I already work in a basement... cube farm. Cubes are 5 X 5 with 24 people sharing a 20' X 40' area. It's like working at a house party most days with people all talking at once, playing catch or vollyball over the wall (the walls are only 4' high) or kicking a soccer ball around the office. I'm at the edge of sanity most days. And, I'm constantly pressured to produce. A bit hard with interruptions every 10 seconds on average.
As a pilot for 27 years, I have tried to use a cell phone even from small aircraft flying at lower altitudes. Above 8,000 ft., I have never been able to maintain a connection for more than a few seconds after which the phone disconnects. Above 10,000 ft., I can't even get a signal. So, I believe the cell phone argument on planes is just a moot point.
The only way to get cell phones to work (especially in large passenger aircraft) would be to have an on-board repeater of some sort. And, given that airlines aren't really bursting at the seams with cash right now, I don't think it's something you will see very soon.
This might be slightly off-topic, but I would like to see someone open a software audit of the RIAA and see how much stuff they're using illegally! Didn't they want to charge a million for every CD that was illegally copied? Time to turn the tables for a few minutes.
I just think it would be an interesting proposition....
As a pilot (25 years and counting), I've not had much luck with my cell phone(Verizon) working above 10,000 feet. That's in a plane that has a lot of glass space. I'll get a signal for 5 to 10 seconds and then the call will be dropped. This isn't over the middle of nowhere, it's over central Ohio! I've tried it in several locations where I've flown including the Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Chicago areas and I keep getting the same result. In some cases, I have no luck above 8k ft. I typically fly light singles and twins, so there isn't as much aluminum shielding around me as there would be in a jet.
I think that once you reach a certain altitude, your phone hits too many cell sites at once and the whole system becomes confused, so in retaliation, your call is dropped. I'm not sure what the ERP of a cell phone would be at or above 10k ft.
On a jet at 39,000 feet shielded with plenty of aluminum, I seriously doubt you would get any usable signal anyway.
And yeah... I can see the headline when some passenger pummels another to death with a copy of the Sunday New York Times for pontificating on a cell phone during a flight!
I think it would be rather amusing for everyone to head down to the nearest costume store and pick up a mask of your choice. Then, wear it on the streets. It would be pretty funny to see everyone wearing masks on camera, and your privacy problem is also solved.
Everybody....CLEAR!
**Ker-CHUNK**
Scotty.. "I need more power!!"
Scotty.. "I'm givin ya all she's got captain!!"
**Ker-CHUNK!!**
Doc... "I think she's dead, Jim"... and so goes SCO. Let's hope you don't lie around as long as James Brown.
Slashdot Mirror
I already work in a basement... cube farm. Cubes are 5 X 5 with 24 people sharing a 20' X 40' area. It's like working at a house party most days with people all talking at once, playing catch or vollyball over the wall (the walls are only 4' high) or kicking a soccer ball around the office. I'm at the edge of sanity most days. And, I'm constantly pressured to produce. A bit hard with interruptions every 10 seconds on average.
Or, they could use a picture of the group "April Wine" ... singers of "Sign of the Gypsy Queen"
I'll admit it was a stretch!
No matter how fast I drive my Hayabusa, I've still not managed to get it up to escape velocity...let alone park it next to an asteroid!
As a pilot for 27 years, I have tried to use a cell phone even from small aircraft flying at lower altitudes. Above 8,000 ft., I have never been able to maintain a connection for more than a few seconds after which the phone disconnects. Above 10,000 ft., I can't even get a signal. So, I believe the cell phone argument on planes is just a moot point.
The only way to get cell phones to work (especially in large passenger aircraft) would be to have an on-board repeater of some sort. And, given that airlines aren't really bursting at the seams with cash right now, I don't think it's something you will see very soon.
This might be slightly off-topic, but I would like to see someone open a software audit of the RIAA and see how much stuff they're using illegally! Didn't they want to charge a million for every CD that was illegally copied? Time to turn the tables for a few minutes.
I just think it would be an interesting proposition....
It was really 'Stop Draggin My Heart Around'
As a pilot (25 years and counting), I've not had much luck with my cell phone(Verizon) working above 10,000 feet. That's in a plane that has a lot of glass space. I'll get a signal for 5 to 10 seconds and then the call will be dropped. This isn't over the middle of nowhere, it's over central Ohio! I've tried it in several locations where I've flown including the Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Chicago areas and I keep getting the same result. In some cases, I have no luck above 8k ft. I typically fly light singles and twins, so there isn't as much aluminum shielding around me as there would be in a jet. I think that once you reach a certain altitude, your phone hits too many cell sites at once and the whole system becomes confused, so in retaliation, your call is dropped. I'm not sure what the ERP of a cell phone would be at or above 10k ft. On a jet at 39,000 feet shielded with plenty of aluminum, I seriously doubt you would get any usable signal anyway. And yeah... I can see the headline when some passenger pummels another to death with a copy of the Sunday New York Times for pontificating on a cell phone during a flight!
I think it would be rather amusing for everyone to head down to the nearest costume store and pick up a mask of your choice. Then, wear it on the streets. It would be pretty funny to see everyone wearing masks on camera, and your privacy problem is also solved.
Everybody....CLEAR! **Ker-CHUNK** Scotty.. "I need more power!!" Scotty.. "I'm givin ya all she's got captain!!" **Ker-CHUNK!!** Doc... "I think she's dead, Jim" ... and so goes SCO. Let's hope you don't lie around as long as James Brown.