Tagged With "European Patent Office"
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Re: EU Parliament Ends Cell Phone Roaming Charges in 2017
I'm guessing this is going to affect pre paid plans and sim cards for travelers. Anybody else know more, please comment.
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Re: EU Parliament Ends Cell Phone Roaming Charges in 2017
Yes, it will apply to prepaid plans, which many Europeans as well as visitors use, but it's not as happily absolute as some of the celebrators make it sound. The final June 2017 step depends on a reform of the European wholesale roaming market in which carriers pay each other for roaming use, and is also subject to limits for those who roam "too much." Here's a quote from one of the Parliament members who was a leading proponent of the law (which also originally included provisions for net...
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Re: Coming soon: Adjustable-width airline seats?
Keep in mind that the picture is the patent model...tricked out with real upholstery it may look very different. Other than fitting big people better, I think this may mainly be used on smaller airliners that fly as one- or two-class, as British Air does on a lot of European flights....business class there is pretty much just empty middle. This would allow flexibility. Be my guess...
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Re: Celebrating Nature on 7 Continents: Asia, part 3 - European Bee-eaters in Sir Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates
Beautiful photos Kirsten!!
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Re: Celebrating Nature on 7 Continents: Asia, part 3 - European Bee-eaters in Sir Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates
Bee-eaters are amazing birds. I've never seen more than one or two around, so it must be quite a treat to be at the edge of a migration of them! And they fly so quickly -- amazed you were able to get that last photo framed as well as you did. Thanks for sharing these.
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Re: Celebrating Nature on 7 Continents: Asia, part 3 - European Bee-eaters in Sir Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates
Thanks, Marilyn!
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Re: Celebrating Nature on 7 Continents: Asia, part 3 - European Bee-eaters in Sir Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates
It was pretty amazing... a bit dizzying actually to try and keep up with all of them!
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Re: 'Uncomfortable memory' tour faces Barcelona slave history
It is good that a people face up to and learn from the past. We must learn from the lessons of history, but I do hope this will not become a "self-flagellation" exercise. At the end of the 18th century, everyone had slaves. Every people, every race, every culture, every country participated in the buying, selling and owning of other people. It was the norm. Fortunately, with a few rare exceptions, modern society has become enlightened and the rights of individuals is now a central focus of...
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Re: 'Uncomfortable memory' tour faces Barcelona slave history
'Presentism' is always a danger for historians, but in this case, there's a real issue of interest based on the late-in-the-day entry into slave-owning by the later Catalan grandees; they went into it when all European countries had already abolished it, and when it had been abolished in many colonial areas. Sadly, not Cuba, Brazil, or, at the beginning of that period, the United States. One of the reasons it's important to consider these past things is because they do enter into the...
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Re: 'Uncomfortable memory' tour faces Barcelona slave history
Slavery is just part of a long cruel history. Wherever there is chance to make money, people of any race or creed will gladly join in. Even the African warlords who sold the "prisoners" to the slave ships played their parts in this piece of history. Even today fortunes are made by sending young men to die in the name of "Defence". Money has no morals.
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Re: The Maltese Islands – Underrated gems or best kept secret ?
What an interesting group of islands. Thanks so much for this article. Wondering - Do people get around mostly by boat ? Is English widely spoken ?
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Re: The Maltese Islands – Underrated gems or best kept secret ?
Hello F-car, people mainly use their cars to get around, which is a pity as the roads are not the best and there are far too many cars for the roads to cope with. There is an extensive bus network which I found more preferable to driving. Boats are used more for leisure but there are many fisherman who make their living from the sea. Although the Maltese have their own language, English is widely spoken and visitors get by without problems. Many locals also speak Italian (them being our...
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Re: The Maltese Islands – Underrated gems or best kept secret ?
Thanks so much Island Man.What a great post! I'll definetly include a visit to Malta in my future travel plans.
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What if the exit row weren't a row?
That's the kind of question that comes to mind at first glance at an idea Airbus has asked a patent for...a circular seating arrangement, in tiers. OK, that's a little hard to grasp, so here's a drawing submitted with the patent application. ...
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Coming: TG's 'European Capital of Culture' Series
TG Update: These articles are now available -Capital of Culture Series: LiverpoolCapital of Culture Series: Marseilles Each year, the EU designates a special city or cities as the European Capital of...
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New safety rules after crash: No solo pilots
In the wake of the Germanwings crash that killed 150 in an apparent suicide-by-pilot, Lufthansa and many others are quickly adopting rules requiring at least two crew members be present inside the cockpit at all times. Lufthansa's announcement covers...
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Holy Space Rays, Batman! Boeing patents "force field"
Boeing has taken a leaf from science fiction and turned it into a patent for a force field that could protect airplanes (and other objects) from damaging explosions. The title of the patent is "method and system for shockwave attenuation via...
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Boeing's 'Cuddle Seat' tackles the economy snooze
A new Boeing patent promises a better sleep situation for economy passengers. For those who can't afford the lie-flat seats in business or first, sleep is often an issue. It's not easy finding a position in which you can lean or curl or contort...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, April 23, 2015: The 1903 Wright Flyer, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
I heard a joke once that said "Y'know the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.? They actually have stuff in there!" Case-in-point, the 1903 Wright Flyer. Many reproductions of the Wright Flyer have been made, but this is...
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50s 'bubble car' returns as an electric
Urkel's ride from Family Matters is coming back as an electric city runabout.
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Glasgow's Unlikely People's Palace
Built as an oasis of culture in a sea of slums, one of Glasgow's important museums is still fighting for its life in an era of budget cuts.
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What is the Purpose of Apostille?
Darren describes what Apostille services are and when they might be of use to you (sponsored content)
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Russian dogs get a patent on smelling cancer and explosives
Got you with that headline, right? But it's not a joke. The Russian airline Aeroflot has a K-9 unit that has received a patent concerning technology developed from studies of how dogs smell, and which has enabled training of dogs to better...
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Europe: Say goodbye to roaming fees, but not so soon
Airport cellphone users...plans still underway to end their roaming charges. Photo: Dmitry Rozhov The previously-announced plan to rid Europe of cellphone roaming charges is still on track, but delayed at the station for...
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Worst plane seat design ever?
Is it possible for airlines to treat economy passengers worse than they currently are? The answer apparently is yes, at least if a new seating concept gets implemented. A new and radically different concept for airplane seating was...
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More Train Security Coming to Europe
A week after 3 Americans citizens, a French Citizen, and a British citizen stopped a terrorist attack on a train from Amsterdam to Paris, an emergency security meeting about rail passenger safety took place on Saturday in Paris. The meeting was...
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EU Commission gives OK for Aer Lingus takeover
The European Commission today cleared the last barrier for the sale of Ireland's Aer Lingus to British Airways' holding company, International Airlines Group. The deal already had approval from Aer Lingus's board, the Irish government and Ryanair,...
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Minneapolis Hotel Gives a Nod to its University Location
The Commons Hotel has a theme throughout its lobby, restaurant, rooms and suites. And I like hotels with themes. Maybe it’s all those nights at Walt Disney World resorts, but whatever the reason, I was pleasantly surprised when I entered...
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Airbus patents a new Monster Airplane
Despite the lagging sales of the world's largest commercial aircraft, the A380, Airbus just filed a patent for a new h-u-g-e aircraft. It's a double decker plane that has the potential to be configured in a variety of ways. It has...
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Top Euro car renters agree to be fair to customers
Just a little nice, that's what they promise. Counters at Lourdes Airport, France Europe's "big 5" car rental companies have pledged to align their policies and contracts more closely with EU consumer policy, and to be more transparent...
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Low water puts some European river cruises on hold
Low water in the Danube, 2012 If it seems like only yesterday we were reporting on European river cruises being canceled because high waters were blocking ships from sailing under bridges...well, it was. On May 7, we reported problems on the...
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New concept: Lie flat during take-off and landing
It's the dream of many weary business travelers, and just a fantasy for those of us in steerage. Boeing has developed a concept for a lie-flat business class seat that would let you lie-flat the entire flight if you wanted to, including...
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Celebrate Dr. Seuss - Springfield MA
Springfield MA is the kind of city that most people speed by on the way to somewhere "more important."Sitting at the junction of Interstates 90 and 91, people zoom by traveling between Boston, Albany, Montreal and other places. If people...
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Airbus is thinking: Could a Mach 4 jetliner fly, commercially?
Airbus, which recently filed design patents for a huge follow-on to the A380 also has its mind on smaller and faster. Last week, they filed for U.S. patents on technology and design for a plane that would fly at more than 4 times the speed of sound...
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EU Parliament Ends Cell Phone Roaming Charges in 2017
The European Parliament approved a plan to ban roaming charges from being imposed on consumers when they travel within the EU with their cell phones. An interim period starts next April when roaming should...
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"American Treasure Tour"—Extensive Collection of Americana
Love Americana? Then Stephanie Kalina-Metzger has the perfect tour for you, featuring some of the most unusual and rare vintage items you'll ever see.
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European phone operators told: Hang up on roaming charges!
The European Parliament, legislative body of the E.U., has voted (534-25!) to put an end to roaming charges with E.U. for all mobile phone users. the change is to take effect by the end of 2015. Even with caps imposed in recent years, the...
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Gumbo's Day Out; The Tallahassee Auto Museum
Today, I'm going to review a real neat museum that holds one of my favorite cars, the Tucker 48 or, as advertised, the Tucker Torpedo. ...
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Tampa Bay Automobile Museum: 4) the French cars
This is the last in a four part series highlighting my visit to the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum. I really enjoyed this small, off the beaten path car museum and it has a wonderful car collection which I've partially discussed already....
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Fewer European tourists in U.S., more from "emerging economies"
http://skift.com/2013/09/11/u-...-0d2166f9bf-63725561
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Coming soon: Adjustable-width airline seats?
Boeing has been granted a patent on what's possibly the answer to several questions: It's an airline seat with movable armrests that could turn 3 economy seats into 2 business-class, or could allow a thin person and a fat person to make a better...
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New Olympic contender? Snow volleyball's making a play
Volleyball goes year-round as the International Volleyball Federation takes on the task of promoting a new version of the sport.
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Berlin's airport fiasco: Another €2.2 billion and 2 more years
Berlin's trouble-plagued airport project, already 7 years overdue, will take at least another 2 and has just gotten €2.2 billion more to finish the job.
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July 11, 2016: European Herring Gulls, Blyth South Harbour, Northumberland, UK.
Ian Cook shares some cute photos of young herring gulls.
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British Air's digital meal could be hard to swallow
British Airways has filed a patent application for a pill filled with miniature sensors that would send data to adjust your meals, temperature and more.
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The Maltese Islands – Underrated gems or best kept secret ?
I have an affinity with the Maltese islands . The fact that I was born there may have something to do it, but, as I have lived most of my life in Australia, the distance between the 2 countries has made this affinity more special. I was constantly reading about it and wanted to know more. I returned there many times for short holidays, and my fondness grew with each subsequent visit. Sliema Waterfront I am now a permanent resident of the country, and, while I may seem biased towards it, it’s...
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Europe to require visas for U.S. travelers?
The European Union votes today on possible visa requirements for Americans in return for US refusal to include all members in the Visa Waiver Program.
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'Uncomfortable memory' tour faces Barcelona slave history
Barcelona, and other cities, confront the 'uncomfortable memory' of slave-built fortunes that paid for many of their famous sights.
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EU airlines to collect more passenger security data
As a security measure, European airlines will now be required to collect and share more passenger information, matching U.S. and Canada.