Countdown overhaul
 

On 17 May 2005 07:12:57 -0700, Boltar
wrote in . com:
Well, I don't think the buses will actually stop working - its just
that
we might not know when they are coming any more.

True in this case. But what about the new trains on Southern that
have to get a GPS signal or they chuck a wobbly, aircraft navigation
systems
etc.

I thought (civilian) aircraft were not authorised to use GPS for
navigation. Has that changed?

--
Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Room 40-1-B12, CERN
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

Countdown overhaul
 

On Tue, 17 May 2005, Dr Ivan D. Reid wrote:

On 17 May 2005 07:12:57 -0700, Boltar
wrote in . com:
Well, I don't think the buses will actually stop working - its just
that
we might not know when they are coming any more.

True in this case. But what about the new trains on Southern that have
to get a GPS signal or they chuck a wobbly, aircraft navigation systems
etc.

I thought (civilian) aircraft were not authorised to use GPS for
navigation.

To use it, or to depend on it?

Has that changed?

Not that i'm aware - i think that's one of the reasons for Galileo, which
will allow things like automatic landings. Once it's operational, i'm off
flying for good.

tom

--
It's amazing how often conversations with you have the imaginary sound of human bones being crushed to rubble in the background. -- itchyfidget, to snowking

Countdown overhaul
 

nTom Anderson typed:
On Tue, 17 May 2005, Dr Ivan D. Reid wrote:

On 17 May 2005 07:12:57 -0700, Boltar
wrote in . com:
Well, I don't think the buses will actually stop working - its
just that we might not know when they are coming any more.

True in this case. But what about the new trains on Southern that
have to get a GPS signal or they chuck a wobbly, aircraft
navigation systems etc.

I thought (civilian) aircraft were not authorised to use GPS for
navigation.

To use it, or to depend on it?

Has that changed?

Not that i'm aware - i think that's one of the reasons for Galileo,
which will allow things like automatic landings. Once it's
operational, i'm off flying for good.

Yes, it won't be as much fun without all those crap landings by human
pilots.

But there's nothing new about automatic landings. I experienced my first
one on a BEA Trident at Heathrow about 40 years ago. They were
sufficiently rare then for all passengers to be presented with a gift to
mark the occasion (tie for men, scarf for women).
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

Countdown overhaul
 

Great news. It's a shame to have Countdown displays at bus stops that
tell you the next bus is 8 minutes away, whilst your eyes tell you it's
just pulling up at the stop!

I guess this may help the 'behind the scenes' operation of the bus
network in some ways as well. I also hope that once the information is
better we might see Countdown installed at further major bus stops.

The worries over over-reliance on the GPS system are valid - so I
presume/hope that the new Siemens system will work with both GPS and
Galileo. Though sun spots could still knock them both out of operation,
when we might even have to (shock horror) pull the iPod headphones out
and watch and listen for the arrival of a bus the old fashioned way.

Countdown overhaul
 

When these were recently installed as a trial on some routes in Birmingham,
they didn't work for ages because the software which tracked the buses and
the software which controlled the screens were not compatible with each
other....

"Mizter T" wrote in message
oups.com...
Great news. It's a shame to have Countdown displays at bus stops that
tell you the next bus is 8 minutes away, whilst your eyes tell you it's
just pulling up at the stop!

I guess this may help the 'behind the scenes' operation of the bus
network in some ways as well. I also hope that once the information is
better we might see Countdown installed at further major bus stops.

The worries over over-reliance on the GPS system are valid - so I
presume/hope that the new Siemens system will work with both GPS and
Galileo. Though sun spots could still knock them both out of operation,
when we might even have to (shock horror) pull the iPod headphones out
and watch and listen for the arrival of a bus the old fashioned way.