This struck me as a brilliant idea when I was presented with a voucher for a 'virtual balloon' on my birthday about a month ago.
Unlike an ordinary balloon race where physical balloons get let off and the one who's tag gets sent back from the furthest distant wins, this race uses live meteorological modelling and physics to calculate where the balloon _would _have been. The one to travel furthest, wins. Today was launch day. Here is a map of its progress so far. I'm in 375th place - an auspicious number if ever there was one.
I got to choose the colour, the message on the baloon (DragonDrop Adventures, obviously), the volume of gas and thickness of material and the rest was left to the elements to decide. I went for a middle of the road kind of set up and as you can see, from its start point just east of Edinburgh, it's made a bit of progress. It looks windy over there. Could get interesting.
Here's a link to my balloon info page [2026 review : Oops, dead now. Get well soon] | Here's a link to it's live position on a map [2026 review : Oops, dead now. Get well soon]
A very interesting and ecologically sound way or raising money for charity - this race is supporting the Police Treatment Centres.
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