OT: Sci-fi (was RE: Ultra-portable terminals)

[Fairlight]

On Sun, Jul 30, 2006 at 06:48:52PM -0500, Mike Schwartz (PC Support) may or may not have
proven themselves an utter git by pronouncing:
>    Let me tell you that this group has more important issues to contemplate
> than the correct use of English.  

Amen.  What's up with the hostility, folks?  :)

>    Nobody is laughing now! By breaking several accepted principles, the
> Honda people have come up with a product that stands head and shoulders
> above all the other light business jets.

Nobody's going to be laughing if my personal prediction is correct.  CNN
reported this week that the FAA is about to give Eclipse Aviation's E500 a
provisional certification.  There are at least five other competing
products from different companies, including Honda's HondaJet.  The
provisional certification means existing units may be flown, but does not
clear the way for new ones to start rolling into use.  They're looking
ahead at that.

Which may sound a bit like a step towards The Jetsons with the personal
flier.  These <10K pound planes are single-pilot and seat up to six
passengers.  They're expected to be utilised primarily as private air taxis
domestically.

Here's the catch...  I'm betting on the government's Executive Branch
stepping in and stopping the process at some point.  Why?  Post-9/11
hysteria.  Yet.  Still.

It's really simple:  We've just finally gotten to the point that they
-think- (they're dead wrong--the really determined probably will find a
way no matter how many restrictions are imposed) they have commercial
flight travel under control for the sake of national security.  

Now you're talking about adding dozens to thousands of little mini-missiles
to the market, possibly with far less security and oversight than the
overboard morass that has overwhelmed the system under this administration,
and lend themselves as aid to would-be copycats.  The security?  What
security?  How much security do you need to fly a private plane?  You need
a license, sure.  But these are going to be (ostensibly) heavily chartered,
and nobody's likely to be doing screening very intensively for fiscal
reasons, or be willing to alienate their clientele.

Yeah, I think the administration will knee-jerk and move to quash final
approval on national security grounds.  I not only wouldn't be surprised,
I'm anticipating it.  Anything to retard progress.  :)

I'm only surprised nobody's actually paid attention enough to do it so far.
I guess there are only so many wars on so many fronts that they can fight
at once before something slips under the radar.

If they don't suspend the approval process, you can bet they'll ground them
all the first time one is used for such a purpose.  Then the blame game
will start--again.

>    Look what Howie started with filePro!  filePro is so different from most
> of the mainstream databases that I'd venture a guess that Howie had only a
> "concept of how a database flies" when he started.  (Note filePro tie in...)

I'm not even going to try an OB: fP.  It's Sunday, it's hot, it's miserably
humid, and I just don't give enough of a damn at the moment to actually try
and transparently justify it.  :)  We're already in an OT thread anyway.

mark->
-- 
It's only funny until someone loses an IHOP.