Thursday, February 5, 2009

Transportation Communications Newsletter

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

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 **85th 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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© 2009 Bernie Wagenblast