At the end of last month, people residing in the skyscrapers of Brisbane were treated to a stunning - and frankly, nerve-wracking - sight, as a plane flew worryingly close to their windows.

The Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster was pulling off the manoeuvre in preparation for an Airshow, rehearsing for Queensland's 21st annual 'Riverfire'. The event, which the Brisbane Times referred to as the area's "largest annual public celebration," the likes of EA-18G Growlers are featured, along with the Roulettes - the RAAF's formation aerobatic display team.

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In this case, the aircraft flew upwards at the very last minute to avoid buildings as it approached the centre of the city. According to the Air Force, it was due to drop to an altitude of 100 metres and cruise above the city skyline at 300 km/h.

Videos of the plane spread across social media, with the footage looking pretty terrifying for those not expecting it:

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The festival features a huge fireworks display as well as flybys from various aircraft, but this was definitely a notable occasion. Photographer Tim Dwyer spoke to the Brisbane Times about this particular flight:

"I've photographed the choppers, Hornets, Growlers, but this is the first time I've seen the Globemaster so low.

"Last year it was flying quite a bit higher, but the low altitude this year made all the difference for the photos because I was looking directly at it or even down at it."

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Regardless of how well trained the crew are, it must have been terrifying for those surprised that day.

In fact, many took to social media to point out that, had their been even a slight error, the consequences could have been catastrophic.

The idea of a remote-controlled, small hovering aircraft, harder to detect than a manned vehicle, probably sounded like science fiction not that long ago. Now, it's become a part of life that we all accept to be true. And it's not all military-coordinated drone strikes, but drones delivering Amazon packages or being sold as expensive Christmas presents to tech obsessives.

With that in mind, it's a little more difficult these days to surprise us with technological advancements. Saying that, there is one old device that is still pretty impressive to most of us: the flamethrower. It wasn't that long ago that Elon Musk was making waves on the internet by selling flamethrowers to his die-hard fans.

However, Musk missed a trick when he didn't think of selling drones with flamethrowers mounted on top...

Okay, well it's probably illegal to sell something that dangerous to a regular ol' citizen, but there really are some drones out there with this capability. Footage of one of them in action from back in 2017 has recently been making of the rounds, and you can see it showing off its fiery arsenal in the video below:

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According to Gizmodo, these drones are actually used by an electronic power maintenance company in China. It may seem a tad excessive at first, but it turns out that flamethrowers are pretty handy for getting rid of any plastic bags or debris that are caught on high-voltage wires.

You can see some more footage of one of them in action in Xiangyang, China, below:

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With tech like this being used for a fairly menial task, it's like we're one step closer to the future - though one a little less glamorous than sci-fi ever imagined.

We live in amazing times. Smartphones, 'Human Ubers,'  sex robots - if our ancestors could warp to the present, their minds would be blown by the incredible innovations in technology. And I think they would particularly like the sex robots. But there's something missing. Whenever there's news about a futuristic new product, we all have the same reaction: "Cool, but where are the flying cars?"

Well, get excited, because soon, you'll be able to live out your The Jetsons fantasy. The world's first flying cars are schedule to go on sale next year, with pre-sales beginning in October. No price has been set yet, but I'm guessing it'll be more expensive than a Honda Civic.

Terrafugia, which belongs to the parent company Volvo, manufactured the two-seat, hybrid-electric vehicles. The Transition has fold-out wings, landing gear and can switch between driving mode and flying mode in less than a minute. The pioneering models can fly up to 400 miles, with a top speed of 100mph, and a maximum altitude of 10,000 feet. They weigh roughly 1,300 pounds.

Yeah, the Transition looks more like a plane than a car. Some critics have scoffed the vehicle might not be particularly great at either one. (Geez, such buzzkills.) Recent improvements include a new parachute system, rear-view cameras, and a boost mode for extra speed while flying. The Transition meets TSA standards, but consumers will need a pilot's license and are required to take off and land at airports. So, that's a bummer. I'm not sure who their demographic for this product is (eccentric millionaires?), but hey, flying cars gotta start somewhere.

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Terrafugia's planned follow-up, the TF-X, is more exciting. This hybrid has the capacity to fit four people, and it's easier to fly, thanks a computer-controlled system. Passengers input their desired destination, and the aircraft flies and lands by itself. And the best parts, this model is street legal. "The TF-X won't require an airport for takeoff and landing, and it will drive on all roads and highways - providing the convenience of true door-to-door transportation," said the company. An artist's rendering of the TF-X in action is below.

Last July, Terrafugia CEO Chris Jaran said, "Developing this new technology has allowed us to test several different mechanisms and generate process improvements along the way. We are at the critical point where we can implement the best design features based on years of flight and drive testing. This will improve function, safety and aesthetics for the optimal flying and driving experience."

Okay, it's going to be a while before we can cruise around like characters in Blade Runner. But maybe that's a good thing. In the the comments to Terrafugia's TF-X video, one person pointed out, "The majority of people have enough problems driving on the ground, let alone up in the air.  IMO For this to work the car will have to be 100% fully automated and left out of human control." And another person pointed out another problem: "Mexicans will be able to fly right over trumps wall." So true.

Everyone wants to learn martial arts as a kid. The idea of being able to defend yourself like Bruce Lee or move as swiftly as Jackie Chan is an opportunity no one would turn down. Unfortunately for impatient youngsters, when you actually get to the class, they're not all for swinging fists and getting to the coolest moves straight away.

There's a reason it's called martial arts, as it is an artistic process with often meditative qualities, to be used in self-defence more so than showing the school's biggest bully who's boss. This puts plenty of people off early on, while those who stick at it for years can end up becoming extremely skilled in the field.

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Saying that, when you get to the higher levels of martial arts such as Taekwondo, there are some seriously impressive displays. Take for instance the Kukkiwon Demonstration Team, who recently competed in this year's World Taekwondo Hanmadang, an annual martial arts festival held in South Korea.

In the footage below, you can see a compilation of their incredible feats, including one person being launched 15 feet in the air to smash a wooden board, landing perfectly on their feet:

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Amazing, right? Needless to say, Twitter loved it:

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Well, how about this: that was just the highlight reel. You can see the full video of their performance in the video below:

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Honestly, I could watch this video 100 times over, and it will still be just as shocking. I'm looking forward to seeing their performance at next year's competition too!

Last week footage of an orgy in a hotel room went viral on Chinese social media. (There's a sentence you don't get to write every day!) The videos were posted on the popular Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, and although China has tried to scrub it from the Internet, it's like playing whack-a-mole. You shut down one upload, another one pops up.

Speaking of popping up, the orgy. According to The Shanghaist, the videos show at least six naked men and women dancing, grinding, laughing and basically living life to the fullest. Allegedly, the people involved are flight attendants for China Eastern Airlines. (Well, I know what airline I'm flying from now on.) Rumors say it took place at a hotel in Madrid. I know it's disappointing this orgy didn't happen on an airplane, because it would bring a whole new meaning to the word 'cockpit.'

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In a written statement, China Eastern Airlines denies that the people in the video are employees. They suggest that the video was shot in Africa, and produced by someone deliberately trying to damage their reputation. (What? Seems like it would only improve their reputation to me.) I don't know what airline would go to the trouble to throw an orgy just to smear a competitor, but if that's the case, that is some pretty creative marketing.

China has been censoring every mention of this incident on the Internet, so if you are reading this article, you are probably not in China. The website FreeWeibo monitors and distributes content that has been censored by Chinese authorities. The most censored term at the moment is "Eastern airlines 6p," followed by "Eastern Airlines" and "China Eastern." (I assume "orgy" was already censored.) But that's not all - China has also blocked the terms "migration" and "boarding a plane." That's pretty extreme. There are 376 million Weibo users. Will all references to airplanes on the Internet be censored for them?

China desperately wants to wipe this incident from our memories, but ironically their efforts have just given the story more publicity. It's a good example of The Streisand Effect, "the phenomenon whereby an attempt to hide, remove, or censor a piece of information has the unintended consequence of publicizing the information more widely." It's named after the singer Barbara Streisand, who tried to suppress photos of her house in Malibu in 2003. Instead, she ending up drawing more attention to it.

But you know what? I support this flight attendant orgy. China recently started giving citizens 'reputation ratings,' making a nightmarish Black Mirror episode a reality. Can you blame them for wanting to cut loose? I mean, the government's censorship is so extreme that last month they blocked Weibo users from saying "I disagree." Reportedly they did this because of the Communist Party's proposal to let President Xi Jinping rule more than two terms. Sometimes you just have to rebel.

In a related story, airline passengers have fist fight because one wouldn't stop farting...