April 17, 2020

Drones on the Front Lines


Drones on the Front Lines
What a cute little guy! Perfect for quarantine enforcement. U.S. Air Force, Public Domain

Every day we inch closer to living in a science-fiction film.

Entrepreneurs at the Russian Venture Company reported that tests are underway to determine the effectiveness of coronavirus-fighting-by-drone. Drones could be used throughout Russia in the near future to deliver medical supplies, disinfect streets, provide information to citizens, and generally monitor the streets during quarantine, like little robotic vigilantes.

The problem, it seems, is air traffic control. Current tests, conducted in Tver Oblast, focus on providing each drone enough airspace in which to operate without colliding with another drone. Working out this problem would allow for a new front in the fight against the pandemic.

Frankly, the possibility of seeing some cute little flying Robocops in the future has us tickled. And scared too, of course.

 

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Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
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The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Woe From Wit (bilingual)
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One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

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Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

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