Safety is Your Responsibility
By Design News Staff -- Design News, October 8, 2006
Be responsible for your own safety
I agree that the injuries suffered by those who make a mistake with a saw are indeed terrible, but on the other side, I also believe that I alone am responsible for my safety (Man on a Mission - DN 09.04.06). I realize that it offends many to make that assertion. When I have taught people how to use various machines over the years my first lesson has been on the dangers of the machine. After they understand the danger, then we proceed with how to use it. And the good news is that none of those that I taught have been injured.
William Ketel Royal Oak, MI
Pencil Makes You Free
Most musicians, whether amateur or professional, have experienced their music simply flowing effortlessly out of their fingers (Math Software’s Arch Enemy: The Number 2 Pencil - DN 06.26.06). The mind can soar and roam free. The pencil provides the same type of intuitive ease, especially when equipped with an eraser. Take up the ball point pen and you will immediately feel somewhat restricted. Many fresh ideas are sketched out on napkins, backs of envelopes and even quadrille paper because of the looseness and ethereal quality of inspiration before it becomes a concept set in stone. Some newer “old-timers” still prefer to use the ancient ACAD 10 command set over more recent versions, probably for similar reasons of comfort, familiarity and freedom from the additional imposed processing distractions of new materials. Maybe someday Maple 10 will be looked upon as an intuitive tool employed by some future practitioners as is our Number 2 pencil.
Emil Toth Chapel Hill, NC
Pirated No More
I just read your recent editorial where you mentioned that you picked up four copies of pirated software for $22 in Shanghai's Xiangyang market (Pirates of the Near Caribbean - DN 08.14.06).
You might be interested to know that the Chinese government has recently cracked down on this brazen display of piracy and has closed down the famous Xiangyang “fake market” for good. It looks like you bought your illegal software just in the nick of time! I just stopped by last Thursday, Aug. 18, and found the famous market completely shut down. The open-air market was walled off and bulldozed, while the building that housed the indoor market has been stripped of its interior and is in the process of demolition. Apparently the Chinese government is responding to pressure from the WTO and decided to raze the notorious market, famed for its fake Rolexes, designer bags, pirate DVDs, and yes, pirate software.
Although it is still possible to find fakes — several street “entrepreneurs” spotted me as a Westerner and offered to lead me back to their secret lair to buy their illicit goods — it's obvious that the PRC government is starting to crackdown on the illicit trade, at least the most brazen examples of it.
Paul Fruin Franklin, MA
Baggage Claim Consequences
I just read the article about checking laptops as luggage, and it raised some questions in my mind (You Can Claim Your Busted PC at Carousel #2 - DN 09.25.06).
First of all, while packing for a trip and deciding what to pack in my carry-on versus the checked bag I ask myself, “What can I do without at my destination?” There's more to this issue beyond receiving a damaged laptop at journey's end. What if the laptop you've put into the hands of an airline doesn't make the same trip you did and that laptop has confidential company or sensitive security related information? According to American Airline's position, no one is accepting responsibility. That lost laptop may have some serious consequences.
Another topic not mentioned in the article is the random baggage inspections. Will the inspector take the same care I did when they put everything back into my bag? I can't believe the inspector is going to take the time to roll up the towels and place them just so around the laptop and to keep the heels of the shoes facing the other direction. This thought makes the laptop case a must for every traveler checking a laptop. Do the cases highlighted in this article come with TSA approved locks?
And what about the gentleman who travels with only his cell phone, calculator, paper and pencil? If they're considering banning laptops as carry-ons, why wouldn't they include other electronics such as cell phones, calculators, PDAs, video games and DVD players? Imagine the impact banning these items would have on how we travel in today's world.
Rick HarrisDesign News Reader, MI
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