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module is placed back in Discovery's payload bay. STS-128 pilot Kevin Ford and astronaut Jose Hernandez were at the controls of the robotic arm in the Destiny laboratory. They grappled Leonardo and removed it from the Harmony node and placed it inside the shuttle's payload bay for the return home. Image Credit: NASA
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Reflection
European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang is visible in the reflection of NASA astronaut Danny Olivas's helmet visor during this, the STS-128 mission's third and final spacewalk.
Olivas and Fuglesang deployed the Payload Attachment System, replaced the Rate Gyro Assembly #2, installed two GPS antennae and worked to prepare for the installation of Node 3 next year. Image Credit: NASA