Latest news with #Otto
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Otto Aviation's Phantom 3500 Aims To Massively Disrupt Private Jet Market
Disruptor aircraft company Otto Aviation is aiming to achieve first flight with what could potentially be a revolutionary high-efficiency business jet-type aircraft with a tear-drop-shaped fuselage called the Phantom 3500 by the end of the decade, if not within the next two years or so. Otto has made very bold claims that still have yet to be realized, but if they are, even in part, they could be transformative for the aviation industry, including for military applications. The Phantom 3500 leverages previous work on a broadly similar piston engine design called the Celera 500L, which TWZ was the first to report on the existence of when it was still very mysterious back in 2017. Otto Aviation highlighted the ongoing development of the Phantom 3500 in a video released earlier this month, seen below. The company first unveiled the design, originally called the Celera 800, in 2023. It was '10 years of very difficult labor-of-love work to build the Celera 500,' Otto Aviation CEO Paul Touw says in the video. 'That data was used to help refine all of our technology and tools to build the second aircraft, which is now called the Phantom.' The Phantom 3500 is a significantly different design from the Celera 500L, most immediately in its planned use of two Williams FJ44 turbofan engines, one mounted on each side of the rear of the fuselage, for propulsion. The Celera 500L has a Raikhlin Aircraft Engine Developments (RED) A03 V12 piston engine driving a pusher propeller at the tail end. The RED A03 is a high-efficiency multi-fuel design that you can read more about here. Otto has also completely changed the wing and tail configuration for the Phantom 3500. The jet-powered design's main wings are much larger and feature a wider chord than those found on the Celera 500L. It also features a T-tail unlike its predecessor, which had horizontal stabilizers on either side of the rear fuselage. What Phantom 3500 and the Celera 500L do share is a tear-drop-shaped fuselage optimized to take advantage of what is called laminar flow, something that has been central to Otto Aviation's developments to date. In broad terms, laminar flow refers to liquid or gaseous 'fluids,' including air, flowing in smooth, regular layers with little to no mixing between them. 'In traditional aircraft, airflow over the fuselage and wings quickly becomes turbulent, creating drag that wastes energy and fuel,' Otto's website explains. 'Laminar flow keeps air moving smoothly along the aircraft's surface, reducing resistance and improving aerodynamic efficiency.' 'Virtuous cycle is the synthesis cycle of aircraft design. The virtuous cycle that we use, you take laminar flow, apply it to your design, and your drag goes down. When your drag goes down, your fuel burn goes down. When your fuel burn goes down, fuel required goes down,' Scott Drennan, Otto's President and Chief Operating Officer, explains in the video released earlier this month. This, in turn, allows for 'smaller engines, smaller structure to support all that, and it starts to loop down that curve, so you have a lighter, high performance aircraft that still meets all the customer experience expectations.' In the video, Otto CEO Touw says the Phantom 3500 is expected to burn 115 gallons of fuel per hour. The average burn rate for other comparable business jets like the Bombardier Challenger 350, Cessna Citation Latitude, and Embraer Praetor 500 is around 300 gallons per hour, according to the company, citing data from Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI). In addition to the 'virtuous cycle' around fuel burn, 'there's a wonderful performance cycle. Here, our wings are in complete laminar flow. They almost disappear from a drag perspective. We can actually make the wing bigger to perform a number of beautiful performance tricks,' Touw adds. 'One is a bigger wing allows you to take off on a shorter distance or land on a shorter distance. That bigger wing, with a lot less drag, produces more lift, and that allows you to climb much faster.' Touw says this will roughly double the number of airports in the United States that the Phantom 3500 can operate from over comparable business jets. The Phantom 3500 is also expected to benefit from additional efficiencies gained by cruising at altitudes of up to 51,000 feet. Otto is projecting an absolute maximum unrefueled range of 3,500 nautical miles, reflected in the 3500 in the name, and the ability to fly up to 3,200 nautical miles with four passengers on board. Otto has said previously that the Celera 500L flew at altitudes up to 15,000 feet and speeds up to 250 miles per hour during flight testing, which it projected would translate to a speed of around 460 miles per hour at 50,000 feet. In a recent interview with FlightGlobal, Touw also said that wind-tunnel testing conducted last year 'surprised even us,' especially in terms of data collected on the expected drag of the Phantom 3500 design. 'We didn't think we would be able to take that much energy out of a flight.' As noted, the results of laminar flow shaping for the fuselage also allows for larger internal volume than comparably sized aircraft with more traditional designs. Otto says the Phantom 3500's main cabin will have a height of six feet, five inches, considerably taller than what is found on many business jets and small airliners. It will also be more spacious overall. As part of its laminar flow design, the Phantom 3500 also eschews cabin windows entirely. Instead, Otto plans to install what it calls a 'Natural Vision' system that consists of 'state-of-the-art high-definition digital displays that seamlessly integrate real-time external views.' The Phantom 3500's design is also expected to yield manufacturing benefits, including reductions in total material required for production and overall manufacturing costs. Just today, a firm called Galorath, described as 'the premier AI-powered estimation platform provider,' announced that Otto will also be using its SEER product to help produce 'structured operational intelligence to anticipate costs and streamline production efforts.' 'As we enter the next phase of aircraft development, time-to-market, quality control, and resource accuracy are critical to our success,' Obi Ndu, Otto's Chief Information and Digital Officer, said in an accompanying statement. 'Integrating Galorath's SEER platform into workflows ensures we have the right tools to combat economy-driven constraints and focus on cost, outcome predictions, and meeting design requirements, keeping us ahead of the curve with a strategic advantage.' Interestingly, in addition, 'at its estimated 8,618kg (19,000lb) MTOW [maximum takeoff weight], the Phantom 3500 sits at the top of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 23 category, rather than the more-stringent Part 25 category occupied by other super-midsize types,' FlightGlobal noted as an aside in its recent interview with Touw. 'Despite the intention to certify the Phantom 3500 as a Part 23 jet, Otto will incorporate some requirements from Part 25, opening the potential to hop up to the higher weight class in the future, adding additional fuel capacity to take range out to as much as 4,300nm.' Otto has long touted the potential for its laminar flow-focused aircraft to have transformative impacts on the general aviation sector by offering improved performance at lower costs in a package that can also fly in and out of more locations. The company has previously presented these qualities as being particularly advantageous for regional charter flights along routes that would otherwise be unprofitable for large airlines to operate. With its aforementioned expected capabilities, the Phantom 3500, specifically, is poised to compete in the mid-size jet market. It could be particularly advantageous for flights between cross-U.S. city pairs like New York City and Los Angeles. It would also be capable of flying between Hawaii and the mainland United States or across the Atlantic Ocean. Potential military applications have appeared in Otto marketing materials in the past, as well. In principle, a laminar flow design like the Phantom 3500 could be very well suited to moving cargo and personnel in and out of far-flung operating locations with smaller runways. The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps both notably envision future operations, especially during a potential high-end fight with China in the Pacific, as being heavily dependent on the ability to operate from a larger number of often more remote sites to make friendly forces harder to target and otherwise present challenges to the enemy. In those contexts, an aircraft like the Phantom 3500 could also operate as part of a hub-and-spoke logistics concept wherein larger aircraft and ships first bring personnel and materiel to larger bases for further dispersal. The high-efficiency high-altitude performance Otto is pitching could be beneficial for other military mission sets, including surveillance and reconnaissance. Last year, Aviation Week reported that Otto was working on a 'super-laminar' demonstrator aircraft for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects (DARPA) Agency to be used in experiments to demonstrate power beaming technology that could dramatically extend the endurance of electrically-powered drones, potentially allowing them to stay aloft indefinitely. Aviation Week's story on Otto's work for DARPA included a computer-generated image showing multiple drones with tear-drop-shaped fuselages, very long and slender wings, and T-tails. Otto has also notably shown a rendering of a concept for an uncrewed derivative of the Celera 500L in the past. The range and fuel-efficiency benefits of a laminar flow-optimized design could be even more extreme in a design that does not need to support a crew, and provide that performance at a lower cost. When the Phantom 3500 actually flies, and what impact it will have on the aviation industry, remains to be seen. Otto CEO Touw's description of work on the Celera 500L as a 'very difficult labor-of-love' points to challenges already experienced along the way. Though the company is now describing that earlier aircraft as a 'technology demonstrator,' it had previously presented it as a prototype for an expected family of operational aircraft that would include a larger 1000L variant. In 2022, the company also announced plans for a 19-seat hydrogen-electric-powered version called the Celera 750L that would use ZeroAvia's ZA600 powertrain and have a maximum range of up to 1,000 nautical miles. Whether or not work related to this design, or another variant or derivatives of the Celera 500L, is still ongoing is unclear. The focus at Otto is now clearly on the significantly redesigned and now rebranded Phantom 3500, which is the only design currently featured on the company's website. Otto has said the plan is for the Phantom 3500 to fly for the first time no later than 2030, but CEO Touw said in his recent interview with FlightGlobal that the milestone could come as early as 2027. If the company is able to achieve even a decent fraction of what it is aiming for with this aircraft, it could be a major disruptor in the aviation marketplace on multiple levels. Contact the author: joe@
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Otto Aviation Standardizes on Galorath's AI-Powered Estimation Platform to Drive Price-to-Win Strategies Across Sustainable Aerospace Initiatives
LONG BEACH, Calif., June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Galorath, the premier AI-powered estimation platform provider for cost, schedule, and risk analysis, today announced that Otto Aviation (Otto) is standardizing on its flagship SEER® platform. Otto will leverage the platform's structured operational intelligence to anticipate costs and streamline production efforts as it works to create the future of sustainable air travel through paradigm-shifting design, performance, and economics. In the evolving supply chain landscape, Otto will rely heavily on SEER for Manufacturing (SEER-MFG™) and SEER-3D predictive data modules to develop accurate and efficient manufacturing and assembly costs. SEER allows Otto to build parametric estimates and risk profiles by leveraging historical insights, improving planning precision. The Otto team can interact directly with its proprietary and Galorath-sourced historical data. This simplifies WBS generation and unlocks actionable, data-backed insights earlier in the process. "As we enter the next phase of aircraft development, time-to-market, quality control, and resource accuracy are critical to our success," said Obi K. Ndu, PhD, Chief Information and Digital Officer, Otto Aviation. "Integrating Galorath's SEER platform into workflows ensures we have the right tools to combat economy-driven constraints and focus on cost, outcome predictions, and meeting design requirements, keeping us ahead of the curve with a strategic advantage." Guided by a team of experienced and accomplished aerospace leaders, Otto is ushering in a new era of transonic super-laminar (TSL) aircraft that is more operationally efficient and environmentally friendly. As Otto approaches design initiatives for customers, the SEER-MFG data module empowers Otto with accurate estimation, predictive analytics, risk analysis tools, labor and resource forecasting, and material and production modeling. As designs evolve, the SEER 3D data module allows Otto to update and refresh estimates by generating detailed costs from any CAD system and evaluating cost-saving alternatives. "Delivering sustainable flight innovation demands precision, flexibility, and rigorous control. Galorath's AI-powered estimation platform brings structure to that complexity," said Charles Orlando, Chief Strategy Officer at Galorath. "The complexities of navigating quality control issues, new regulations, and persistent supply chain constraints require a sophisticated solution. Galorath's AI-powered estimation platform delivers structured cost, schedule, and risk analysis through a unified environment that scales across Otto team members and designs." SEER AI-Powered Estimation and Planning Built on Galorath's trusted SEER modeling framework, the platform combines analytical depth with intuitive access. SEER's core modeling framework is refined over decades of complex program execution that addresses the needs of cost, schedule, labor, risk, should-cost, and price-to-win estimation and analysis for hardware, software, manufacturing, and information technology (IT). The platform's operational intelligence layer, SEERai™, is integrated throughout the experience. It enables natural interaction, embedded guidance, and intelligent automation – reducing cycle time, improving alignment, and unlocking knowledge trapped in documents, processes, and expert memory. For more information about the SEER platform, visit About Otto Aviation Otto is creating ultra-efficient, sustainable flight through paradigm-shifting technologies. Otto distinguishes itself as an aerospace trailblazer through its selection to participate in the OECIF-resourced, DARPA-led Energy Web Aircraft program, showcasing a strong commitment to innovation. For more information, visit About Galorath Incorporated Galorath delivers an AI-powered business operations platform grounded in decades of real-world cost, schedule, and risk validation for operations, supply chains, and manufacturing. Their flagship SEER® platform is trusted by industry giants in high-stakes environments, like Accenture, NASA, Boeing, the U.S. Department of Defense, and BAE Systems (EU), among others. Built on Galorath's trusted SEER modeling framework, the platform combines analytical depth with intuitive access to accelerate time to market, enhance project predictability and visibility, and ensure project costs are on track. For more information, visit SEER is a registered trademark of Galorath Incorporated. SEER-MFG and SEERai are trademarks of Galorath Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. This press release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the future financial performance, business strategies, market conditions, and product development plans of the companies mentioned. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements due to various factors, including those discussed in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The companies mentioned here undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether due to new information, future events, or otherwise. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Galorath Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Fibre2Fashion
26-05-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Germany's Otto Group returns to profit with $314.64 mn EBIT in FY24-25
German retail company Otto Group has generated a revenue of just under €15 billion (~$17.1 billion) and significantly improved profitability in financial year 2024-25, ended February 28, 2025. The EBIT surged to €276 million (~$314.64 million) from €8 million the previous year, while EBITDA rose to €916 million. The group recorded a net profit of €165 million (~$188.10 million) and reduced net financial debt by €579 million, improving its equity ratio to 36 per cent. The platforms segment, led by Otto and About You, grew by 4.7 per cent, with Otto's gross merchandise value (GMV) rising 9 per cent to over €7 billion. Section-wise, About You also performed strongly, increasing revenue to €2 billion. However, Brand Concepts saw a 3.3 per cent revenue dip due to challenges in the US market, despite solid gains by Witt group and Crate and Barrel. The retailer segment declined by 4 per cent to down to €1.7 billion following strategic exits, while services grew by 12 per cent and financial services rose by 5.8 per cent, driven by the EOS group, Otto said in a press release. Otto Group has reported revenue just under €15 billion (~$17.1 billion) in financial year 2024-25, with EBIT surging to €276 million (~$314.64 million) and net profit reaching €165 million. Growth in platforms, especially Otto and About You, offset dips in Brand Concepts and retailers. The group launched a new strategy focused on customer needs and core business scaling, aiming for profitability by 2030. 'Despite the continuing and extremely tense geopolitical environment and the gloomy consumer sentiment we are still experiencing especially in Germany, our clear focus has enabled us to succeed not only in keeping revenues stable, but also in bringing the Otto Group clearly into the black at all earnings levels. We have faced up to the challenges of the market and coped with them very well. Of course, we are satisfied with what we have achieved over the past financial year. This has further 2 increased our financial stability and now allows us to look forward with a degree of optimism,' said Petra Scharner-Wolff, chairwoman of the executive board and chief executive officer (CEO) of Otto Group. The Otto group has launched a new strategic agenda focused on customer needs, scaling core businesses like Otto, Crate & Barrel, and EOS, and expanding operations in Europe and North America. Aiming for greater financial freedom by 2030, the group is prioritising profitability, investment capacity, and technological competitiveness, especially through GenAI. Significant IT and logistics investments have already enhanced efficiency. Mahbobeh Sabetnia joins the executive board to lead on technology and retail. Despite ongoing global uncertainties, the group targets stable revenue and increased profitability, maintaining its long-term, value-driven vision, added the release. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Engadget
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Doctor Who 'Wish World' review: The Last of the Time Lords (redux)
Spoilers for 'Wish World.' Even the most daring artists, those that actively seek reinvention on a regular basis, will eventually wind up repeating themselves. If they're lucky and self-aware, the artist may even get the chance to rehabilitate some of the lesser works in their canon. Sadly, it's at this last hurdle that Russell T. Davies has fallen, with 'Wish World' not quite able to do more than become a bizarro remake of 'The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords.' James Pardon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf We open in Bavaria, 1865, where a cloak-wearing woman on horseback rides through a forest to a remote cabin. It's classic series villain the Rani, resurrected at the end of last week's episode, who is greeted by Otto Zufall (German for 'coincidence'), a storybook villager-type who expected to greet a midwife to help his ailing wife, Violett. Otto is the seventh son of a seventh son, who has just welcomed his seventh son into the world. Violet lays in bed cradling the newborn, which the Rani says is — as the third-generation seventh son — gifted with unbelievable power. She plucks the newborn from her arms, killing Violet by blowing on her, turning her into a pile of violet petals. She then blows on the other six children and turns them into ducks, and Otto into a wise owl. Then, we're on Earth on May 23, 2025, where the happily married couple John Smith — the Doctor — and Belinda wake up side by side in bed. Their daughter, Poppy (from 'Space Babies' and 'The Story and the Engine') pads in from her bedroom. The trio live as a picture of domestic bliss, with a distinctly fake-looking '60s style kitchen filled with bright colors. It may be the present day, but there's little-to-no tech on show except that every room has a 14-inch CRT TV that only plays a broadcast of Conrad (from 'Lucky Day') who tells them the whole world is going to have great weather that day. At breakfast, the Doctor's mind wanders for a moment, and suddenly his mug (which was in the middle of the table) inexplicably smashes to the floor. Never mind, as there's a whole cupboard of matching mugs to replace the ones that fall during a 'slip.' Each house even has a large, bright orange trash can just to get rid of the mugs that fall during a 'slip', including their next door neighbor, Mel. When the Doctor greets Mel, he asks what her plans are for May Day, and she says as an unmarried woman with no children, she'll just sit inside in quiet contemplation. Looming over the heart of the city, taller than any skyscraper, is a structure made out of bone that stands tall on spindly spider legs. Similarly incongruous is a series of massive, dinosaur skeletons that stomp around the landscape. We'll see later that the dinosaur skeletons don't actually interact with the world around them, phasing through the space below. The only person (for now) that doesn't seem to be affected is Ruby, who turns up at the Doctor's house. She thinks she knows the Doctor, and Belinda, but can't quite work anything out, and then blurts out that they don't have a child when she sees Poppy. That prompts Belinda to call the police, as having doubt or sowing confusion is a crime here. The Doctor heads to work in UNIT HQ, suitably redecorated as a 1950s office despite the sci-fi trappings in the periphery. Kate Stewart is an officious boss, Colonel Ibrahim is the Doctor's colleague and Susan Triad has been turned into the '60s tea-lady from 'The Devil's Chord.' Colonel Ibrahim still has the hots for Kate, but thinks that she's so far out of his league that she'd never go out with him. The Doctor disagrees, saying that Ibrahim is a 'beautiful' man, which prompts Ibrahim to get very angry. After all, it would be wrong, impossible or deviant for a man to find another man beautiful, even intellectually. But the Doctor manages to avoid having him call the secret police as the staff of the office all stop to spot the Rani flying by on her hover scooter, which they believe is a sign of good luck for May Day the following day (another deliberate incongruity given May Day takes place on May 1). The Rani lands on the spider skeleton / looming tower of doom, handing Mrs. Flood some Italian meat and tells her to make Conrad a sandwich. He's up in the tower, as it's his imagination that is shaping the world, with his regular broadcasts informing the people of his choices. But he's also nervous — saying that the effort of maintaining a world is difficult since he has to run so many complex systems or else let whole nations be destroyed. It may be his imagination, but it's being powered by the nameless baby from 1865, who never cries, just smiles. Conrad, being the show's avatar of so many alt-right figures, has built a reality to reflect his worldview. Heterosexuality is compulsory and loudly and rigidly enforced, there is a secret police ready to seize anyone off the street at a moment's notice and everyone is constantly asked to inform on their family members. The culture of paranoia is rife. It also explains why Mel, as an unmarried and child-free woman, is expected to sit away and quietly contemplate her implicitly-poor choices, because naturally Conrad only values women for their utility, birthing and taking care of men, rather than as people with their own agency. Even Mrs. Flood, a Time Lady in her own right and the architect of this whole scheme, is relegated to the thankless role of 'mother.' James Pardon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf His regular broadcasts are even used to taunt the Doctor, reading a story about the Doctor from a book that apes the original British Harry Potter covers. It is, without a doubt, intentional that Davies' would make his alt-right villain a fan of the series in 2025. Meanwhile, Belinda remains at home looking after Poppy, and gets a visit from her mum and grandmother. They are talking about motherhood, and the fact Poppy is expected to grow up and become an obedient wife to her husband. But when Belinda's grandmother asks how long Belinda's labor took, she can't remember — prompting a small crisis of her own. There's one UNIT regular who isn't up in the office, Shirley Bingham, who is in a wheelchair begging out on the street. Conrad's worldview has no room for people with disabilities (or queer and gender non-conforming people) and so she's homeless. Ruby initially brushes her pleas for money away before stopping and realizing that she's met them before. Ruby is taken to a hidden homeless encampment where the ignored have gathered to create some sort of community. Ruby explains to them what they already know — something about all of this is wrong , and that she's lived through 2025 already (during '73 Yards') and it didn't play out like this. Shirley has a plan to bring down Conrad, and Ruby wants in, saying that if she can get face to face with him, she'll be able to remember what's locked in the back of her mind. That night, the Doctor is at home, furrowing his brow, and in the background Susan appears on his TV in a brief flash. But she quickly disappears, only to be replaced by Rogue (Jonathan Groff, from last season's 'Rogue') who only has time to tell the Doctor two things. First, 'tables don't do that,' and that he loves him. Belinda wakes up to the sound of mugs smashing, as the Doctor experiments — every time he feels doubt, a mug falls through the solid wood onto the floor. Belinda can see what's going on, but is horrified enough to call the police and get them to arrest the Doctor for having doubts. But Mrs. Flood doesn't just arrest the Doctor, she hauls Belinda's mom there to look after Poppy so Belinda can be arrested too. Shirley and Ruby are camped out below the stone tower, and Shirley pulls out a UNIT tablet that's a relic from the old world. Up in the tower, the Doctor and Belinda are pushed over a threshold and into the safety of the Rani's lair. But the pair still don't have their memories, and so are confused when the Rani starts expositing at them, at length. She points out the seal of Rassilon, and asks if that jogs his memory to no avail, similarly her robot assistants that are looking for signs of doubt among the population. The Rani even dances under a disco ball to a dumbfounded Doctor, who just pleads for mercy. The Rani explains, in a way that made no sense to me at least, that all of the villains the Doctor ever faced wanted death, but her, who wants life. She somehow survived all the various destructions of Gallifrey and is now looking for a lost soul in the heretofore unknown 'underverse.' She achieved this by, uh, blocking the Doctor's route back to Earth and instead, forcing him to criss-cross around the universe with the Vindicator. Each reading the machine took was, in fact, creating a universe-wide network of power all feeding back to the Earth. As the Doctor's memory returns, the Rani explains that being trapped in Conrad's reality was to create and foster doubt. Much in the same way a human being's doubt can damage their world, a Time Lord's doubt should be enough to crack open the universe. As the clock ticks closer to midnight, she sends Belinda back outside the bone tower to her doom. Then, the Rani locks the Doctor on the bone tower's balcony to witness as London is swallowed by a series of enormous black voids with only remnants emerging from the other side (such as the burned Black Cab at the end of 'The Robot Revolution'). Why? Because the lost soul, trapped in the 'underverse' she's desperate to reach, is Omega. The Doctor, trapped on the balcony, tries to break back into the tower and stop the Rani but it's too late. She has laid explosive charges and when they blow, the balcony tumbles down toward the void beneath. But the Doctor screams, 'Poppy is real! Don't you know what that means?' as he tumbles into the darkness. To. Be. Continued. James Pardon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf If there's one thing Russell T. Davies doesn't do well, it's narrative coherence in the run-up to his big finales. Problems and solutions are equally contrived, pulled out of left field and generally don't stand up to much scrutiny. In his mind that's okay because what interests him is the emotional resonance and character moments created by that drama. Given he's one of the few name brand writers in the UK, it's not as if this approach hasn't been enormously successful. But it does make 'Wish World' a frustrating beast since it is, as usual, playing with so many good ideas it squanders most of them. That wouldn't be so bad, but for the episode's conclusion being handed over to incoherent technobabble. It doesn't help this is the second series in a row that hinges on the audience recognizing the significance of a villain not properly* seen on screen for more than four decades. It's worth looking at the first two thirds separate from the last, since there's so much good stuff early on. One of Davies' usual fixations is on the rise of middle-class British fascism, and the moments when we're just inhabiting Conrad's world are wonderful. This time, it's centered on the stultifying environment for the so-called 'respectable types,' whose position and status are perpetually tenuous. The paranoia that manifests out of that means everyone is looking for signs of deviance in their own communities. Those deemed unfit, especially people with disabilities and queer folks, are rendered as un-persons, invisible, shunned and isolated. 'Wish World' picks up on another recurring theme in the show, which is to ask what happens after the war has ended . Conrad's utopia may have lovely weather, but everyone is dressed in uncomfortable clothes and at perpetual risk of being kidnapped off the street by police. If I have a nitpick (and I do) it's that I wish we hadn't needed to see the Rani's baby kidnapping in the opener. Starting with the Doctor and Belinda waking up as a married couple would have been a bigger shock. And it's a shame the episode can't commit hard enough to the 'we're trapped in a bizarro world' bit as Ruby turns up so quickly to let the audience know Things Are Awry. Imagine if the first twenty minutes had played out just from John Smith, or Belinda, or Ruby's perspective and the creeping horror as they realized what was wrong. Sadly, it's the usual problem of having maybe 30 minutes at most to gesture to those ideas rather than explore them. Because we then have to stop the episode to get Ncuti Gatwa to look perplexed while the Rani spouts nonsense at him. Her evil plan doesn't stand up to much scrutiny even as we're being told it. After all, why does she need the Doctor to leap between planets when she has her own TARDIS? And if all it takes is a Time Lord's doubt to rip open the universe, she could have easily done that herself. It's not as if the Doctor is affected by the doubt since he's able to carry on until the Rani explodes the balcony and casts him into the void. Oh, there's one thing that's good in those last moments — the scene of the Doctor realizing something about Poppy is a nice hook into the finale. James Pardon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf I don't get why the Rani would be motivated to go looking for Omega, the scientist who helped co-found Time Lord society. If Rassilon was the political mind, Omega was the engineer who created the power to make it all happen. He created the stellar manipulator that put a stable black hole at the heart of Gallifrey — the Eye of Harmony — to power its TARDISes. Omega's backstory was flimsy in his two televised appearances, essentially being an overpowered villain for the Doctor(s) to battle in two different anniversary specials, 'The Three Doctors' and 'Arc of Infinity.' The rest of his backstory was filled out in the spin-off material, but he's essentially just a big name baddie trotted out when, say, the Master wouldn't cut it. There are thematic parallels between Omega and Conrad, however, since Omega's antimatter universe was sustained entirely by his will and imagination. Is that a comment on something, or just a nice way of dovetailing toward Omega. Who knows? I'm not sure I do. It's hard not to notice the extreme similarities between 'Wish World' and 'The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords,' including the fact both stories got started in the previous episode. For a start, there's the whole Britain-under fascism angle, with the Doctor incapacitated by the villain. Not to mention both feature a sequence in which a Gallifreyan foe taunts our hero with a high camp dancing sequence in a room hovering above the sky . If there's a shame, it's that while the runtime has been cut in half, the actual quality of the denouement seems to have gotten worse. Oh, it was nice to see the seal of the Prydonian Chapter of the Time Lords of Gallifrey Seal of Rassilon on the wall of the Rani's HQ. The bronze and red stylings looked gorgeous and while I'm never going to bang on about fan service in production design, it was lovely to see. And wasn't it nice to get a bone structure hovering over London which is an unintentional callback to 'The Ancestor Cell.' Just a shame that you're then reminded that the book was designed to burn all the great ideas created by Lawrence Miles out of Doctor Who. After all, Miles has been at times the most interesting writer the series' leadership refused to engage with. * Yes, I know Omega and Rassilon are standing beside Tecteun in 'The Timeless Children.'
Powys County Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Climate expert: We're talking about global warming ‘in the wrong way'
Society is talking about climate change in the 'wrong way' with not enough focus on how it affects people, a leading scientist has said. Friederike Otto, who leads work on attributing the role of climate change in devastating heatwaves, floods and storms, said extreme weather was the way that people experienced rising global temperatures. And she said climate change was a human rights issue, harming people's lives and livelihoods – particularly the most vulnerable around the world. Amid a growing pushback against the drive to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 'net zero' to curb climate change, Dr Otto warned the costs of not doing net zero were 'massively expensive', for example continuing to have high energy bills from not insulating homes and importing gas from Russia. But taking action on climate change had numerous co-benefits, she said. In the UK, tackling the cost-of-living crisis with subsidies for insulating homes 'would not just lower bills, but of course lower emissions and at the same time help people to be more adapted to extreme heat', she said. Reducing cars in cities and having more green space would lower air pollution and help cool urban areas and provide more permeable surfaces that would alleviate flash flooding in heavy rainstorms. 'There are a lot of these examples where the things you need to do, even if climate change were a hoax, you would want to do them,' she said. She described US president Donald Trump's move to pull out of the global Paris climate treaty as 'ideologically stupid' and one which violated the rights of American voters, with many recent devastating climate-driven extremes hitting the US. Dr Otto, who is based at Imperial College, London, spearheads work by the World Weather Attribution network on rapid analysis of the role of climate change in extreme weather events such as the UK's record-breaking 40C heat in July 2022 or the devastating floods in Valencia, Spain, last autumn. She has now published a book, Climate Injustice, which examines the impacts of climate-driven extreme weather on people – particularly the most vulnerable who have done least to cause it – and how the crisis is exacerbated by inequality and a colonial extractive approach by western countries. Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of an appearance at the Hay Festival, Dr Otto said she was inspired to write her book because 'I feel that we just talk about climate change in the wrong way'. 'We always talk, at least when we talk about it in public discussions, but also very often in the science, we talk about it like a physical issue that will affect the Earth or the planet and we don't talk about very much that it actually affects people,' she said. 'It's through changing extreme weather events that climate change manifests, and it does that everywhere. 'It's not something that happens some time in the future or somewhere else, but here and now.' She said that World Weather Attribution studies had paid increasing attention to the vulnerability of a community to extreme weather, and how prepared they are, because 'it is usually what makes the difference between life and death'. Extreme weather is 'how climate change manifests', she said, adding 'global mean temperature doesn't kill anyone, but what global mean temperature does to our weather, that is what destroys lives and livelihoods'. She pointed out that the Paris agreement, the global climate deal agreed by countries in the French capital in 2015, is a human rights treaty which acknowledges climate change 'violates' people's rights and as a result the global community have agreed to address it. 'It is really important to know that when Trump says he steps back from the Paris agreement, it is not a treaty to save the polar bear that he decides is not important. 'It's a human rights treaty, and that includes the rights of all his voters that are dramatically violated by the impact of climate change,' she warned. 'Climate change is not a luxury problem, it is something that particularly affects those people who are already suffering under the growing inequality that we have, and they would benefit most, or very much, from mitigation or adaptation action that we would need to take,' she warned. But she said: 'It has been politicised and there has been lots of ideological stupidity has gone into that.' She said the current political situation had created a cynicism that there was no point in doing anything, with people feeling they had no agency to bring about change. Instead, there are many things people can do in their sphere of influence, in their jobs, how they talk with friends, or get engaged as school governors or with the local council, she suggested, to create 'lots of very small revolutions'. She said: 'It just needs the critical mass of people to fight for change, and I think they do actually exist. 'They just need to get enough reason to see that their fighting will be successful.'
