June 2007 Archives

Our new driving simulator at GMU is finally fully operational as of yesterday. It can now rotate 90º to the right and left, hopefully adding some strong motion-cues to participants when they turn. This feature is truly unique, let alone for a simulator this size. There's a small pitch-motion system as well to give drivers a sense of acceleration and braking feel.

A video of the simulator in action will be available soon. It's very cool! Now it's time to dive in with some experimental studies.

In a previous post, I noted how cool the new iPhone looked but that I'd wait for a later version. Remarkably, I find myself seriously weighing the possibility of buying one now. This is new territory for me because I'm generally a late-adopter for new devices and technologies, a strategy that has generally worked well. However, the reviews of the iPhone have been largely positive and the price isn't bad if you consider it includes the price of a new iPod. See, the rationalization is even creeping into this blog entry.

Then I made startling discovery yesterday afternoon. I'm out-of-contract with Verizon wireless right now! No penalty for early dissolution. And, unlike some other bloggers out there, my account isn't tied to my wife's. Surprisingly enough, the plan rates from AT&T are actually reasonable for my usage pattern (i.e., I don't use a lot of minutes).

Here are the pros and cons:
+ I'm an Apple apologist
+ My current cellular contract is expired
+ My iPod is old (it's 3G--monochrome with a click-wheel)
+ I just earned a bunch of extra cash by teaching this summer
- I'm notoriously incapable of pulling the trigger on big purchases
- My wife is against it (that's a minor negative point)
- I need most of that extra cash for our new house

Look for an announcement in the future, but don't get your hopes up (as if you would).

Aviation and data geeks should enjoy this.