The Air Force has been muddling thru the business of buying tanker places for some years now. The current tanker fleet is largely the KC135 tankers purchased back in the Eisenhower administration. Worthy planes, but after 50 years of service it's time for replacements. After quite a bit of bungling, Airbus bids, court fights and hassle, USAF gave a contract to Boeing to make tankers based on the Boeing 767 jetliner. This should have been straight forward, make some more of a well proven civilian jet airliner, leave out the seats and put in tanks to hold jet fuel. So simple.
USAF has managed to do significant cost enhancement to this job. First off, they are having Boeing replace the existing 767 cockpit with the newer and jazzier cockpit from the brand new 787. This means changing all the instruments over to work off the 767 airframe. It also means reprogramming the 787 stuff. $oftware is spelled Money and Program Delays. The existing 767 cockpit worked just fine and is still flying hundreds of 767 from here to everywhere, but that wasn't good enough for USAF. They had an urge to spend tax money, just for the hell of it.
This procurement program has been running for nearly two years. They don't expect to deliver any aircraft for another FIVE well paid years. Boeing plans to spend a whole year working on the refueling boom. This is just a piece of pipe sticking out the back of the tanker, to which client aircraft plug in to fill up. A year to do a piece of pipe is craziness.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Meet The Press
David Gregory spent a good deal of air time boosting Hilary for 2016. Heh Gregory, ease up, we are still recovering from the last election. Don't we get any time off from pundits like you pushing their favorite candidates?
Gregory showed that 57% of something (voters, democrats, likely voters, man on the street, who knows) would blame the Republicans if we go over the fiscal cliff. Even his leftie guests didn't buy into that one. Bob Woodward said the the president owns the economy and if going over the fiscal cliff prolongs Great Depression 2.0, Obama will own that.
Gregory showed that 57% of something (voters, democrats, likely voters, man on the street, who knows) would blame the Republicans if we go over the fiscal cliff. Even his leftie guests didn't buy into that one. Bob Woodward said the the president owns the economy and if going over the fiscal cliff prolongs Great Depression 2.0, Obama will own that.
Brixit
The Economist (a London based newsweekly) is running a cover story about the potential for Britain leaving the EU. Amusing cover cartoon showing Britainna in full costume (Roman helmet, Union Jack on shield) riding a fighter plane style ejection seat. Apparently Brussels bureaucrats have riled up the ordinary Brit voter to the point that they might vote "leave" if a straight forward "In or Out" referendum were presented to them.
Unfortunately, 50% of Britain's trade is with other EU members. If Britain withdrew then all this trade would be subject to EU tariff, which will hurt, a lot.
If the Brits are so dumb as to stiff arm their best customers, we ought to offer to let them into NAFTA.
Unfortunately, 50% of Britain's trade is with other EU members. If Britain withdrew then all this trade would be subject to EU tariff, which will hurt, a lot.
If the Brits are so dumb as to stiff arm their best customers, we ought to offer to let them into NAFTA.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Cameras, Cameras, Cameras
My trusty but aging Kodak Z1485 all plastic Point-n-Shoot is showing its age. It's getting flaky, I have to whack it with my hand to get the color to show properly in the view finder. It refused to take pictures under indoor lighting the other day. The paint is wearing off the plastic making it look shabby.
So, when a Nikon flyer fell out of my Wall St Journal, I gave it a look see. Overwhelming. Nikon is advertising 20 different models at prices from $79 to $2999. They break down into three broad classes, the Coolpix point-n-shoot ($79 to $299), the Nikon 1 a larger point-n-shoot with interchangeable lenses($499 to $999) and the big black pro cameras with interchangeable lenses and thru the lens viewfinders ($479-$2999).
Looking at the meager specs provided with each camera, it wasn't clear what each model offered, other than price. The all claimed 10 megapixels and up. 9 megapixels gives as good an image as 35 mm film ever did, so even the bottom of the line $79 model can make photos as sharp and crisp as anyone needs. Nikon doesn't talk about batteries. I have no idea if batteries are included, rechargeable, buy-able at the super market, Lithium Ion, how long they last, and will the camera show you the state of charge?
All have zoom lenses. The point-n-shoot lenses are speced as such and such a power (10x, 14X and so on) The interchangeable lenses are speced in millimeters (18-55. 30-110) It is beyond my mathematical ability to convert from one to another.
And, Target is the store that carries all this hi tech goodness. Lots a luck trying to get a Target salesclerk to give you anything more than the price.
So, when a Nikon flyer fell out of my Wall St Journal, I gave it a look see. Overwhelming. Nikon is advertising 20 different models at prices from $79 to $2999. They break down into three broad classes, the Coolpix point-n-shoot ($79 to $299), the Nikon 1 a larger point-n-shoot with interchangeable lenses($499 to $999) and the big black pro cameras with interchangeable lenses and thru the lens viewfinders ($479-$2999).
Looking at the meager specs provided with each camera, it wasn't clear what each model offered, other than price. The all claimed 10 megapixels and up. 9 megapixels gives as good an image as 35 mm film ever did, so even the bottom of the line $79 model can make photos as sharp and crisp as anyone needs. Nikon doesn't talk about batteries. I have no idea if batteries are included, rechargeable, buy-able at the super market, Lithium Ion, how long they last, and will the camera show you the state of charge?
All have zoom lenses. The point-n-shoot lenses are speced as such and such a power (10x, 14X and so on) The interchangeable lenses are speced in millimeters (18-55. 30-110) It is beyond my mathematical ability to convert from one to another.
And, Target is the store that carries all this hi tech goodness. Lots a luck trying to get a Target salesclerk to give you anything more than the price.
Friday, December 7, 2012
There will be consequences
Such as? Obama was trying to jawbone Syria's Assad away from using nerve gas on his own people. He was trying to sound tough, like he was uttering a threat.
Didn't sound very tough to me. Probably didn't sound very tough to Assad
Making vague threats make you look flaky.
Didn't sound very tough to me. Probably didn't sound very tough to Assad
Making vague threats make you look flaky.
Greece, has largest merchant marine
From the Wall St. Journal. The legendary Greek shipping magnates are still legendary. Greece has 4072 merchant ships. More than Japan, or Germany, or the US. More than any one nation in the world. Not bad for an economy swirling down the drain.
According to the Journal, the shipping interests threatened t o pack up and move elsewhere back in the 1970's. The Greek government caved, and Greek shipping enjoys low taxes and freedom from regulation to this day.
According to the Journal, the shipping interests threatened t o pack up and move elsewhere back in the 1970's. The Greek government caved, and Greek shipping enjoys low taxes and freedom from regulation to this day.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Hobbit, the movie
It hasn't come the Littleton yet. Internet reviews are equivocal at best. Most make the observation that there isn't enough material in the single volumn Hobbit story to fuel three movies. Probably true. I'm an old Tolkien fan, I'll see the movies anyhow.
The Brit papers have been making a big thing of technology. The flick is in 3 D and 48 frames/sec. The Guardian quotes viewers claiming that the extra frame rate gives them headaches and makes them dizzy.
Well, 3D can do that. I suppose. I find 3D annoying, the glasses never fit well, and the focus isn't very good.
But the 48 frame/sec is harmless. In fact, movies have been projected at 48 frames/sec since the 1920's. The frame rate has to be high enough to prevent flicker, which is quite annoying. The exact frame rate needed to smooth out flicker is variable, depends upon the circumstances. Darkness helps, which theaters have. American TV runs at 60 fields per second in well lighted rooms. European TV runs at a mere 50 fields per second, and you can see it flicker. It's bad enough that the Europeans were selling "100 hertz" TV sets to eliminate flicker caused by the 50 fields per second sets.
Motion illusion is different from flicker. Good motion illusion requires a far slower frame rate than flicker reduction needs. In fact, some one back in the depths of time (1920's) discovered that although the projectors had to run at 438 frames per second to suppress flicker, they did not have to change the picture that fast. A 2:1 savings in expensive 35mm film occured when the projector advanced the film on every other frame. So the film advances at 24 frame per second, and the projector displays each frame of movie film twice.
For the Hobbit, they are claiming to use revolutionary technology, and advance the film on every frame. Newsies, and reviewers have been talking this up, claiming a miraculous improvement in the viewing experience. Which gives great joy to the Hobbit marketing droids. But in real life, it won't look any different from standard movies.
The Brit papers have been making a big thing of technology. The flick is in 3 D and 48 frames/sec. The Guardian quotes viewers claiming that the extra frame rate gives them headaches and makes them dizzy.
Well, 3D can do that. I suppose. I find 3D annoying, the glasses never fit well, and the focus isn't very good.
But the 48 frame/sec is harmless. In fact, movies have been projected at 48 frames/sec since the 1920's. The frame rate has to be high enough to prevent flicker, which is quite annoying. The exact frame rate needed to smooth out flicker is variable, depends upon the circumstances. Darkness helps, which theaters have. American TV runs at 60 fields per second in well lighted rooms. European TV runs at a mere 50 fields per second, and you can see it flicker. It's bad enough that the Europeans were selling "100 hertz" TV sets to eliminate flicker caused by the 50 fields per second sets.
Motion illusion is different from flicker. Good motion illusion requires a far slower frame rate than flicker reduction needs. In fact, some one back in the depths of time (1920's) discovered that although the projectors had to run at 438 frames per second to suppress flicker, they did not have to change the picture that fast. A 2:1 savings in expensive 35mm film occured when the projector advanced the film on every other frame. So the film advances at 24 frame per second, and the projector displays each frame of movie film twice.
For the Hobbit, they are claiming to use revolutionary technology, and advance the film on every frame. Newsies, and reviewers have been talking this up, claiming a miraculous improvement in the viewing experience. Which gives great joy to the Hobbit marketing droids. But in real life, it won't look any different from standard movies.
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