[TCN] Thursday, February 5, 2009

 

Transportation Communications Newsletter

 

 

Thursday, February 5, 2009 -- ISSN 1529-1057

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AVIATION

 

1) American Airlines Adds Customer-Recognition Technology

Link to AP story:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/American-adds-apf-14272062.html

Link to news release from American Airlines:

http://www.aa.com/content/amrcorp/pressReleases/2009_02/05_remember.jhtml

 

2) FAA Approves $1 Million Upgrade to Saipan Airport's Public Address System

Link to story in the Saipan Tribune:

http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=87492&cat=1

 

BUSES

 

3) Riding Tunisia's Information Superhighway by Bus

Link to BBC News story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7845714.stm

 

4) Let There be Adverts: UK Christians Hit Back at the Atheist Bus

Link to story in The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/05/atheist-bus-christian-response

 

MARITIME

 

5) Port of Los Angeles Seeks to Cancel Contract for Chinese X-Ray Unit

Link to story in the Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-port-china-scanner5-2009feb05,0,6121391.story

 

ROADWAYS

 

6) Washington State Patrol: Don't Monkey with the Message

Police warn about tampering with portable message signs.

Link to story in The Seattle Times:

http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/crime/2009/02/05/state_patrol_dont_monkey_with.html

Link to news release from the Washington State DOT:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2009/02/05_SIgnVandalism.htm

 

Editor's Note: In the January 23 issue I included a link to an article on a hacker Web site that described how signs can be accessed.  That article has probably led to the rash of VMS hacking taking place around the US.  You may wish to share this link with field forces which operate these signs.  By noting how it's possible to access the signs you can also devise means to restrict access such as changing the default password.

http://www.i-hacked.com/content/view/274/1/    

 

SAFETY / SECURITY

 

7) Re-Learning to Drive Online Can Save You Big Bucks

Link to story from The Wall Street Journal:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,488565,00.html

 

TELEMATICS

 

8) Hughes Previews Future of In-Car Tech, We Want It Now

Link to story on Jalopnik:

http://jalopnik.com/5146594/hughes-previews-future-of-in+car-tech-we-want-it-now

 

TRANSIT

 

9) Man Sues Long Island Rail Road for Public Focus on His Cerebral Palsy

Railroad says it will direct that employees no longer refer to the disability of a customer as the reason for a delay.

Link to story in Newsday:

http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/thursday/news/ny-lilirr056024200feb05,0,6114190.story

 

 

Upcoming Events

The 5th Annual Public Private Partnerships USA Summit – March 11-13 – Washington, DC

http://www.cityandfinancial.com/conferences/index.asp?id=244

 

 

Today in Transportation History

1924 **85^th anniversary** - The Greenwich Time Signal, popularly know as the pips, was broadcast for the first time by the BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/271319.stm

 

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Questions, comments about the TCN?  Please write the editor, Bernie Wagenblast at i95berniew@aol.com.   

© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast