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Sunday, July 20, 2003 |
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Singapore - Day 1 As we disembarked the airplane and walked up a ramp to the main terminal, there was a thermal imaging system. I could not see where the sensor was but the video display showed all of our faces in a light green. I am sure if any of us had a fever, that our faces would have been red and something would have been beeping. Each passenger on the flight was given a helpful brochure about SARS and also a thermometer with instructions. I feel confident in dealing with the SARS issue. If any country knows how to instill discipline and handle things efficiently, it is Singapore. (read more) |
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Singapore - final leg from Frankfurt II have been fortunate to have made quite a few trips to Southeast Asisa. In every case, until now, the route of flight had been from east to west -- New York to Tokyo and then south southwest from Japan to the South China Sea. This trip was west to east. After departing from Frankfurt, Germany we headed South of Prague, north of Vienna, north of Istanbul across the Black Sea toward the Caspian Sea with Baghdad to the south. From there north of Tehran and then south of Delhi and acorss the Bay of Bengal to pass over the Andaman Sea toward Phuket, Thailand which is on the west side of the South China Sea. The final leg was near Penang west of the Strait of Malacca and then south over Malaysia. Singapore is south of Kuala Lumpur and north of Jakarta, Indonesia. (read more)
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Singapore: first stop This is going to be a very long flight but, if you have to spend a lot of time on an airplane, Singapore Airlines is the one to be with. The Boeing 747 departed late from JFK but strong tailwinds got us into Frankfurt, Germany ahead of schedule. For security reasons, everyone had to depart the plane. We will be re-boarding the same plane in an hour for the final, and longest, leg of the trip. The Lufthansa lounge was full of people and a number of them were using their laptops. A very strong WiFi signal was present, and upon starting a browser, the following message appeared. "Try out the new innovative technology and enjoy the comfort of a mobile high-speed office. The catch: during the trial period this service is free of cost." The service was being provided by Vodaphone. It remains to be seen where WiFi pricing will settle. There are interoperabililty issues too, but one thing is certain. WiFi is extending the reach of the Internet to more people in more places more often. |