I recently had the opportunity to travel on an Airbus A380, the largest passenger aircraft built to date. The A380 has a full second floor in the hull.  It has a passenger capacity of over 550 in a typical 3 class configuration.  There are two staircases in the cabin.

Boarding can be tedious, given the volume of passengers. At CDG, we boarded through two bilevel jetbridges in the 2F terminal.  I was one of the last 100 to board the plane, and waited approximately 45mins in line.  However, after everyone was situated, the flight was quite pleasant.

The most notable difference in the travel experience in the A380 was the smoothness in takeoff and landing.  There was little indication of the ground speed in takeoff, and the cabin was significantly more quiet than in other aircraft, presumably because the hull is much further from the engines.  I felt less exhausted after my flight, and the lack of perceived motion likely contributed to the flight experience.

All of the A380′s have personalized entertainment screens.  The software suite varies depending on the carrier, but is overall very good.  The touchscreens do suffer from decreased responsiveness, presumably due to a more budgetary resistive touchscreen interface.  Air France, the carrier I took, offers software downloads via the usb charging port.  Its software is still buggy, as the recipe downloads link to nonexistent files.  Hardware amenities in business and first class cabins include additional footrests, extra reclining space, AC power, snakelight reading lamps, and a coat rack.

The lavatories are clearly more updated in design compared to old craft.  As with other modern craft, the faucet has motion sensors, and the lighting has softer modified fluorescent/halogen bulbs.

Travel on the Airbus A380 was an overall pleasant experience.  The amenities will certainly vary depending on carrier, but most of the airlines that have this equipment (Qantas, Singapore, AF…etc) all have decent in-flight services.  The appeal, however, lies in the double decker configuration.  There is something to be said about being able to walk a flight of stairs in mid-flight.

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The majority of newer public restrooms have incorporated touch-free technologies that helps us avoid “contaminating” our hands with germs. Airports were one of the earliest adopters of hands-free flushing, faucet use, soap dispensing, and towel dispensing. Our hospital, too, now has these devices in the newer wings.

The irony, however, of hands-free technology is that it’s almost never incorporated in the restroom door! Aside from the handicap entrances, every single door I’ve seen requires you to turn the handle, and violate your recently cleaned hands!

These same thoughts have crossed others as well. Some people wait until someone else enters the restroom before dashing out. Others use a paper towel to grasp the door handle.  Whatever the case may be, urban planning came up short this time.

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I wandered into the local Banana Republic the day after Christmas. They had a 50% off every item in the store if the item was purchased before noon. Luckily for everyone, they passed out tags to all customers who entered the store before noon, since the checkout line was packed. One shopper waited 50 minutes to pay for her items. Click the image for a montage.

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Some of my holiday obligations to family always include fixing computers, rewiring home outlets, repairing broken fixtures, and plumbing.

Yes, plumbing. Sort of like cath-lab work and stenting vessels, right? Nothing like cataract surgery.

One of the plumbing jobs I encountered this year involved this:

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New entries will be back soon! Stay tuned!

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