The Running Tally » airplanes http://www.TheRunningTally.com My daily finds on technology, gadgets, and random crap! Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:35:17 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc Airplane Cyber Attacks http://www.TheRunningTally.com/2009/05/airplane-cyber-attacks/ http://www.TheRunningTally.com/2009/05/airplane-cyber-attacks/#comments Thu, 07 May 2009 16:23:00 +0000 Zac http://www.TheRunningTally.com/?p=319 snakesonplane.jpg

I have read three stories today about how hackers are going to hack the FAA computers and make all the planes just crash into each other. Personally, I have more fear of Samuel L Jackson showing up, cause then you know some real shit is going to go down.

The United States’ air traffic control system is vulnerable to serious cyber attack, according to a watchdog report that detailed several recent security breaches that could have been used to sabotage mission-critical networks.

“In our opinion, unless effective action is taken quickly, it is likely to be a matter of when, not if, ATC systems encounter attacks that do serious harm to ATC operations,” the report warned (its emphasis).

Let me just say that aircraft have little boxes that keep us from smashing into each other, that are not controlled by ATC. I can tell you what the mission critical event would be, not getting release and having to see on the ground delayed for hours. Do you know what it is like to be confined into a small box with pissed off people from Jersey? And don’t get me started about the Air India flights . . . “Curry anyone?”

(Via The Register.)

]]> http://www.TheRunningTally.com/2009/05/airplane-cyber-attacks/feed/ 0 Cell Phones In Flight [Wired] http://www.TheRunningTally.com/2009/04/cell-phones-in-flight/ http://www.TheRunningTally.com/2009/04/cell-phones-in-flight/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:49:53 +0000 Zac http://www.phenotyne.com/blog/?p=91 cellphone_cockpit.jpg

First off this picture cracks me up, being an airline pilot myself, I could completely see someone stowing their phone right there. Wired has this article over US trying to ban cell phone usage in flight. This has been a long discussed article, but I really fail to see the big argument. My case and point is how many of you actually used the phones in the back of the seats when they were available? I going to assume probably not many people, and the reason? It is great to notify someone, but the cost very rarely made it worth it. The same goes with using your cellphone in flight. Sure you own the unit, but you are linking up to an internal antenna on the plane, that then routes it via ground stations and satellite to POTS system. You think they are going to let you do that at a decent rate? Lets be honest . . .

Wired

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