Our company is in the business of geospatial data analytics. We collect our own data. Which means we have quite a few airplanes to collect data from the sky. While reviewing our business here in Alaska, the team members took me out to the hangar and gave a preview of our data collection nitty gritties. In the end, they offered to take me up in the air and show how the sophisticated cameras and sensors work.

I even got to be the co-pilot! Although, in reality all that meant was I got to take a lot of pictures from my vantage point with my own less-than-sophisticated camera in my iPhone 🙂

Got a great view of the mountains, glaciers and water (Turnagain Arm). Great experience!!

I was driving down I-88 near Naperville, IL when I thought I saw an interesting license plate in a car on the leftmost lane. Maneuvered for the next few minutes to get as close to the minivan as I could safely get and took a snapshot. I realized whey the plate caught my attention. That almost looked like my name. Actually, it was RAJ 18. Close enough!!!

This is not a picture I missed posting from Italy. This happened to us this morning. I was peacefully driving Natasha to her summer camp in Northwestern University. We were driving from the O’Hare area and was making a few stops in local small towns and villages – you know, picking up some last minute stuff for her five week dorm stay, chatting with a few locals – when, Bam! We came across this.

Of course, we had to take a detour. We turned around, parked nearby and checked out this 80 year old half size replica of the original Leaning Tower. In a small place called the “Village of Niles”.

That was an unique surprise!!

This is in Las Vegas airport. A store called Las Vegas Fruits and Nuts except there is no store. Just in case you did not realize that in this desert, they do not grow any fruits. On the other hand, looking at the number of folks getting stone drunk and blowing away money in the casino, I am not so sure about the nuts part 🙂

I saw this at a gas station yesterday. (no Premium available). If I understand how the different levels (of octane) work at gas stations, they really have only two underground tanks – the trucks pour is the highest level and the lowest level. And when you buy any middle level, the pump simply mixes the two in the proper ratio. This certainly simplifies inventory management and logistics. If that is correct, theoretically, you can never run out of Premium (highest level) without running out of all levels other than the lowest level.

Is that understanding correct? If so, how do you explain the picture?

The picture is not very clear. But if you observe closely, it would appear that I was on a five lane highway. Which I was. I-285 East bound. But then you realize that it appears that I am headed the wrong way on the highway. You can see the concrete medians and on the other side you can see some traffic and road signs. And on my side, the trucks and cars were headed against me! And indeed I was driving the wrong way on I-285 East bound.

It did not start that way. I was busy cruising on the highway to office after a breakfast meeting. (driving in the right direction, needless to say; although I am not above driving the other way once I spot my office 🙂 ). Suddenly all traffic came to a stop. And I could see a cop car coming our way from the front with all lights and honks blaring.

After stopping in front us (and blocking us off) two cops got out and were busy talking on their communication system. I was the second car in the lineup in my lane but I could not see what was happening in the front. I figured some road accident must have occurred and in a few minutes, they would move the cars and anybody hurt to the side of the road and we would be good to go.

After ten minutes, we still had not moved. However, the cops came to each car and informed as that an aircraft had crashed ahead. I assumed it was a small passenger plane taking off or landing in PDK. I asked him what our options were at that point of time. He let me know that they are getting reinforcements to help up back out till the previous exit and get off the highway.

Indeed, in five minutes, I could see in my rearview mirror that the cars and trucks were starting to slowly go back out in their lanes. However, soon, it was absolute mayhem. Clearly, while a lot of drivers know how to drive forward in a lane, they have no idea how to go in reverse in their lanes. There was an old lady who was totally confused. And an Asian lady tried to back her big van into the next lane and blocked two lanes in the process. Of course, there were others, who seemed to have lost the fact that a few more minutes was not going to make them any more late to wherever they were going than they already were, started honking impatiently.

Like stress brings the worst out of some people, it sometimes brings the best out of some people. A couple of truck drivers realizing that the cops were outnumbered, got down and started directing traffic. In the confusion, another driver and myself got down too and lent them a hand. In particular, that Asian lady – I got her to get down, turned her van around and gave it back to her. Finally, a truck driver came and told me “Now, it is your turn”.

And that’s how, I whizzed past all the trucks driving down the wrong way till I reached the previous exit.

You won’t realize when you see the picture the first time..
At first glance, this looks like a clean shot of the Atlanta airport at full length of the terminals with the runways on both sides visible.
The frequent fliers will realize that this is a near impossible shot. When you are taking off or landing, you can never reach a height required to get such a clean shot. And that is true. And when you do reach such a height you are usually far away from the airport. In fact, strictly speaking, you have to be in a restricted zone – usually a few thousand feet right above a runway to get that shot.
So, you are probably wondering what happened. Well, we had to abort our landing. Third time in my flying life. The tow vehicle pulling a plan got stuck while crossing a runway and the runway had to be shut down a few seconds before we were to touch down.
The safest maneuver at that point was to not try to bank left or right but fly right over the runway while gaining height (remember there is no flight taking off from that runway since it is shut down) and then bank only when you get to a normal take off flight route.
I had scramble fast to get my phone out and take the shot…

After we settled down in our flight to Lexington (from Atlanta), the Delta lady came over the PA system. She started by “Welcome to our non-stop flight to Lexington” immediately followed by “Today’s flight will be a short 46 minute ride”.

And I am like – “What do you mean ‘non-stop’ ??? What are the other options? It is a 46 minute flight for crying out loud. Do the other flights to Lexington have to stop to refuel after 30 minutes?” 🙂

But I let it be since she got me a nice gin and tonic after her announcement 🙂