IP: more on Frying on small craft

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2001 21:25:14 -0500
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> From: Richard Jay Solomon <rsolomon () dsl cis upenn edu>
> Subject: Re: IP: Frying on small craft
>
> Dave:
>
> Even better is to take trains in Europe. The ICE, TGV, Eurostar, Thalys, 
> AVE, and ETR highspeed trains are really, really fast, and service between 
> major cities is very frequent. National railpasses for foreigners (obtain 
> them in the U.S.. before you leave) are super bargains if you are 
> travelling considerable distances. We just got back from a week-long 
> business trip all over Germany, riding mostly ICE trains at 150+ mph, and 
> travelled first class for a total of ~ $210, each person for the whole week.
>
> No photo IDs. Superb and reasonably priced meals in real dining cars, with 
> real tablecloths, and real waiters or waitresses. Very friendly crews:The 
> motorman on an ICE-3 (which has an observation cab at each end so you can 
> look out along with the driver), invited me to take as many photos as I 
> wanted through the cab window. (Neat feature: when the train enters a 
> tunnel, the full-width cab window in the passenger compartment 
> automatically turns opaque so the driver's vision is not impaired. The 
> window is covered with an LCD film.)
>
> Beats flying any day.
>
> And the full European railroad schedule is online (in English) for 
> virtually any station, including small suburban stops: 
> http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en . Click on a station, and the 
> nearest hotels and rates come up. Very useful.
>
> On the ICE trains, the schedule is available a very cleverly designed user 
> interface, on a flat screen in every vestibule. Furthermore, the latest 
> ICE trains have special antennas in each car to boost mobile phone 
> reception. It worked great with my GSM phone, even in tunnels and very 
> rural countryside. Unfortunately, it didn't help our GPS unit which 
> wouldn't work due to the double-pane, well-leaded windows. Well, you can't 
> have everything.
>
> Richard

For archives see:
http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/