Disqus - Latest Comments for jkellermae

Re: Yes, that was real

jkellermae — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:33:02 -0000

Don, the Ford Truck commercial was okay, but give me the screaming squirrels and heavy-lift Fedex pigeons any day. Those were real, too, right? Visit the Mil & Aero Blog at www.pennwellblogs.com/mae/.

John Keller

Re: Helping consumers get green

jkellermae — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:27:50 -0000

Don, great idea ... except for one thing. You have to follow the money. You said it yourself that it's cheaper to get a new device. Why would the phone store want to upgrade your device when it's in their economic interests to sell you a new one instead.

No one in any business sector is going to go green unless people can make money doing so, and that's probably the most sensible and long-lasting way to do it. At home in New Hampshire I recycle glass, plastic, cardboard, and waste paper. Why? Not because I'm a tree hugger. Heck, I get called a member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy on good days. No, it's that my town requires residents to recycle because it uses the money from selling recycled materials to pay for operating the dump. That way they don't have to use tax money to keep the dump open.

So to me it's an easy choice: recycle and keep my taxes down, or don't recycle and see my taxes go up. It makes economic sense for me to recycle, and I'll admit that's the only reason I do it. Same thing with 'green' initiatives like the software upgrades you propose. If the phone stores can make money doing it, they will. If they can't, they won't. Visit the Mil & Aero Blog at www.pennwellblogs.com/mae/.

Re: Privacy is such a lonely word

jkellermae — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:15:24 -0000

Don, you're right on target, sadly. I started thinking about this years ago when I found my daughter simultaneously on the phone, IM-ing on AOL, and texting on a cell phone. She had a look on her face the same as the guys in NASA mission control during the Apollo flights. We as a culture are digesting massive amounts of information every day -- either that we consume willingly or are force-fed by our pesky electronic gadgets.

Sooner or later society at large with discover the phenomenon the military knows too well -- information overload. It will be interesting, at that stage, to see if we all try to tune out altogether or come up with nifty new "information-fusion" tools to help us take it all in.

As for me, I'm glad I still have a cell phone without a camera or GPS. I'm scared to upgrade, because I think that option is no longer offered. Visit the Mil & Aero Blog at www.pennwellblogs.com/mae/.

Re: HDTV gets greener, faster

jkellermae — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:27:38 -0000

Don, thanks for blogging about these energy-efficient DLP TVs based on LEDs. Everyone is under pressure to replace their incandescent light bulbs, but nobody seems to be talking about big plasma TVs. My neighbor just got a big plasma TV, and it's like a secondary heating system in his family room. Visit the Mil & Aero Blog at www.pennwellblogs.com/mae/.

Re: Remotes that are in control

jkellermae — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:27:20 -0000

Don, I haven't had experience yet with a Synkro-enabled device but I also can relate to the image of Goofy trying to wire a home entertainment system. I think the Goofy character is me. Visit the Mil & Aero Blog at www.pennwellblogs.com/mae/.

Re: Robot roll call

jkellermae — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:58:14 -0000

I understand this big contract originally went to Robotic Fx in Worth, Ill., but the Army reversed itself after allegations surfaced that Robotic Fx may have infringed on iRobot's designs. Not always a great idea to award large contracts to small companies, I suppose. Read The Mil & Aero Blog online at www.pennwellblogs.com/mae.

Re: Where r u? On a plane?

jkellermae — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:55:29 -0000

Don, I know what you mean. I'm sick and tired of being nickel-and-dimed to death on airlines, too. I won't even shell out the few bucks they want for the headset for listening to the movie. On most in-flight movies, however, I can get just as much out of the film without sound. You know that guy in front of you who crushes your knees when he reclines his seat? Imagine what he'd do in short order to a laptop screen. Visit the Mil & Aero Blog at www.pennwellblogs.com/mae/.

Re: Spurring demand

jkellermae — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:51:24 -0000

All I want is e-book reader about the size of a paperback book. Could this be it? Now the real challenge is creating an e-book reader that I can use on airplanes during takeoff and landing.