F-22 export update

An interesting article from Japan Times, especially in light of my earlier post on prospects for the export of the Lockheed Martin F-22, and another subsequent update.

Hat tip: The DEW Line

Apple iPod touch upgrade fee

From today’s WWDC keynote, Apple referred again to the fee that will be charged to iPod touch users for features iPhone users receive for free, which reminds me of the post I wrote up in January a year ago about the same issue with the Apple TV. If you’re curious about why this practice is followed, please go here for the relevant background.

D-Day + 65 years

World War II demanded countless campaigns that all command our memory, but today we remember the invasion that led to the fall of Nazi Germany – the Normandy landings that began Operation Overlord.

A LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) from the USS Samuel Chase disembarks troops of the U.S. Army First Division on the morning of June 6, 1944 (D-Day) at Omaha Beach.

Photograph by Chief Photographer’s Mate Robert F. Sargent, U.S. Coast Guard

I encourage you to take a moment today to think of the bravery and sacrifice behind this endeavor.

Acela average speed illustration

Back in January, I wrote about train speeds between New York and Boston and how much more important average speed is than maximum speed (many people ignore this simple truth). Amtrak’s new president Jospeh Boardman has been out in the Midwest and down in Virgina making this same point recently, quoted here from the Richmond Times Dispatch:

“One way to go fast is not to go slow,” Boardman said. “Many places on our system, we’re down to 10 miles an hour, 20 miles an hour.”

These comments reminded me of a useful New York Times graphic illustrating Acela travel times from a while back – they accompanied this article. I saved the images and include them below. Click on either to see them full-size.

Friday pictures: Folland Gnat

Continued apologies for how erratic these have become. I resume the series today for the simple reason that I came across a terrific shot of a wonderful plane that is hardly seen anymore, making it a perfect candidate for the series. I try hard to favor airplanes here that follow the “middle school study hall rule” (examples here, here, and here), and for whatever reason I do seem to keep returning to Britain’s early jets. I suspect my early exposure to my father’s Dinky Supermarine Swift, Hawker Hunter, and Gloster Javelin explain that.

With no further ado, then, here is this week’s wonderful shot by Flick photographer andys1616.

For more information on the Gnat, please start here.

If you like this, I encourage you to check out this summary of all of the aviation photography I have featured here.