With the constant inflow of information from all and sundry, about plausible or probable causes or likely scenarios, we now know about primary and secondary transponders; black box (actually orange in colour) and its uses; satellite images and their limitations; flight simulators and their uses and abuses; capabilities as well as limitations (mainly to safeguard national security) of radar monitors; and so on.
We have learned more about geography, especially where the oceans are and how deep they could be.
We have also learned how unprepared we are in case of hostile aircrafts entering our airspace. This is not unexpected when dealing with security: when nothing happens, it can be boring for those in charge to be constantly on the alert.
Though the incident has shown how cooperative the 25 countries can be in their joint efforts to locate the missing plane, it also highlighted the reluctance to divulge certain information which could undermine each country's national defence capability.
With the daily press conferences given by acting Transport Minister, DCA chief, MAS CEO, and occasionally, by some other ministers or relevant officers, the importance of English as an international language of communication has also been highlighted. Those with foreign education like Hishamuddin and Najib had confidence in putting across their points, though they are hampered by the lack of information to offer and the latter was known to have avoided answering any questions from the floor.
One thing I noticed is that we had been fooled by some TV films and series which gave us the wrong impression that the latest technologies on satellites and the cyberworld could do wonders within seconds. Recently, I watched an episode of Hawaii 5 'O' which showed how easy it was for someone with the right knowledge to hijack a plane using a notebook remotely. It was also easy for someone from 5 'O' to counter the hijack and arrest the culprit in time. Though it is not impossible for such things to happen, the fast-tracking of the scenes in an episode gave us the wrong impression that almost anything could be done with the timely press of the right buttons!
The reality of MH370 is such that the latest satellite images from Australia could not be confirmed immediately, and to get to the right location would take at least 2 to 3 days! A couple of planes tried but could not locate the debris. We were told that planes or ships have to make sure they have sufficient fuel to search and to return back to base! A warship using nuclear power is more helpful where this is concerned.
So far, no cost is spared in the efforts to locate the missing plane. But finance is something which will crop up later. The big brothers like US, Australia and China (almost two thirds of passengers are from China) are obliged to help, in the hope that they can show off their capability if any search is proven positive. In comparison, host country Malaysia is seen as lacking in assets as well as reluctance to use its own submarine, for instance, for this vital search and rescue mission to locate its own plane.
By the way, we taught the world how to be more specific in describing family ties:
Christianne Amanpour, quoting from Anwar’s press secretary, had asked Anwar to confirm if Zaharie was indeed his "son’s wife’s mother’s father’s brother’s son".
We can't be more specific than that, can we? In other words, Zaharie was Anwar's daughter-in-law's uncle, or her mother's cousin, descriptions of which are rather vague to us, Asians.
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We have learned more about geography, especially where the oceans are and how deep they could be.
We have also learned how unprepared we are in case of hostile aircrafts entering our airspace. This is not unexpected when dealing with security: when nothing happens, it can be boring for those in charge to be constantly on the alert.
Though the incident has shown how cooperative the 25 countries can be in their joint efforts to locate the missing plane, it also highlighted the reluctance to divulge certain information which could undermine each country's national defence capability.
With the daily press conferences given by acting Transport Minister, DCA chief, MAS CEO, and occasionally, by some other ministers or relevant officers, the importance of English as an international language of communication has also been highlighted. Those with foreign education like Hishamuddin and Najib had confidence in putting across their points, though they are hampered by the lack of information to offer and the latter was known to have avoided answering any questions from the floor.
One thing I noticed is that we had been fooled by some TV films and series which gave us the wrong impression that the latest technologies on satellites and the cyberworld could do wonders within seconds. Recently, I watched an episode of Hawaii 5 'O' which showed how easy it was for someone with the right knowledge to hijack a plane using a notebook remotely. It was also easy for someone from 5 'O' to counter the hijack and arrest the culprit in time. Though it is not impossible for such things to happen, the fast-tracking of the scenes in an episode gave us the wrong impression that almost anything could be done with the timely press of the right buttons!
The reality of MH370 is such that the latest satellite images from Australia could not be confirmed immediately, and to get to the right location would take at least 2 to 3 days! A couple of planes tried but could not locate the debris. We were told that planes or ships have to make sure they have sufficient fuel to search and to return back to base! A warship using nuclear power is more helpful where this is concerned.
So far, no cost is spared in the efforts to locate the missing plane. But finance is something which will crop up later. The big brothers like US, Australia and China (almost two thirds of passengers are from China) are obliged to help, in the hope that they can show off their capability if any search is proven positive. In comparison, host country Malaysia is seen as lacking in assets as well as reluctance to use its own submarine, for instance, for this vital search and rescue mission to locate its own plane.
By the way, we taught the world how to be more specific in describing family ties:
Christianne Amanpour, quoting from Anwar’s press secretary, had asked Anwar to confirm if Zaharie was indeed his "son’s wife’s mother’s father’s brother’s son".
We can't be more specific than that, can we? In other words, Zaharie was Anwar's daughter-in-law's uncle, or her mother's cousin, descriptions of which are rather vague to us, Asians.
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