Posted on 12/25/2007 9:25:35 PM PST by dayglored
The prospect of having broadband while flying at 35,000 feet is enough to get most of us geeks a-twitter. We'd want it to be safe, of course, but frankly we're a little tired of the arguments against unencumbered in-flight WiFi that center on so-called 'Net etiquette.
An AP report today recounts the objections of some travelers and airlines alike to in-flight WiFi, and they pull out the usual ghosts and goblins: armies of loud VoIP users, people "flaming" each other on planes (oh please), and guys who just can't stop looking at porn. These Chicken Little scenarios are tiresome and not supported by the evidence, yet they are being used by many airlines to justify blocking and filtering in-flight broadband. Some airlines will filter VoIP packets, others will use blacklists to block access to sites....
... some airlines are planning on blocking users from receiving calls in-flight, while others want to block VoIP entirely. Strangely, these fears didn't stop the airlines from trying to make money off of their proprietary phone services....
...
Bring on the in-flight broadband and let the complainers take the bus.
(Excerpt) Read more at arstechnica.com ...
But if the link is filtered, I'm very suspicious. I don't like anybody snooping my connection, for both personal and business security reasons -- that's why I do everything over encrypted or tunneled connections (like SSH and VPN). If they block those, they're out of their minds...
Worse already is being forced to watch CNN while waiting to board.
“kids already talk on flights, so VoIP is fine”
You’re going to love it when the super-loud cell phone yakkers suddenly have another way to keep talking, but ‘have’ to talk louder since they cannot hear as well....
Actually I personally won't have a problem at all, since I bring a set of high-isolation earbuds (www.shure.com) and an MP3 player.
But overall, other people talking has been a problem for years, before phones, then with phones, now with VoIP -- it's all the same. My solution: Get earbuds.
People flying on airplanes should do so in the nude, with no carry-on anything, and should be duct-taped to their seats the entire flight: that would ensure safety, equality and expedited travel. Besides, who knows, you might get to sit next to a really hot babe.
But what if I'm a really hot babe?
Oh, wait... nope. Just checked, I'm not. So okay, I'll sit next to the really hot babe.
Anyway, it depends on the duct tape. Applied properly it could be okay, but improperly, it could be trouble on removal...
It's no new threat, just a new excuse to invade privacy.
I’m in the middle of this. There’s good and bad points.
The good? I can watch my fave movies on my laptop and NOt rely on some crappy movie from the airlines, and surf the web.
The bad? 1) “snooping” people sitting beside you 2) batteries 3) more inconsiderate tech-jerks: cell phone users who WILL talk loud etc. 4) the filter issue: I dont want my connection being censored/filtered/watched on just in case “I look at porn sites”.
I used to welcome a conversation if the flight is long, but nowadays, I notice passengers keep mostly to themselves.
Being forced to endure HOURS of CNN without channel choice as flights are delayed-delayed-delayed...
:nodding in agreement: I see a new growth industry in pocket cell jammers...
Lufthansa has had wireless Internet on their flights for a couple of years now - along with in-seat power ports. It makes long flights much more tolerable.
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