DEEP THOUGHTS 2
I thought I had gotten over the major humps to developing supersecret app, but it turns out that the Lotus Expeditor runtime had one more nasty trick up its sleeve: Expeditor’s runtime’s Java Cryptography Extension provider seems to be missing an algorithm for decrypting SSL communications with Google Apps. Bah! This is what happens when the JVM market fragments. Let’s see if stackoverflow or the lazyweb (is there a lazytwitter?) can help me out on this one.
I’m psyched that Boeing’s 787 is set for first flight before the end of the month. Prevailing odds are that it will be on the 27th. Boeing historically tries to make first flights on Saturdays to accommodate employee attendance. If you knew me from a previous bloglife -or actual life- you’d know that I’m an Airplane anorak (British term for geek) and that I carry a particular interest in the 787. The 787’s big win for passenger comfort will be that it can be pressurized to an atmospheric closer to sea level due to its fuselage (that’s the tube part of the plane that we sit in) being constructed of super-high strength plastic. Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) to be exact. One of the reasons people get sick from airplane trips is because the air is not pressurized to sea level translating into lower humidity in the cabin which, in turn, means the mucous linings of your mouth, throat and nose dry out. When this happens your body’s natural barrier to disease is compromised. Higher is drier. The 787’s stronger construction means it can withstand a greater pressure differential and thus retain more moisture in the cabin air. I also wonder if the 787 will become the 21st century’s DC-3. The plane should be strong enough to keep flying through the century, much the way (unpressurized) DC-3’s of 1930’s vintage still fly today. Planes with pressurized cabins made out of metallic alloys eventually have to stop flying by law due to metal fatigue.
NASA’s Lunar reconnaisance Orbiter has been twittering for quite some time now, but things just got interesting this evening when the spaceship launched. Thanks to twitter, I get real-time updates on the craft’s status. So far, all is going well and I can breathe a sigh of relief that my tax dollars didn’t vaporize in a gigantic Roman Candle-esque ball of flame.
Question: When did unboxing videos become such geek pr0n? It used to be for a few select, highly-anticipated gadgets, but now everything gets the full unboxing treatment. Seriously people, gadgets come in a box. Period. Now every phone comes in a coffin worthy of a Johnny Walker Blue Label or a Louis Royer! While I’m being curmudgeonly, what’s with all of the griping about upgrade pricing for existing iPhone users? Do you feel somehow entitled to another subsidy before the contract terms that you signed are up? Why? Also, it’s just a phone. Get a life. (I do so want a Palm Pre, though.)