tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post2005447141015884499..comments2024-03-13T09:47:40.487+00:00Comments on Cockpit Conversation: Ominous SignsAviatrixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-36518918373244547002010-03-08T01:04:07.526+00:002010-03-08T01:04:07.526+00:00Yep, e-paper has a slow write-speed. That's t...Yep, e-paper has a slow write-speed. That's the trade-off for a screen that doesn't use any electricity once the screen is written. Not a huge problem when leafing sequentially through a book like normal, but a pain when flipping randomly around.<br /><br />But I'm surprised that you find the contrast poor, Sarah.dpiercehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03397601206317363858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-12275548995958253812010-03-07T05:37:36.348+00:002010-03-07T05:37:36.348+00:00Sarah: correct on all counts. I don't actually...Sarah: correct on all counts. I don't actually find the contrast to be terribly low myself, but then again, my previous reading diet included a lot of cheaply-produced paperbacks, which also have lower contrast than a nice hardcover.<br /><br />The slow page flip is annoying, though you do get somewhat used to that after a while. More annoying is navigating amongst your books. Standing in front of a bookshelf, pulling out books, and flipping through them is considerably nicer than looking at what you've got in your reader.<br /><br />But hey, it's new technology. Certain things about it made me ready to switch in 2009, rather than 1999 or 2019. You will change eventually, but it's perfectly valid to say that it's not good enough for you yet this year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-5805796907026117632010-03-07T03:41:42.200+00:002010-03-07T03:41:42.200+00:00Thanks, Curt.
I stopped by a brick&mortar sto...Thanks, Curt.<br /><br />I stopped by a brick&mortar store to look at a Sony ereader today. <br /><br />I was kind of underwhelmed. The pageflip speed is slow, the contrast is low... the device is nice and compact, and reasonably cheap. But I'll stay with <a href="http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/gadgetlab/2010/02/sony_ereader2.jpg" rel="nofollow">paper (on the right) for now</a><br /><br /><i>Hangs head</i> I guess I'm not an early adopter here.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09991660841701835065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-61217050294236934212010-03-06T07:07:45.725+00:002010-03-06T07:07:45.725+00:00Elizabeth, plenty of people are taking $300 e-read...Elizabeth, plenty of people are taking $300 e-readers to the beach. They put them in transparent waterproof pouches or ZipLoc bags.<br /><br />Sarah, the Sony Reader series are sunlight readable (though avoid the PRS-700, it had severe reflection issues) and you do have full control over what you put on them. I have a library of thousands of books for mine, hundreds of which I have purchased from commercial vendors, and none of them have DRM.<br /><br />However, you probably want to consider EPub (which, like certain kinds of PDF, is an open format); it tends to work better on readers with less than A4-size screens.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-37569426843004988432010-03-05T23:57:46.341+00:002010-03-05T23:57:46.341+00:00They do have to fit in your carry on. :P
I don...They do have to fit in your carry on. :P<br /><br />I don't know. I think the issue they are working on more is shipments. At least you know right away if something in the passenger cabin catches fire.Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-14459591214372543702010-03-05T23:00:09.693+00:002010-03-05T23:00:09.693+00:00I thought that they did address the "explodin...I thought that they did address the "exploding batteries" to an extent where they have put limits on how many li-ion batteries you are allowed to carry aboard.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-85572053640033916362010-03-05T04:46:06.976+00:002010-03-05T04:46:06.976+00:00Good point, aluwings. I've seen some scary yo...Good point, aluwings. I've seen some scary youtubage of actual-in-the-wild exploding laptop li-ion battery at a conference somewhere. This is a fire you would not want anywhere near an airliner.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09991660841701835065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-36716360085522690842010-03-05T01:31:24.595+00:002010-03-05T01:31:24.595+00:00Aluwings, I know there's an international air...<b>Aluwings</b>, I know there's an international airline dangerous goods committee working on the laptop battery problem, because I have a friend who is on it.Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-89162822158475577062010-03-05T01:22:44.141+00:002010-03-05T01:22:44.141+00:00What I don't understand, is all the caution ov...What I don't understand, is all the caution over cell phones - but nada regarding exploding computer batteries!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeWq6rWzChw" rel="nofollow">Exploding Battery Demonstration</a>Aluwingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16518739658424324739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-75252214043473162392010-03-04T23:39:07.387+00:002010-03-04T23:39:07.387+00:00Being on an airplane is not like being at the mall...<i>Being on an airplane is not like being at the mall</i> ...<br /><br />I worked 10 mins on a SkyMall joke, and gave up.dpiercehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03397601206317363858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-58762774809216669082010-03-04T21:24:19.679+00:002010-03-04T21:24:19.679+00:00I wonder if the electronic prohibition includes bl...I wonder if the electronic prohibition includes bluetooth devices. I suspect it does.<br /><br />Cellphones can definitely interfere with ILS/gs radios, and I can also hear them chatter on my headset. If they are ever allowed on airliners, the cabin will become that much more unendurable without an inflight audio headset.<br /><br />I'm with you on the "ebook" DRM crap. One of these days I'll get a sunlight readable reader... but only if I can get a stream of PDFs *I* own and control.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09991660841701835065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-49093979177033623812010-03-04T18:45:24.044+00:002010-03-04T18:45:24.044+00:00I frequently forget to turn off the wifi on my com...I frequently forget to turn off the wifi on my computer in an airplane. It would be to my benefit, too, as the battery is going to last longer if it isn't busy seeking signals.<br /><br />Testing of various devices translates to vague knowledge that <i>some devices can interfere with some avionics under some circumstances</i>, which goes into legislation as <i>no one may use electronic devices on board without permission of the pilot in command</i>, which is tranlated again into company regulations which may be <i>all cellphones are turned off while the aircraft door is closed</i> or <i>devices may be used in airplane mode during cruise</i> or some other variation. <br /><br />Whatever regulation the airline has approved, they are legally bound to enforce, even if a competitor has a more lenient regulation. And never forget the rule that you must comply with crewmembers' instructions. Being on an airplane is not like being at the mall.Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-10778208265715155622010-03-04T17:35:34.766+00:002010-03-04T17:35:34.766+00:00Re the insanity of legal liability fear in the USA...Re the insanity of legal liability fear in the USA: For an inspiring talk see Philip K Howard at ted.com (http://www.ted.com/talks/philip_howard.html)Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11726267862761677407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-20614827129395466612010-03-04T16:22:01.603+00:002010-03-04T16:22:01.603+00:00That warning from Apple is nothing more than CYA f...That warning from Apple is nothing more than CYA from liability fears rampant among US corporations...along the lines of, "Warning, spilling this hot coffee may cause burns."<br /><br />However, given the expanding number of aps which can be installed on both the iPhone and iPod Touch which do purport to assist with navigation (see http://www.skyscope.net/index.php) -- pretty cool, but too pricey for me -- one can imagine Apple's lawyers trembling with fear at the thought of an iPod Touch/iPhone being discovered in the wreckage of an airplane flown into terrain by some hapless pilot relying on one of those aps.BrianRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09041577710789362049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-47955110391030804932010-03-04T15:37:55.949+00:002010-03-04T15:37:55.949+00:00I luv my Sony Reader. It's a heck of a lot ea...I luv my Sony Reader. It's a heck of a lot easier to curl up with it on a couch, on a plane, or in bed than with an unweildly book. And it's great being able to store so much diverse reading material on it. I probably spend an hour with it daily.<br /><br />Apart from books, if I have any work-related documents longer than a page or two, instead of printing them on paper, or reading them on my laptop, I'll transfer them to the Sony. It saves space, paper, and it's always with me whereever I go. And it's just more convenient and user friendly (for me) to read from than real pages. Holding a real book in an awkward position in bed is a pain; I tend to read in weird positions.<br /><br />But I am also one of those that doesn't want my reader cybernetically linked to "central planning". I transfer my own PDFs to it.<br /><br />(My personal peeve with in-flight passenger electronics is the FA who won't let me use my phone in "Flight Mode" (radios off) to play a game or watch a movie, while others can use laptops with their wifi, wimax, and bluetooth antennae blazing.)dpiercehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03397601206317363858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-16384794253238640752010-03-04T15:14:53.645+00:002010-03-04T15:14:53.645+00:00A few minor points. D-AMPS, and GSM phones are mor...A few minor points. D-AMPS, and GSM phones are more likely to cause interference on the aircraft than CDMA telephones. The NOise you hear in the headset from a GSM phone is a 217Hz tone that results from the transmitter being operating 217 times per second for about 500 microsconds.<br /><br />However if you can restrict the power output of the phone to the order of 1 milliwatt, that apparently isn't a problem. At least one Commercial Carrier (Oman Air) now has a microcell on the aircraft, and permits use of mobile phone when the aircraft is above 10,000 feet. <br /><br />The cell phone frequencies used in North America are actually well separated from the frequencies used by DME.<br /><br />It is far more likely to a problem outside North America, where the 900 Mhz mobil phone band sits right next to the band used for DME services.(The E-GSM band ends at about 960Mhz, and the DME channels start at about 962Mhz).<br /><br />The Multi-Tower argument is a red herring. CDMA systems are explicity permitted to communicate with more than 1 tower simultaneous, and GSM systems are well aware that a phone may at any given time be within the range of more than 1 tower, but will only communicate with a single tower. The more serious problem is that at aircraft speeds and Altitued, they would cross cells very rapidly, and the maximum distance that a GSM ~35km (This arises from timing condiderations, and the limits on something called 'timing advance). If you are willing to give up the half the capacity of the channel, you can get past the 35km limit, and a few operators have done so in rural areas.mattheww50https://www.blogger.com/profile/00898846687006155502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-23401891538356394712010-03-04T09:54:25.562+00:002010-03-04T09:54:25.562+00:00Radio frequency interference in aircraft can be we...Radio frequency interference in aircraft can be weird. My only experience is with gliders but various odd things happen due to interactions between the different bits of equipment - typically loggers and flight computers interfering with or be interfered with by the radio.<br /><br />Some cell phone channels are pretty close to the frequencies used for DME and secondary surveillance radar. It's easy to image cases like when a number of phones are used together at particular positions in the aircraft then an interference patten is set up which desensitises the transponder receiver by flooding its input stages with relatively strong signals. This would result in the aircraft becoming unidentified on the controller's screen and the controller losing the height information display.<br /><br />Similar effects on the aircraft's DME receiver would mean that its own navigation would become less accurate.<br /><br />No, just turning a cell phone on is not going to make the aircraft roll on its back and dive in to the ground. On the other hand, I think it was sensible conservatism to ban the use of phones at least until the matter had been carefully explored.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-25720977544143722192010-03-04T06:50:49.174+00:002010-03-04T06:50:49.174+00:00Why do they ask for cellphone off if it won't ...<i>Why do they ask for cellphone off if it won't crash the plane?</i><br /><br />A few reasons ...<br /><br />1. distraction during emergency briefing<br />2. annoyance for other passengers<br />3. live cellphones on board my plane make a really annoying noise in my headset every time they talk to the celltower<br />4. the type of radiation a cellphone <i>can</i> produce <i>can</i> cause unwanted deflection of some navigational instruments, and banning them on that grounds is in line with the level of safety we put into flying airplanes. <br />5. I think this one is out of date now, but it used to be a problem for the cellphone companies if one cellphone is in range of many towers.<br /><br />It runs your battery down for no reason, so why bother. Just turn it off.Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-44140082813056415342010-03-04T06:33:56.330+00:002010-03-04T06:33:56.330+00:00Recently Kindle has been seen as a way to keep sma...Recently Kindle has been seen as a way to keep small publishers alive, as they sell the books but don't have to pay for a print run. But for example, as I am disabled and have no income, I make money buying new copies from publishers or printers of rare manga, most of which are available for $5.95 on kindle, and yet people will pay up to $200 for a print copy. We may have Kindles to take on planes, but no one is taking a $300 Kindle to the beach. The prices of rare books continue to rise, even books which simply are not in print anymore become so valuable the publisher is forced to reprint the book (available on kindle). <br /><br />As for statements and airplanes. I have never understood the 'turn off your phone or the plane could crash' statement made before every commercial airline flight. so I asked if it was true (from the co-pilot), that forget the shoe checks and the belts, I just needed to follow the directions given to me and come with 30 cell phones which I turn on simultaniously during take off for domestic terrorism (the things you can ask and not be arrested for if you are in a wheelchair). <br /><br />Apparently No it won't crash the plane. If so, why do they tell everyone that?Elizabeth McClunghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03627373214555333537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-11889120771738406712010-03-04T05:17:44.699+00:002010-03-04T05:17:44.699+00:00"Play American Pie three times through then t..."Play <i>American Pie</i> three times through then turn to a heading of 311 for the first three choruses of <i>No Fear</i>."Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-64130224840180062212010-03-04T05:04:29.727+00:002010-03-04T05:04:29.727+00:00Some cultures do navigate by song. The australian ...Some cultures do navigate by song. The australian aborigines as I recall are one that does that. I don't know that they would translate so well to aircraft speed though.<br /><br />Also, re: youtube offline - <a href="http://keepvid.com/" rel="nofollow">http://keepvid.com/</a>Rhondahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11171628629488905916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-958366368551944532010-03-04T04:10:08.107+00:002010-03-04T04:10:08.107+00:00Aside from your valid concerns, the kindle concept...Aside from your valid concerns, the kindle concept seems like a epic foray into both fixing what ain't broken, and replacing a robust technology with a fragile one. And, the early models are clearly being kept artificially limited in hopes of customers buying their way through a sequence of incremental improvements. Also, I seem to be turning into a crankish, stodgy old crab. But whatever.Michael5000https://www.blogger.com/profile/10148584819327475239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-26850763063260504342010-03-04T03:48:40.787+00:002010-03-04T03:48:40.787+00:00"Staying alive" indeed serves a meaningf..."Staying alive" indeed serves a meaningful purpose while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27221281/" rel="nofollow">Keeping the beat</a><br /><br />Some say that Queen's "Another one bites the dust" serves the purpose equally well (similar number of beats per minute). Murmuring this song while performing CPR, however, might not seem appropriate to bystanders...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-76338794941805275602010-03-04T01:29:47.896+00:002010-03-04T01:29:47.896+00:00at the suggestion of the finer points podcast (htt...at the suggestion of the finer points podcast (http://thefinerpoints.net) I have in the past kept my steam gauge scan going under the hood by having "staying alive" in my head...move your scan to each instrument to the beat using whatever scan technique you like best.<br /><br />also works with the beatle's eggman, fyi!sounddochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07044303259235037764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-92134709623281880312010-03-04T00:10:34.244+00:002010-03-04T00:10:34.244+00:00My kids were thinking of getting me a kindle, but ...My kids were thinking of getting me a kindle, but I really can't get into reading by electrons, even though I do it on the computer. I had a weak moment and joined a hardback book club a day or so ago. Just to hold them in my hand and turn the pages. <br /><br />And I guess I'll have to read all the facts when I get an update to my I Tunes.amulbunny's random thoughtshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10621932038345682056noreply@blogger.com