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Saturday, July 13. 2013

First off, for those who enjoyed my post on the recent Asiana airliner crash, we have an update. Thankfully, local station KTVU finally nailed down the names of the four pilots involved. There's been some confusion up until now due to translation problems.

Next, I'm sure you'll sympathize with me concerning the rude event that occurred last weekend. There I was, innocently tooling along in my Hoverflight XB-3000 personal spy drone (the 1-seat model) when suddenly the rudest thing happened!

The nerve of that pilot, startling me like that!

Finally, I'm sure you've been secretly pondering the same question I have:

So what kind of pet would Rube Goldberg have owned?

As if you had to ask.

Posted by Dr. Mercury in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 09:30 | Comments (17) | Trackbacks (0)

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I wonder if there's a new copy editor at KTVU?

Too funny...and to think it made it to broadcast.

I was sitting in a YYZ Departure Lounge, years ago, and early for my flight. An attractive young lady, who was training as a Departure Agent (collector of boarding passes), was given the "oldest setup" in the airport business. Her mentors told her that a Mr. M. Hunt had not reported for his flight and she was to broadcast a page for "Final Boarding Call for M. Hunt" (first name Mike). I had watched this build and play out for about 45 seconds. I felt bad for her but, at the same time, my "laugh was leaking"!!

TC (The Canuck)

#1 Garry on 2013-07-13 09:44 (Reply)

I confess I don't get it. "Em-hunt"?

#1.1 Dr. Mercury (Link) on 2013-07-13 09:56 (Reply)

"Would Mike Hunt report to Gate 53".

#1.1.1 Garry on 2013-07-13 10:04 (Reply)

Ah. Well, you put the "Final boarding call..." in quotes, so that's what I was going by. There are a bunch of them out there, also used in reference to restaurants, as in "Party of Mike Hunt, your table is ready." There was a very clever one using the word "Satan" or "devil" or some such, but I don't remember it.

And then there are books.

"The Yellow River" by I.P. Freely

"How To Get AIDS" by Sharon Peters

"The Great Fabrication" by Paul E. Ester

Don't get me started. :)

#1.1.1.1 Dr. Mercury (Link) on 2013-07-13 10:17 (Reply)

Perfect way to start the weekend!

#2 Ginny on 2013-07-13 09:47 (Reply)

I saw the Chinese pilot news video last night. ROFL. My hat is off to the perpetrators. My Significant Other used to be a TV news producer and this just verifies her assertion that some of them are so stupid they will say what ever is written on the air.

The drone thing isn't so funny. What happens if/when an airliner collides with one?

The dog food advertisement was wonderful. I will have to forward the link to the dog lovers I know just for that.

#3 feeblemind on 2013-07-13 09:47 (Reply)

I'm sure glad you included a link to that first vid. Clicking on it was easier than thinking I'd suddenly gone insane.

Second vid, scary.

Third vid, whatever's right after "adorable." :-)

#4 BobZ on 2013-07-13 09:54 (Reply)

Great vids, Doc.

It turns out that the NTSB actually did provide those names to the station: http://www.ntsb.gov/news/2013/130712.html

Presumably, the individual (an intern, I understand) who provided the names is "no longer with them". Given the way our foreign diplomacy has been going, he probably works at the State Department as and under secretary to John Kerry.

#5 mudbug on 2013-07-13 12:43 (Reply)

The 'KTVU' link goes to a similar article. Pretty amazing, all in all. When a TV station does something like this, it's easy to call them all a bunch of morons, but when it comes straight from the NTSB? What are they going to do, not believe them? But, still.

#5.1 Dr. Mercury (Link) on 2013-07-13 13:24 (Reply)

...but when it comes straight from the NTSB? What are they going to do, not believe them?

I see an analogy with Flight Crew saying the same thing re the computerized cockpit: "What is that damned computer doing now?"

Human nature can assign too much trust to computers and gov't agencies. And this plays out in the investigation when the "human factors" issue comes to the forefront.

It will continue to cause problems as 'fail safe' systems try to do the work of the properly trained human mind.

TC (The Canuck)

#6 Garry on 2013-07-13 14:05 (Reply)

How do I send a link to #3?

#7 Gwynne on 2013-07-13 15:25 (Reply)

Here ye go.

#7.1 Dr. Mercury (Link) on 2013-07-13 15:40 (Reply)

Well, it didn't "come from the NTSB" directly. An intern at the news station called the NTSB, got another intern who, for whatever reason, "confirmed" the names and the rest is history.

I would bet you money that the station intern did it as an act of revenge for something - news anchors can be divas (male and female).

Having said that, how stupid is this person? The tip off should have been Sum Ting Wong and by the time she got to We Tu Lo the alarm bells should have been ringing in that pretty blonde head of hers. Bombs bursting in air if she made it to Ho Lee Fuk.

However she didn't, it is now forever on the Internet providing much amusement and embarrassment for her.

Having said that, yes, people were badly hurt, three killed, but still - I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face and I still giggle every time I play it. The whole thing is delivered in that serious dead pan voice that anchors have - it's too perfect - couldn't make it up if you tried.

#8 Tom Francis on 2013-07-13 16:41 (Reply)

Capt'n Tom,

It brought a tear to this 'glass eye' as well. She made it through 4 names and never clued in. I guess that's why they are called "Talking Heads".

TC

#8.1 Garry on 2013-07-13 16:49 (Reply)

It was interesting that in the formal "apology", they admitted that they never tried to speak the names out loud for phonetics. Which begs the question, once she started reading the names, why didn't she catch on?

#8.1.1 Tom Francis on 2013-07-13 20:32 (Reply)

There's a new food craze here in the SF Bay Area. Surprisingly popular are Asian restaurants serving gristly meat and stringy vegetables.

My local place is called "House of Chu."

#9 Whitehall on 2013-07-13 18:43 (Reply)

Ours is "House Of Chung". I just hope it's typographically correct.

TC

#9.1 Garry on 2013-07-13 18:54 (Reply)

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Saturday, July 13. 2013

Saturday vid splash