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An innocent typo led to a giant 212-story obelisk in Microsoft Flight Simulator - The Verge

Posted: 21 Aug 2020 02:17 AM PDT

Microsoft Flight Simulator players spotted a giant mountain-high obelisk in Australia this week. While Flight Simulator has done a great job at recreating the real world, this unusually huge structure doesn't exist in real life. Players have now discovered that its existence stems from a simple typo.

University student Nathan Wright made an edit to OpenStreetMap data for part of his degree work last year, adding more than two hundred stories to a building that's actually just two stories. Wright meant to type 2, but instead he typed 212 in the data section for floors. "I think it's so funny as it was the first time I was using OpenStreetMap," says Wright in an email to The Verge. "I was using it for a university task and had to add data for class. I didn't think I would have to see it again."

His university work is now internet famous, especially with the Microsoft Flight Simulator community. The typo made its way into Microsoft's Bing Maps data, which Asobo Studio, the developers behind Microsoft Flight Simulator, uses to map out the world in the game. Flight Simulator uses Azure-powered procedural generation technology, combined with Bing Maps data, to recreate virtual buildings like this 212-story obelisk.

Another OpenStreetMap user has since corrected the data typo, but it's already made its way into Flight Simulator and internet history. "I find it really funny that it made it into the game and that I was tracked down so quickly," says Wright.

It's a hilarious glitch, but it's not the only one in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Players have also discovered Buckingham Palace turned into an office block, palm trees transformed into teeth-like structures, and trucks glued to the side of a bridge in Portland.

This particular mountain-high obelisk will likely disappear from Microsoft Flight Simulator once Bing Maps absorbs the latest OpenStreetMap data from Australia, or if Microsoft decides to remove the giant structure manually. If you're interested in visiting the glitch before it disappears, there's already a YouTube video tutorial that even includes a successful landing attempt on top of the obelisk.

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First reputable Pixel 5 renders leak showcasing familiar design, fingerprint scanner, more - 9to5Google

Posted: 21 Aug 2020 05:20 AM PDT

The first reputable Pixel 5 renders have now leaked, showcasing what looks to be a remix of a very familiar design seen previously.

We've already seen some less reliable renders appear online, but this time around, renders have come courtesy of the man with the best track record to date. Steve Hemmestoffer, aka, @OnLeaks shared the high-resolution renders in collaboration with Indian outlet PriceBaba.

The design feels like a combination of the recently released Pixel 4a and the Pixel 4, taking the best of both designs and merging them into one device. So what can we glean from these Pixel 5 renders that we don't already know? Well, in all honesty, nothing really major, as Google themselves revealed some design tidbits when unveiling the Pixel 4a a couple of weeks ago.

Fans of the physical fingerprint reader will be happy, as the rear-mounted capacative fingerprint reader is set to return, while the square camera bump first seen on the Pixel 4 and 4 XL last year is set to return, according to the renders.

The expected specifications of the Google Pixel 5 include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G 5G-enabled chipset, at least 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and battery sizes are not yet known. Again, these are still rumor, but the Pixel 5 renders suggest that the device will measure in at 5.7 to 5.8 inches with an upper-left punch-hole notch mimicking that of the Pixel 4a.

We believe that there will be no Pixel 5 XL model this year. Instead, we'll see the Pixel 4a 5G slot into that space for those wanting a larger display-laden smartphone. While the Pixel 5 renders showcase a familiar design thanks to our own digging, we do know that this device is likely to differentiate itself from the Pixel 4a 5G by including some exclusive software features such as reverse wireless charging — or Battery Share.

It's also expected to come with an IP68 water and dust-resistance rating, among what we're sure will be some other notable alternations — including no headphone jack. Luckily, we already have a good idea of pricing, as Google teased that the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 will start at $499.

What do you think of the Pixel 5 renders? Are you a fan, or does the design skirt too fine a line with other Pixel hardware? Let us know down in the comments section below. For more on the 2020 Pixel lineup, we've got a dedicated explainer post to uncover all of the known information on what is a confusing lineup.