* Posts by Old Yank

6 publicly visible posts • joined 24 Oct 2014

Twitter: We also made a shedload of cash from Russia's trolling during US White House race

Old Yank

Re: Considering how much it costs

"...there isn't anywhere to go so people might just quit it..."

Can you say SnapChat?

Google's Nexii stand tall among Android's insecure swill

Old Yank

Re: No-o-o-o!

Roald Dahl would be proud!

Machismo is ruining the tech industry for all of us. Equally

Old Yank

Re: [contd.]

"I'm not sure what this 'machismo' is of which he speaks..."

Back in the days of Usenet, I developed a theory about the folks who truly believe that their self-assessed, advanced knowledge of technology put them on some kind of elevated plane of existence: They suffered from a condition I labeled elevated techtosterone disorder. Symptoms are: having no real friends - except your imaginary screen friends, being doomed to basement dwelling (as in your parent's), and ultimately winding up working at BestBuy (apologies to those good, helpful people that work there).

30 years on from Challenger, NASA remembers the fallen

Old Yank

Re: Kennedy moment.

I was a relatively new flight student at St Petersburg, Florida International Airport. St Pete/Clearwater was also the home of the Coast Guard HC-130 Search and Rescue Fleet. On that morning, I was doing "hood work", practicing simulated instrument landings while wearing a fogged visor that restricts vision beyond the instrument panel. On my last approach, about a quarter mile from the end of the runway, the controller suddenly broke in on the radio and commanded all aircraft in the pattern or vicinity to immediately exit the airspace and fly westward towards the Gulf of Mexico, VFR. His voice was a bit cracked, but he did not say why we were be diverted. As I reconfigured the aircraft for the aborted landing and began to climb, my instructor pushed my visor back and pointed over my shoulder to the eastern horizon.

I looked on with awe at a white Y-shaped contrail gleaming against a perfectly blue winter morning sky, with no understanding of what it was at first. Then, it occurred to me that the tips of the Y were orange with flame, and a sickening feeling began to wash over me as I realized what had just happened. Heading out over the beach, the approach controller started issuing a flurry of instructions for the half-dozen or so aircraft, including us, to contact Tampa for further vectors. Almost as soon as he completed his transmission, we saw the big hulking HC-130s rolling down the taxi ways and then taking off towards the east. When we switch the radio to Tampa Terminal Control, the controller explained very abruptly, "The shuttle has just exploded, we need to keep the airspace open for CG SAR, please advise on your alternate destination north or south of PIE (the airport code for St Pete)."

We flew solemnly to a small airstrip north of Tampa and landed on the lonely little private field. As I cleared the taxiway and parked, I was overcome with the sadness of it. My wife was in her primary education internship, and I thought about the optimism of a mission intended to bring the wonders of space flight down to school children, from the voice of a kind teacher. I will never forget the faces of the children, or the parents and teachers watching the launch at KSC, broadcast later that evening.

Apple CEO: Fandroids are BINNING Android in favour of IPHONES

Old Yank

Re: Well its nice that the iPhone 6...

My wife's iPhone 5 had an issue last winter. While taking pictures outside on a very cold day, the lens froze up and all subsequent photos were out of focus. Even after several days the camera still would not return to normal function, so we went to the local Apple store for help. Upon arrival, the ipad-toting associate told us to wait four hours for an appointment with a "genius". Being the impatient person I am, I sat down with a display MacBook and googled issues with iPhone cameras. In about 30 seconds, I found a YouTube video that explained how commonly, iPhone cameras suffer this issue in cold weather, and that the solution was to "gently tap the phone, lens side down on a table, to free up the lens autofocus ring". Problem solved in a few seconds. I just found it hard to believe that no one had asked about this problem before, and left wondering if the point of being asked to wait four hours was more about keeping us captive in the store than quickly resolving a customer's issue. So much for the touted superior service Apple offers.

Google Glassholes are undateable – HP exec

Old Yank

I would like to know how HP plans to make their wearable gadgets any less prone to functional obsolescence than any other techbling maker? Isn't the business model of the consumer electronic industry founded on this?