Old traditions

The children have all grown, had kids, moved too far away to visit.
The same friends call at Christmas, as they have for 25 years.
A little slower, a little frailer, a little more sallow
But everyone pretends not to notice.

Some say they can't drink, they're driving,
An excuse that would have never been heard 25 years ago.
A few still light cigarettes, but are now quickly chased outside.

The host still dresses as the naked crossword puzzle,
shimmying and dancing,
The clues have long been lost but everyone remembers the answers,
Or at least most of them do. 

As she fills in the letters, and the crossword dress slowly comes off,
Not as many eyes are sparkling,
Not as many tongues are wet.

Dinner is served with the same flair,
On 25 year old china, from a 25 year old hostess,
But now it is made with skim milk and margarine and salt replacement
Trying to make up for the excesses of the past.

The wine makes up for it,
A vintage they could have never afforded in their youth,
Which they pay dearly for today,
For someone else to cellar it for all these years.

After dinner Dad brings out his cherished vinyl collection.
An unused ipod sits nearby,
a gift from a child several Christmases ago.
Nobody knows how to use it.

The records are dusted and the stylus is delicately placed in the groove.
No one would have done that 25 years ago.
The strains of Sinatra pour out, no longer the freedom and excitement of youth,
Now laden heavy with time and memories and auld lang syne.

Yet people still dance under the mistletoe
And around the tree, and sit in front of the fire
To listen to stories, both old and new. 

People start to leave, much earlier than they did before.

These are the traditions people need
To remind themselves they are still here
And that there is more to come.
Even if they are completely changed, somehow they remain exactly the same.

Dreamliner

In the late 1990s, Boeing was working on a faster jumbo jet (the "Sonic Cruiser") to replace the ageing 747, which had been in service for almost 30 years.  However, following September 11 Boeing decided airlines were more interested in efficiency than speed, and so cancelled that project and started working on a new version of its mid-size 767 airplane.  In 2003 they announced the 787 and held an online public naming competition which resulted in "Dreamliner." It was unveiled in 2007 and expected to deliver in May 2008; however, significant delays meant its maiden flight did not occur until December 2009, and the first commercial flight in October 2011, and I rode on one for the first time in April 2014.

Boeing introduced several new technologies, including an all-composite body, but probably its biggest innovation was to introduce an "automobile" style manufacturing model, whereby subcontractors were responsible for delivering completed components, and Boeing engineers were responsible for final assembly.  (This is also what contributed to the significant delivery delays.)  35% of the airplane is actually built in Japan, and its wings are delivered in modified 747 cargo planes.

Using composite material instead of aluminum allows the internal cabin pressure to the equivalent of 6,000 feet altitude (compared to 8,000 feet on other aircraft) and maintain 15% humidity, which would rust a normal airplane.  (The air-conditioning system is also supposed to remove ozone, odors, viruses, bacteria, and allergens.)  The composite material also allows much larger windows, which are higher-up on the plane, theoretically allowing for a better view.  However, instead of window shades they used "electrochromism" glass, which means it can be darkened by applying electricity. I first read about this years ago in office buildings, but had never seen it before.  On the bright side (so pun intended) it meant flight attendants could control the brightness, so you weren't awakened (or your movie was washed out) because someone decided to open the window shade.  However, on my flight the windows were dark the entire time, you couldn't tell if it was day or night, and you couldn't see much outside.  That was a real disappointment.

The other disappointment was that, although Boeing had clearly thought about what airlines wanted, they hadn't really thought about what passengers want.  Don't get me wrong, I don't expect a fold-down seat in economy, but you still had tiny aisles with people constantly scurrying up and down, banging every seat.  You still had children screaming, and no place for to take them.  Loading and unloading are stuck painfully slow.  I'm not sure they could do anything about the loud snorers, but I can say that, despite the claims, the air con did nothing to help the smell of bad breath that pervaded the cabin by the end of the flight.  (Would it be too much to distribute mints half-way through the flight?)

We also had our fair share of turbulence, which was a direct result of Boeing's decision to attach the wings directly to the fuselage,  This is the equivalent of taking the suspension system out of your car, so that you feel every bump on the road.  In 1993 a company was developing "freewing" technology which would have meant the long wings could be buffeted by gusts while the fuselage remained stable, but unfortunately none of the large manufacturers were interested, and now the company is focused on unmanned vehicles where the payload (presumably a camera or a gun) could remain steady in any weather.  Nice to know a gun will have a more comfortable ride than you will.

(That is an industry shame equivalent to the Foveon sensor for digital cameras.)

 So in the end, I wasn't particularly impressed.  In all likelihood, I probably wouldn't have cared except for all the industry hype around the Dreamliner, and in fact I didn't even realise I was on a 787 until I disembarked and saw it painted on the airplane!

As for the Sonic Cruiser, Boeing arch-nemesis Airbus unveiled the A380 in October 2007.  Originally proposed in 1988, it had taken nearly 20 years to bring to fruition.  Similar in size, the 747 only has an upper deck along part of the fuselage, while the A380 has a double-decker configuration along the entire fuselage, meaning it I can carry 40% more passengers, and Airbus claims it is 15% more efficient than the 747.  As of 2014, Airbus has 324 orders and delivered 128 A380s, whereas Boeing has 1,031 orders and delivered 132 787s, despite entering the market 4 years later!  I have to say, I think Boeing made the right call on this one.