Falcons hunt by scanning the ground below them using a cone-like field of vision; imagine a spotlight scanning the earth – the bird’s-eye-view is limited to what’s moving within that beam. The area within the cone expands when the bird soars higher above ground, but falcons don’t always fly high while scanning terrain, so falconers train them to fly higher, which increases the potential hunting area.

For centuries, falcon trainers have used kites and balloons. They tie a lure to a line, which is attached to the kite or balloon. The falcon chases the device as it flies upwards, then snatches the bait and returns it to its trainer for a reward. Over time, the bird learns to fly higher and hunt prey over a larger area. Replacing kites with small unmanned aerial vehicles, or quadcopters, puts a modern twist on an ancient technique.

The machines act as tiny helicopters, operated by remote control.  They can travel in pre-determined paths, further and higher than ground-tethered balloons and kites.

Watch a video of drone training a falcon below. (The bird makes his appearance at around 0:40.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT5Ak63rR1U

A drone is also being used – today – to carry a falcon to the top of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It will carry the bird inside a special cage to the top of the 2,722 feet high tower.

The cage will open, and Victor the falcon will soar free, filming his journey using a special camera strapped to his chest. Live images of the world-record-breaking flight (this is Dubai, after all) will be shown on an enormous screen set along the shore between the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa.

Drones are deployed in many new ways, but our favorites remain those with environmental benefits, whether raising awareness to abominable practices of Big Food, helping to clear plastic from our oceans,  or replacing delivery vehicles that run on fossil fuels.

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The world went wild last week over an unforgettable image of a weasel riding bareback on a woodpecker in flight.  It is difficult to imagine a more astonishing moment that the one captured by amateur British photographer Martin Le-May, unless maybe if that woodpecker had a camera strapped to his chest.  But that sort of nutty nature photography could only happen in Dubai, right?

Been there, done that, says Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. Also known as Fazza (when he’s writing poetry), the handsome heir to the crown recently posted a video taken by an eagle equipped with a Sony Action Cam as it swooped over the Burj Al Arab rooftop heliport, capturing amazing views of the coastal city. The bird had been lifted skywards in a drone-carried cage, then released to channel his inner Martin Scorcese.

See the bird film below.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/JTz6JPplzyI[/youtube]

The Sheikh is also ‘royalty’ on Instagram with 1.7 million followers who regularly check in to see him skydive, play polo, and cuddle his white tiger cub. He posted, “Through an eagle eye from @burjalarab expect higher on 14 of March. #FlyBurjKhalifa #MyDubai”. The feathered cinematographer was an Imperial Eagle named Darshan, an animal once on the Red List of endangered species until global conservation revitalized its ranks.

His highness referred to March 14, which is the date that NGO Freedom Conservation will attempt to set a new world record by flying another eagle from the top of the Burj Khalifa, this one named Victor and similarly fitted out with a camera.  Standing 2722 feet high, the Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building, literally a bird’s-eye view.

An enormous screen set along the shore between the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa will air live images of the record-breaking flight. After his journey – if things go to plan – the eagle will return to Falconer Jacques-Olivier Travers in the park opposite to the Palace Downtown Hotel.  Or maybe he’ll head to a Trader Vic’s to pal around with supermodels. #OnlyInDubai never fails to astound.

Freedom is a game-changing conservation movement that seeks to protect and reintroduce threatened birds of prey through creative conservation methods and generate global publicity for the cause. Founded by expert falconer Jacques-Olivier Travers and developed with conservationist Ronald Menzel, Freedom is centered on an exceptional breeding facility in Thonon, France.

Travers teaches birds of prey born in captivity to hunt and fly by skiing, kayaking and paragliding with them. It seems extreme French sports enable the birds to be reintroduced to nature with much better chances of survival and reproduction than with the traditional methods.

His methods are filmed – YouTube has a flock of these bird films: who knew this was a thing? Here’s a clip filmed by a bird over dunes outside Dubai city:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/3vrX5bWBz1A[/youtube]

And another giving an aerial oversight of Dubai’s Palm Island:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Ts-taUmo9qg[/youtube]

The compelling content seems effective at harnessing global media attention (we sure fell for it) and engaging a new generation of conservationists. Watch it catalyze popular support for the protection of nature worldwide. You can connect with Freedom Online on Facebook (link here), TWITTER (link here), Instagram (link here) or do it old school and visit their website (link here).

Step aside, Birdman, we may have an eagle win an Oscar.

The post Weasel on a woodpecker? Discover Dubai through an eagle’s eye instead! appeared first on Green Prophet.

The first Earth Hour took place in 2007. Since then, it has blossomed into a massive global celebration that sees not only millions of individuals hitting the switch for an hour, but major landmarks as well.

Every year, the Burj Khalifa switches off and this year, for the first time, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) in Istanbul and the Hagia Sophia and Bosphorous Bridge that connects Europe and Asia will be switching of as well.

In Jordan, a candlelit march will take place on one of the city’s oldest streets in Jabal Amman, and the lights of Al Karak Castle will be switched off as well.

Related: Why Earth Hour still matters

Small events will take place in Egypt and Iran and other countries across the Middle East and North Africa – all you have to do is head over to WWF’s Earth Hour site to find out how you can get involved in your own community or country.

And if there isn’t an event, make one! Or have your own private party in the dark.

Whatever you choose to do, remember this. While Earth Hour is a symbolic international gathering designed to celebrate a healthier planet, the idea is to get people thinking about ways that they can reduce their footprint for the long term.

“It’s a brilliant reminder that together we can make change happen, and it gives us a chance to think about the small things we can do everyday to help create a brighter future,” writes WWF.

“So whether you reflect under the stars or celebrate by candlelight, it’s a moment to say you’ll do your bit to protect our planet – not just for one hour, but every day.”

This year’s Earth Hour takes place on March 29, from 8.30-9.30pm (local time.)

The post Hit the switch and join millions for Earth Hour 2014 appeared first on Green Prophet.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/1QzA26yus50[/youtube]

YouTube poster “moh dev” shot the terrifying action, capturing the power and speed of the enormous cloud of rain and dust as it engulfed downtown Dubai.  It’s a mystery how he timed this. Since when have weather forecasts ever been accurate?

Sand trapped in storms like these more closely resembles dust: fine grained particles that embed in crevices you never knew your body had. Which is why designs like a rotating tower with multiple moving parts are absurd in this climate (and most others!).

The post Forget Godzilla! We see Dubai storm swallow mile-high Burj Khalifa [video] appeared first on Green Prophet.

Roughly 80 percent of the one to four bedroom apartments on floors 19 through 108 of the Burj Khalifa are occupied.

A one bedroom apartment can cost as much as $55,000 to rent per year, but landlords of apartments at the “prestigious address” are also required to pay an annual maintenance fee that is used to ensure that common facilities remain in good working order.

Shared facilities and services include gyms, elevators, swimming pools, air-conditioning, and waste disposal services (however dubious they may be.)

“The service charges for residents go to the management and maintenance of the common areas, for the overall and long-term welfare of all residents,” an Emaar spokesman told The National.

Emaar charges owners of a four bedroom apartment up to $60,000 per year to perform these services, a sum that many landlords simply refuse to pay.

Unfortunately, threats to cut services to make the owners cough up their maintenance fees affect renters (who have mostly paid the money they owe) more than the landlords, who may not even live in the soaring 163 floor building. And then there are landlords who have paid their fees, who are punished for the misdeeds of others.

“It is unfair because this is not the tenants’ fault, they have paid their rent and it is not fair they suffer,” a landlord with more than 10 paid-for Burj properties told The National.

Although Emaar threatened to cut air conditioning and lift service over the weekend, they didn’t, because legally they can’t – according to a lawyer who spoke with The National.

“Owners and tenants cannot be legally prevented from entering their property,  Devanand Mahadev told the paper. “The building facilitator cannot shut down need-to-have facilities like electricity, water and access to the lifts.”  Only the service provider, in this case DEWA, has that ability.

While Emaar works out this dispute with owners who have not paid their fees, many residents will be denied access to luxury amenities; consequently, some have expressed a desire to seek new, more secure accommodation. 

:: The National

Burj Khalifa image / Shutterstock

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Dubai and other Gulf cities have grown up so fast. Once empty tracts of vast desert land have been replaced with row after row of tall, glass clad buildings – many of which are unoccupied.

Gone are the simple days of subsistence fishing and pearl diving. Now we have air-conditioned shopping malls and fancy gold-plated cars (even if they are biodiesel.) And we’re alone in our nostalgia for the “good old days.”

Beijing has gone through a similar transformation.

There are at least as many towers dominating the Chinese capital as Dubai’s and Doha’s, including the world’s second tallest tower – the Shanghai World Financial Center, and one artist is so tired of the change, she designed a series of tower-shaped candles just so that she could watch them burn down.

In addition to creating replicas of Doha’s Palm and Aspire Towers, Jing Jing Naihan Li, who has worked with renowned architects Ai WeiWei and OMA in the past, designed models of several American and Chinese skyscrapers as well.

It took the artist two years to design and mould the candles, which are each one foot tall, and were originally unveiled at Beijing Design Week in 2012.

“I’m tired of modernity,” Naihan told Bundshop, an online website that sells the candles. “I like watching these buildings burn and melt into artistic pieces. I light these for fun, I think I’ve burnt 20 sets just myself.”

If you’re also tired of modernity and would like to see Doha’s Palm or Aspire Tower burn to the ground, you can, but it’s going to cost you!

The minimum selling price for these skyscraper candles is $39, though the more elaborate models are pricier, but we must say, it’s better to burn one of them down than it is to set alight the real thing!

:: Gizmodo

The post Watch Qatar’s Palm Tower Burn Down to the Ground appeared first on Green Prophet.

The intrepid Google team that set out to capture images from the soaring skyscraper in Dubai needed three days to get the job done.

Not only did they capture photographs from the 80th floor window cleaning gantry, they also ascended to the vertigo-inducing heights of the 124th floor, where they encountered 40mph winds.

Trekker backpacks and trolleys were key to the successful execution of this daring project.

These are new android-powered cameras, 15 five megapixel cameras in one resilient backpack, that Google designed in order to reach places that even a bicycle or snow machine can’t reach.

The 40 pound packs have two batteries that last all day, according to Google.

“The Burj Khalifa is special because it’s the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world” said Pascal Malite, Google’s Street View Program Manager.

“We are here to bring to the user the possibility to see this huge, immense, wonderful building,” she added.

This is the first time that Google’s Street View team has worked on a project like this in an Arab country, and now it is possible for just about anyone to experience the Burj without a costly, carbon-intensive flight across the globe.

:: Engadget

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Got a sensitive stomach?  Then click on a different Green Prophet story – because the following photos cause vertigo. Readers are warned: don’t try this at home, and maybe tie up your teenagers.

The Russians scaled the structures without authorization, snapping pictures from positions obscured from security guard view. The photos incited reactions of awe and indignation, prompted debate over protection of antiquities, and caused a hailstorm of racist commentary.

Skywalking blows past planking as the latest trend in touristic photography. It’s “buildering” gone wild, a flip on the exploits of Philippe Petit and French Spider-Man, Alain Robert.  Skywalkers self-photo events, quickly uploading on social media, usually under the radar of mainstream press.

This team’s pictures are absolutely incredible.  Remarkably, in the era of digital photography, they are not enhanced.  We see the photographer’s view, with crisp awareness that he stood in crazy, life-threatening vantage points.  It evokes instinctive biological reactions of fear and lightheadedness.  The shots are literally breath-taking.

Makhorov told CNN, “For as long as I can remember my dream was to get to the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza. No words can express the fascination I felt when seeing my childhood dream come alive.”

“We tried to capture the beauty of the scenery, so that others could also see this magnificent panorama. That’s why I would like to apologize for this ascension. We didn’t want to insult anyone. We were just following the dream.”

They were not the first to climb the pyramid, and he posted on his photoblog, “We strongly recommend that you do not repeat it.”

The images are environmentally important. See the far-reaching expansion of Cairo and Dubai, the intense light pollution and roadway sprawl.  The occasional LEED-certified building is insignificant against these wider impacts of Mideast urbanization.

An odd sub-experience to life in the Middle East is frequent inundation by Russian travelers. You know when it’s happening, the telltales of cultural collision are visceral.  Let’s paint this picture with the broadest of brushes: Russians are people with large presence.  They’re allergic to queues, and loud, and they appear to be on the forefront of this innervating trend.

Reducing the people of the world’s largest nation to a one-line description is as asinine as, say, standing without fall-protection atop 100-story building, but it does seems young Russians really like to climb tall stuff and take pictures.

My go-to source for all things Russian is Nick Moran, social media editor for literary website The Millions and self-described Russky-phile.  He tells me,  “Skywalking is a big deal in Russia, mostly with rural teens. There’s so much abandoned Soviet-era infrastructure that it’s easy to sneak into these areas and climb up. A lot of these kids have nothing to really ‘live for’.  Couple that with easy access to vodka and you’ve got some pretty wild daredevil behavior.”

Moran suggested a few videos that let you taste the skywalking experience from the comfort of your closer-to-earth computer.  Try this link, and this one, and this especially crazy example.

Local authorities hate the trend, which is growing in popularity, because they’re afraid to climb after the culprits.

Will regional shutterbugs will hop aboard this trend?  See Saudi youth cease drifting their cars to climb the Mecca Watchtower.  Watch Emirati teens clamber up dueling Burjs. And Qatari kids…well they’ll probably take the elevator.

All Images by Vadim Makhorov and Vitaliy Raskalov  from EnglishRussi

The post Russian Skywalkers Invade Middle East! appeared first on Green Prophet.

Update: 2020: Construction of the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, also known as the Kingdom Tower, has been plagued by political, economic and labour issues, with the proposed completion date of 2020 deemed unrealistic for many years now.

Boys, boys, boys, when will you learn that size doesn’t matter as much as performance? Next Azerbaijan broadcast plans to top that with their own mile-high cloud-puncher. Then Pakistan upstaged both with their own biggest building boast.

And performance brings us full circle back to Team Saudi who just commissioned the project delivery team for their kilometer-high Kingdom Tower. Even though 7 years later the project never managed to launch while the Saudi King is building Neom on the Red Sea. Is this engineering ingenuity, diversion, or architectural porn?

Actions speak louder than empty press releases. Obama may have scratched another trip to the moon, but, regrettably, the terrestrial race towards the heavens is on.

Green Prophet’s told you all about Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Tower. First conceived years back, geological testing commenced in 2008 for the planned one-mile-high structure. That initial engineering resulted in a down-sizing of tower height, which still bests Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

Now Kingdom Tower is off the theoretical and into production. Its staying power lies in its wider context of regional development and in the deep pockets of its owner, billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. The Prince likes his things big.

The Tower is the centerpiece of an ambitious urban development project called Kingdom City, a phased construction on 2 square miles of undeveloped waterfront property near the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Once the Tower’s erected, they’ll be multiple phases of expansion and major infrastructure works to support it all.

British-based EC Harris and Mace have hooked up to provide project, commercial and design management for the $1.2 billion development which will break ground later this year. (Construction, by Bin Laden Group, is planned to wrap up in six years.)

This team’s delivered over 100 skyscrapers including London’s Shard and Abu Dhabi’s The Landmark. Adrian Smith, the American architect behind the Burj Khalifa and New York City’s Trump Tower, is the designer.

Stack up those four skyscrapers and you could run a 5k race along their facades without ever treading on something sustainable. Despite their sky-high project price tags, they are devoid of innovative design elements that would reduce their gargantuan environmental impacts or enhance occupant safety.

Consider the waste generated, the power and water consumed, the resultant road congestion, and the devastating impact on local real estate. Consider the thousands of birds who die in collisions with the acres of tower skin (ornithologist Daniel Klem, Jr. estimates that collisions with skyscraper glass kills up to 1 billion birds a year in the United States alone). Are Jeddah emergency services equipped to handle fires a kilometer above ground? Think of the attraction for splashy acts of terror.

Then read through their project press releases. You’ll find nothing to address those previous questions, but spot a few ho-hum green features including proximity to mass transit, high performance thermal glass, and efficient plumbing fixtures. The same can be said about my little apartment which was built over 25 years ago.

Middle Eastern mega-projects tend to chase world records in terms of manly dimensions or bloated price tags. What would it take to incite project teams to hit new heights in green technologies? Buildings made from smart materials that don’t deplete already-stressed water resources, with on-site renewable energy-generation. International media would eat it up, and it would be a powerful project differentiator for all stakeholders to lay claim to, with bragging rights to the host nation.

Call me Miss Cranky, but these competitions to see whose is biggest are better suited for the locker room and not the world construction stage.

The post Saudi Erects World’s Tallest Tower appeared first on Green Prophet.

As though arriving in Dubai for the first time with nothing but $272 in his pocket, the Pakistani-Canadian entrepreneur will first get a job as a scrap collector and then work his way up from there. He will live with eight or ten other men in squalid conditions – like so many do in Dubai – and document the entire process with a three-person film crew. 

Inspired by a young Pakistani scrap collector he met, Mirza wants to see how far he can stretch his initial sum of money in order to highlight opportunities for the poor.

Once he gets a leg up as a scrap collector, he intends to find other jobs either online or using newspaper classifieds. He will exchange his services for room and board, if he can.

He will then distribute the DVD that Mirza Productions will generate over the 33 day ordeal for free. He will also pass out 100 survival kits to some of the most enterprising people he meets along the way, which will include mobile phone top ups and a Nol card that provides a few rides on Dubai public transportation.

This kit will also include tips for eating well and suggest places for  purchasing nourishing food.

Mirza seems to suggest that with a touch of pluck and ingenuity, even the most uneducated person on the street can improve their lot. And it’s an interesting experiment.

But it’s also borderline insulting. With his camera crew and pedigree, employers won’t  treat him with the same disdain that many foreign workers experience in the Emirate and he already has “reached the top” if living in a giant skyscraper is one’s definition of the high life.

He does acknowledge this, but claims that his project is about demonstrating to Dubai’s shadow people that it is possible to get somewhere from nowhere. In theory at least.

“The idea is to bounce back in 33 days, not to make millions but be stable,” Mr Mirza told The National. “Let’s see what Dubai has to offer.”

We’re kind of hoping Dubai has a nice big serving of humble pie on the menu.

Image of Burj Khalifa, Shutterstock

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