Graceland? No, Deutschland

by Josh Lew on

Elvis is buried in Memphis, right? So what’s he doing in the German town of Bad Nauheim?

No, he was not sighted by some bleary-eyed office worker on the way home after too many beers. Bad Nauheim is the place where Elvis did his military duty in the late ’50s. The people of this otherwise nondescript town (well, at least the Elvis fans among them) are not so quick to forget their most famous boarder.

A tour around town passes an arch where the photo for one of The King’s album covers was taken. There is also the house where he lived, and, for die-hards, the room that he sometimes rented at a local hotel. There is even a story about a beer hall where Elvis allegedly started a brawl.

The people of Bad Nauheim have made Elvis a kind of folk hero, and they are painfully aware that his army days in Germany are viewed as insignificant by fans from other parts of the world. According to local Elvis lore, the Bad Nauheim years were among the happiest in Presley’s life. Bad Nauheim will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Presley’s arrival in their town later this year.

Flight attendants to become the porn police

by Jamie Rhein on

Back in December, when Aaron posted about the etiquette questions raised by In-flight Internet, he wrote the prevailing thought was that “decency, good sense and normal behavior” would prevail.

According to this article at FoxNews.com, just in case decency, good sense and normal behavior go out the window, flight attendants will become the porn police.

I imagine that while the flight attendant is taking your money for your snack and beverage that used to be complimentary, but isn’t anymore, he or she can give a peek at your screen to see what you’re surfing and shut you down if you forget you’re not in the comfort of your own home or tucked back in your office cubicle.

If your neighbor is getting grossed out or upset by your viewing, the flight attendant will appear to put an end to the shenanigans.

Some airlines, the article reports, will put a block on sites which should give the attendants a break so they can do other important tasks like make sure they give back correct change when you purchase water so you won’t die of thirst before the flight ends.

Airlines that either do or will filter sites when Internet is made available: JetBlue Airways, Continental and Qantas.

Airlines that will or already do let you surf without a filter, and hope that you use common sense when you do so: Northwest, American, Delta, Alaskan Airlines and Virgin.

Here are concerns being raised: What is pornography or not appropriate content and under what circumstances? Different people have different lenses with which they view what is appropriate. Here are two examples given:

  • A child sitting next to a person watching an R-rated movie that is either sexually explicit or violent
  • A person surfing a Victoria Secret lingerie catalog could be disconcerting as well.

As the article also points out, the reason why these issues are felt so strongly when people fly is that they are confined and can not escape from what is distasteful. You can’t move seats and you can’t get off.

Although flight attendants are trained to deal with conflict, as you may have noticed if you read Gadling comments whenever a flight issue is posed, there are a lot of stresses from flying as it is. It seems to me that Internet may be great to have, but could be adding more trouble than it’s worth.

Emergency landing for Ryanair and 16 passengers in hospital

by Abha Malpani on

A Ryanair flight from Bristol to Barcelona had to make an emergency landing in France because its cabin lost pressure. It had to plunge 8000 meters immediately in order to reach a level where the air was breathable.

The sudden drop scared many passengers on the flight to the extent that they thought they were going to die; apparently they were not informed of what was happening until 30 minutes into the incident. Also, there’s an argument going on between a passenger and Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary about whether all the oxygen masks were working properly or not.

Fortunately, other than the lack of communication and hiccups with the oxygen masks, reports say that the landing was smooth. No fatal injuries, however 16 passengers were taken to hospital complaining of ear problems.

There’s an interesting report in the Telegraph that emphasises how losing cabin pressure can be fatal. Once this happens on board, pilots have 30 seconds to put their masks on to then make the plane land immediately. Any problems with this can lead to the pilots losing consciousness.

This has happened a few times over the last decade, the worst of which was an incident that happened 3 years ago resulting in a Boeing 737 crashing in Greece and all passengers onboard dying. The history of other such incidents can be found here.

Daily deal – Streamlight 3C xenon flashlight – $12.76 from Amazon

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for the Streamlight 3C flashlight. Streamlight have long been one of the number one rated flashlight makers, and are very popular with outdoors fans, and professionals. Many rescue services also depend on Streamlight for their flashlights.

This new model from the Streamlight lineup is powered by 3 C alkaline batteries, and has a xenon gas filled lamp, capable of producing 50 lumens for up to five and a half hours.

The lamp is made from propolymer, making it virtually indestructible, and it is approved for use in hazardous situations (check the Amazon listing for the type approvals). If you want to read more about the manufacturer, then check out the product link on the Streamlight site.

The Streamlight 3C usually retails for around $35, but Amazon currently lists it for just $12.76. You’ll have to order over $25 to reach the Amazon free shipping threshold.

Staying Home for Labor Day

by Josh Lew on

After reminding themselves that three-and-a-half dollars is still a lot to pay for a gallon of gas, many Americans have decided to stay near home instead of hitting the road during the Labor Day holiday.

The staying at HQ thing is nothing new. The number of people on the road was significantly down during both Memorial Day and July 4th. AAA did the math and predicted a 1% drop in auto travel over Labor Day and an even more significant 4.5% drop in air travel compared to last year. But there was good news for train and bus companies, the new dynamic duo of travel. According to AAA’s survey, the ridership on these modes of transit will rise more than 12%.

Many people will just be staying at home, opting for a barbecue and a soak in their kids’ inflatable pool. I guess people will just have to look towards Thanksgiving and the New Year for a better travel climate. Right?
According to Farecast, airline tickets will be 35% more expensive this holiday season than the 2007 holidays. Looks like the trend of staying home isn’t going to go anywhere.