Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Air Travel Notes
Miscellaneous observations from our recent flight to Iowa. More evidence that air travel is the very peak of technology and the very pit of civilization.
Portland
I have an aluminum watch, aluminum case and bracelet. Used to be I could wear it through a metal detector and it would not set it off. This time it did. Of course it could have been in combination with my belt buckle that triggered the alarm, but taking the watch off is easier. Belt buckle alone did not set off the alarm.
Annoying unattended luggage announcements. We are in the secure section of the airport. All the bags were supposed to have been checked. Why are we being subjected to these stupid announcements over the PA (Public Address) system?
At the gate there is black woman with two crying children. The crying sounds like they are acting, not hurt, or scared. Perhaps each one was trying to cry louder than the other. The mother did not look too happy. I offered her a smile, which she returned. I've been there. Father shows up and she tells them they've been fighting.
Flight attendant giving the "buckle your seat belt" instructions had a very thick accent and/or a speech impediment. It's bad enough we have to listen to these stupid safety instructions every time we get on a plane. Now they are making them incomprehensible as well.
Flight was not full. Out of 21 seats I could see from where I was sitting (3 and a half rows), 8 were empty.
Pilot told us flight would be 2:33. It took 3 hours.
Minneapolis - St. Paul (MSP)
Clear and cold at MSP. Land and sit on runway, they've changed our gate. We get to the gate and it takes a long time before people start getting off. I don't know what the hold up was. For some reason having to wait after we have landed is the most annoying. We have over an hour here before the hopper (twin engine turbo prop) takes us to Fort Dodge (Iowa). This is good as the boarding gate for the hopper is a long way off, relatively speaking.
As we are walking through the terminal we see a police tricycle. Looks kind of like a Segway, but it's a trike. It appears to be driven standing up.
There is an automated train that takes us part of the way, and after we get off the train there are a series of moving sidewalks. The train worked very well. Much better than the one I rode in Dallas maybe ten years ago.
On the way we went by the world's largest parking garage. Well, it looked that way to me. Ten stories and a half a mile long, maybe?
We finally get to Gate A-9. There are maybe a dozen seats there and most of them are filled. Well, now we know where it is, so we go look for something to eat. There is a small food court three slidewalks back. There are three or four food vendors and some tables. Most of the tables are full, but I managed to secure a double with four chairs. There are crumbs on the table from the previous visitor. I look around for cleaners or cleaning supplies, but find nothing, not even napkins. True, I did not look very far. But I did find some napkins in my pocket and used them to sweep the debris off the table and into my hand, which I dutifully carry over to the trash can. Three people get sandwiches from Quiznos. Anne shares her sandwich with me. Kathryn has some left over, buy it is less than half and I have already had enough. I don't like to eat too much when I am flying, it gives me grief.
There is a young couple there with small children. The wife is speaking harshly to the kids. The father is wearing a ball cap with BERETTA written across the front. I'm surprised they let him through security.
Burger King does not have milkshakes here. Bummer.
On the whole trip there were only three annoying cell phone talkers, and they quickly shut up. No, I didn't growl, or even glare at them. MSP has a "cell phone area", for people to talk loudly on their cellphones, I imagine. Good idea, if it works.
I'm looking for a restroom but all I see are "Companion Care" rooms. I open the door on one, but I decide against it for some reason. But now my hand is sticky. When I finally find a restroom I go to wash my hand and it is cover with black stuff. I have to wash my hands twice to get it all off. I got this from just touching the door handle on the "Companion Care" room.
The paper towel dispenser was missing it's knob. It was one of those with the lever you pull down to unspool a short length of paper. On the end of the lever there is supposed to be a plastic knob which is easy to grip. This one was missing, leaving me with having to push on the narrow edge of the sheet metal lever. Grrr!
The attendant at Gate A-9 has a big black mole on her face. I wonder why people put up with these things. Maybe the cure is worse than the disease. I suppose they are used to it. Maybe it doesn't bother other people as much as it bothers me. I wonder if it would bother me if I knew her.
They have an abbreviated Jet-Way that leads to the door. The last time I was here we had to walk out across the tarmac to the plane. The hood at the end of the Jetway does not completely seal against the fuselage. It leaves a gap a foot or two tall. Along the side of the Jetway there is container with shelves to store your "checked" baggage. While we are standing in line to board the plane the door to the container slams shut with a big bang. The "container" is an elevator that takes the baggage down to the ground and the baggage handlers.
Hopper (short range turboprop aircraft)
The plane is a Saab-34. The doorway into the airplane is not very tall and Anne bumps her head. Loading seems to go very slowly, especially since there are only a dozen or so passengers. There are two seats on the right hand side of the aisle and one on the left.
The engine nacelles seem enormous considering the relatively small size of the props. The props have four blades and look to be about 12 feet in diameter. The inner half of the leading edge of the props appears to have some kind of rubber coating, anti-icing system, I assume. The nacelle looks to be about five feet tall, 12 to 15 feet long, and two or three feet wide. The air intake under the prop looks to be about 6 inches by 12. The exhaust looks to be about 12 inches in diameter. The nacelle also holds the main landing gear.
When the engines start up I can see where the blades are spinning. The outer tips are marked by yellow. The spinning circle shifts up and down by fractions of an inch. Once we are at cruising altitude I can no longer see the outer parts of the blades. I can still see a smear where the inner parts of the blades are.
I watch six airliners land while the hopper is taxiing prior to takeoff. The come in one after another, alternating on parallel runways. We have to cross one of these runways and we do so at a good clip.
On the way to Fort Dodge (Iowa) I see numerous power generation windmills. I couldn't count them all. 50? 100?
Iowa is flat. The whole Midwest is flat. Flat as a pancake clear to the horizon. As seen from an airplane anyway. From a bicycle it's a different story.
Saw what looked like some kind of ice fishing camp on a frozen lake. Tried to get a better look and the whole place erupted in a cloud of smoke, or snow. Look again and all the "smoke" is gone. Shift my head and it's back. Oh, it's craze or scratches on my window. There isn't any smoke. It really fooled me for a second. Amazing.
Fort Dodge
Driving through Fort Dodge on a four lane concrete road and in half a mile I only see maybe ten cars.
On our way out of Fort Dodge, I see a couple of railroad gondolas equipped with big yellow snow plow blades. Makes for a quick way to get a snow plow. Just hook up an engine behind the gondola and push.
Just down the road we drive on a bridge over a good size river. There are automobile tracks going up and down the ice.
Update December 2016 replaced missing pictures. Minneapolis parking picture is not the original.
Portland
I have an aluminum watch, aluminum case and bracelet. Used to be I could wear it through a metal detector and it would not set it off. This time it did. Of course it could have been in combination with my belt buckle that triggered the alarm, but taking the watch off is easier. Belt buckle alone did not set off the alarm.
Annoying unattended luggage announcements. We are in the secure section of the airport. All the bags were supposed to have been checked. Why are we being subjected to these stupid announcements over the PA (Public Address) system?
At the gate there is black woman with two crying children. The crying sounds like they are acting, not hurt, or scared. Perhaps each one was trying to cry louder than the other. The mother did not look too happy. I offered her a smile, which she returned. I've been there. Father shows up and she tells them they've been fighting.
Flight attendant giving the "buckle your seat belt" instructions had a very thick accent and/or a speech impediment. It's bad enough we have to listen to these stupid safety instructions every time we get on a plane. Now they are making them incomprehensible as well.
Flight was not full. Out of 21 seats I could see from where I was sitting (3 and a half rows), 8 were empty.
Pilot told us flight would be 2:33. It took 3 hours.
Minneapolis - St. Paul (MSP)
Clear and cold at MSP. Land and sit on runway, they've changed our gate. We get to the gate and it takes a long time before people start getting off. I don't know what the hold up was. For some reason having to wait after we have landed is the most annoying. We have over an hour here before the hopper (twin engine turbo prop) takes us to Fort Dodge (Iowa). This is good as the boarding gate for the hopper is a long way off, relatively speaking.
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| T3 Mobile Defender from Lamperd Less Lethal |
There is an automated train that takes us part of the way, and after we get off the train there are a series of moving sidewalks. The train worked very well. Much better than the one I rode in Dallas maybe ten years ago.
On the way we went by the world's largest parking garage. Well, it looked that way to me. Ten stories and a half a mile long, maybe?
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| The Humphrey Terminal SRF Consulting |
There is a young couple there with small children. The wife is speaking harshly to the kids. The father is wearing a ball cap with BERETTA written across the front. I'm surprised they let him through security.
Burger King does not have milkshakes here. Bummer.
On the whole trip there were only three annoying cell phone talkers, and they quickly shut up. No, I didn't growl, or even glare at them. MSP has a "cell phone area", for people to talk loudly on their cellphones, I imagine. Good idea, if it works.
I'm looking for a restroom but all I see are "Companion Care" rooms. I open the door on one, but I decide against it for some reason. But now my hand is sticky. When I finally find a restroom I go to wash my hand and it is cover with black stuff. I have to wash my hands twice to get it all off. I got this from just touching the door handle on the "Companion Care" room.
The paper towel dispenser was missing it's knob. It was one of those with the lever you pull down to unspool a short length of paper. On the end of the lever there is supposed to be a plastic knob which is easy to grip. This one was missing, leaving me with having to push on the narrow edge of the sheet metal lever. Grrr!
The attendant at Gate A-9 has a big black mole on her face. I wonder why people put up with these things. Maybe the cure is worse than the disease. I suppose they are used to it. Maybe it doesn't bother other people as much as it bothers me. I wonder if it would bother me if I knew her.
They have an abbreviated Jet-Way that leads to the door. The last time I was here we had to walk out across the tarmac to the plane. The hood at the end of the Jetway does not completely seal against the fuselage. It leaves a gap a foot or two tall. Along the side of the Jetway there is container with shelves to store your "checked" baggage. While we are standing in line to board the plane the door to the container slams shut with a big bang. The "container" is an elevator that takes the baggage down to the ground and the baggage handlers.
Hopper (short range turboprop aircraft)
The plane is a Saab-34. The doorway into the airplane is not very tall and Anne bumps her head. Loading seems to go very slowly, especially since there are only a dozen or so passengers. There are two seats on the right hand side of the aisle and one on the left.
The engine nacelles seem enormous considering the relatively small size of the props. The props have four blades and look to be about 12 feet in diameter. The inner half of the leading edge of the props appears to have some kind of rubber coating, anti-icing system, I assume. The nacelle looks to be about five feet tall, 12 to 15 feet long, and two or three feet wide. The air intake under the prop looks to be about 6 inches by 12. The exhaust looks to be about 12 inches in diameter. The nacelle also holds the main landing gear.
When the engines start up I can see where the blades are spinning. The outer tips are marked by yellow. The spinning circle shifts up and down by fractions of an inch. Once we are at cruising altitude I can no longer see the outer parts of the blades. I can still see a smear where the inner parts of the blades are.
I watch six airliners land while the hopper is taxiing prior to takeoff. The come in one after another, alternating on parallel runways. We have to cross one of these runways and we do so at a good clip.
On the way to Fort Dodge (Iowa) I see numerous power generation windmills. I couldn't count them all. 50? 100?
Iowa is flat. The whole Midwest is flat. Flat as a pancake clear to the horizon. As seen from an airplane anyway. From a bicycle it's a different story.
Saw what looked like some kind of ice fishing camp on a frozen lake. Tried to get a better look and the whole place erupted in a cloud of smoke, or snow. Look again and all the "smoke" is gone. Shift my head and it's back. Oh, it's craze or scratches on my window. There isn't any smoke. It really fooled me for a second. Amazing.
Fort Dodge
Driving through Fort Dodge on a four lane concrete road and in half a mile I only see maybe ten cars.
On our way out of Fort Dodge, I see a couple of railroad gondolas equipped with big yellow snow plow blades. Makes for a quick way to get a snow plow. Just hook up an engine behind the gondola and push.
Just down the road we drive on a bridge over a good size river. There are automobile tracks going up and down the ice.
Update December 2016 replaced missing pictures. Minneapolis parking picture is not the original.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Arab Airbus Crash
A little over a year ago an Airbus airliner was damaged (destroyed?) during a delivery checkout. A friend forwarded an email to me today that contained a story and some pictures. The story blamed the stupidity and arrogance of the Arab crew for the disaster. As much as I would like to believe that story, I thought I would try to verify it. The best explanation I found was on snopes.com, and the most damaging piece of evidence is that the person in the left hand seat (the captain's seat) was a member of the Arab flight crew. That's enough for me, safe here in suburbia. Another nut-job Arab screwing things up.
I remember hearing another story, a long time ago, about involving a jet fighter being sold to Saudia Arabia. Some inconsequential warning light came on in the cockpit during flight, and the Arab pilot panicked and bailed out and the $16 million jet aircraft went into the sea. I imagine if I dig around enough I could probably find the story, and possibly some basis for the story. But the truth or falsity of the story does not really matter.
I suspect that most Moslems and most Arabs are reasonable people. But it only takes one nut-case to paint an entire nation/class/race of people as incompetent/stupid/irrational.
While we are on the subject of race, you might want to read the following paragraph. I found it in my son's homework assignment.
Update April 2019 replaced dead Picasa album with link to Google Drive.
I remember hearing another story, a long time ago, about involving a jet fighter being sold to Saudia Arabia. Some inconsequential warning light came on in the cockpit during flight, and the Arab pilot panicked and bailed out and the $16 million jet aircraft went into the sea. I imagine if I dig around enough I could probably find the story, and possibly some basis for the story. But the truth or falsity of the story does not really matter.
I suspect that most Moslems and most Arabs are reasonable people. But it only takes one nut-case to paint an entire nation/class/race of people as incompetent/stupid/irrational.
While we are on the subject of race, you might want to read the following paragraph. I found it in my son's homework assignment.
Although the wonderful developments of human history teach that the grosser physical differences of color, hair and bone go but a short way toward explaining the different roles which groups of men have played in Human Progress, yet there are differences–subtle, delicate and elusive, though they may be– which have silently but definitely separated men into groups. While these subtle forces have generally followed the natural cleavage of common blood, descent and physical peculiarities, they have at other times swept across and ignored these. At all times, however, they have divided human beings into races, which, while they perhaps transcend scientific definition, nevertheless, are clearly defined to the eye of the Historian and Sociologist.So much for hi-brow meditations. Here's some pictures of the wreck. The first one is from airliners.net.
If this be true, then the history of the world is the history, not of individuals, but of groups, not of nations, but of races, and he who ignores or seeks to override the race idea in human history ignores and overrides the central thought of all history. What, then, is a race? It is a vast family of human beings, generally of common blood and language, always of common history, traditions and impulses, who are both voluntarily and involuntarily striving together for the accomplishment of certain more or less vividly conceived ideals of life. (W. E. B. Du Bois, “The Conservation of Race” 1897)
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| Arab Airbus Crash Click the link to see the album. |
Update April 2019 replaced missing picture. Stupid, selfish Google won't share.
Update June 2019 replaced missing picture AGAIN. I dunno what the problem is.
Not Shoplifting
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Update December 2016 replaced missing images.
Cigarette Making Machines
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| High Speed Cigarette Making Machine |
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| Cigarette Making Machine |
Yes, smoking is bad for your health, but some people are going to smoke anyway. Some people are hopelessly addicted, they couldn't quit if their life depended on it. Then there's all the chemicals and radioactive elements in commercial tobacco that you could avoid by getting your cigarettes custom made using organic tobacco.
Update November 2016 fixed bad html.
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
We went to see this movie when we were in Iowa. I thought the premise sounded kind of lame, but the whole family was going, so I went along. It was very well done. Not a great movie, but a very pleasant one. I think it was mostly about people being nice to each other, which is not something you see very often. There were a couple of hiccups in the story line, but they were small potatoes compared to overall tenor of the film. I recommend it.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Books
I am reading "The White Lioness" by Henning Mankell, a Swedish murder mystery. It's quite good. It started out a little stilted, but I soon got used to the style. I think that might just be the way Swedes use their language. One paragraph got my attention. The adult daughter is telling her Detective father that all he and mom used to talk about was their house and garden, they never talked about anything outside of their own little world. I was shocked. I cannot imagine such a thing. House and garden are the most boring things on earth. Their biggest impact on my mind is when something breaks, and with a couple of zillion mechanical devices in the house, something is always needing to be fixed.
I started reading "Censoring Science" by Mark Bowen, but it was awful. After I put it down and started reading the Swedish murder mystery, I realized they were written in a sort of similar style. Lots of minutae, detailed descriptions of daily affairs, the kind of the thing I enjoy in fiction, but this is supposed to be fact, and I expect something different from a factual account. Or maybe it was just poorly written. Facts were not presented in a convincing manner, but the story did not even engage me enough to warrant checking up on them. I gave up on it after a dozen pages or so.
I also finished reading "The Ecolitan Enigma" by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. Not one of his best books, but it is over ten years old. I think he has improved as a writer since then. A science fiction novel in name, it could easily have been set in present day Earth. The hero is a "James Bond" kind of special agent. For dubious reasons he is sent to do an economic study on a backwater planet. Turns out somebody is plotting interstellar war and chaos on this planet is supposed to provoke a war between two major players, which will leave an opening for the instigator to step in and reap the spoils. The story toddles along until we get to page 277, and then we get this little bit of wisdom:
A couple pages later there is another bit:
A note about the quotes. The first and last are pictures I clipped from Google Books. The middle one I had to type, page 279 was not included in the Google "Preview". Sorry the type size in the pictures is so small. I was unable to find a way to insert the full size image.
Update July 2016 replaced missing images (pictures of text).
I started reading "Censoring Science" by Mark Bowen, but it was awful. After I put it down and started reading the Swedish murder mystery, I realized they were written in a sort of similar style. Lots of minutae, detailed descriptions of daily affairs, the kind of the thing I enjoy in fiction, but this is supposed to be fact, and I expect something different from a factual account. Or maybe it was just poorly written. Facts were not presented in a convincing manner, but the story did not even engage me enough to warrant checking up on them. I gave up on it after a dozen pages or so.
I also finished reading "The Ecolitan Enigma" by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. Not one of his best books, but it is over ten years old. I think he has improved as a writer since then. A science fiction novel in name, it could easily have been set in present day Earth. The hero is a "James Bond" kind of special agent. For dubious reasons he is sent to do an economic study on a backwater planet. Turns out somebody is plotting interstellar war and chaos on this planet is supposed to provoke a war between two major players, which will leave an opening for the instigator to step in and reap the spoils. The story toddles along until we get to page 277, and then we get this little bit of wisdom:
A couple pages later there is another bit:
"And you will pardon my emphasis on titles, but it is so amusing to see the Avalonian reaction. Accomplishments, and you both boast considerable accomplishments, mean little in Camelot. Only the titles matter, and that, my friends, is why New Avaolon's days are numbered. I should not be so philosophical, but I am so glad you two could spare a moment for a luncheon with brokendown old diplomat."That sounds a whole lot like President Bush's administration. On the next page we have this:
A note about the quotes. The first and last are pictures I clipped from Google Books. The middle one I had to type, page 279 was not included in the Google "Preview". Sorry the type size in the pictures is so small. I was unable to find a way to insert the full size image.
Update July 2016 replaced missing images (pictures of text).
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