| Conversation In Cockpit Of Comair 5191 Before Takeoff Violated "Sterile Cockpit Rule"
WASHINGTON (AP) - A 1981 "sterile cockpit rule" forbids, among other things, extraneous conversation during taxi, takeoff and landing. But in the moments before the worst American disaster in five years, in which 49 people died in the crash of a passenger jet that went off a too-short runway, pilots Jeffrey Clay and James Polehinke discussed dogs, family, and their jobs, according to a transcript released Wednesday of the cockpit recording aboard Comair Flight 5191. Comair spokeswoman Kate Marx said the airline, based near Cincinnati in Erlanger, Ky., believes those statements did not violate the Federal Aviation Administration's so-called sterile cockpit rule because they were made before the aircraft began to taxi. But a later conversation about a fellow pilot was a violation, she said.
Madison police will not check on alarms
A new city ordinance that changes how police respond to commercial security alarms quietly went into effect with the new year on Monday. Now, despite the protests of some business owners, the Madison Police Department will respond to mechanically activated alarm systems only when the alarm has been verified. According to the ordinance, police will not be dispatched to an alarm site until a responder - in this case, any person, including alarm company personnel or private citizens - confirms there is evidence of intrusion or an emergency on the premises that would warrant a police call. The policy does not apply to alarms activated by an individual, such as robbery or panic alarms. The purpose of the change, according to the ordinance, is to limit the number of false alarms, which constitute about 97 percent of all responses.
iPhone Software Lock-out is Key to Security
Apple has decided against allowing third-party software onto the iPhone. According to security firm Symantec, this is a smart decision as it will protect the software from malware."The lack of the ability to install just any software will greatly mitigate the risk of malicious code on Apple iPhones," principal software engineer Eric Chien wrote. "Can malicious software exist? Will malicious software exist? Probably, but the amount of malicious software will definitely not be on the scale as it is today with Windows and is likely to not reach the levels of current malware for current mobile devices", he continued.According to Chien, the iPhone is a closed device, a network of home-brew hackers will likely find methods to run their own code on the device. Once they install and execute unknown code on their device, there is always a chance of executing malicious code.
Zimbabwe: Grant Municipal Police Arresting Powers - Council
HARARE City Council is lobbying for Government to grant its municipal police arresting powers in a bid to revitalise the force and offer effective protection for residents and property in the city. Chamber secretary Mrs Josephine Ncube on Wednesday told a turnaround strategy report back meeting in Highfield that plans were afoot to have municipal officers granted the same status as members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police. .
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