Morning Links

• Marc Newson redesigns the airport check-in process to be painless. “Later this year, regular travelers will be able to get hold of a Q Bag Tag, an RFID-embedded luggage tag with permanent tracking number assigned to the owner, which stores information for each trip as well as forwarding instructions for lost baggage. A smart chip inside the new Q Card electronically waves frequent fliers through initial check-in to the Jetsonesque “Bag Drop injector.”“

• The first plane to fly on algae-based biofuel takes a spin at the Farnborough Air Show. “According to EADS (the maker of the Airbus), the higher energy content of the biofuel allows their Diamond Aircraft DA42 New Generation to use almost a half gallon less fuel per hour than it would on conventional, kerosene-based jet fuel. And the small aircraft does so without extensive engine modifications or sacrificing performance. Compared to Jet-A1 fuel, the exhaust from the algae fuel has 8 times less hydrocarbons as well as reduced nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide emissions.”

• Suburbia was created as a safeguard against nuclear annihilation. “This is an unrecognized if not forgotten history of the roots of sprawl in the U.S. as a defensive measure. The outcome of the defense was similar to that of the attack it was meant to survive - a cratering of the cities.”