I’ll Have What Ray’s Having …

It was a cold night at JFK and the terminal was eerily (yet understandably) quiet.  Just a few weeks prior two planes had flown into the World Trade Center, and most people were avoiding air travel.  The mood was somber, to say the least.

I was “listed non-rev” on the last flight back to LA for the night, which is airline lingo for waiting on the stand-by list as a non-revenue passenger, thanks to my friends and family benefits with the airline.  This was long before the airlines automated this system with online check-in and in-app status notifications.  The protocol back then was to wait patiently by the gate for your named to be called, just minutes before the gate closed.

This was an art form in and of itself; you wanted to be close enough to hear your name if the gate agent chose to just yell for you rather than use the PA system, but not so close that you annoyed the gate agent.  Just like today, gate agents have a tremendous amount of discretion in seat assignments and lurking over the podium for your name to be called was the fastest way to be seated in the back next to the restroom … or not get a seat at all.

So there I was quietly standing off to the side, listening for my name, when the phone rang at the gate.   The exchange went like this:

Gate Agent: Hello?

[The Gate Agent pauses while listening]

Gate Agent: Hold on, let me check.

[The Gate Agent picks up another phone and dials]

Gate Agent:  Do we have any Bailey’s on the plane?

[The Gate Agent pauses again while listening]

Gate Agent: Thanks.

[The Gate Agent hangs up the second phone, and goes back to the first call]

Gate Agent:  No, we don’t.  [short pause] Ok, thanks.

 

About five minutes later, an airline employee comes up from tarmac with a large bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream.  He hands it to the Gate Agent, who rushes it down the jetway to the plane.

Before I continue I feel that I have to level set that everyone, including myself, was on edge.  Just a few weeks prior terrorists had hijacked three planes and used them to kill thousands of people.  The FAA had only recently allowed planes to fly again.  I can’t speak for everyone else, but personally I was being (perhaps overly) vigilant.

And in my hyper vigilant state, I started to ask myself questions about that bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream. What was so important about the bottle?  Did it go through security?  It was much larger than 3 ounces, …. could it be disguising something else? Could someone have put an explosive in a fake bottle, and thrown it over the tarmac fence to avoid security?

You hear stories about people who have an intuition and get off a plane, only to find that it crashes on that flight … I quietly wondered to myself if that bottle of Bailey’s was a sign that I shouldn’t be on this plane.

Did I mention that it was late?

After some internal debate – which I’d like to be able to say was short but in truth likely took longer than I’d like to admit – I realized that my concerns were irrational and resolved myself to get on the plane, Bailey’s or not.  This decision was eased by the fact that the Gate Agent had called my name and assigned me a seat in first class.

The seating configuration of the first class cabin was (facing forward) two seats on the left / aisle / two seats in the middle / aisle / and two seats on the right.  My seat was 6B, on the left side of the plane just a few seats down from where we boarded.

I quickly got on board, and settled into my comfortable leather seat for the flight home – the bottle of Bailey’s now only a faint memory.

Just as the flight attendant made the final pre-flight announcements, I noticed Ray Charles and his assistant getting on the plane.  His assistant helped Ray into seat 6E, across the plane from me in the same row, then quickly ran behind the first class section to speak to the flight attendant taking the pre-flight drink order from the passenger behind me.

Ray Charles’ assistant:  excuse me, did you get the bailey’s?

flight attendant:  Yes sir, we have the bailey’s.

ray charles’ assistant:  great, ray won’t fly without his bailey’s.  He’ll have a bailey’s on the rocks.

I quietly breathed a sigh of relief as I now understood the importance of that bottle of Bailey’s.  And when the flight attendant asked me “Mr. Gordon, would you care for a drink before flight?”, I confidently said … “I’ll have what Ray’s having”.

 

 

 

Juice Jacking – Is that phone charger safe?

Every time you use charge your mobile device from a public charging station, an Uber driver, or even a friend’s computer you’re putting your phone at risk of being hacked.

Juice Jacking – the process of hacking a phone during charging – is a very real threat that effects almost any phone, tablet, etc.  Because the power ports share the same cord as the data ports, when you charge your phone using a USB connected device (such as a computer, the USB outlet in a car, or potentially a public phone charging station) you give hackers the opportunity to access the data you’ve stored on the phone.

Fortunately, there are easy ways to protect yourself from this threat.

  1. Use an in-wall charger.  Using a standard two-pronged adapter ensures that you’re getting data right from “the wall”.  It isn’t connected to a computer, and doesn’t utilize the data port.
  2. Use a USB cigarette lighter adapter.  Rather than using the USB connection in the car, plug your phone cord into a USB cigarette lighter adapter and plug that into the cigarette lighter.  Like the in-wall charger, this does not allow data access.
  3. Use a portable charger.  Effectively a rechargeable battery block with a USB adapter, you charge these in the morning (from a trusted source – like a wall outlet) and have extra power at hand whenever you need it.
  4. Buy a data blocking power cord or USB adapter.  These are USB adapters and charge cords which have disabled the ability for data to pass through the cord, protecting you from hackers.  Some have the added benefit of offering “fast charging” – in laypersons terms taking the power that would have been used to support the data connection and using it for charging.If you’re industrious, you can modify your own USB cord to support data blocking.

Travel safely !

 

Sources:  Wikipedia, Krebs On Security

Healthy Flying

The recent passing of Carrie Fisher reminds us of how unhealthy, … dare I say dangerous, it can be to fly.  While airlines are not mandated to keep track, the Seattle Times estimates that nearly 300 people a year die mid-flight. Thankfully, given the number of people who fly every year, the odds are still pretty good that you’ll arrive at your destination still able to appreciate it.   Most importantly, it is rarely the pilot who passes.

Just to be clear, I’m not claiming that flying can kill you.  I’m simply pointing out what we’ve known for years – the inside an airplane isn’t the most conducive environment for healthy living.  You’re in a small confined space, surrounded by people from everywhere on the globe, potentially hours from the nearest medical attention.

Here are a few things that I do to have a more healthy flight:

  1. Drink (bottled) water!  Flying is very dehydrating.  My personal rule of thumb is 12 ounces for every hour of flying.
  2. Avoid the salty snacks.  Most airline food is over-salted, to compensated for your diminished taste buds.  Whenever possible, I bring my own food onboard (let’s be honest, it’s usually better tasting than what the airline offers) and if I do partake in an inflight meal, I eat carefully and in moderation.
  3. Avoid alcoholic drinks.  The effects of alcohol are intensified in a pressurized cabin, and can be stressful on the body.  Best to wait until you land.
  4. Avoid window seats and wear sunscreen.  The suns rays are more intense at 30K feet, and most airplane windows do not have UVA protective coatings.  I always wear sunscreen, and whenever possible avoid the window seat.
  5. Carry a mini-medical kit.  I don’t go overboard – who wants to carry around another 10 lbs. of things that you’ll likely never need? But I do keep a few things in my toiletry bag – such as bandaids, baby aspirin, etc. , just incase !

Remember, everyone is different, so always check with your physician first.

Safe travels !