Tag Archives: the New York Times

A picture is worth… [Updated]

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[Update:  In a really interesting twist, the photo to which I refer in the NYT article has apparently been removed sometime in the last several hours.  Instead of the original photo, the NYT decided to substitute a photo of someone holding the original photo.  Go figure.]

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so we often say.  That adage seems to fit a famous photo — it turns out to be the only photo — of the United Flight 93 crash.  Funny enough, I had never seen it or even knew it existed before I read this article in today’s online version of the New York Times.  As one of the persons interviewed for the article points out, this photo is redolent with deeper meaning.  The bucolic scene in the foreground presents a striking contrast to the ominous mushroom-shaped cloud of the crash in the background.  Some argue, apparently, that the photo proves or at least supports their conspiracy theories about what happened on September 11, 2001.  The article mentions that the owner of the photo, Valencia M. McClatchey, has had to deal with an enormous amount of problems stemming from the publication of her photo, including a legal battle with the Associated Press over violation of copyright by distributing the photo without permission.  Am I the only one, then, who finds it quite odd that the New York Times not only provides a copy of her photo as part of its story, but also credits it to the Associated Press?!  Granted, the lawsuit between McClatchey and the AP is pending but still, identifying the photo as belonging to the AP in the article seems at the very least to be in poor taste.

iPhone: iWant1

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Many people have said that handheld computing is going to be huge; that cell phones or so-called “smart” phones will become increasingly powerful and feature-rich. But I have been much less than impressed with what I have seen thus far. That is, until I read about the iPhone introduced earlier this week by Apple. I know, I know, dismiss me as yet another delusional-Apple-can-do-know-wrong sycophant. This device, at least on first impressions, fits almost exactly with what I have wanted to see in terms of possibilities for “smart” phones. More than that, it pushes the boundaries of possibility for what this kind of device can do and how it can do it.

I have a Motorola cell phone and I used Cingular as my carrier. Aside from using it as a phone, the features that I use the most heavily include SMS to query Google for information that I need while travelling or going somewhere to shop, eat, etc. Thanks to Google, who designed a nifty Java-based email client that I think makes the best of a difficult situation, I also use my cell phone to check my email. I do not use my phone to compose or send emails, though, because I just find it almost useless to type using the standard cellphone keys. I may send my wife a photo that I took using the built-in camera, but that is a feature that is very rarely used (as is the video capability).

So what would I like to have? Well, basically a full-featured mini-computer in my hand. One that I can use to do a variety of things, and do them easily and without hassle. On paper, iPhone fits the bill. I am amazed by the simplicity of the packaging, and what I can see of how it is shaped, how it fits into the hand, etc. Of course I am also amazed by its many interesting features. I especially like the 3.5″ screen. So yes, iPhone: iWant1. I see some negatives, though. First, to me the price point puts it beyond my reach. Second, I think the visual keyboard looks difficult to use for easy, efficient typing. Third, I am already a Cingular customer and I know how slow the connection speed is with that carrier. Of all of the negatives, I think the biggest one is the visual keyboard, because if I can’t type easily and quickly with minimal need for corrections, then the device is useless for composing email, and I really, really, rely upon that capability. David Pogue of the New York Times mentions this in his review, and states something about those who use Blackberry might want to stick with them. But frankly, Blackberry’s thumb keys don’t interest me at all, either.

Will I or should I plan to some day buy an iPhone? I will just have to W8tNC.

Fascinated with flying

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I’ve long been fascinated with passenger jets and the whole flying experience, so it was with keen interest that I’ve read as much as possible about the decades-long knock-’em-drag-out fight between Airbus and Boeing over who will truly dominate the skies. I have to admit to being partial to Boeing. Sort of like rooting for the home team, even if, at times, they are sleazy and don’t deserve to win. When I first read about the upcoming so-called “super jumbo” jet, the A350, being built by Airbus, I honestly thought that the war was over and that Airbus had won. It is an amazing machine and I can’t wait to see it and perhaps fly in it some day.

However I have been really intrigued by Boeing’s latest offering, the 787 Dreamliner, and note that it is already unbelievably successful in terms of sales, even though it won’t go into service until 2008 at the earliest. (I think the A350 goes into service in 2007.) They aren’t really competitors in terms of the markets they serve but they represent the two biggest weapons in each camp, and they offer completely different views of how the industry will change in the next 10-20 years. Today’s article in the New York Times (Boeing Bets the House on Its 787 Dreamliner – New York Times) is an excellent article that discusses Boeing’s big gamble on the 787. This and other recent news about the 787 and the very positive reaction it is receiving from airlines has convinced me that the “war” is certainly not over. Like the A350, I can’t wait to see my first 787 fly overhead a couple of years from now, much less have a chance to fly in one. My current favorite jet in which to fly is the 777, which is a great plane, I think.

As an aside, one of the things I like most about where I currently work is that Endeavor’s headquarters are literally next door to O’Hare Airport here in Chicago. Passenger jets of all types and from all over the world fly over the building at close range, offering me the chance to take a look at them and try to identify what kind of jets they are and from which airlines. I know, it sounds a bit childish, but who cares. I think it’s a fun and innocent, if quirky, pasttime.