Basic insights into my planned PSM project

After toying with the blog system to get myself more familiar to the Blogger system by posting some off-topic items, it is time to get more concentrated on the PSM itself.

Basically what the system I'm planning to do, provided it's approved by the PSM commitee, is about passenger tracking system for those with Special Service Requests (SSRs) uasing RFID system. That's especially useful to track unaccompanied minors. BTW I used to be kinda fidgety and wouldn't stay seated but luckily I didn't end up boarding a flight to nowhere like this poor child (discussions about the event).

I originally intended to integrate the RFID system into PNR (passenger name record) database, since SSR supplements PNR, but instead I'm thinking of making it an entirely independent system due to:

1. different airlines may have different PNR formats, especially among LCCs and non-IATA airlines, and

2. I doubt any airlines or travel agents will provide me sufficient information on how to decode this (sourced from here):

MPM304/JC YULOU 2GM3/JC AG 69145576 22FEB
1.1CLIENT/ALLAN
1 AC 105Y 21DEC YYZYVR BK1 0715 0916 FR
2 AC3992Y 28DEC YVRYYZ BK1 1430 2141 FR
FONE-YULAS/514-874-0202 BSP CANADA IDS/69145576-JOAN
FOP:-AX370000000000028/D1201/C1234ABC33
TKTG-T/
TRMK-G*RC/91

All I know from this record field is that someone named Allan has booked on 22 February a return trip from Toronto (YYZ) to Vancouver (YVR) on Air Canada (AC) flights AC105, departing at 0715 on 21st December,  and returning aboard  AC3992 at 1430 on 28th December, aboard Economy Class (Y) on both legs. There's no indication that Allan has requested any SSR, but that's beside the point.

Seeing these circumstances, I'm thinking of implementing the system by coding the passenger's name and the details into whatever space available in the RFID tag, rather than retrieve it from PNR. I'll probably use Java for this system, but I'm still looking for an appropriate database system.

More updates to come when I come across some ideas.

More info regarding SSR codes. Not all of the codes are within the scope of the system.

Guangzhou Student Rides Chopper to School

Guangzhou Daily reports that a video of a student travelling to his school by riding the chopper to supposedly beat the traffic has been widely watched and commented throughout the web. According to sources the chopper belongs to his father.

The high school has confirmed the event, but also noted that the event happened two years ago, and happened only just once.

Isn't this a sign that there are more and more spoiled, pampered, nouveau riche  brats in China?

Proof that SMS can be hazardous to yor health

A Staten Island (at NY) teenage girl fell into a manhole while texting on her message. She is now blaming this on the department who manage the sewage system for not covering up the manhole or putting up cones. Lawsuit may come later.

That's your stereotype American at its finest everyone!

Read more at: http://www.dailytech.com/Teenager+Falls+Into+Manhole+While+Texting/article15661.htm

My academic schedule for 2009/2010/1

This semester's schedule is quite peculliar to say the least, you'll see what I mean:

Monday:

8-10am Internetworking

11am-1pm Cryptography

4-6pm Theory of Computer Science

Tuesday:

8-9am Theory of Computer Science

9-10am Cryptography

10-11am Network Programming

11am-1pm PSM1

2-4pm Internetworking Lab

8-10pm(!!) Network Programming (again)

Wednesday

9am-12pm SKK Special Topic - Wireless Programming

Thursday

(none)

Friday

(Updated) 8-11am IT Entrepreneurship <- we tried to move this somewhere else but failed

As always this is subject to changes.

Last update at 17th July.

1200 laptops lost weekly at LAX? WOW!!

Now that's an interesting news from LA Times - 12k laptops lost or stolen through American airports weekly, and Los Angeles Int'l (LAX) tops the list.

Read more at: http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/community/airport-surprise-1200-laptops/

Surely some people have either:
1. too much budget for their PC
2. has left the brains at home, or
3. both...

What's more, only 33% of them are ever reclaimed.

First post

Upon request of Dr Hazinah, to whom I shall express gratitute as being my supervisor, I created this blog for updates regarding the PSM so everyone can see the progress of the system I'm developing - as long as I remember to post that is...

But this blog won't be entirely consisted of PSM progress. I also plan to post something that are not related the PSM in between as long as they are of particular interest to me to make this blog more interesting.

That's all from me for this moment...