April 8, 2008 by kb3ljm.

“Baltimore/Washington is the latest airport to embrace the new landscaping trend of installing artificial turf on the tarmac. It’s ideal for unpaved areas on the tarmac because foreign debris in dirt and soil near runways can be safety hazards, says Joe Dobson of AvTurf. Airports have typically grown natural grass in these areas, but grass can be difficult and expensive to maintain and attract unwanted animals and birds. In addition, Astroturf is being used to replace the green paint or yellow X signs used to help pilots distinguish decommissioned taxiways. Painted asphalt can be hard to see at night for pilots, especially if paint fades, says Dobson. Among airports that have recently laid down artificial turf: New York’s John F. Kennedy, Atlanta, Detroit, Toronto, Chicago O’Hare, Chicago Midway and Boston.”

http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2008/04/airport-check-i.html

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March 28, 2008 by kb3ljm.

From USA TODAY’s Airport Check-in column: “Last fall, Iowa’s Sioux Gateway Airport gave up trying to jettison the SUX airport identifier code and embraced it. T-shirts, caps and, now, coffee mugs, luggage tags and bumper stickers sport the ‘Fly SUX’ slogan. There was even a Valentine’s Day ‘Luv SUX’ T-shirt. ‘People have been buying this stuff online, at a downtown store and at the gift shop in the airport,’ says airport director Rick McElroy, who adds that the airport allows 30 minutes of free parking to accommodate shoppers.”

“Now, the airport has removed all seven of its leased payphones and replaced them with four phones that let callers make free local and toll-free calls. ‘No one was really using the pay phones anyway,’ McElroy says. ‘These days, most people use their cellphones. But now people are using the free phones for local calls instead of burning up their cell minutes.’ ”

http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2008/03/airport-chec-11.html

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March 21, 2008 by kb3ljm.

Microsoft posted a major package of updates and security fixes for its Windows Vista operating system for download starting Tuesday.

People whose PCs run the newest Microsoft operating system can use Microsoft’s Windows Update tool or visit its Download Center website and download the free Service Pack 1. In some cases, computer users may need to download older updates before they’ll be able to install SP1.
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March 21, 2008 by kb3ljm.

Emirates says in a press release this afternoon that it has become “the first airline in the world to commercially launch an in-flight mobile telephone service, affording even greater convenience to passengers wishing to stay connected while traveling. The first authorized mobile phone call made from a commercial flight was made today at 30,000 feet en route to Casablanca, onboard an Emirates Airbus A340-300 aircraft — the first in the airline’s fleet to be equipped with the AeroMobile system.” Emirates CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum says: “As the world leader in innovation for our customers, we are delighted to now offer them the choice of using their own mobile phones to contact friends, family or colleagues while flying with us.”
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March 21, 2008 by kb3ljm.

A mathematical mystery that has baffled the top minds in the esoteric field of symbolic dynamics for nearly four decades has recently been cracked — by a 63-year-old former security guard.

Avraham Trakhtman, a mathematician who worked as a laborer after immigrating to Israel from Russia, has succeeded where dozens have failed, solving the elusive “Road Coloring Problem.”
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March 17, 2008 by kb3ljm.

Denver International Airport is blocking certain websites from its free Wi-Fi network, fearing that some customers could find the sites offensive, according to The Associated Press.  For example, The Denver Post writes that if you “want to browse Vanity Fair magazine,” then “you’ll have to buy it at the newsstand, because (Denver’s) Internet filter blocks Vanity Fair as ‘provocative.’ ” The Post says other blocked sites include celebrity gossip site perezhilton.com on and “hipster-geek favorite” boingboing.net.” The Post adds the Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit photos are also blocked, although the paper says that’s “even though the magazine’s bare-breasted cover shot is on prominent display at airport stores, right next to Penthouse and Hustler.”
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March 17, 2008 by kb3ljm.

Adidas and Samsung have teamed up for a new twist in training — a mobile phone that can coach.

The companies announced Thursday a mobile phone that works with Adidas shoes and apparel to plan, track and motivate users in training.

The device directs and motivates users during workouts by combining a mobile phone, heart rate monitor, stride sensor, MP3 player and the voice of an electronic “personal coach.”
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February 1, 2008 by kb3ljm.

Microsoft (MSFT) Friday made an unsolicited takeover offer of $44.6 billion for Internet portal Yahoo (YHOO) in a bold bid to leapfrog Google (GOOG) as the dominant player in the fast emerging Internet advertising market.

Yahoo’s senior executives and board of directors played coy, issuing a statement that the company will “carefully and promptly” study Microsoft’s bid.

“We’ve made a great offer to Yahoo shareholders and we respect the fact that their management and board have a lot to consider,” said Kevin Johnson, Microsoft’s president of platform and services, in an interview. “Our strong preference is working collaboratively with Yahoo.”
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February 1, 2008 by kb3ljm.

Garmin, the nation’s leading maker of satellite-powered navigational devices, is getting into the wireless phone business with a handset that incorporates GPS.

“This is the breakthrough product that cellphone and GPS users around the world have been longing for — a single device that does it all,” said Cliff Pemble, the company’s president and chief operating officer. “We believe the Nuvifone will change the way people view converged devices in the future.”
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January 30, 2008 by kb3ljm.

German nudists will be able to start their holidays early by stripping off on the plane if they take up a new offer from an eastern German travel firm. Travel agency OssiUrlaub.de said it would start taking bookings from (today) for a trial nudist day trip from the eastern German town of Erfurt to the popular Baltic Sea resort of Usedom, planned for July 5 and costing $735. ‘It’s expensive, I know,’ managing director Enrico Hess told Reuters by phone. ‘It’s because the plane’s very small. There’s no real reason why a flight in which one flies naked should be more expensive than any other.’ The 55 passengers will have to remain clothed until they board, and dress before disembarking, said Hess. The crew will remain clothed throughout the flight for safety reasons.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2008/02/bonus.html

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