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I'm not sure about the proposal to split the topics up. I imagine David has thought about it. But, just to illustrate the problem, the gun stuff, which doesn't interest me either, began as a travel piece, a trip report from Las Vegas. How (and precisely when) one disaggregates these things to topic-specific newsletters or blogs would pose quite a challenge. Same with gadgets. Many of the gizmos David reviews are, one way or another, travel-related. Not all, admittedly. But the somewhat eccentric choice of topics is part of TTI's charm.
Weekly roundup Friday 31 December 2010
Good morning A short newsletter this week, for obvious festive reasons. But it is worthy to note that this last year has again been a prolific one, with newsletters almost every week, 233 blog entries, over 150 new web pages, two Travel Insider tours, and our first ever Travel Insider firearm...
Some of the disappointments seem to be power-related. Apple is clearly struggling to extend battery life. Sensible. By contrast, HTC's new EVO, a supposed iPhone killer, sacrifices battery performance for a few extra bells and whistles. One reviewer (http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/29/htc-evo-4g/) reports a struggle to squeeze four hours of moderate usage out of the thing. And that's without turning on the 4G antenna. Unacceptable.
Apple's Newly Announced iPhone 4 - Eight Disappointments
Now that the excitement and initial euphoria over the formal announcement of the iPhone 4 is subsiding, let's look at what the new phone does not do (but could and arguably should do). 1. Act as a mobile hotspot : Now that AT&T is charging on a usage basis for wireless data, there should...
Good work re BA. But the travel perks question isn't the only outstanding issue and it isn't quite as straightforward as you suggest. I gather BA will probably reinstate the privileges, but crew who went on strike will lose their seniority for the purposes of calculating travel allocations. That was an explicit written threat presented by management early on. Presumably the company feels conceding on the point will weaken its position for the future.
The other outstanding issue concerns disciplinary proceedings against a number of union members, mostly with regard to behaviour while on strike. Willie Walsh seems intent on standing firm on this one.
What's needed now are face-saving compromises from both sides.
This Week's Airline Roundup
The last week has been a torrid time for airlines and their relationships with their employees. The BA cabin crew's latest series of four strikes were due to start this week, but at the last minute, a legal eagle at BA had a bright idea and filed for an injunction preventing the cabin crew...
I see the rules have been changed again: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8685913.stm
But this isn't about responsiveness to day-to-day fluctuations, the change you point to above. It's about allowing higher exposures for short periods. Now would be a helpful time for engine manufacturers to disclose their risk assessments.
Ash avoidance - problems and semi-solutions
The ash problem from the Iceland volcano continues to give occasional problems in selected parts of Europe. These ongoing issues that arise and then go away again on a semi-random seeming basis, point to an ugly truth that we are only now starting to appreciate. That ugly truth is that these ...
Fred Harrison is now following David Rowell
May 17, 2010
I'm surprised that the seriousness of this situation is only now dawning on people. It could continue for many months -- or, if the 10 times larger Katla volcano blows as expected, years. As prospective travellers adapt, the impacts will cascade through the travel and tourism sectors, particularly in Europe, and very particularly in the UK, which is highly aviation reliant. I wonder how many British summer vacations have been quietly shelved already by families fearful of cancelled flights or being stranded at Terminal 2. Terrorism, the Great Recession and now volcanoes. What next?
Ash avoidance - problems and semi-solutions
The ash problem from the Iceland volcano continues to give occasional problems in selected parts of Europe. These ongoing issues that arise and then go away again on a semi-random seeming basis, point to an ugly truth that we are only now starting to appreciate. That ugly truth is that these ...
Um, what are the chances of Gulfstream and Nasa actually arriving at the same noise threshold "independently"?
And what does cost effective mean in this context? Aerion says its offering, if developed, would cost around $80 million each, in an 8-passenger configuration. Gulp.
Supersonic Business Jets get closer to reality
Two companies - Gulfstream and Aerion - have announced new developments bringing them closer to a viable design for a supersonic business jet, although neither company has yet committed to developing and producing such a plane. There are several obstacles to be overcome in designing a viable s...
In a way, I suspect I'll regret the change. Writing "on the fly" is all the rage of course, but what I've always enjoyed about the weekly letter was its capacity, on major stories, to reflect subsequent disclosures and developments.
I've a feeling you'll have some cause to regret the change a bit too. You'll be switching from a weekly marathon to a daily -- or, knowing you, more frequent -- sprint. Your routine is about to change completely.
That said, all credit for making the change, and for doing a "soft launch" so that all of us -- author and reader alike -- get a chance to adapt.
By the way, I hope you stick with this unadorned look. Very easy to read.
The success of the iPad is already impacting on netbook sales
Are we surprised or unsurprised at the extraordinary success of the iPad? Apple says it sold over a million iPads in its first month. This contrasts with it taking 74 days to sell 1 million of the original iPhone when that was first released. Selling 1 million iPads is all the more remarkable ...
Fred Harrison is now following The Typepad Team
May 9, 2010
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