Pilot Security Rant
There’s a lot of talk about the full body scanners now being used as part of the security ritual being used by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the United States. Current rules say that travelers have a right to refuse a scan and instead to opt for a pat down. This has become a major bone of contention for frequent travelers. As someone who doesn’t travel very much I don’t really have an opinion on whether or not this particular step is necesary in the security process. But someone else does.
Last week a pilot refused both the scanner and the pat down and was not allowed onto the flight he was supposed to captain. His argument was that being scanned and/or frisked on his way to work was an infringment on his civil liberties. I definitely understand his point. Who’d want to go through such a rigorous procedure just to get to work?
The thing is that these procedures (whether you agree with them or not) are known. I can understand if you disagree with them and you’d like to make a statement against them. That’s your right. If you have concerns about the body scanner then by all means opt out and go for the pat down. But the scan/pat down choice is known to be part of the process anybody boarding a plane must comply with. If you don’t like it then find another job.
To lobby for changes to security procedures is fine but to say you’re entitled to skip a whole step of a security procedure because it’s your workplace is ridiculous. The pool of pilots is just as likely to be poisoned by someone involved in a terrorist plot as the pool of passengers so why should pilot not be subject to the same security procedure? So once again, if you don’t want to conform to the security procedure find a job that doesn’t require it.
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Wi-Fi Direct Goes Public
I explain Wi-Fi Direct. Sony Walkman goes out of production. It’s over. Android market tops 100,000 apps. Most are crap. Samsung tablet too expensive. Windows 8 BS hype begins. Guess how many Wii remotes have been sold? Kids want Apple products. E-books outselling print books 2 to 1. New Ubuntu coming out. It talks to fancy chips. Computerworld rehashes old idea. Bees are smarter than computers.
Click to listen: [audio:http://m.podshow.com/media/12115/episodes/254714/tech5-254714-10-25-2010.mp3]
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How Did Smart Phones Become a National Obsession?
Apple rolls out new Air laptops along with other goodies. Jobs still in the news for slamming RIM. Chillingo sells out to EA. Privacy issues once again plague Facebook. CNN highlights Smartphones. How do you do drag and drop with a browser app? MSFT gets NYC. 2 billion Internet users cannot be wrong. My take on hot marketing. LTE works like a champ. IBM moves from Dublin to China. Intel Sandy Bridge being low-balled? Cisco to buy RIM?
Click to listen: [audio:http://m.podshow.com/media/12115/episodes/254046/tech5-254046-10-20-2010.mp3]
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USA Number 15 in World for Broadband
Ray Ozzie to leave Microsoft. Microsoft steering OEM’s away from using Win Phone 7 on tablets. This is bucking the real trend. It won’t pay off for MSFT. Crazy. USA 15th in the world regarding broadband. Apple profits up and it looks like nearly 20 million iPads will be sold in 2010. What? Sprint to bring Wi-Max to NYC, LA and SFO. New MacBook Air coming. Disc free Netflix coming.
Click to listen: [audio:http://m.podshow.com/media/12115/episodes/253658/tech5-253658-10-18-2010.mp3]
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Microsoft Frets Over Open Office
Showdown between Google and Facebook as MSFT backs Facebook. Teen average over 3000 texts a month. What? That’s over 10 per day every day. Girls text the most. Dolby on Netflix streaming. Back to the Mac event coming? Sony sees a strong Xmas in Europe. The company expects to sell boatloads of PS3 devices. Over 2 million machines are in a botnet. This means you! MSFT freaked out about Open Office.
Click to listen: [audio:http://m.podshow.com/media/12115/episodes/253142/tech5-253142-10-14-2010.mp3]
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