I’ve had it in my head for a while that I should write about the jobs I’ve had. My career is full of interesting lessons learned and a bit of humor as well.
Look for the first posting soon.
January 23, 2009
Airplanes and smog
Since it has been a while since I’ve worked in RTP, I’m provided with an almost-new look at things. One thing I noticed was the cloud of smog that seems to hang over RTP. While I was driving down I-40 recently, I watched as an ancient McDonnell Douglas DC-9 took off from the airport, spewing a black streak behind it as it went.
That got me wondering. There have been many recent winters where drivers were forced to buy watered-down blends of gasoline to combat poor air quality, yet in two minutes one DC-9 can create more air pollution than dozens of cars.
While it’s true airplanes have become far more environmentally-friendly than they were when the DC-9 made its debut, there are still those who say the EPA should regulate airliner emissions. I think it’s worth looking into.
Google’s FailWhale
Since I’ve been at the best place to work in America, I’ve noticed some quirkiness with The Google. Simple queries cause Google to question my manhood.
I did a simple search for “Malcolm Gladwell” and I got this screen:
We’re sorry…
… but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application. To protect our users, we can’t process your request right now.We’ll restore your access as quickly as possible, so try again soon. In the meantime, if you suspect that your computer or network has been infected, you might want to run a virus checker or spyware remover to make sure that your systems are free of viruses and other spurious software.
If you’re continually receiving this error, you may be able to resolve the problem by deleting your Google cookie and revisiting Google. For browser-specific instructions, please consult your browser’s online support center.
If your entire network is affected, more information is available in the Google Web Search Help Center.
We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope we’ll see you again on Google.
To continue searching, please type the characters you see below:
Frankly I wasn’t aware there was a virus associated with Malcolm Gladwell, but I suppose I can’t blame Google for playing it safe. On second thought, yes I can.
(Its true I use a tool called Privoxy to block my web browser information, but that’s never caused a fuss before.)