Titanic

Major Decision: Federal Judge Awards Title To Titanic Artifacts

The long awaited decision of Federal Judge Beach regarding title to Titanic artifacts has been rendered. Judge Beach granted RMS Titanic, Inc. title to fine china, ship fittings, and other artifacts recovered from the ship by the company. The condition is that the artifacts be preserved so the court will have to approve sales.

Sources:

1. The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk Judge Awards Rights To Titanic Artifacts, 16 August 2011

2. Associated Press, Judge: Salvage Firm Has Title To Titanic Artifacts, 15 Aug 2011

 

Caltrain

Caltrain Blues

Caltrain riders are experiencing the blues these days due to problems with Clipper and new draconian ticket citation rules.

“8-card riders and e-cash remember to tag off after detraining. San Francisco last stop.….”
8-ride and e-cash ticket riders must tag on before boarding and off after getting off the train. Many forget to do this despite the many reminders from Clipper and Caltrain. If you forget to tag on, the conductor can ask you to get off at the next stop or if you decline be cited for fare evasion. The prize for forgetting to tag off is $12.25, the maximum Caltrain fare between San Francisco and San Jose, deducted from your cash balance. When that balance is below $1.25, your Clipper card will not work. If you forget to tag off and get a citation, the fine is $350 plus costs added on by the court.

No excuses will be accepted. Under the new policy reported in SF Weekly Caltrain has decided to treat fare evaders and those who fall victim to problems with Clipper the same. Conductors no longer have the discretion, as they did in the past, about writing a ticket. In short, tell it to the judge is the new policy. For those who have problems with Clipper, save all documentation (emails, letters, and names of those you spoke with etc.) when you go to court. And you can bring witnesses (or sworn affidavits) from those who have direct knowledge of what happened (like the Clipper representative, not your friend who heard you talking on the phone).

In short, make Caltrain prove you are the fare evader they claim you to be. If you can show to the judge it was a Clipper issue, the judge can dismiss the charge. Of course you might get lucky. I understand Caltrain conductors do not always show up for the court date and judges can dismiss the charge. One other thing, do not decide to get in the conductors face about citing you. They are just doing their job. If you yell, holler, scream or make any threats at all, the conductor will have the police meet you at the next station and arrest you for assault. You will spend the next several hours being processed, booked, and possibly released until the court date.

This policy apparently makes no exception for when the Clipper terminals are down. On SF Muni, if the Clipper system is down on the bus (on must SF Muni buses there are two, one in the front and one near the exit doors) the rule is to allow Clipper holders to board. According to Caltrain, if the Clipper terminals are not working you are supposed to notify the conductor if they are not working. Perhaps on this issue the conductor does have discretion but I bet Caltrain will argue back you ought to purchase a paper ticket (at extra cost to you) if the Clipper system is not working. Hopefully they will clarify this otherwise I can see some judge rolling his eyes wondering why Caltrain is wasting his time citing people for fare evasion with the Clipper system was out of order at the time.

Autoload is another feature giving riders the blues as well. Clipper bills this a convenient way to load monthly passes, 8-ride tickets, or even cash to your card. It comes with some major caveats. Since not all Clipper terminals are hardwired to Clipper (like on buses) they only get updated once a day. So if you purchase via autoload, the Internet, or by phone it can take up to 5 days to load. And if there is a problem with the credit card, nothing gets added to your card which is frustrating when you are trying to board the train. Worse the card can be locked up by Clipper because of a credit card or other issues.

The best way to avoid these blues is to purchase passes and load money at a vendor like Walgreens, a Clipper service center, or one of those rare Clipper Add Value machines. For reasons no one can understand, those Clipper machines are not at any Caltrain station. You would think that when Caltrain decided to move to Clipper they would have put those machines in at San Francisco and San Jose. It seems only logical but then again, this is the same system that has no real time updating for passengers to know the status of trains. Rumor has it they will eventually arrive but no one can say for sure when that will happen.

We Do Not Want To Confuse People
Caltrain requires all monthly pass holders to tag on/off on the first trip of the month to validate the pass. Except that is not accurate. Monthly passes purchased online, via autoload, or by phone have to be tagged in order to be loaded. However when you purchase in-person at Walgreens, a Clipper customer center, or Clipper add value machine, the pass is loaded and ready to go for the period purchased. Same with cash.

So why the requirement all monthly pass holders tag on/off once a month? Well Clipper was asked that on its Facebook page. It turns out that Caltrain believed confusion would result if some had to tag on/off and others did not. How confusing is this suggested statement:

If you purchased your monthly pass on the Internet, by autoload, or by phone you must tag on to download the pass and tag off to complete the purchase. You only need to do this the first train ride of the month. If you purchased the pass at a vendor, Clipper customer center, or a Clipper Add Value machine the pass is already loaded for the period purchased and does not need to be tagged.

Not that hard really to understand. Typical of bureaucrats who look at passengers as children.

Your Papers Please!
Another new policy, not so much a blues thing for passengers but for conductors, is the policy to check tickets at the doors in San Francisco/San Jose for non-commute weekday trains and weekend trains. Conductors did not do this in the past very often (a few did mainly so they did not need to check until Millbrae) but now it is mandatory. Providing of course the conductors have those Clipper card readers (which does not always seem to be the case). Once the train gets rolling, the conductor apologizes in advance but they are required to check and will likely check tickets again on the way to San Jose. It does catch the forgetful Clipper taggers and occasionally a family that needs to buy extra tickets for the kids, but just slows down train loading.

Some conductors are getting around it. They simply wait until five minutes before departure to open the doors. It would take too long to check tickets and delays train departure.

Okay so how to get around those Caltrain blues? A few simple rules:

(1) Never purchase a pass or load cash online, autoload, or by phone. Always use a vendor, Clipper center, or Clipper add value machine. If you must use autoload, get a second Clipper card and load it with cash. That way if the main card is not working (for whatever reason) you can tag the other card.

(2) 8-ride ticket holders/e-cash users: Always tag your card before boarding and after you disembark. If you forget to tag off, check your balance at Clipper.com. If your balance is below $1.25, you must add at least that much to make it work. Load the cash in-person right away to avoid problems.

(3) Lay the Clipper card on the designated spot for a proper read. No waving the card! If it works right, you get a solid tone and a message displaying what happened (fare paid etc). If you get the reject tone, try it again and read the message displayed.

(4) Register your Clipper card at clipper.com. Also keep track of your cash balance or 8-ride ticket use at the site.

(5) If you take SF Muni and use e-cash, the transfer is good for 90 minutes. SF Muni though expects you to keep track of the time. And to play it safe, tag again before heading out on the underground light rail platform. Example: You tagged the card at 9:45am taking a number 30 to North Beach. You end up back to the Powell Street Station just before 11am. The card reader accepts the transfer as it is still within the 90 minute limit but is getting close to expiring. You board a light rail to Embarcadero Station but just before you get off tag the card to check if the transfer is valid. If not, a fare is charged and up the escalator you go. Alas there is a short line because fare inspectors are checking cards and transfers. Luckily you tagged your card before getting off the light rail. Otherwise they cite you for fare evasion.

Sources:
1. SF Weekly, Caltrain’s Draconian Clipper Enforcement Leaves Riders Stranded, 27 Jul 2011

2. Akit’s Complaint Department(blog), One Less Step for Caltrain Monthly Pass Users using Clipper, 14 June 2011

3. Akit’s Complaint Department(blog), Muni Modifies & Clarifies the Definition of “Proof of Payment” & Expired Transfers, 26 Jul 2011

Note bene: Akit’s Complaint Department has the most complete information about Clipper use on transit.


Titanic, Titanic Exhibitions

Winnipeg Titanic Exhibit Leaves With High Numbers

The Titanic Exhibition, twice held over in Winnipeg, has finally left town. But in a good way! According to Winnipeg Free Press , 87,243 attended the exhibit that ran from 11 Feb until last Sunday. Those are impressive numbers indeed. It will be interesting to see the numbers for the next exhibition, Da Vinci: The Genius, which runs from 19 Aug-23 Oct.

Titanic

A Timely Titanic Reminder

The lessons from Titanic echo to this day but sometimes forgotten by people they are supposed to protect. Take the life vest. This simple floatation device will save lives when the unfortunate happens. And the rule is you have enough for everyone aboard (crew and passengers included). Another rule is not to exceed the recommended passenger capacity to avoid not having enough for everyone. Unfortunately that recently happened on Lake Michigan.

ABC 7 in Chicago reported “A suburban woman says she thought of the movie “Titanic” when the boat she and 21 others were on sank in Lake Michigan. It happened Saturday evening near Burnham Harbor. Deetria Cannon of Lisle says they were headed back to shore when something happened and the boat began taking on water.”

The report indicates there were not enough life vests aboard for everyone and that some could not swim. Fortunately nearby boats came to the rescue and everyone was saved. Chicago police are reported as saying theere were likely too many people on board. No citations were issued but one assumes some legal action will be forthcoming against the boat owner and captain.

In this case, all ended well. But a recent event down in Mexico shows what happens when things go very bad ending up with loss of life. A timely reminder indeed.

Source: ABC7Chicago.com, 22 Rescued From Sinking Boat In Lake Michigan, 1 Aug 2011

 MacHighway - Web Hosting for Mac Users, by Mac Users, Since 1997

Uncategorized

Saying Goodbye To Cable?

Ditching cable for Internet or Over-the-Air (OTA) only programming has been simmering for a while. The reason is simple: cost. Every year the rates go up for what is considered basic service on most services, which can be from 76 to 99 channels that include all local broadcast, the major cable networks, news, sports and entertainment to name a few. Premium channels (HBO, Showtime etc) are usually excluded along with HD programming. To compete with Netflix, many cable companies offer On Demand or Pay Per View services allowing you to order movies right from your cable box.

I come from the generation that remembers using antenna to get local ota programming. Back then you had the three major networks, PBS, and a smattering of local channels. Sometimes you had to fiddle with the horizontal or vertical to stabilize the signal. You had to actually turn a dial to change channels and weather could effect signal quality. Cable changed all that back in the 1970’s. I recall our first cable television and seeing pictures crisp and clear for the first time. We still got local channels but some far away ones as well. There were no cable news channels or MTV back then, but HBO and Showtime showed up by the time I was in high school.

Simpler times but the downside was there was no competition. It was either cable or ota. Most cities signed exclusive contracts with one cable provider so that was it. Today that has changed with satellite and Internet. Looking around my apartment complex, it is amazing the number of Dish or Direct TV satellite dishes on balconies pointing south to get the signal. Driving around my area you see a combination of both satellite and digital antennas. My local cable company, a rare municipal one, is losing customers and trying to win them back with specials. They tried a door-to-door approach that got lots of angry calls (mine being one of them) and now tries a softer approach to win back those who defected to the other guys.

The Internet provides streaming of movies and television shows (sometimes free or for a fee like Netflix or Hulu) that competes with cable. Yet it has not quite yet replaced cable television. Despite a lot of concern, cable is not being dumped but reduced. In my case, I decided not to pay $60+ for getting 99 channels most of which I never watched. I downsized to just getting local channels for $20 a month. I gave up watching a few channels I watched regularly and seeing S.F. Giant’s games that were shown exclusively on cable. Rather than pay for HD programming, I hook up an indoor antenna and get all the local HD channels for free. Netflix fills me in on the shows I missed on SyFY (Warehouse 13 and Eureka) and with free On-Demand I get to see a lot of cable shows such as The Next Food Network Star.

So why do I keep cable? Well I do not have broadband yet (it is coming!) and while I get strong reception on the digital antenna, signals drop for all kinds of reasons. So while it works 80% of the time, I can and do lose the signal to atmospherics, the station switching to a backup while main transmitter is being fixed, or on the weaker stations when my neighbor upstairs is playing with his litle kid. HD programming looks great but on just ordinary programming does not add much. Okay, take that back. Local news reporters and anchors like Darya Folsom, Julie Haener or Gasia Mikaelian look good in HD.

The folks over internetserviceproviders.org sent me a list of the “100 Sites That Can Replace Your Cable TV Service.” The list is  interesting showing what content is available online. So if you are thinking about downsizing your cable (or going ota), the Internet offers a lot to fill in the gaps. And you do not have to pay a princely sum for it either.

Titanic

Captain Smith’s Telescope Auction-No Sale

The BBC News headline Titanic Captain’s Telescope Auctioned In Liverpool implies it was sold, but the slug just above the story is Titanic Captain’s Telescope Fails To Sell At Auction. Perhaps the editor thought no one would read the article otherwise. Saying it was auctioned would draw the curious to read the article.

The item, a telescope once owned by Captain Smith, was put up for auction recently and expected to fetch £20,000. It is not clear from the article how many bids were submitted or what the highest bid was. Clearly it was not high enough as the telescope did not sell. The BBC reports that auctioneer John Crane was disappointed and noted:

“It might be Titanic but at the end of the day it is still a little bit of metal and if you put a very high reserve you’re not going to sell it.”

Or to quote that famous wizard Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:

Fame’s a fickle friend, Harry. Celebrity is as celebrity does, remember that.

About sums it up but of course Lockhart turned out a phony. He stole memories from those who did heroic deeds, claimed them as his own, and used memory charms to make them forget.

Source: BBC News, Titanic Captain’s Telescope Auctioned In Liverpool, 28 Jul 2011

 

 

Uncategorized

Replay Users Get Reprieve

1 Comment

Today was to be the end of ReplayTV. Users were notified weeks ago that the electronic programming guide service (epg) would be discontinued on 31 July. “After this date, owners of ReplayTV DVR units will still be able to manually record analog TV programs, but will not have the benefit of access to the interactive program guide,” said the announcement. Replay users were outraged. Complaints to DNNA met with little comfort. Pansonic which sold Showstoppers using Replay technology said little except the usual “thanks for your inquiry and we are looking into the matter” statements. Some wrote letters to state attorney generals hoping for some intercession.

In the meantime the scramble went forth to replace DNNA service. Tech savvy folks already had a way but it required setting up PC server to make it work. For those who neither had the time, the money, or used a Mac that was not a option. So some of those folks got together to put together a service for the rest of us, a dial-up service so that Replay users could dial-up and update the epg. It was by no means easy to do. Servers had to be made ready and software configured. Then getting a provider of the tv schedules had to be set up. The initial fee would be $7.00 per month, per model (some people have more than one Replay unit in their homes). Not a bad price to continue the service.

As the deadline drew near, the Replay board at AVS Forum was busy with people posting info and asking questions. Likewise at the other forum, Planet Replay. Then out of the blue came the announcement on Friday (29 Jul):

After the announced shutdown of the ReplayTV programming guide service, we have had many positive, enthusiastic comments about the ReplayTV DVR products and services. In light of this response, ReplayTV and its parent company Digital Networks North America, Inc. have decided to continue the electronic programming guide service pursuant to the terms of your service activation agreement. We thank you very much for all of your support and enthusiasm over the many years these products have been sold.

Suddenly everything ground to a halt when that message appeared on units updated that day. Everyone was stunned. It was so sudden that the customer service people had no idea it had happened. It was confirmed and everyone stood back. Everyone was pleased but questions lingered. Why did DNNA back off? Speculation was rampant and so far little facts are known. Panasonic might have been angry since they were not notified and nothing offered to replace the service. And it is possible someone either at the state or federal level said exactly the same thing.

And that was the problem right from the start. DNNA offered nothing to replace the the discontinued service. Once the guide ran out (around 7 Aug), you were on your own. With no ability to set the clock and no epg, manual recording was going to be a chore. You would have to manually hit record and stop when done. So much for recording when your are sleeping or at work Tivo offered special deals to Replay users but many have no desire to switch. Lifetime users were even more out in the cold than monthly users. When lifetime users bought those units (at a premium), many assumed they were buying for the lifetime of the unit or service. Lawyers for DNNA argue that the actual lifetime service is one year under California law.

Many though are skeptical and even hostile to DNNA. Some have already transitioned away from DNNA using the Internet option and not likely to return. The message from DNNA also said the following:

As we have said previously, the analog programming that the ReplayTV units are capable of recording is in fact likely to be converted to digital signals in the very near future at which point the ReplayTV units will no longer be able to record such programming.

This is misleading. Since the conversion to digital, all Replay units get cable using a cable box. The cable box provides the conversion necessary for them. My television has a digital tuner but cannot unscramble the programming from my cable company. Hence the cable box (which my cable service provides for free). So this statement is not accurate except that way down the road the need for cable boxes will diminish as computers are integrated with television (meaning the computers will have dvr capacity in them).

We encourage our users to consider digital video recorders that have this digital recording capability as well as additional technological advances which are not a part of the ReplayTV units (all of which were end of lifed by 2006).

This is illuminating and the line most Replay users in the forums focused on. It tells them DNNA wants them to go elsewhere. Just go. Okay we will provide you with a service but we would prefer that you leave.  Like the hotel manager said to Ryan O’Neill’s character in the movie What’s Up Doc? about when he should check out, the manager (played by John Hillerman) said yesterday. The last line told lifetime service people that they would be paying a fee for the epg service. The good news is that Replay users have gotten a reprieve.

For how long is the next question. I speculate six months to a year at most. ReplayTV units are no longer being manufactured but there are units still being sold but by now the inventory is getting low. Since ReplayTV is no longer marketed, there is a finite number using them right now. In short, a no growth sector. So DNNA sees little reason to continue paying the costs associated with maintaining the epg for little profit. They have to pay for the digital schedule, tech and customer support, and other costs associated with the service. So for them, there is no incentive to keep it going.

The other good news is that the alternative dial-up service that was in beta testing (called Laho meaning Last Hope) can be further refined. DNNA ought to work with those at Laho so that dial-up users could migrate there in that period of time. They could also offer some deals with Tivo if people want to go there (or coupons for free dvr service from the local cable company). In other words, offer something tangible other than shutting off the service and telling everyone to push manual record. To sum up DNNA can:

(1) Work with LaHo to create a viable, working alternative dial-up for ReplayTv users;

(2) Offer deals with other dvr units (Tivo, Moxie);

(3) Offer coupons for free rental of cable company dvr’s.

Also, as a last option, consider some sort of buy back for recycling of parts. Some may want to junk their units and those parts (and the metal) have value.

The ball is in your court DNNA. If you are determined to phase out the service, do it smartly.

Titanic Miscellaneous

Russian Titanic! Humbug Says International Business Times

Rimskiy Korsakov, Bulgaria's sister ship
Rimskiy Korsakov, Bulgaria’s sister ship

A few days ago I wrote about the Bulgaria sinking on the Volga. Some are comparing thesinking to Titanic but the International Business Times disputes the comparison. For instance Titanic was a state of the art ship when it launched in 1912, but the Bulgaria (launched 1955) was far from that. It had few inspections over the last thirty years, is alleged to have been poorly maintained, and had outdated equipment.

According to reports, the Bulgaria hadn’t been seriously serviced since 1980, and one of the its engines was under-powered before the 56-year-old vessel set sail. When wind and choppy waters turned the boat sideways — a dangerous position for any boat to be in — the captain was unable to right the ship before it tipped.

But on one issue the IBT agrees it is like Titanic: both events were devastating and avoidable.

Source: International Business Times, Sunken Cruise Ship ‘The Bulgaria’ Is Not The ‘Russian Titanic’, 15 Jul 2011

Other related news:
BSANNA News, Operation To Bring Bulgaria Ship To Even Keel Coming To End, 18 Jul 2011

Wikipedia has information about Bulgaria.

Photo from http://belyaefff.livejournal.com and posted on Wikipedia.

Titanic Miscellaneous

“Titanic” On The Volga

A terrible catastrophe occurred when the Bulgaria, a cruise ship on the Volga River with 208 people aboard, tipped starboard and sank. The cause is still under investigation but at least 100 are dead and 29 remain unaccounted for. The sinking happened very quickly leaving passengers and crew little time to get off before it sank. A nearby ship, the Arabella, came to the rescue of the 79 people that survived.

The Russian media is all abuzz about the sinking and the terrible loss of life. Accusations are spreading fast about how old the ship was (built in 1955), how the owner was greedy and that Bulgaria’s commander had to pay for uniforms, keys, and meals. The owner, Svetlana Inyakina, has been arrested and faces up to ten years in jail. However the Bulgaria is not the only ship that was built in the last century. News reports indicates that nearly all of the cruise ships in Russia are between forty to fifty years old. Bulgaria was perhaps the oldest at sixty years.

Meanwhile the Russian government has some explaining to do. Apparently most river cruise ships are in private hands and the government was minimally involved. This may explain the swift arrest of the owner in order to divert attention away from government oversight. Like Titanic, it is likely to lead to sweeping changes on the Volga and for the entire Russian river cruise ships. Some of them will be needed and welcome changes. I suspect Putin will use it as an excuse to put the ship owners under direct government control. Expect to see some public trials of ship owners in the near future.

Source:
Spero News, Russia: Poor Maintenance Caused The Titanic On The Volga, 13 Jul 2011

Titanic, Titanic Miscellaneous

Ice Carving Competition in 2012 at Branson Titanic Museum

From the press release:

The Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Missouri is the site chosen to host the 2012 National Ice Carving Competition, a preliminary for competitors to end up in the city of Sochi, Russia, the host city for the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014. The two-day event will beheld on Sat., Feb. 4, and Sun., Feb. 5, 2012.

I must admit I have never given ice carving a serious thought. I know that people do carve fantastic shapes in ice but never knew it had its had its own national and even international competitions (other than reading about the occasional ice carving contests). This event has a nice purse of $25,000 for the winner (minus taxes of course, never forget the outstretched hand of the revenue collector). According to the release:

The Master Division will carve three blocks of ice on Saturday and one block of ice on Sunday. The Professional Division will carve one block of ice on Saturday and two blocks of ice on Sunday. Dimensions of each block of ice are 40x20x10inches and each ice block weighs in at 300 pounds. Carvers will use a large array of tools such as chainsaws, chisels, blowtorches, hot irons, knives, drills, and much more.

These obviously are not your ordinary ice blocks but giant slabs made at an industrial ice plant and trucked in. I will not be surprised if some creative mixologist (the fancy name for bartender these days), comes up with some special drink for the event. With ice, of course! 🙂

Source:
PR Newswire, Branson, Missouri to Host 2012 National Ice Carving Competition, 12 Jul 2011

Titanic, historic ship, and general history news.