begin Brian Lloyd quotation:
> Sameer Verma wrote:
> >The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) has
> >found a novel use for Wi-Fi. It has started using the wireless
> >networking technology to control trains remotely.
> >http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/69/34101.html
>
> Oh man, will crackers have a ball with that one! Can we say,
> "denial of service," boys and girls? I knew you could! Suzie, what
> do you think will happen when the nice engineer can't run his train
> anymore?
Fortunately, all railway systems are fail-safe, so that the
failure of any one component causes a full stop. The biggest worry
for most train operators is automobiles on the tracks, but #2 is that
they'll miss a cue and the automated emergency brakes will kick in.
Air brakes engage when they lose pressure, the magnetic
tripwires use electricity to *deactivate* the emergency brake, and
block signals go red in the event of a short anywhere in the system.
It's amazing how much crap automobile drivers put up with that rail
systems don't have to worry about.
--
"Forget the damned motor car and build cities for lovers and friends."
-- Lewis Mumford
end
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