No Clothes Allowed on Fights

shubho — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 08:56:30 +0000

Well, over the last few years we have seen a marked rise in security at airports, railway stations, roads, buses, boats, space crafts, submarines etc. It seems there are always this bunch of people who are plotting to blow them up. Lets check the stats for a minute here..

So how many people have died in Air crashes mechanically caused as against how many that have perished in terror strikes. The numbers are alarming. (The results are from planecrashinfo.com )

�Pilot Error 22%
�Pilot Error� (weather related) 11%
�Pilot Error (mechanical related) 4%
�Total Pilot Error 37%
�Other Human Error 4%
�Weather 7%
�Mechanical Failure 13%
�Sabotage 5%
�Other Cause 1%
�Undetermined or missing 33%

That means we have about 5% of the crashes happening due to sabotage or terrorism of sorts and to prevent that we are beefing up the security systems at the airports. To what ends one may ask.

A few years back we could carry all we want in the cabin and kiss our friends and family goodbye at the door. Flash forward to now, we are carrying plastic bags with passports in them and moms have to taste and prove the validity of the milk for newborns.

Scenario 1
Flash forward to year 2011, and by this time explosives can be concealed in textile matter as the brains in US and Israel would have developed such stuff by then and promptly some of them would have loaned to the technology to some third world dudes in the Middle east and leak it to the Terror Mongers.

Result of that will be, No Clothes Allowed on Fights Originating from and to London

Scenario 2
Liquified explosives are carried in the form of breast implants. Since that technology is heading ho hum and much faster than our security expertise. What can be done to stop it then.

Result of that may be, Bust sizes of over 36 not allowed to board a flight without a valid MRI Scan

Scenario 3
Hollywood surprisingly has been much ahead of most governments as well as terror mongers by predicting the future of bombing as illustrated in the mid 90’s movie, Live Wire. Drinking water engineered to work with stomach acids to produce lethal human bombs.

Result, Call Pierce Brosnan to rescue.

These are ridiculous things. Terrorists don’s have the funds to develop such stuff, the corporate do, and they do develop and sell. As ASCAP has been advertising for a long long time -

When the Buying stops, the Killing will too.

Similarly, big dudes in bigger offices should understand that -

When the Selling stops, the Killing will too

Its a simple equation, if you live on a tree, do not keep an Axe handy as it can and will be used against you.

- views are solely of the writer and millions like him around the world

Maps of Bangalore. Anywhere?

shubho — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 08:20:46 +0000

Well most of us have seen the satire on Mapquest in Mad Magazines. Some of us have lived the same. And they are as true as they come. Maps around us are horrible, specially in older cities of the subcontinent where there was not planning at the start of its various towns. Yet over the years various attempts have been made to correct that and come up with legitimate maps for most of the cities published in books and even on the web. Some are freely available and others are a paid service.

We start with the freely available maps of cities, for example Bangalore as i have been experiencing some trauma with the maps available. The maps available are illegible, they are mere scans of printed maps and that too not proper ones. They seriously lack organization in terms of information and are inadequate in many ways. What one needs while browsing a map is clarity of information, detail as much as possible and a few points of reference based on which the person can position himself or his destination in the city. All maps i have come across so far lack this basic necessity.

For instance, most maps i came across showed a major right and a left turn while commuting from Ulsoor to Mekri circle sometime after passing Ulsoor lake, but in reality the road is pretty much straight and at least 50 years old with no need for any drastic left or right turns. I really wish some government institution or various MNCs which are involved in creating GPS Maps for Europe can take this up and put some sense into Local Cartography. As far as google goes, their Maps only hold good when in US or Europe, as for South East Asia, its as good as watching MF Hussain in a gallery, mere Art Form and Market Strategy with no particular end use.

{dasBloG}

Sad day

No Clothes Allowed on Fights

Maps of Bangalore. Anywhere?