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By sven (Fri Jan 16, 2004 at 12:46:30 AM EST) (all tags)
Chained
So many places you'd prefer to be
than framed
By a picket fence and salary

If you want to be a passenger
Climb aboard with me we're leaving now
step outside and see another world
Only if you want to be a passenger

I spent five hours on a plane today.

Inside: Work, thought of the day, changing time, plane spotting


Work

We got some things done in Sydney today. This afternoon we finally managed to capture the data we need to work on an elusive problem that only comes up every few hours. This was finally achieved 15 minutes before I was due to depart. I'm pleased that we've got something to work with. Of course, if the code wasn't so damned shoddy we wouldn't have had the problem in the first place.

Someone else is going to Sydney next week. Good.

Thought of the day

When hotel staff comment that you seem to be staying at their hotel "all the time", you're probably spending too much time there. Knowing the hotel staff by name does nothing to dispel this belief.

Changing time

Commonwealth Games chairman Ron Walker has suggested that the Commonwealth Games would be better if the whole country was on the same timezone for the two weeks of the games. Nobody else seems to agree. Western Australian Premier Geoff Gallop certainly doesn't.

What a ridiculous idea. Sunrise would be around 8:30am, sunset around 10:30pm. And everyone would feel jetlagged without going anywhere! But Ron Walker says that it has some advantages:

The Commonwealth Games is after all an Australian event that encompasses all of Australia. We believe people would prefer to watch as the closing and opening ceremonies are happening rather than in three hours, in some cases.
Apparently he doesn't realise that we can still watch these events live, even if we're in a different timezone.

Plane spotting

There was lots to see as I sat in the Sydney Domestic Hungry Jack's lounge this evening. A little Air Vanuatu 737 was just coming in as I arrived, and later there was a Lauda Air 767. Taking off were 747s from Malaysia Airlines, United, and British Airways, plus a Cathay Pacific A340. There were also plenty of operations from Qantas and Virgin Blue. Seeing the 747s beginning their takeoff on a wet runway certainly gives an excellent visual demonstration of their power.

Qantas are supposedly going to move all their A330s to international operations. These currently operate the majority of Perth-Sydney flights. I'm not sure what they're going to replace them with - I hope they don't just stick all their old 767s on this route. We were on one of those this evening. The high-pitched whine of the air conditioner was not particularly enjoyable for the five hours we were on the plane. It didn't help that the agony was extended by 10 minutes when we arrived in Perth because there weren't any free parking spots.

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Another comment about time by sven (3.00 / 0) #1 Fri Jan 16, 2004 at 12:50:47 AM EST
HuSi thinks this diary was posted at 08:46:30 PM WAST, but it was actually an hour later. I think it thinks we have daylight saving here, but we don't. Just as well too - daylight saving is a stupid idea. The last thing I want when I finish work on a hot afternoon in the middle of summer is for it to be an hour hotter than it should be.

I understand there's a time and a place for daylight saving, but it's not here! It might actually be a good idea in winter though.

--
harshbutfair // you know it makes sense


Actually by gazbo (3.00 / 0) #2 Fri Jan 16, 2004 at 12:59:50 AM EST
Over here there's a yearly campaign to abolish it for safety reasons. The rational is that by putting the clocks back sure it's brighter when you get up in the morning, but darker at night. And it's nighttime when all the pedestrians get run over. Making it darker by changing the clocks makes a significant increase in road accidents. So I hear, anyway.
"Engarde!" cried the larvae, huskily. - Scrymarch

[ Parent ]

What? by sven (3.00 / 0) #3 Fri Jan 16, 2004 at 01:05:52 AM EST
It was my understanding that most people put clocks forward for daylight saving, making it brighter in the evening. But then, we don't have daylight saving here so what would I know?

--
harshbutfair // you know it makes sense
[ Parent ]

Goes both ways by gazbo (3.00 / 0) #4 Fri Jan 16, 2004 at 01:08:06 AM EST
Clocks go forward in spring, and do as you say. But in winter, when all the accidents due to visibility come, they go back.

For a more authoritative answer, I suggest asking Jack Wagner.

"Engarde!" cried the larvae, huskily. - Scrymarch

[ Parent ]

So what is your solution? by sven (3.00 / 0) #6 Fri Jan 16, 2004 at 01:25:20 AM EST
Don't have daylight saving, or have it for the whole year?

--
harshbutfair // you know it makes sense
[ Parent ]

Hey - it's not my suggestion by gazbo (3.00 / 0) #7 Fri Jan 16, 2004 at 01:43:50 AM EST
I'm just relaying it. Presumably keep it on summer-time all year, I guess.
"Engarde!" cried the larvae, huskily. - Scrymarch

[ Parent ]

It annoys me when people suggest this by herbert (3.00 / 0) #8 Fri Jan 16, 2004 at 03:23:03 AM EST
Because the Greenwich meridian goes right through Greenwich for fuck's sake.  So if we're going to be on anything all year round, it should damn well be +0000.

And the country is mostly to the west of 0 degrees, i.e. local time by the sun is earlier than Greenwich, not later, making it even more stupid to be a hour later.


[ Parent ]

Hmm. by ambrosen (3.00 / 0) #9 Fri Jan 16, 2004 at 03:50:50 AM EST
Everyone should just work from 8 till 4 instead.

Not that I can speak: I'm a lazy slob. But it means most people get light coming home all but a month or so of the year.

[ Parent ]

Plus kiddy abductions by Dr H0ffm4n (3.00 / 0) #5 Fri Jan 16, 2004 at 01:09:16 AM EST
I understand that peado's are more prone to pick up kiddies walking home from school in the dark?

[ Parent ]

Air Conditioning by cam (3.00 / 0) #10 Fri Jan 16, 2004 at 01:04:41 PM EST
When we came back last, the drop from the Qantas 747 to the US Airways domestic aircraft was huge. Business class in US Airways wasnt as good as economy in the Qantas jet. On the pacific hops we book early and get the two seaters at the very back of the aircraft where the fuselage bends in. It is usually pretty noisy back there in comparison.

cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic


Two seaters on 747s by sven (3.00 / 0) #11 Fri Jan 16, 2004 at 04:01:39 PM EST
How much more room do you get back there? I was considering whether it would be worth requesting those seats in preference to being stuck right in the middle of the plane (49F/G) for Singapore to London. It might not be wise to be stuck at the back of the queue when going through customs at Heathrow though.

--
harshbutfair // you know it makes sense
[ Parent ]

Seats and Customs by cam (3.00 / 0) #12 Sat Jan 17, 2004 at 03:19:16 AM EST
How much more room do you get back there?

About half a seat between the fuselage and the seat. We found that instead of enjoying the extra space we cluttered it up with bags, pillows, duty free etc. Another downside is that one of the seats (both times) had a metal box in it which meant one person couldnt stretch their legs under the seat easily. It was made up for by the extra space to the right of the person.

You also end up about a foot from the window as well, so to look out you have to lean. I preferred the seat to having someone sit with us though. I have done trans pacific flights as the middle person in a three seater and i didnt enjoy it.

As to customs we found LAX and Sydney both pretty quick with the customs. Getting out of the airport (at Sydney and Dulles) was more of a hassle than coming back in.

cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic
[ Parent ]

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