Next-generation 747 takes first air (photos)

On Monday, Boeing’s 747-8 Freighter took off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., its first flight, and the first for the new 747 program.

Start balloon hunting. Ten red weather balloons are now flying high at fixed locations around the continental U.S. as part of DARPA’s Network Challenge. The first team to spot them wins $40,000.

Switzerland’s Solar Impulse, the first solar plane designed to fly day and night without fuel, takes its initial test flight, traveling a distance of 1,148 feet.

Sergey Brin says censorship in China worsened after the 2008 Olympics, the Pentagon used lasers to destroy a missile in flight, and Barbie updates her resume.

Open source is driving the industry toward $0.00 as an important price point, but will it end up crippling all companies, including open-source companies.

A Pew Internet & American Life Project study finds a decline in blogging among teens and young adults, and very low Twitter use among teens. Pew’s Amanda Lenhart explains the findings.

Ricoh’s quanp service wants to be the center of your digital universe, and the approach is surprisingly good.

The German phone company is considering an initial public offering for its U.S. wireless operator, T-Mobile USA, The Wall Street Journal is reporting.

Big Blue’s new data analysis product BigSheets has open source inside. That means you can make your own.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu is among the guests in the first episode of the Web video show, which debuts next week.

With the full launch of Facebook’s virtual currency growing closer, the company has spelled out some of the terms that were heretofore only rumored.