Weekend Greetings! We are marching through January with purpose, or so it would seem. Down to the last week now. It always seems to me that getting through January is the hardest part of the whole winter. Once we have January under our belts it gets easier.
On to the good news!
Haiti Brings Out the Internet’s Best
The Internet hosts many activities. Many of these are mindless and useless…however, some are not.
The millions of dollars raised through text-messaging ease shows us that philanthropy is not confined to the rich. One person still doesn’t make a difference…especially when technology enjoins us.
Technology is a tool that reflects human nature. If you hear that donating to Haiti is is as easy as texting “Haiti” to 90999, you are likely to do it. Go technology!
“Miracle on Hudson” Jet Lands on Auction Block
Anyone wanting a souvenir of the “Miracle on the Hudson,” had better have plenty of display room.
Yes…I am talking about the plane that Pilot Sullenberger and crew landed on the Hudson river in New York on January 15, 2009. All 155 people aboard survived after the splashdown.
This plane is now at a salvage yard in Kearny, N.J. The auction is scheduled to end at 4:30 p.m. March 27.
The plane is for sale “as is/where is.” Noted under “equipment comments” is this terse notation: “Destroyed.” Under “description of damage”: “Severe water damage throughout airframe. Impact damage to underside of aircraft.”
The listing also notes that the aircraft was “treated with a corrosion inhibitor” last summer. Good idea!
Low-Tech Radios Connect Haitians
During the aftermath of Haiti’s earthquake, Jean-Robert Gaillard decided to try his low-tech radio as a lifeline.
When the earthquake hit, Gaillard found most of his normal lines of communication cut off by the disaster.
Gaillard used a neighbor’s generator to power up his radio and he connected to a handful of amateur radio enthusiasts in the US. Unlike many, Gaillard was able to contact family members in the US soon after the earthquake to tell them he had survived.
Enthusiasts of ham radio are quick to use this as evidence that international aid groups and governments should use radio in disaster situations.
