Tagged With "Earth and Solar System"
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Re: Wonders of the Modern World
Don't know how practical that giant Chernobyl system is...but if it works, it's a legitimate wonder, no matter what someone else should have done 20 years ago. What happened then was terrible and still worries me that it could happen elsewhere...but how does that detract from the work of someone who's figured out how to fix what remains?
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Re: Wonders of the Modern World
The Soviets have never been completely transparent about Chernobyl, but this is the story as best as I was able to synthesize it: It seems that the alarm system was malfunctioning (going off all the time) so it was turned off by the tech monitoring the system. He had the fuel rods pulled out of their cooling chambers for maintenance work, was distracted (remember, the alarms are off), then by the time he focused back on the task at hand the rods had begun to melt and couldn't be reinserted...
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Re: The Best Things To Do In Boston
From Logan Airport you can take the Metro into the City. When you've seen enough at the first stop - get back on the Underground system and come up to ground level at the next stop. Repeat as often as time will allow. Great way to spend 8 hours between flights. Only the Bostonian's would drink green beer on Paddy's Day.
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Re: Whom did you say was flying this plane?
The Air France flight 447 that went down with all souls lost, out of Rio, Brazil in 2009 would have benefitted from a greater system override of the pilots misinterpretation of their flight 'status'. Anything that can reduce pilot error OR system error has to be desirable.
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Re: Whom did you say was flying this plane?
I don't mind autopilot and I don't mind a second opinion from a computer, but I don't like the computer deciding when to "fly" and override the humans, unless with very clear program instructions (eg. If plane is clearly out of control. JFK Jr could have used such a system to prevent his plane crash because he was completely disoriented when he crashed his private plane)
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Re: Should Wi-Fi be free in all hotels?
Actually, privatized toll roads are the coming thing these days! Some states have sold off roads; others have allowed private companies to build from scratch. The road to Dulles Airport near Washington is a prime example. But the comparisons to WiFi here don't really work. No one charged extra for electric light in hotels when it was new; it simply replaced the gas lighting. It took 70 years of broadcasting to create a pay system. As for WiFi, or internet access in hotels generally, it's not...
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Re: Whom did you say was flying this plane?
Yes, Bling, but flying is a three dimensional activity, not a two dimensional one, at at gar greater speeds! And Google is not infallible by any stretch of the imagination. Sure, flying is three dimensional but the dimensions do not change. The ground is the ground, however you get to it. The airport runways do not move right and left. The skies are now virtual highways, with planes flying along set paths. That is data for the computer guidance system. Have there been problems with the...
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Re: Whom did you say was flying this plane?
Well, of course Bling is right that a completely automated system wouldn't have resulted in that situation...assuming it was functioning properly (note the Westworld reference above). That's why so many systems (cruise control in your car, autopilot on a plane, driverless transit trains) all have a human override built in.
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Re: Help with mobile phone for Morocco
Mobell and Mobal are one and the same, divided only by a trademark issue. Mobell is a British-owned company, and had to use an alternate name for the U.S. to avoid confusion with the then-unified Bell System, aka AT&T.
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Re: How loooong does it take to get to your airport?
There's certainly a lot of variation, as I also noted above. And sometimes the planners don't help much either, as is the case with all three of our New York airports, where the whole AirTrain concept is completely botched. At Kennedy, the AirTrain's stations are not in, but sort of near, the terminals. That means you have to drag your stuff outside, across the roadways, and then up stairs or elevator to the train. And then, you have a choice of going to the commuter rail station (about 3...
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Re: The world's most expensive flights!
I enjoy first class travel - at budget prices. There's no better feeling than rubbing shoulders with someone who's paid a thousand more than me to travel in style. Getting an upgrade is an achievement - a sense of accomplishment ! Anyone can travel First Class ! It takes a Wiley Coyote to buck the system !
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Re: How do you buy your travel?
Few more thoughts, following HistoryDigger and DrFumblefinger... 1. Definitely check all your affiliations on car rental; after years of getting better price through AAA than any other way I knew, I recently found that going to the same vendors through USAA (my car insurance) gets me even better. 2. Not only does Priceline have good pricing on cars, I've often found I can get 30-40% lower through their blind-bidding (Name Your Own Price) service. 3. RailEurope is something of a red flag for...
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Re: Hotel Rewards Programs. Worthwhile or not?
We have used the points for hotels from time to time. We did not really want to use them for hotels, but it seemed complicated to do anything "out of the system".
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Re: Spain or Portugal?
Portugal's rail system feels a bit worn in places, and some trains look terrible from outside...but the interiors are clean and the system seems to work. Not a terribly large country, so that time between the two largest cities (Lisbon and Porto) is about 3.5 hours. If you add in getting to the airport early and getting in from the airport at the other end, it's probably faster than flying. Other significant points in Portugal also have reasonable rail service, including Coimbra, the...
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
NO cooperation between Apple stores in different countries. We made FOUR visits to Apple stores—Cologne, London, and twice to the Paris Louvre store—before my husband was finally able to exchange his water-damaged iPhone 5 with a replacement. He bought his replacement for 249 euros, only 1 1/2 days before he finished his three-week Europe vacation. The Louvre Apple store (which is underground in the Carousel shopping mall) was packed with confused and anxious Apple product users. Some...
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Song at 35,000 feet
Southwest airlines posted a fun clip of a band (the Black Cadillacs) performing a song they wrote in Memphis, in a 737 flying to Memphis. The plane's public address system provides far from a perfect sound environment, but the passengers seem to...
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The Importance Of a Summer Family Break
Everybody needs some time away from the daily grind. We all live busy lives at work, home and school and with the pressures of day to day life, there is often too little time to relax and communicate properly with our loved ones. Weekends are often filled with extra curricular activities and catching up with paperwork at home or chores. Holidays are necessary to get a break from the routine, from Lakeside holidays in lush countryside to beach breaks abroad but did you know just how...
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Another criticism faced by Uber results in the Delete Uber campaign
Uber, the world’s one of the largest online taxi-hailing networks has faced many criticisms, lawsuits, legal actions and protests from the both Government and its Uber drivers. At the end of January 2017, the campaign called Delete Uber has been trending in the social media and it results in the deletion of nearly two lakhs of Uber accounts. Though the Uber faced a lot of criticism from the people, it is trying to solve the issues in a different manner. Executive order of President Trump The...
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Things you should do in Singapore
Singapore is a tiny island and may be smaller than many major cities around the world, but this country has succeeded to create a high level of discipline among its people and is today being looked up upon across the world. However, don’t let the country’s inclination for law frighten you. Singapore can promise can extraordinary vacation, as long as you follow certain simple tips that will make your tour much more enjoyable. 1. Throw your litter into the bin Though this is quite a basic...
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Unmissable Sights in Budapest
We often travel to other countries, other cities, but not always for sightseeing. Conference, meeting, maybe for some service. These trips sometimes takes several days, but we can also decide to connect the pleasant to the useful and look around the city. Here is a brief introduction for those, whose destination is Budapest. What is a must see, from the Hungarian capital. I recommend this article, which contains more than 100 sights, for those who want to spend more days in Budapest, or want...
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EASY WAYS TO TRAVEL IN LONDON DURING PEAK HOURS
London, which is the English capital, has an incredible public transport network. An agency, called Transport for London (TfL), controls all kind of public transport such as London Underground, Overground, Buses, Tramlink, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London River Services. Although London has an efficient transport system, travelling could become a little less convenient during peak hours as is the case with any major city in the world. Most people travel during these times which force...
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Best Ways To Reach Heathrow Airport Quickly In London
Heathrow airport is the international airport in London, United Kingdom. It is the busiest airport in Europe and the seventh busiest in the world based on the total number of passengers travelling through this airport. It swashes 81 airlines and has 204 terminals in 80 countries. Also, it is the hub for one of the world’s biggest airlines-British Airways. London Heathrow is easily approachable from London and from all over the United Kingdom utilizing both, public and private transport...
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How do you buy your travel?
There's a report on Skift, a travel industry news site, that says that a recent survey shows that about 2/3 of U.S. travelers think they can do better buying from the "brand" rather than an agency, and that only 15% trust online travel agencies to...
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Going to Prague? You need new transit map
If you're on the way to Prague and you already have a map of the city's excellent tram and metro system...you should get a new one. And if you do get a new one, be sure it really IS new! For a start, the Metro line A that connects to the #119...
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Wonders of the Modern World
How will future civilizations look at our society? What wonders have and will we create that will survive and be treasured by future generations? A Chinese publication has released a list of several modern wonders, a number of which come...
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5 Most Visited Indian Destinations by Foreigners
India, the name itself, translates power into one’s system. With its incredible mix of cultures, the country has been attracting a huge number of travellers and tourists from around the world. From the massive stretches of golden sand, the snow-clad mountains to the serene water bodies and the lively streets, India is a land of wonders. Every year, foreigners come to get mesmerized by its picturesque natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. And, there are several places in India that just...
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6 THINGS TO REMEMBER BEFORE YOU BOOK A TAXI!
Taxi services or Car Rental Services in udaipur have become an integral part our day to day lives! They facilitate you with travel options on the go and make your journey calculations little less traumatic! But before you pack your bags and hop in, make sure you remember these 6 rules of hiring a taxi! 1. Have A Price Check Before finalising your taxi service in udaipur, have a proper analysis of their fare criteria per kilometer. Check whether the overall bill fits in your budget. In order...
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Some Disappointing Airports in India
India is progressing in every arena but there are always those areas that lack behind. Of course, talking about airports, there are 30 international airports in the country and many MOR in general. However, amidst so many airports, there are some that don’t have a good reputation in terms of hygiene or maintenance. Anyone can know about the information like Delhi to Chennai Flights Schedule or so on, but only a few people put efforts to know about the airports they go to. Of course, there...
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A Comparison between a Softside and Hardside Designer Luggage Set
The truth is that the debate between a softside versus a hardside luggage continues to rage on, and it all depends on various factors. When you visit a luggage store, the very first question you will probably ask the shopkeeper is whether they have soft or hard luggage. Most people prefer one luggage to the other and generally, they choose it based on their prior travel experience. It is true that in the last 2-3 years, there’s been a major shift to the hardside designer luggage set, with...
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10 Water Sports and Their Top 5 Spots
This human-made chaos is everything we want to survive this time and everything we get frustrated with. We as a mortal being are keen to watch movies in which robots are flying and changing the world or meta-humans are saving the planet earth. It indicates our want for something drastic to happen in this world, but what we are not willing to do is to leave our couch and drag ourselves out from the house to make our own life better or to save our own-self. I have always found water to be a...
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Luxury Train Trips are the Best Way to Explore India
India is teeming with a plenitude of palaces, historical monuments, picturesque destinations and magnificent sites. The smooth flight connections make it hassle-free for the travelers to marvel all of them in less time. However, there are those wanderers who love the journey more than the destinations. If you too are a devotee of the scenes passing by in your journey, then manifold your experience by traveling in any of the luxury trains. Be it the Royal Rajasthan on Wheels or the Maharajas...
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Tour in a BMW Isetta?
The picture of the 2CV in use giving tours of Paris got me thinking. Last summer in Portugal, I spotted the beauty below, a BMW Isetta, in a maintenance area for the transit system in Vila Nova da Gaia, across the river from Porto. Unfortunately,...
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Here’s How Uber Customers are charged extra money that goes into the company’s pocket
The company has recently introduced ‘Upfront fares’ after suspending ‘Surge pricing’. Previously the app used to show the surge multiplier(something like 1.6x, 2.2x which means the customer has to pay 1.6 times of the actual charge) for a trip the customer is about to book which in turn varies according to the demand of the taxis in that locality. This has led to the cause of many distressful customers to give up using the app immediately they see the surge sign. By introducing ‘Upfront...
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Chocolate Capitals of Europe You Should Visit
A few years ago, I got a chance to stay in Europe for 6 months. During that time, I managed to visit all the cities titled as the "capitals" of chocolate. Have you ever been in any of these? Do share your thoughts. (Belgium remains my favourite because Switzerland is expensive as hell). So, anyway, here's a list of my favourites: Brussels, Belgium It's basically a chocolate paradise. Belgium has more than 10 factories of chocolate and around 16 chocolate museums. With Brussels being the...
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To make your vacation cool, try these Apps
Everyone is leading a stressful life, their work life demands a lot from them. A peaceful and happy life has become days of past. Most of us are living mechanical and sedentary lives. Once in a while, we feel like taking a break and go on a vacation. A long trip within India or foreign countries will help us to let loose and become stress free. Traveling and exploring is always an adventurous task. Going on trips with our family or friends is completely a different kind of experience. It is...
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How to Make Your Short Vacation to Hong Kong Delightful?
What makes Hong Kong immensely popular? This densely populated city located in southeastern China is hugely famous for its food and fashion. You can also find a lot of fun things to do when you are visiting Hong Kong. The plethora of options available often creates confusion in the minds of the visitors who are on a short vacation to this city. If you want to make use of your Hong Kong trip effectively, the beautiful places that you must visit are given below. The wonderful view from the...
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Surfer’s Life – Discovering Oceania
Consisting of Australia and the surrounding sub-regions of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, Oceania is a blend of tropical paradise destinations and some of the best surfing experiences in the world. From point breaks to beach and reef breaks, this part of the globe has it all. So, it’s no wonder that surfing is among is such a big thing around here. To help you discover Oceania in all its glorious surf, here are the best destinations and what expect once you hit the waves. Tavarua, Fiji...
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Luxury Suites in Tourist Town of Had Ness You Should Explore
Checking out places to visit in Israel? Well, ensure that you don't miss the opportunity of visiting a small place called Had Ness. Among millions of people who visit Israel for a vacation, very few actually, know about and visit Had Ness. It is a remarkable place where Israelis settled as an organization in Golan Heights. This place falls under Golan regional Council's jurisdiction and is situated adjacent to Jordan river. Caption: Unplash Don’t worry this might be a small place but for...
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The Best Livable Nature Cities In The U.S.
Best U.S. Cities For Nature Lovers By Kirstin Chock Science has proven that the elements of nature improve our mental and physical health. Research studies found that nature has many benefits like improving your mood, improving your breathing, and improving your cardiovascular system. The unfortunate thing is that there are hardly any nature locations that are not in the middle of nowhere or that are not on the outskirts of civilization. However, there are a few places in the U.S. that are...
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Jantar Mantar - a marvellous astronomical observatory
India tourism is filled with many incredible monuments that have stood the test of time and constantly been a source of study as well as inspiration for historians, sculptors, and scientists alike. A cradle of civilization, India has offered a lot to the modern word. The country’s glorious past has produced many marvellous forms of arts, architecture, music, and literature. One of the most visited countries in the world, this multicultural nation has always attracted visitors from the...
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Tips for being an Eco-Friendly Traveler
We always admire the personality of a traveler. Does your traveling cause any environmental facts? It can depend on your habits and your trip. You can not stop traveling but you need to make better choices while you are traveling a place. Becoming a responsible and eco-friendly traveler doesn’t need anything,expect some small changes and decisions which you can make easily. Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s OK.
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Seven Interesting and Random Facts About Russia for Tourists
If you're getting ready to visit Russia for the first time, be prepared to encounter a bit of culture shock. As you probably know, Russia is absolutely massive – spanning eight time zones and encompassing more than six million square miles of land. It's impossible to see all of this country's beauty in one visit, so you might as well pick a few random things to explore and have fun doing it. With that said, here are seven interesting and random facts about Russia that every tourist should...
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Changes in Domestic Travel Rules: Need-to-Know Facts
For those of you who frequent airports across the country may be aware about some of these but might also be completely unaware about others. There were a couple changes that happened this year which contributed to revision in policies and procedures at airports. In this article we have compiled a list of all the things you need to know, that changed this year, with respect to air travel. From flight pre-checks to domestic t ravel insurance plans, we got plenty for you to look over in this...
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The Best Ways to Send Cash to Someone Overseas
Sending money overseas has been made more convenient and accessible nowadays. Now that everything is digital, you just have to deposit funds to your online account, click on a few buttons on a website, and wait for the recipient to receive the cash. Western Union executed the first wire transfer, which involved telegraphs. The process required the sender to pay money to the company and wait for the operator to transmit a message to another office. Passwords and codebooks were utilized to...
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Flight Map App: I tried it out...
A recent news post on Travelgumbo mentioned Flight Map , an Android app that can give you a live flight map display on your phone, even in "airplane mode," with the cellular radio features turned off. It works by combining known information on...
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BA Avios can save on U.S. domestic flights
Most domestic economy flights, paid for in loyalty points/frequent flier miles go for 25,000 miles round-trip, almost no matter the route. A few carriers, such as American and USAir, allow a discount for holders of the right credit card. On the...
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My first flights on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
I'd been following the development and troubled roll-out of the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" for more than a decade, but only recently had my first chance to fly this aircraft on a trip to India. One of the appealing things about the Dreamliner is that its size and fuel efficiency open new travel routes, partially bypassing the usual "hub-and-spoke" model. I was among the first to fly the newly established Toronto to Delhi route (nonstop), a more than 14 hour journey. That's a long time to spend...
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Are Security Cameras an Invasion of Privacy
In public surveillance cameras good or bad debate, the first question is whether the surveillance cameras an invasion of privacy. 37% say yes and 67% say no, according to the debeate.org in the security cameras and privacy discussion. When you are walking down the street, driving in your car, or hanging out with boyfriends and girlfriends, you will be monitored with cameras placed in public. This creates a complete picture of the private life of an individual. We all have private life, which...
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What You Should Know About Flying with High Blood Pressure
With the Fall season quickly approaching, more people are starting to make travel plans for the holidays. Traveling, especially air travel can be stressful in itself, but if you are living with high blood pressure, it can be even more nerve-racking. Flying in high altitudes, even in a pressurized aircraft cabin, can pose an increased risk of hypoxia for people with hypertension. Hypoxia occurs when the body doesn’t have enough oxygen, which can result in swelling, blood clots, and damage to...
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21 Best Museums in America
Kennedy Space Center - Orlando Kennedy Space Center Orlando Kennedy Space Center Orlando (KSC) also known as the NASA Launch Operations Center. The KSC has been the primary launch center for NASA since 1968. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex open everyday at 9 am. Kennedy Space Center Tickets started from USD 57 Museum Of Modern Art - MoMA Museum-of-Modern-Art-NYC MoMA is art museum in New York City. It contains world's greatest collection of modern and contemporary art, almost 200,000...