...made me think of this clip.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Flight sim milestone
I landed a B737 last night on ORD's 32L on a short hop from Indy International. It was a clean landing, but there was a sharp descent at the end which probably would have caused some people to puke.
Even better, the taxi to the gate was very controlled as well.
Why did I bother with the B737 after so many heartbreaks, you ask? Well, as it turns out, there is a new and improved version of Flight Sim out, called Flight Simulator X. It has 18 new aircraft, one of which is an Airbus A321, which for some reason, I think would be easier to fly than a Boeing.
So, long story short, I am trying to improve the skills with the Boeing enough to justify an attempt at the Airbus on Flight Sim X. The new version, by the way, also has a CRJ...woot.
Even better, the taxi to the gate was very controlled as well.
Why did I bother with the B737 after so many heartbreaks, you ask? Well, as it turns out, there is a new and improved version of Flight Sim out, called Flight Simulator X. It has 18 new aircraft, one of which is an Airbus A321, which for some reason, I think would be easier to fly than a Boeing.
So, long story short, I am trying to improve the skills with the Boeing enough to justify an attempt at the Airbus on Flight Sim X. The new version, by the way, also has a CRJ...woot.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Bad start to the holidays in Denver
In case you had not already immersed yourself in this story, here is a passenger's account of the Continental Boeing 737 that skidded off the runway in Denver this weekend. Pretty scary stuff.
What struck me about the passenger's account is that it seemed like the whole event lasted so long, when in reality from the moment that the plane started heading down the runway to the moment when they stopped skidding, it could not have been more than a minute.
I have been fortunate to never, ever be involved in anything nearly as scary or imminently dangerous aboard an airplane. And that's just fine with me, thank you very much.
The worst I can remember are a couple of violent landings, a few instances of especially bumpy turbulence, and watching Cast Away. Actually, some of the scariest parts of flights for me have been the people I have had to sit next to. (Relax, you were a pleasure to sit next to.)
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Avoiding the anti-aircraft fire on the couch
In one of the most perceptive scenes in Seinfeld, Elaine learns that men have preferred sides from which to...um...make their move on the ladies. There are those that like to approach from the left, and those that are more comfortable from the right. Elaine then blurts out that women just play defense.
In my very limited personal experience on this matter, I have found the defense claim to be wholly accurate. In my particular situation now I do not think defense is a strong enough word for what goes on. It is more like I am the aircraft facing hostile anti-aircraft artillery.
Bang! There goes Engine #2.
Boom! There goes the right wing...Mayday! Mayday!
And that's the end of that approach.
If I were an observer to this advanced defensive technique, rather than its target, then I would be impressed. When I think about it, words like accurate, persistent, and crippling come to mind. It's also adaptive, preempting my future moves.
But I am persistent, because eventually it has to run out of missiles. It HAS to.
In my very limited personal experience on this matter, I have found the defense claim to be wholly accurate. In my particular situation now I do not think defense is a strong enough word for what goes on. It is more like I am the aircraft facing hostile anti-aircraft artillery.
Bang! There goes Engine #2.
Boom! There goes the right wing...Mayday! Mayday!
And that's the end of that approach.
If I were an observer to this advanced defensive technique, rather than its target, then I would be impressed. When I think about it, words like accurate, persistent, and crippling come to mind. It's also adaptive, preempting my future moves.
But I am persistent, because eventually it has to run out of missiles. It HAS to.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Free time goings on
There has been a lot of flight simming in the Sparticus household lately. In fact, it has almost gotten to the point that it is embarassing to answer when people ask me, "What are you up to right now?" It would be so cool to have a good answer to that question. Something along the lines of, " Well, as a matter of fact, right now I am grabbing my epee and heading to fencing lessons."
Instead, my callers get an under-the-breath, "I'm, um, well, kind of, um flying around on flight sim."
As I posted a while back, I had been using BTV as a hub for my flights. I kept at it, to the tune of this:
Two of my favorite parts of flight sim are taxiing and landing because those are the most "hands-on" parts of flight sim. Take-offs are fun, but do not last more than a few moments. Climbing and cruising are important, obviously, but not too engaging. Meanwhile, landing is just thrilling because it is essentially the final exam of any flight. And taxiing has become engaging on this version of flight sim because of the ATC and the automated traffic on the ground.
I have been working pretty hard on perfecting both landing and taxiing. The taxiing just requires being more pacient and being willing to take it slow so as to not veer off the taxiway. To improve my landings, I have been working primarily on my routes, as evidenced by this approach into ALB from the southeast:
The goal was to preempt the landing runway and approach the airport from a distance that allows a pleasant and steady descent. It has paid off, as the vast majority of my recent landings have been very successful.
In the last week I also started operating some flights in the Caribbean, based, of course, out of Princess Juliana Airport. It may come as a surprise to you, but I had never flown out of St. Maarten on flight sim, despite my clear obsession with that island. I was shocked, SHOCKED, when I saw the realism of St. Maarten on flight sim.
Here is my approach.
The landing.
And a look at the La Plage. (This is where we stayed on St. Maarten!) I kid you not, the place looks just like that. They even have the famous warning sign.
Impressive, eh? Not me, the graphics I mean.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Cats? Yes, please...
I was raised my whole life to be afraid of cats.
My mother says she is allergic to them. That may be true - she is, after all, allergic to most things on Earth. She also thinks that cats are not trustworthy, and potentially vengeful. Yeah, what's her point?
Bob was terrified of them. Once, a few years back, a stray cat had taken to sleeping inside the hood of his car to keep warm in the winter. Everytime he needed to use the car, he asked my cousin to go with him to the parking lot to make sure the cat was not around so he could drive off.
Of course, Hemasida tows the party line and repeats whatever my mom preaches.
For the first 25 years of my life, I concurred with them.
Then, I met the Misty cat. For a while, things were no different with her than they had been with any other cat I had ever encountered. She was terrifying to me, and I kid you not, she actually had a reputation of being somewhat "difficult" and "a biter."
But as I have gotten to know Misty, a mutual understanding has developed between us. We have common interests, primarily that is keeping the Capital Region's premier environmentalist happy. And neither of us care for mice. This last point has actually gotten me to think that it is really odd that my mother and sister do not like cats because they are both terrified of mice, too.
Over time, Misty and I have upgraded our relationship from one of mutual understanding to shared affection. I think about her when it's been a while since I've seen her. I feel self-conscious when she acts distant - thinking perhaps that I have done something to alienate her. I try very hard to avoid situations where I would need to scold her so that she won't resent me. And playing with her is genuinely entertaining.
I grew up never really having a pet. Of course, there were the mandatory gold fish, and a bird in Argentina - but those pets don't count. Now that I am living in my own place, I wonder eventually about the prospect of a having "real" pet. With my unusual work hours from January to June to August to November to December, it may be difficult to care for a dog on my own. A cat, on the other hand, is a much more independent pet, and would be good company after a long day at work. Plus, dogs are not allowed in my building.
The evolution of my position on cats has been a matter of some discussion within my family. My mother and sister are somewhat perplexed on my change of heart. My position remains, however, that my previous opinions about cats had been developed in a vaccum. I had never had the chance to become close to a cat before, and therefore had never appreciated what they add to the human-pet relationship.
It is normal for one to change their mind on preferences like this. A year ago, I had never eaten sushi - now it's one of my preferred meals. I never liked Seinfeld until I saw the end of the Soup Nazi episode while I was waiting for another show to come on.
The fact is that being a static human being is no fun. What would be the point of trying anything new if you were expected to never change your preferences? Is being open-minded only good when you agree with whatever the person is being open-minded about? No! Change? Good. Trying new things? Good. Learning to like something you did not like before? Good - except for things like learning to like smoking crack cocaine. That would not be good. But, learning to like cats? Good!
So, what would the future hold should my mother and sister be confronted with a cat in my home? Of course I would never demand that they feel the same way I do about the cat. I would, however, expect that they respect my feelings towards it.
After all, wouldn't that be change we can believe in?
My mother says she is allergic to them. That may be true - she is, after all, allergic to most things on Earth. She also thinks that cats are not trustworthy, and potentially vengeful. Yeah, what's her point?
Bob was terrified of them. Once, a few years back, a stray cat had taken to sleeping inside the hood of his car to keep warm in the winter. Everytime he needed to use the car, he asked my cousin to go with him to the parking lot to make sure the cat was not around so he could drive off.
Of course, Hemasida tows the party line and repeats whatever my mom preaches.
For the first 25 years of my life, I concurred with them.
Then, I met the Misty cat. For a while, things were no different with her than they had been with any other cat I had ever encountered. She was terrifying to me, and I kid you not, she actually had a reputation of being somewhat "difficult" and "a biter."
But as I have gotten to know Misty, a mutual understanding has developed between us. We have common interests, primarily that is keeping the Capital Region's premier environmentalist happy. And neither of us care for mice. This last point has actually gotten me to think that it is really odd that my mother and sister do not like cats because they are both terrified of mice, too.Over time, Misty and I have upgraded our relationship from one of mutual understanding to shared affection. I think about her when it's been a while since I've seen her. I feel self-conscious when she acts distant - thinking perhaps that I have done something to alienate her. I try very hard to avoid situations where I would need to scold her so that she won't resent me. And playing with her is genuinely entertaining.
I grew up never really having a pet. Of course, there were the mandatory gold fish, and a bird in Argentina - but those pets don't count. Now that I am living in my own place, I wonder eventually about the prospect of a having "real" pet. With my unusual work hours from January to June to August to November to December, it may be difficult to care for a dog on my own. A cat, on the other hand, is a much more independent pet, and would be good company after a long day at work. Plus, dogs are not allowed in my building.
The evolution of my position on cats has been a matter of some discussion within my family. My mother and sister are somewhat perplexed on my change of heart. My position remains, however, that my previous opinions about cats had been developed in a vaccum. I had never had the chance to become close to a cat before, and therefore had never appreciated what they add to the human-pet relationship.
It is normal for one to change their mind on preferences like this. A year ago, I had never eaten sushi - now it's one of my preferred meals. I never liked Seinfeld until I saw the end of the Soup Nazi episode while I was waiting for another show to come on.
The fact is that being a static human being is no fun. What would be the point of trying anything new if you were expected to never change your preferences? Is being open-minded only good when you agree with whatever the person is being open-minded about? No! Change? Good. Trying new things? Good. Learning to like something you did not like before? Good - except for things like learning to like smoking crack cocaine. That would not be good. But, learning to like cats? Good!
So, what would the future hold should my mother and sister be confronted with a cat in my home? Of course I would never demand that they feel the same way I do about the cat. I would, however, expect that they respect my feelings towards it.
After all, wouldn't that be change we can believe in?
Holiday movie time
Ever since I reached the age where I was socially expected to disburse Hanukah gifts, the high holidays have been somewhat stressful for me. It was fun at first to see everybody so pleased with my thoughtful gifts. Then, seven years ago, I ran out of gift ideas - hence the stress.
No worries, though. When the stress kicks in, I sit back, relax, and enjoy one of a plethora of holiday movies. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, New Year - whatever. If it has something to do with turkey, Santa, menorahs or midnight then I want to see it.
These are a few of my faves, organized by holiday:
Thanksgiving
Planes, Trains & Automobiles - The first time I watched this was in Argentina with my dad. It's a comedy, but a strange one in that at one point in the movie, the f-word is used 18 times in one minute. Also, there are airplanes in this movie.
Scent of a Woman - This movie takes place during Thanksgiving Break. This is not a movie that you necessarily sit down with a cup of cocoa to watch. It is too intense for that. It is worth the watching for three great scenes: the tango dance, the dinner, and the school disciplinary hearing. My grandfather, Fidel, was a huge fan of this movie.
Chanukah
The Dreidel of Life - This inspirational story is about a family of four struggling to make ends meet in Brooklyn. The oldest child, Jacob Storellistein, develops a keen skill with the dreidel at school. In spite of the family's financial difficulties, Mr. Storellistein, who works as a baggage handler for United Airlines at JFK Airport, surprises Jacob placing a dreidel in his stocking on the holy third day of Channukah. Inspired by his father's generous gift, the shy Jacob enters a dreidel spinning tournament at the local synagogue. When he wins and advances to the regional tournament, where the grand prize is $100,000, the family sees a way out of poverty - on the back of Jacob's special talent. They put their life savings together to send Jacob to the regional tournament in Tenafly, NJ and are shocked to find out their son will have to beat Eli Castrowitz to claim the title, the son of famed dreidel spinner Seth Castrowitz. With all of the family's savings on the line, will Jacob come through? It's a story of despair, hope, faith, and finally, redemption. Starring Jonah Meyerson as Jacob, and an inspirational performance by Jason Alexander as the legendary Seth Castrowitz.
Christmas
Trading Places - No, this is not the David Paterson story, although the similarities are uncanny. A rich, Wall Street-type white guy is busted with a hooker, loses his job, and a black guy from Harlem replaces him. That's a little too eerie for me, thank you very much.
Home Alone - A classic that I am still more than happy to sit through. Although I am bit disappointed that the airplanes shown for the trans-Atlantic flights are Boeing 757's. That's so unrealistic. Duh!
A Christmas Story - Licking a flagpole covered in ice. 'Nuf said.
New Years (moments)
Godfather II - "I know it was you Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart." All of this, of course, preceded by an on screen kiss between Michael and Fredo. Not only is it a theatrically captivating scene, but it's also interesting for the history buff. The scene takes place as Cuba is overtaken by Fidel Castro.
When Harry Met Sally - "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." What a line. I've always wanted to use that one.
Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day - I don't think that there are many movies dedicated to Groundhog Day, but even if there were, this one would still be my favorite.
No worries, though. When the stress kicks in, I sit back, relax, and enjoy one of a plethora of holiday movies. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, New Year - whatever. If it has something to do with turkey, Santa, menorahs or midnight then I want to see it.
These are a few of my faves, organized by holiday:
Thanksgiving
Planes, Trains & Automobiles - The first time I watched this was in Argentina with my dad. It's a comedy, but a strange one in that at one point in the movie, the f-word is used 18 times in one minute. Also, there are airplanes in this movie.
Scent of a Woman - This movie takes place during Thanksgiving Break. This is not a movie that you necessarily sit down with a cup of cocoa to watch. It is too intense for that. It is worth the watching for three great scenes: the tango dance, the dinner, and the school disciplinary hearing. My grandfather, Fidel, was a huge fan of this movie.
Chanukah
The Dreidel of Life - This inspirational story is about a family of four struggling to make ends meet in Brooklyn. The oldest child, Jacob Storellistein, develops a keen skill with the dreidel at school. In spite of the family's financial difficulties, Mr. Storellistein, who works as a baggage handler for United Airlines at JFK Airport, surprises Jacob placing a dreidel in his stocking on the holy third day of Channukah. Inspired by his father's generous gift, the shy Jacob enters a dreidel spinning tournament at the local synagogue. When he wins and advances to the regional tournament, where the grand prize is $100,000, the family sees a way out of poverty - on the back of Jacob's special talent. They put their life savings together to send Jacob to the regional tournament in Tenafly, NJ and are shocked to find out their son will have to beat Eli Castrowitz to claim the title, the son of famed dreidel spinner Seth Castrowitz. With all of the family's savings on the line, will Jacob come through? It's a story of despair, hope, faith, and finally, redemption. Starring Jonah Meyerson as Jacob, and an inspirational performance by Jason Alexander as the legendary Seth Castrowitz.
Christmas
Trading Places - No, this is not the David Paterson story, although the similarities are uncanny. A rich, Wall Street-type white guy is busted with a hooker, loses his job, and a black guy from Harlem replaces him. That's a little too eerie for me, thank you very much.
Home Alone - A classic that I am still more than happy to sit through. Although I am bit disappointed that the airplanes shown for the trans-Atlantic flights are Boeing 757's. That's so unrealistic. Duh!
A Christmas Story - Licking a flagpole covered in ice. 'Nuf said.
New Years (moments)
Godfather II - "I know it was you Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart." All of this, of course, preceded by an on screen kiss between Michael and Fredo. Not only is it a theatrically captivating scene, but it's also interesting for the history buff. The scene takes place as Cuba is overtaken by Fidel Castro.
When Harry Met Sally - "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." What a line. I've always wanted to use that one.
Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day - I don't think that there are many movies dedicated to Groundhog Day, but even if there were, this one would still be my favorite.
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