Mach Speed

The Aerion is a commercially available super sonic jet which can fly at Mach 1.6 and can operate on most runways which are used by most business jets. The operating costs are more or less similar to normal jets. The jet can seat up to 12 people. The wing  is made of carbon epoxy, which provides it with structural rigidity and low weight and the body is made of a mix of  aluminum and composite material.

The jet can cruise below Mach speeds, where the regulations require that it does not create a sonic boom that reaches the ground. However, it can fly at 1.6 over oceans and give the bang for its buck.

Rumored to be priced at 80 Million US, Sheikh Rashid of Ajman UAE, is reportedly its first customer. Obviously, he has a need to reach London, in 4 hrs 55 minutes, compared to the 6 hrs 40 minute in a conventional business jet.

More here

How green are your electronics!?

Greenpeace has released its annual ratings of electronics majors ranking them on the basis of their global policies and practices on eliminating harmful chemicals and on taking responsibility for their products once they are discarded. Nintendo seems to be totally environmental un-friendly. For all the philanthropy that the Bill and Melinda Foundation seems to be doing, Microsoft is also up there among the defaulters. My personal favorite Sony, seems to be doing good.

The report and ratings can be seen here.

How effective the findings of this report will be, depends on whether users will actually consider buying a less environment friendly product, for the sake of a cleaner, greener tomorrow. Lesser profits would lead manufacturers to go green around the gills and actually comply with standards and provide safer products.

And the winner is…

This just in

Saudi Telecom has won the bid for the 3rd Cellular operator in Kuwait at 247 Million KD.

Let the fight begin….

Tell me you love me

This is a new series on HBO. The show explores the relationship of 3 couples and that of the doctor who treats them.  While one couple is desperately trying to have kids, unsuccessfully, the couple with kids have a great relationship, though it does not exactly translate into intimacy. The third couple, I am yet to figure out what their problem is because they seem to jump out of their clothes and onto the bed at the drop of a hat. The doctor who treats these couples also seems to have issues, but then most female characters acting with David Selby do. Sonya Welger – Penelope of LOST also stars in this TV show which is fit only for adult audiences and which I doubt will be shown on local stations, because that would mean cutting the episodes down to 10 minutes due to the action in them.

And I read somewhere that all the action is simulated and the actors do not derive any pleasure from it. Their Union does not allow them to.

The show broaches difficult questions and applying those to your own marriage is bound to lead to fights….so just watch the show.

Label Printer!

I was at the Casio Showroom downtown, looking for a label printer to be used at work. I was looking for a large quantity of a particular model, but unfortunately, they didn’t have it. However, the salesman showed me an alternate model the KL-300 printer.

Now this “MADE IN JAPAN” machine is a piece of work. Battery operated and having a roller on which characters are shown, you have to turn this roller and select the character you want by pressing a button corresponding to that character. It has a lever with which you cut the label off, and even has a italic fonts, different sizes, vertical printing and Mirror printing and even had 6 C batteries – included. I was really amused by the way this thing works, more so because this may have been the only thing made in Japan in that showroom.

It was being sold for KD 1.000 – old stock clearance and I couldn’t resist buying it. They gave me 6 months warranty but warned me the batteries may be dead. A ink and label cartridge costs .990 fils.

And now I’m labeling cables and CD Boxes.