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Wimbledon’s history-making rule change comes into effect

<p dir="ltr">While Wimbledon is widely anticipated for its star-studded tennis line-up and fierce competition, the 2023 tournament is bringing something new to the table - or rather, to the dressing room. </p> <p dir="ltr">Since the tournament’s inception, the rules have required all players to wear white - including but not limited to the likes of bras and underwear - while competing in the prestigious event.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, in the wake of heavy criticism and petition from Wimbledon’s menstruating competitors, <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/beauty-style/wimbledon-to-make-key-change-to-all-white-dress-code">the All England Club finally relaxed the strict dress code</a>, allowing for players the opportunity to wear coloured undershorts rather than just white.</p> <p dir="ltr">And while the move was announced in 2022, the 2023 contest will be the first time players - and viewers - experience the update.</p> <p dir="ltr">Most were thrilled with the outcome, and were looking forward to reaping the benefits of the long-awaited update, but some players had their hesitations and weren’t sure if they’d be hopping onboard with the others. </p> <p dir="ltr">As 2022 Wimbledon finalist and Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur told <em>The Mirror</em>, there were “two things” holding her back. </p> <p dir="ltr">“One thing, it’s better definitely not to be paranoid,” she allowed, before noting that “the other thing, everybody will know that you have your period. So I’m not sure which part of it is good.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t think I’m going to wear anything,” she revealed. “If all the girls will wear it, I think it will make it better. But I think it’s a great thing that Wimbledon is trying to help women feel more comfortable on the court.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The campaign behind that ‘help’ skyrocketed in 2022 when Judy Murray - tennis coach and mother to Andy and Jamie Murray - declared her support for the cause. </p> <p dir="ltr">She later voiced her support for the update while speaking to <em>CLAY</em>, telling the publication that “it was many years ago that perhaps Wimbledon didn't understand the trauma of women players playing during the period, fearing what might happen if you wear white. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Thank goodness that's changed."</p> <p dir="ltr">And the people in charge had positive words to share on the matter too, with All England Club CEO Sally Bolton releasing a statement that read, "we are committed to supporting the players and listening to their feedback as to how they can perform at their best …</p> <p dir="ltr">"It is our hope that this rule adjustment will help players focus purely on their performance by relieving a potential source of anxiety."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Wimbledon to make key change to all-white dress code

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/beauty-style/female-tennis-stars-speak-out-against-all-white-wimbledon-dress-code" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wimbledon’s controversial all-white dress code</a> is expected to undergo a major change after the prestigious tennis competition faced months of pressure from female athletes.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 1880s rule restricts players to wearing only white clothing - including undergarments such as underwear and bras - and has been the subject of criticism for the toll it takes on female players in relation to their periods.</p> <p dir="ltr">Current guidelines require players to wear all-white, with undergarments that can be seen during play or because of sweat only allowed to have a “single trim of colour no wider than one centimetre”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Now, Wimbledon bosses are due to scrap the undergarments rule for female players, which will come into effect from 2023 and will allow for different coloured underwear and bras to be worn.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-be94bf8d-7fff-b809-228d-6418307f5490"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The archaic rule became the subject of widespread attention after stars spoke about the anxiety around getting their period while competing, including Australian player Daria Saville who admitted she has needed to skip her period altogether and British star Heather Watson revealing she would likely take birth control to stop her period ahead of Wimbledon.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Wimbledon</a>, wanna chat periods? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AddressTheDressCode?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AddressTheDressCode</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wimbledon2022</a> <a href="https://t.co/mcjAioqMw4">pic.twitter.com/mcjAioqMw4</a></p> <p>— gabs (@gabriellaholmez) <a href="https://twitter.com/gabriellaholmez/status/1543197239182508033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">At the same time,the rule drew fresh criticism when Romanian player Mihaela Buzarnescu was forced to swap her bra for her coach’s prior to her first-round match in July, after officials noticed hers was too dark.</p> <p dir="ltr">"My bustier was too black and could be seen up here," she told <em>Eurosport </em>at the time.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The white one I had was too transparent and you could see everything underneath and I couldn't wear it, so I borrowed from my coach, I took her bustier.”</p> <p dir="ltr">A group of protestors also made headlines during the ladies’ singles final, gathering outside Wimbledon dressed in white shirts and red undershorts with signs reading “About bloody time”, “Address the dress code” and “You can do it Ian Hewitt”, referring to the All England Club chairman.</p> <p dir="ltr">Gabriella Holmes and Holly Gordon, who organised the campaign Address the Dress Code to highlight the anxiety women face while competing in all-white, were among those protesting, telling <em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jul/09/protesters-at-wimbledon-urge-end-to-all-white-dress-code-due-to-period-concerns#:~:text=3%20months%20old-,Protesters%20at%20Wimbledon%20urge%20end%20to%20all%2Dwhite,code%20due%20to%20period%20concerns&amp;text=Campaigners%20are%20urging%20Wimbledon%20organisers,female%20players%20who%20are%20menstruating." target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian</a></em> they began calling for change after opening up to each other about the challenges of playing sport while menstruating.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4648f22f-7fff-ec3f-f7cf-70fda8b1b488"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“We’ve come down today because we want Wimbledon to address the white dress code that doesn’t take into consideration female athletes on their periods,” Holmes said at the time.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/wimbledon-protest.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Members of the public have begun calling for action too, including Gabriella Holmes and Holly Gordon, the women who started the campaign Address the Dress Code. Image: Getty Images</em></p> <p dir="ltr">“We want to make it really known to Wimbledon that the rules they are making at the top, they’re all already filtering down to grassroots levels. We are already seeing tons of young girls who drop out of sports when they start their period or by the time they’ve hit puberty they’ve stopped sports altogether.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We think it’s the time to address those barriers for young girls getting into the sport and it starts at the top, so that’s Wimbledon. We want women to be able to focus on the tennis and on the sport and not have to worry about other factors when competing at this level.”</p> <p dir="ltr">More athletes have since spoken out about the issue, with Andy Murray’s mother and coach Judy describing it as a “traumatic experience” and noting that other sports had already dropped similar rules.</p> <p dir="ltr">“One of the biggest problems previously in sport was that it was always white shorts, white kit and so on in lots of different sports,” Murray told the <em>Daily Mail</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Everything was white. Nearly all sports have moved over to colour now.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think it’s certainly a much more open talking point, if you are wearing all white and then possibly have a leak while you’re playing.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdb5d9d2-7fff-1b1d-78e8-9e621ea27795"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“I cannot think of a much more traumatic experience than that.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Indeed, it is time to address the dress code in sports and especially in Tennis competitions like Wimbledon. #<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AddressTheDressCode?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AddressTheDressCode</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZMD9OXg1iN">https://t.co/ZMD9OXg1iN</a></p> <p>— OJEApads (@OJEApads) <a href="https://twitter.com/OJEApads/status/1555134095717441541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Since the announcement of the rule change, tennis icon Billie Jean King has slammed the rule, saying it was one of her biggest “pet peeves”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“My generation, we always worried because we wore all white all the time,” she told <em>CNN</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And it’s what you wear underneath that’s important for your menstrual period.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And we’re always checking whether we’re showing. You get tense about it because the first thing we are is entertainers and you want whatever you wear to look immaculate, look great. We’re entertainers. We’re bringing it to the people.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In a statement, the All England Club stated they were in discussions over ways to support players and prioritise women’s health.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f57600df-7fff-4a46-64e5-e21c91521e6c"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Prioritising women’s health and supporting players based on their individual needs is very important to us, and we are in discussions with the WTA, with manufacturers and with the medical teams about the ways in which we can do that,” the statement read.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Incredible teenage boy cracks coded coin in hours, but he isn’t the first

<p dir="ltr">Within hours of its release to the general public, a 14-year-old boy had cracked the codes hidden on <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/coins-covered-in-coded-clues-will-test-your-spy-skills" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a coin released by an Australian intelligence agency</a> - but some had solved them days earlier, due to an unusual legal rule.</p> <p dir="ltr">A 50-cent coin celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) was released last Thursday containing four levels of codes with hidden messages.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, the puzzles were already being discussed online ten days earlier, with some codes already being solved by August 20.</p> <p dir="ltr">This was due to requirements on the Australian Government to include the characters featured on the coin in legislation, available online, before the coin was made available to purchase on September 1.</p> <p dir="ltr">As well as a celebration of the agency’s history, it’s hoped the coin will act as a kind of recruitment drive and attempt to raise the profile of the ASD among the general public, with the agency planning to recruit another 1,900 people over the next decade as part of a $9.9 billion expansion. </p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Richard Bean, a research fellow at the University of Queensland who solved the coin’s puzzles within two hours of getting his hands on it, said the move was about attracting those interested in a career with the ASD.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The kind of people who would sit down and solve this kind of code on the coin, they're the kind of people the ASD wants to attract — innovative thinkers to solve difficult problems in cryptography in both an offensive and defensive sense," Dr Bean said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"So solving other nation's codes and protecting Australian government communications security.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It's about attracting the right candidates and putting the ASD in their mind, instead of having to go out in traditional recruitment channels."</p> <p dir="ltr">But let’s go back to our teenage whiz kid.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though the Tasmanian boy’s identity hasn’t been revealed, it’s clear he has talent and instinct according to Distinguished Professor Willy Susilo, who also directs the Institute of Cybersecurity and Cryptology at the University of Wollongong.</p> <p dir="ltr">“[What] is very important is actually not about whether you can crack the code or not, [what] is important is the thinking behind it, how to solve this kind of puzzle,” he told the <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-05/how-to-solve-spy-australian-signals-directorate-50-cent-coin/101405266" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“To me, I think to get a person who, especially in this case, is 14 years old, can crack the code within just one or two hours is actually incredible in my opinion.</p> <p dir="ltr">"That really is the kind of skill needed in the Australian Signals Directorate." </p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3c09a93f-7fff-0213-b8af-6fb92c5ceeed"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: ASD</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Instagram and Facebook are stalking you on websites accessed through their apps. What can you do about it?

<p>Social media platforms have had some bad <a href="https://theconversation.com/concerns-over-tiktok-feeding-user-data-to-beijing-are-back-and-theres-good-evidence-to-support-them-186211" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press</a> in recent times, largely prompted by the vast extent of their data collection. Now Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has upped the ante.</p> <p>Not content with following every move you make on its apps, Meta has reportedly devised a way to also know everything you do in external websites accessed <em>through</em> its apps. Why is it going to such lengths? And is there a way to avoid this surveillance?</p> <p><strong>‘Injecting’ code to follow you</strong></p> <p>Meta has a custom in-app browser that operates on Facebook, Instagram and any website you might click through to from both these apps.</p> <p>Now ex-Google engineer and privacy researcher Felix Krause has discovered this proprietary browser has additional program code inserted into it. Krause developed a tool that <a href="https://krausefx.com/blog/ios-privacy-instagram-and-facebook-can-track-anything-you-do-on-any-website-in-their-in-app-browser?utm_source=tldrnewsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> Instagram and Facebook added up to 18 lines of code to websites visited through Meta’s in-app browsers.</p> <p>This “code injection” enables user tracking and overrides tracking restrictions that browsers such as Chrome and Safari have in place. It allows Meta to collect sensitive user information, including “every button and link tapped, text selections, screenshots, as well as any form inputs, like passwords, addresses and credit card numbers”.</p> <p>Krause published his <a href="https://krausefx.com/blog/ios-privacy-instagram-and-facebook-can-track-anything-you-do-on-any-website-in-their-in-app-browser?utm_source=tldrnewsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">findings</a> online on August 10, including samples of the <a href="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/pcm.js" target="_blank" rel="noopener">actual code</a>.</p> <p>In response, Meta has said it isn’t doing anything users didn’t consent to. A Meta spokesperson said:</p> <blockquote> <p>We intentionally developed this code to honour people’s [Ask to track] choices on our platforms […] The code allows us to aggregate user data before using it for targeted advertising or measurement purposes.</p> </blockquote> <p>The “code” mentioned in the case is <a href="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/pcm.js" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pcm.js</a> – a script that acts to aggregate a user’s browsing activities. Meta says the script is inserted based on whether users have given consent – and information gained is used only for advertising purposes.</p> <p>So is it acting ethically? Well, the company has done due diligence by informing users of its intention to collect <a href="https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an expanded range</a> of data. However, it stopped short of making clear what the full implications of doing so would be.</p> <p>People might give their consent to tracking in a more general sense, but “informed” consent implies full knowledge of the possible consequences. And, in this case, users were not explicitly made aware their activities on other sites could be followed through a code injection.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Facebook reached out to me, saying the system they’ve built honours the user’s ATT choice.</p> <p>However, this doesn’t change anything about my publication: The Instagram iOS app is actively injecting JavaScript code into all third party websites rendered via their in-app browser. <a href="https://t.co/9h0PIoIOSS">pic.twitter.com/9h0PIoIOSS</a></p> <p>— Felix Krause (@KrauseFx) <a href="https://twitter.com/KrauseFx/status/1557777320546635776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><strong>Why is Meta doing this?</strong></p> <p>Data are the central commodity of Meta’s business model. There is astronomical value in the amount of data Meta can collect by injecting a tracking code into third-party websites opened through the Instagram and Facebook apps.</p> <p>At the same time, Meta’s business model is being threatened – and events from the recent past can help shed light on why it’s doing this in the first place.</p> <p>It boils down to the fact that Apple (which owns the Safari browser), Google (which owns Chrome) and the Firefox browser are all actively placing restrictions on Meta’s ability to collect data.</p> <p>Last year, Apple’s iOS 14.5 update came alongside a <a href="https://www.apple.com/au/privacy/control/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requirement</a> that all apps hosted on the Apple app store must get users’ explicit permission to track and collect their data across apps owned by other companies.</p> <p>Meta has <a href="https://krausefx.com/blog/ios-privacy-instagram-and-facebook-can-track-anything-you-do-on-any-website-in-their-in-app-browser?utm_source=tldrnewsletter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">publicly</a> said this single iPhone alert is costing its Facebook business US$10 billion each year.</p> <p>Apple’s Safari browser also applies a default setting to block all third-party “cookies”. These are little chunks of <a href="https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/definition/cookies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tracking code</a> that websites deposit on your computer and which tell the website’s owner about your visit to the site.</p> <p>Google will also soon be phasing out third-party cookies. And Firefox recently announced “total cookie protection” to prevent so-called cross-page tracking.</p> <p>In other words, Meta is being flanked by browsers introducing restrictions on extensive user data tracking. Its response was to create its own browser that circumvents these restrictions.</p> <p><strong>How can I protect myself?</strong></p> <p>On the bright side, users concerned about privacy do have some options.</p> <p>The easiest way to stop Meta tracking your external activities through its in-app browser is to simply not use it; make sure you’re opening web pages in a trusted browser of choice such as Safari, Chrome or Firefox (via the screen shown below).</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478879/original/file-20220812-20-6je7m8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478879/original/file-20220812-20-6je7m8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=548&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478879/original/file-20220812-20-6je7m8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=548&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478879/original/file-20220812-20-6je7m8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=548&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478879/original/file-20220812-20-6je7m8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=689&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478879/original/file-20220812-20-6je7m8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=689&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478879/original/file-20220812-20-6je7m8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=689&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></p> <p><em><span class="caption" style="color: #999999; text-align: center;">Click ‘open in browser’ to open a website in a trusted browser such as Safari.</span><span style="color: #999999; text-align: center;"> </span><span class="attribution" style="color: #999999; text-align: center;">screenshot</span></em></p> <figure class="align-right "><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p>If you can’t find this screen option, you can manually copy and paste the web address into a trusted browser.</p> <p>Another option is to access the social media platforms via a browser. So instead of using the Instagram or Facebook app, visit the sites by entering their URL into your trusted browser’s search bar. This should also solve the tracking problem.</p> <p>I’m not suggesting you ditch Facebook or Instagram altogether. But we should all be aware of how our online movements and usage patterns may be carefully recorded and used in ways we’re not told about. Remember: on the internet, if the service is free, you’re probably the product. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188645/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-tuffley-13731" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Tuffley</a>, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics &amp; CyberSecurity, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Griffith University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/instagram-and-facebook-are-stalking-you-on-websites-accessed-through-their-apps-what-can-you-do-about-it-188645" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

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Indian airline cracks the code to halving disembark times

<p dir="ltr">A low-cost Indian airline has come up with a game-changing solution to get passengers off planes quicker during disembarking. </p> <p dir="ltr">A lot of planes rely on one door at the front of the plane to get travellers off the aircraft when they arrive at their destination.</p> <p dir="ltr">This often means passengers at the back of the plane have to let hundreds of others off the plane before they get the chance to disembark in an orderly fashion. </p> <p dir="ltr">To combat the wait, some airlines, including Virgin Australia and Qantas-owned Jetstar, regularly allow passengers to disembark from a set of stairs at the rear of the plane. </p> <p dir="ltr">But India’s largest carrier IndiGo has gone one step further and has introduced a third door for passengers to exit through.</p> <p dir="ltr">They have utilised the door in the middle of the plane, which is only ever used in an emergency, as another exit for passengers. </p> <p dir="ltr">The carrier reckons it could almost halve the time it takes to get passengers off the plane from up to 13 minutes to a mere seven minutes.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The new Three-Point Disembarkation process will be carried out from two forward and one rear exit ramp, making IndiGo the first airline to use this process,” an IndiGo spokesman told India’s <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indigo-introduces-process-for-faster-de-boarding-of-passengers-101659598634339.html">Hindustan Times</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr">A video uploaded by Indian business journalist Sumit Chaturvedi shows the new process with passengers leaving an IndiGo Airbus A320 aircraft via the various ramps.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Indian carrier Indigo today introduced a new Three Point Disembarkation <br />which it claims will enable its customers to exit the aircraft faster than before. The new process <br />will be carried out from two forward and one rear exit ramp. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiGo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ChhaviLeekha?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChhaviLeekha</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/IndiGo6E?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IndiGo6E</a> <a href="https://t.co/n7Xajg8dk0">pic.twitter.com/n7Xajg8dk0</a></p> <p>— Sumit Chaturvedi (@joinsumit) <a href="https://twitter.com/joinsumit/status/1555098794609455104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“An A320 aircraft usually takes around 13 minutes for its passengers to de-board the aircraft. However, the new process will make the drill faster and will reduce the disembarkation time from 13 minutes to seven minutes,” an IndiGo spokesman said.</p> <p dir="ltr">As well as being a major bonus for anxious passengers who are eager to make a swift exit from the plane, the changes could also greatly help the airline. </p> <p dir="ltr">The quicker passengers can leave the plane, the shorter the turnaround time to get it back in the air with more fare-paying passengers on board.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the revolutionary change exciting many, others are sceptical at the airline’s claims. </p> <p dir="ltr">Ben Schlappig of US aviation blog<a href="https://onemileatatime.com/news/indigo-deplaning-a320-three-doors/"> One Mile At A Time </a>questioned if all the claimed time savings would occur in real-life settings. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The process of actually getting out the door is one bottleneck, but I’d think that getting down the aisle is another thing that takes time, and that’s still an issue, even with a second door in the front.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em><span id="docs-internal-guid-9300df50-7fff-1f10-f327-9cda09fc8532"></span></p>

Travel Tips

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Female tennis stars speak out against all-white Wimbledon dress code

<p dir="ltr">Wimbledon, one of the most long standing and prestigious tennis competitions on the sporting calendar, is steeped in tradition, including a strict all-white dress code for its players.</p> <p dir="ltr">While Nick Kyrgios came under fire for wearing red shoes and a red cap on the court, female players have spoken out about the anxiety the dress code causes when it comes to a common experience: periods.</p> <p dir="ltr">Aussie player Daria Saville told <em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CfpkO3ChCzY/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Aus</a></em> she has needed to skip her period as a result of the dress code, while others have spoken about the stress that comes from worrying about bleeding through their ‘Wimbledon whites’.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Recently just being at Wimbledon, I was talking with my friends saying that I love the all-white look,” the no. 98 told the outlet.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But then a few girls said they hate it because it sucks to wear all white while being on your period.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a4d3f821-7fff-b193-7108-8df2c756bfeb"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s true, I myself had to skip my period around Wimbledon for the reason that I didn’t want to worry about bleeding through, as we already have enough stress.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">As we enter the last week of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wimbledon</a>, we think its time to have a real discussion around the all white dress code and how it feeds period shame amongst professionals and young girls. <a href="https://t.co/oKhDXB2Jo9">https://t.co/oKhDXB2Jo9</a></p> <p>— holly (@hollygordonn) <a href="https://twitter.com/hollygordonn/status/1543877058496978944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Wimbledon’s strict dress code was written in the 1880s, when any form of sweat on an athlete’s clothing was considered improper and rude, with “undergarments” that are visible or could be visible because of sweat also subject to the rule.</p> <p dir="ltr">The all-white attire was believed to minimise the visibility of sweat while helping the players stay cool, according to <em><a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/article/female-tennis-stars-detail-anxiety-of-strict-wimbledon-dress-code/m1zsxut2i" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SBS</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">As beneficial as it may be to help players stay cool in hotter temperatures, its impact on female players seems to outweigh any benefits, with some athletes even turning to birth control to skip their period around the competition.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ll probably go on the pill just to skip my period for Wimbledon,” British player Heather Watson recently told the <em>BBC</em>. “That’s the thought process and the conversation girls have around it.”</p> <p dir="ltr">British star Alicia Barnett recently opened up about the mental stress of wearing white while on her period, all while also dealing with the accompanying symptoms that impact her performance.</p> <p dir="ltr">In an interview with the PA news agency, she said that though she loves the tradition, “some traditions could be changed” in her opinion.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I, for one, am a massive advocate for women’s rights and I think having this discussion is just amazing, that people are now talking about it,” Barnett said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Personally, I love the tradition of all-whites and I think we will handle it pretty well.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think being on your period on tour is hard enough, but to wear whites as well isn’t easy.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Reflecting on the physical impact of menstruation on performance, Barnett told PA: “Your body feels looser, your tendons get looser, sometimes you feel like you’re a lot more fatigued, sometimes your coordination just feels really off, and for me I feel really down and it’s hard to get motivation.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Obviously, you’re trying to play world-class tennis but it’s really hard when you're PMS-ing and you feel bloated and tired.<br />“Why do we need to be shy about talking about it?”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-1f2b69c7-7fff-fa34-f9df-adc49784764e"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Former athlete Monica Puig addressed the issue on Twitter in May, responding to commentator David Law’s tweet where he revealed that he had never considered the physical impact of menstruation on athletes during his 25 years working in tennis.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Definitely something that affects female athletes! Finally bringing it to everyone’s attention! Not to mention the mental stress of having to wear all white at Wimbledon and praying not to have your period during those two weeks. <a href="https://t.co/PzyHnPlSJk">https://t.co/PzyHnPlSJk</a></p> <p>— Monica Puig (@MonicaAce93) <a href="https://twitter.com/MonicaAce93/status/1531588251642912768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Definitely something that affects female athletes!” Puig wrote in response. “Finally bringing it to everyone’s attention! Not to mention the mental stress of having to wear all white at Wimbledon and praying not to have your period during those two weeks.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Law is among a growing number of commentators also addressing the issue, including The Tennis Podcast host Catherine Whitaker, who has said the dress code has outlived its time and has called for the rules to be more flexible.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I would like to see it change,” she said in one interview. “If they had a clothing policy that affected men in the way that it does women, I don’t think that particular tradition would last.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I cannot imagine going into the biggest day of my life, with my period, and being forced to wear white.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d7e8b3a1-7fff-1842-646a-9329fcbc23a1"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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How QR codes work and what makes them dangerous – a computer scientist explains

<p>Among the many changes brought about by the pandemic is the widespread use of QR codes, graphical representations of digital data that can be printed and later scanned by a smartphone or other device.</p> <p>QR codes have a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/03/25/how-the-pandemic-saved-the-qr-code-from-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wide range of uses</a> that help people avoid contact with objects and close interactions with other people, including for sharing <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/21/qr-codes-have-replaced-restaurant-menus-industry-experts-say-it-isnt-a-fad.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restaurant menus</a>, email list sign-ups, car and home sales information, and checking in and out of medical and professional appointments.</p> <p>QR codes are a close cousin of the bar codes on product packaging that cashiers scan with infrared scanners to let the checkout computer know what products are being purchased.</p> <p>Bar codes store information along one axis, horizontally. QR codes store information in both vertical and horizontal axes, which allows them to hold significantly more data. That extra amount of data is what makes QR codes so versatile.</p> <p><strong>Anatomy of a QR code</strong></p> <p>While it is easy for people to read Arabic numerals, it is hard for a computer. Bar codes encode alphanumeric data as a series of black and white lines of various widths. At the store, bar codes record the set of numbers that specify a product’s ID. Critically, data stored in bar codes is redundant. Even if part of the bar code is destroyed or obscured, it is still possible for a device to read the product ID.</p> <p>QR codes are designed to be scanned using a camera, such as those found on your smartphone. QR code scanning is built into many camera apps for Android and iOS. QR codes are most often used to store web links; however, they can store arbitrary data, such as text or images.</p> <p>When you scan a QR code, the QR reader in your phone’s camera deciphers the code, and the resulting information triggers an action on your phone. If the QR code holds a URL, your phone will present you with the URL. Tap it, and your phone’s default browser will open the webpage.</p> <p>QR codes are composed of several parts: data, position markers, quiet zone and optional logos.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><em><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451140/original/file-20220309-17-1jkfl5t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451140/original/file-20220309-17-1jkfl5t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451140/original/file-20220309-17-1jkfl5t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451140/original/file-20220309-17-1jkfl5t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451140/original/file-20220309-17-1jkfl5t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451140/original/file-20220309-17-1jkfl5t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=467&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451140/original/file-20220309-17-1jkfl5t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=467&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451140/original/file-20220309-17-1jkfl5t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=467&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="a black-and-white pattern with four numerical markers attached to arrows pointing to portions of the pattern" /></a></em><figcaption><em><span class="caption">The QR code anatomy: data (1), position markers (2), quiet zone (3) and optional logos (4).</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scott Ruoti</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY-ND</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p>The data in a QR code is a series of dots in a square grid. Each dot represents a one and each blank a zero in binary code, and the patterns encode sets of numbers, letters or both, including URLs. At its smallest this grid is 21 rows by 21 columns, and at its largest it is 177 rows by 177 columns. In most cases, QR codes use black squares on a white background, making the dots easy to distinguish. However, this is not a strict requirement, and QR codes can use any color or shape for the dots and background.</p> <p>Position markers are squares placed in a QR code’s top-left, top-right, and bottom-left corners. These markers let a smartphone camera or other device orient the QR code when scanning it. QR codes are surrounded by blank space, the quiet zone, to help the computer determine where the QR code begins and ends. QR codes can include an optional logo in the middle.</p> <p>Like barcodes, QR codes are designed with data redundancy. Even if as much as 30% of the QR code is destroyed or difficult to read, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-a-qr-code?op=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the data can still be recovered</a>. In fact, logos are not actually part of the QR code; they cover up some of the QR code’s data. However, due to the QR code’s redundancy, the data represented by these missing dots can be recovered by looking at the remaining visible dots.</p> <p><strong>Are QR codes dangerous?</strong></p> <p>QR codes are not inherently dangerous. They are simply a way to store data. However, just as it can be hazardous to click links in emails, visiting URLs stored in QR codes can also be risky in several ways.</p> <p>The QR code’s URL can take you to a phishing website that tries to <a href="https://www.ic3.gov/Media/Y2022/PSA220118" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trick you</a> into entering your username or password for another website. The URL could take you to a legitimate website and trick that website into doing something harmful, such as giving an attacker access to your account. While such an attack requires a flaw in the website you are visiting, such vulnerabilities are <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Cross-site_scripting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">common on the internet</a>. The URL can take you to a malicious website that tricks another website you are logged into on the same device to take an unauthorized action.</p> <p>A malicious URL could open an application on your device and cause it to take some action. Maybe you’ve seen this behavior when you clicked a Zoom link, and the Zoom application opened and automatically joined a meeting. While such behavior is ordinarily benign, an attacker could use this to trick some apps into revealing your data.</p> <p>It is critical that when you open a link in a QR code, you ensure that the URL is safe and comes from a trusted source. Just because the QR code has a logo you recognize doesn’t mean you should click on the URL it contains.</p> <p>There is also a slight chance that the app used to scan the QR code could contain a vulnerability that allows <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-protect-yourself-from-malicious-qr-codes-2487772" target="_blank" rel="noopener">malicious QR codes to take over your device</a>. This attack would succeed by just scanning the QR code, even if you don’t click the link stored in it. To avoid this threat, you should use trusted apps provided by the device manufacturer to scan QR codes and avoid downloading custom QR code apps.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/177217/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/scott-ruoti-1318954" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott Ruoti</a>, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tennessee-688" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Tennessee</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-qr-codes-work-and-what-makes-them-dangerous-a-computer-scientist-explains-177217" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

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Cracking the code of unbreakable phone screens

<div class="copy"> <p>Unbreakable phone screens might seem too good to be true, but some chemical engineers reckon they’ve cracked the secret, developing a new material that combines glass with nanocrystals to make a resilient screen that would produce high-quality images in phones, LEDs and computers.</p> <p>The breakthrough substance could even be used to make phone screens that double as solar panels.</p> <p>The technology revolves around <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/overcoming-atomic-level-perovskite-defects/" target="_blank">perovskites</a>: nanometre-sized crystals that have a range of exciting electrical properties, making them prime candidates for better solar cells, LEDs and touchscreens.</p> <p>While perovskites have had a few early commercial successes, their physical properties have mostly stopped them from getting far out of the lab.</p> <p>“The stability of perovskites is the most difficult challenge which has hindered their commercialisation,” says Professor Lianzhou Wang, a materials scientist at the University of Queensland and co-author on a paper describing the research, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abf4460" target="_blank">published</a> in <em>Science.</em></p> <p>Lead author Dr Jingwei Hou, also from UQ, says the material is “super sensitive to almost everything – oxygen, water, gas, temperature, and even sensitive to light.</p> <p>“I think it’s a fantastic material, but it doesn’t really make sense if we want to use it on a solar panel, or display, if it’s sensitive to light.”</p> <p>The researchers have overcome this sensitivity by figuring a way to encase lead-halide perovskites in glass.</p> <p>“We created a lot of very small, nano-sized pores within the glass,” explains Hou. “That offers a very nice host material environment for the perovskite.</p> <p>“If we just put those very small nanocrystals within the pores, they will be not only stabilised against all of the external environment…it also makes the perovskite somewhere between 100 to 1000 times more efficient.”</p> <p>At the level of nanometres, the material resembles a chocolate chip cookie. “The perovskite nanocrystals are the chocolate chips, and the glass surrounds them,” says Hou.</p> <p>The material is also much more durable than normal glass. “Conventional glass is so brittle [because] it’s really dense. If you zoom in and look at the molecular structure, it’s silicon, aluminium, oxygen – very densely packed atoms,” says Hou.</p> <p>“Once you apply any pressure or any mechanical force to it, there’s no way to get it relaxed, and that’s what leads to the breakage of chemical bonds.”</p> <p>The pores, on the other hand, allow the glass to absorb more stress.</p> <p>“This is really a kind of platform technology,” says Hou. “The pore size can be tuned, the chemistry can be tuned. So that means it can be used to host a different type of perovskite.”</p> <p>In the paper, the international team of researchers – who are based at the University of Leeds and the University of Cambridge in the UK, and Université Paris-Saclay in France – demonstrate several different types of “lead halide perovskite and metal-organic framework glasses”, all of which they’ve been able to create.</p> <p>As well as their potential applications in screens and LEDs, the glasses could be used to make higher-quality X-ray images and more efficient solar panels.</p> <p>“We’re looking at trying to combine a solar panel with a display,” says Hou.</p> <p>“Think about mobile phones, for example – when you use it, it will become a display. When you don’t use it, put it in the sunlight, it will charge the battery. So it’s one device for two functions.”</p> <p>Manufacture of the material is scalable, according to Hou, and the researchers are currently looking at building prototype devices with it.</p> <p>“We’re really confident that we’ll be able to generate devices in the next stage,” says Hou.</p> <p>“We are also looking for some industrial collaborators who are really interested in bringing this exciting material into the real world.”</p> <em>Image credits: Shutterstock            <!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --> <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=171112&amp;title=Cracking+the+code+of+unbreakable+phone+screens" alt="" width="1" height="1" /> <!-- End of tracking content syndication -->          </em></div> <div id="contributors"> <p><em>This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/materials/unbreakable-phone-screens/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian.</em></p> </div>

Technology

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What the code words and phrases used by cabin crew really mean

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most cabin crew members converse with each other in an interesting way to not alert passengers to their conversations. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Flying doctor Ben MacFarlane has spent a lot of time on planes, and has become privy to the unique ways cabin crew discuss parts of the job while in the air. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many of their phrases would seem like gibberish to the average flyer, but once you know what keywords to look out for, they all start to make sense. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are just a few of the phrases cabin crew have decoded for the flying doctor, as he told </span><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-9965305/Is-Tom-Cruise-board-crack-cabin-crew-code-hear-holiday-flights.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">MailOnline</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.  </span></p> <p><strong>“Is Tom Cruise on board?”</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you ever hear cabin crew use this phrase, it is actually not linked to the famous movie star being a passenger. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead, it refers to the identical pots of tea and coffee on the meal service trolleys, and helps staff identify which pot is which. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As Ben says, “</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">If 'Tom Cruise is on board' then crew are following T&amp;C positions that day.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Tea, Tom, is in the pot on the left of the cart. Coffee, Cruise, is in the identical pot on the right. Simples.”</span></p> <p><strong>“Do you want to sing or dance?”</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This phrase refers to the safety demonstration at the beginning of a flight.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Some crew like to have the microphone and read out the words of the PA,” said Ben.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Others prefer to stand in the cabin doing the actions with the seat belt and life jacket.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Pick the PA role and you sing. Do the demo and you dance.”</span></p> <p><strong>“Have you found Bob yet?”</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This phrase is more likely to be heard on a long haul flight when cabin crew have more time on their hands. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bob is not an individual person, but rather refers to the Best On Board. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the flying doctor, “Every cabin crew member looks for theirs: the most beautiful woman or hottest guy they fancy the most.”</span></p> <p><strong>“That’s my ABP”</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">ABP is cabin crew code for an Able-Bodied Person.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cabin crew often earmark a strong, able-bodied person to help in case of an emergency landing. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This person may be asked to organise passengers in a calm and orderly queue while waiting for emergency aids. </span></p> <p><strong>“I’m off to the coffins”</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This doesn’t refer to actual coffins, but a designated sleeping zone for cabin crew during a longer flight. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Following a ‘crew rest rota’, flight attendants punch a secret code into a secret door, climb the ladder and find half a dozen bunks built into the ceiling above the economy cabin,” says Ben.</span></p> <p><strong>“Have we met?”</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This doesn’t refer to introducing yourself, but rather to passenger’s seat belts being buckled for landing. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If one flight attendant is checking the cabin from front to back and the other is going from back to front, they have to say out loud that they've 'met' in the middle.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This then indicates that the plane is ready to make a safe landing. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have you ever heard these phrases used while flying? Let us know!</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Shutterstock</span></em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Can COVID vaccines affect my genetic code?

<p>The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are set to become the mainstay of Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout as the year progresses, according to the latest government projections <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-23/gov-projects-little-need-for-astrazeneca-after-october-covid19/100239442">released this week</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/06/covid-19-vaccination-covid-vaccination-allocations-horizons.pdf">From September</a>, up to an average 1.3m doses of the Pfizer vaccine plus another 125,000 doses of the yet-to-be approved Moderna vaccine are expected to be available per week. These figures are set to rise from October, as use of the AstraZeneca vaccine drops.</p> <p>Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines, which contain tiny fragments of the genetic material known as “messenger ribonucleic acid”. And if social media is anything to go by, <a href="https://twitter.com/AJ19803/status/1334476726022385666">some people</a> are concerned these vaccines can affect their genetic code.</p> <p>Here’s why the chances of that happening are next to zero and some pointers to how the myth came about.</p> <p><strong>Remind me, how do mRNA vaccines work?</strong></p> <p>The technology used in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is a way of giving your cells temporary instructions to make the <a href="https://theconversation.com/revealed-the-protein-spike-that-lets-the-2019-ncov-coronavirus-pierce-and-invade-human-cells-132183">coronavirus spike protein</a>. This protein is found on the surface of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The vaccines teach your immune system to protect you if you ever encounter the virus.</p> <p>The mRNA in the vaccine is taken up by the cells in your body, ending up in the liquid inside each cell known as the cytoplasm. Our cells naturally make <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3941114/">thousands of our own mRNAs</a> all the time (to code for a range of other proteins). So the vaccine mRNA is just another one. Once the vaccine mRNA is in the cytoplasm it’s used to make the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.</p> <p>The vaccine mRNA is <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-mrna-the-messenger-molecule-thats-been-in-every-living-cell-for-billions-of-years-is-the-key-ingredient-in-some-covid-19-vaccines-158511">short-lived</a> and is rapidly broken down after it’s done its job, as happens with all your other mRNA.</p> <p><a rel="noopener" href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408058/original/file-20210624-13-1w14e5y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408058/original/file-20210624-13-1w14e5y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Typical mammalian cell, showing different parts, such as nucleus and cytoplasm" /></a></p> <p><span class="caption">Vaccine mRNA is in the cytoplasm and once it’s done its job, it’s broken down.</span> </p> <p><strong>Here’s why the mRNA can’t insert into your genetic code</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>Your genetic code is made up of a different, but related, molecule to the vaccine mRNA, known as DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid. And mRNA can’t insert itself into your DNA for two reasons.</p> <p>One, both molecules have a different chemistry. If mRNAs could routinely insert themselves into your DNA at random, this would play havoc with how you produce proteins. It would also scramble your genome, which is passed on to future cells and generations. Life forms that do this would not survive. That’s why life has evolved for this <em>not</em> to happen.</p> <p>The second reason is vaccine mRNA and DNA are in two different parts of the cell. Our DNA stays in the nucleus. But vaccine mRNA goes straight to the cytoplasm, never entering the nucleus. There are no transporter molecules we know of that carry mRNA into the nucleus.</p> <p><strong>But aren’t there some exceptions?</strong></p> <p>There are some extremely rare exceptions. One is where genetic elements, known as <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/transposons-the-jumping-genes-518/">retro-transposons</a>, hijack cellular mRNA, convert it into DNA and insert that DNA back into your genetic material.</p> <p>This has occurred sporadically <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nrg2640">throughout evolution</a>, producing some ancient copies of mRNAs scattered throughout our genome, to form so-called <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-019-0196-1">pseudogenes</a>.</p> <p>Some <a href="https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Retrovirus">retroviruses</a>, such as HIV, also insert their RNA into our DNA, using similar methods to retro-transposons.</p> <p>However, there is a vanishingly small chance of a naturally occurring retro-transposon becoming active in a cell that has just received a mRNA vaccine. There’s also a vanishingly small chance of being infected with HIV at precisely the same time as receiving the mRNA vaccine.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408059/original/file-20210624-29-gcexgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408059/original/file-20210624-29-gcexgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Blood sample labelled with HIV - Test" /></a></p> <p><span class="caption">There’s a vanishingly small chance of being infected with HIV at precisely the same time as having an mRNA vaccine.</span> </p> <p>Even if a retro-transposon were to become active or a virus such as HIV were present, the chances of it finding the COVID vaccine mRNA, among the tens of thousands of natural mRNAs, is extremely unlikely. That’s because vaccine mRNA is degraded within <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18797453/">several hours</a> of entering the body.</p> <p>Even if vaccine mRNA did become a pseudogene, it would not produce the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but just one of the viral products, the harmless spike protein.</p> <p><strong>How do we actually know this?</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>We know of no studies looking for vaccine mRNA in the DNA of people who have been vaccinated. There is no scientific basis on which to suspect this insertion has happened.</p> <p>However, if these studies were to be carried out, they should be relatively straightforward. That’s because we can now <a href="https://cellandbioscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13578-019-0314-y">sequence DNA in single cells</a>.</p> <p>But in reality, it will be very hard to ever satisfy a naysayer who is convinced this genome insertion happens; they can always argue scientists need to look deeper, harder, in different people and in different cells. At some point this argument will need to be laid to rest.</p> <p><strong>So how did this myth come about?</strong></p> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2105968118">One study</a> reported evidence for coronavirus RNA integrating into the human genome in cells grown in the lab that had been infected with SARS-CoV-2.</p> <p>However, that paper did not look at the mRNA vaccine, lacked critical controls and <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.05.434119v1">has</a> <a rel="noopener" href="https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00294-21" target="_blank">since been discredited</a>.</p> <p>These types of studies also need to be seen in context of the public’s wariness of genetic technology more broadly. This includes <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt1099_941d" target="_blank">the public’s concerns</a> about genetically modified organisms (GMOs), for instance, over the past 20 years or so.</p> <p>But GMOs are different to the mRNA technology used to make COVID vaccines. Unlike GMOs, which are produced by inserting DNA into the genome, vaccine mRNA will not be in our genes or passed to the next generation. It’s broken down very quickly.</p> <p>In reality, mRNA technology has <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-mrna-vaccines-researchers-are-working-on-that-arent-covid-157858">all sorts of</a> <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/mrna-vaccine-revolution-katalin-kariko">applications</a>, beyond vaccines, including biosecurity and sustainable agriculture. So it would be a pity for these efforts to be held back by misinformation.</p> <p> </p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/archa-fox-1153308">Archa Fox</a>, Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jen-martin-17007">Jen Martin</a>, Leader, Science Communication Teaching Program, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/traude-beilharz-1240711">Traude Beilharz</a>, Assoc Professor ARC Future Fellow, Biochemistry &amp; Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/can-the-pfizer-or-moderna-mrna-vaccines-affect-my-genetic-code-162590" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>

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He’s human after all: Federer slapped with code violation

<p><span>The star can speak eight different languages, and now one of them has gotten him in trouble.</span></p> <p>Roger Federer faced off with a lineswoman on Tuesday after he was penalised for swearing on court during a thrilling five-set match at the Australian Open.</p> <p>The atmosphere was tense in Melbourne as the 20-time major winner trailed unseeded American Tennys Sandgren at Melbourne Park.</p> <p>During the third game of the third set, Federer began to become visibly frustrated as he swore on the court after hitting the net on a return shot.</p> <p>The commentators revealed that the tennis champion – who speaks eight languages – said an “R-rated German word.”</p> <p>Chair umpire Marijana Veljovic called a code violation for an “audible obscenity”, something the 38-year-old wasn’t expecting.</p> <p>“What did I say?” asked Federer, completely shocked as to how she understood him.</p> <p>Veljovic, who is Serbian, replied: “I can’t repeat that,” before saying that she heard him “very clearly.”</p> <p>A furious Federer then walked over to confront the lineswoman, before walking back to Veljovic who stood firmly on her decision.</p> <p>He then requested a medical timeout before returning to the court to hold serve.</p> <p>Speaking at the post-match press conference after a stunning victory, Federer, who was now much more relaxed admitted to swearing in two different languages.</p> <p>“It was a mix. Clearly she [the lineswoman] speaks mixed. Didn’t know that,” he said.</p> <p>“Next time I got to check the linespeople.”</p> <p>Federer, who was born in Basel, Switzerland, is fluent in German, French and English, and can also speak some Swedish, Spanish and Italian.</p>

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Queen’s secret code name revealed

<p>In their service of protecting the British monarch and head of state, the Queen’s security team has a range of protocols to follow, including using a code name for the royal when she is out on public engagements.</p> <p>According to a royal aide, security officers and staff refer to the Queen as “S” instead of Her Majesty.</p> <p>The aide, who was making a reconnaissance security trip in advance of a royal visit to a cathedral town, told <em><a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/10083887/queen-police-protection-officers-secret-code-name-sharon/">The Sun</a></em>: “She’s written down as S … It’s Sharon.”</p> <p>Royal historian Hugo Vickers said it is “highly likely” that the popular name is used for the Queen.</p> <p>“The purpose of any sobriquet is that it should be anonymous and memorable,” Vickers said.</p> <p>“If it can also be a bit mischievous and therefore all the more memorable, then that makes sense.”</p> <p>However, Vickers suggested S “might simply stand for Sovereign of course”.</p> <p>The Queen is not the only royal family member to have a secret nickname. According to <em><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7549745/The-Queen-called-Sharon-protection-officers-royal-aide-claims.html">Mail Online</a></em>, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have been given the code names David Stevens and Davina Scott respectively.</p> <p>Prince Philip also often refers to his wife as Lilibet, playing on her name Elizabeth.</p>

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Bridezilla reveals ridiculous dress code for guests based on how much they weigh

<p>A bride has come under fire for setting a very specific dress code for her wedding guests according to their weight.</p> <p>Taking to Facebook to share the ridiculous guidelines, one guest revealed the number of items the bride expects her guests to purchase for a choreographed group dance.</p> <p>“The dress code is very specific because it will be used to create an incredible visual effect,” wrote the bride.</p> <p>“If done right, it will make our synchronised dancing along the beach really pop.”</p> <p>If guests are female and weigh less than 71kg, they need to don a green velvet jumper, orange suede pants and a Burberry scarf.</p> <p>Those women who weigh above 72kg must opt for an all-black outfit consisting of pants, jumpers and shoes.</p> <p>Men are not exempt from the bizarre dress code either, with those weighing under 90kg expected to come in a purple fuzzy jacket, a soda hat, all white trainers and plain glow sticks.</p> <p>But if their weight is above 90kg, then they must come in a full camouflage with black sneakers.</p> <p>The bride-to-be has also set a strict dress code for children, requesting them to wear red from head to toe, as they will be used to create a heart.</p> <p>“It needs to be true red, not blood orange or some bulls***!” She said.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 281.1094452773614px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7822373/6hvdkel64c221.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4efdf2ca59094067a8e69a72b13b74bc" /></p> <p>But that’s not all, as after the dance routine, guests are expected to change into formal clothing as the wedding is held at an “extremely upscale” venue.</p> <p>“Please, if you look like trash, so will we. All jokes aside, we want you to invest in an outfit valued at at least $1000,” she wrote.</p> <p>“This includes jewellery, accessories, makeup and hair. Remember ladies and gents, this wedding is 24k themed for a reason.”</p> <p>The bridezilla concluded the list of demands with a firm reminder that they have a year-and-a-half to organise their outfits and she doesn’t want to hear excuses.</p> <p>After viewing the post, many users responded with criticism and disbelief, especially because she wants them to wear fuzzy jumpers during summer.</p> <p>“She basically wants the women to look like fuzzy palm trees,” said one person.</p> <p>“If you want me to wear at least $1000 in clothes, jewellery etc. You best be buying that stuff for me or reimbursing me for stuff I won’t wear again,” said another.</p> <p>Many believe the post to be a hoax, but those invited to the wedding have insisted that the list of demands is definitely real.</p> <p>What do you think of this bridezilla’s extreme dress code request for guests? Tell us in the comments below.</p>

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The strict dress code Kate and Meghan have to follow at Princess Eugenie’s wedding

<div class="replay"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Step aside Kate and Meghan, it’s Princess Eugenie’s time to shine as her long-awaited wedding on October 12 to Jack Brooksbank fast approaches.</p> <p>And while it’s not expected to be as popular as the Duchess of Cambridge or Duchess of Sussex’s big day, it is a royal wedding after all, and strict dress code rules apply.</p> <p>All female guests attending the wedding are required to wear a hat, according to <em><a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1018743/meghan-markle-kate-middleton-princess-eugenie-jack-brooksbank-royal-wedding-royal-family" target="_blank">The Express</a></em> – and no one is exempt, including Kate, Meghan and even the Queen.</p> <p>Women must also don a day dress for the special occasion, while men are expected to arrive in a three-piece morning suit.</p> <p><img width="500" height="500" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820279/gettyimages-809199808_500x500.jpg" alt="Getty Images -809199808"/></p> <p>Princess Eugenie and her older sister Princess Beatrice made headlines in 2011 when they showed up to Prince William and Duchess Kate’s wedding wearing unflattering headpieces.</p> <p>Eugenie broke her silence on the criticism last month when she admitted that the backlash really affected them.</p> <p>“There was a horrible article that had been written about Beatrice and she got really upset,” the 28-year-old told <em><a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/princesses-beatrice-eugenie-of-york-interview" target="_blank">Vogue</a></em>.</p> <p>“We were just about to step out and she had a bit of a wobble and cried. I was looking after her. And then about an hour later, I had a wobble and started crying and Bea was there for me.”</p> <p><img width="499" height="385" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820280/gettyimages-960100926_499x385.jpg" alt="Getty Images -960100926"/></p> <p>The sisters made sure they didn’t repeat the same mistakes, as they arrived in more subdued attire for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding in May.</p> <p>Are you excited for Princess Eugenie’s upcoming wedding? Let us know in the comments below.</p> </div> </div> <div class="details"> <p><span class="who_watched"><span class="people_count_container"><span class="people_count current"> </span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div>

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The extremely strict dress code for Prince Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding

<p>Everyone loves getting dressed up for a wedding – even if it’s sometimes stressful finding the perfect outfit. While all eyes around the world will be on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding come May 19, guests – and even the bride and groom – will have some very strict fashion rules and traditions that they will be expected to follow.</p> <p><strong>1. Hats in church is compulsory</strong></p> <p>If you’ve ever attended an English wedding, let alone a royal one, you will be familiar with the dress code of accessorising your wedding outfit with a hat. The reason behind it is that ladies are expected to wear “appropriate” attire, including covering their shoulders, skirts and dresses having long hemlines, and covering their hair – hence fancy hats. It’s frowned upon if you don’t wear one. Plus, they’re looked upon as somewhat of a status symbol and someone’s rank in society – the more elaborate the hat, the wealthier they are.</p> <p><strong>2. No wedges</strong></p> <p>This is a rule enforced by the Queen, she dislikes this type of shoe that much. Which means no one will be allowed to wear the popular – and comfortable if standing for long periods – heel to Harry and Meghan’s nuptials.</p> <p><img width="499" height="375" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7817925/queen-wills-kate-wedding_499x375.jpg" alt="Queen Wills Kate Wedding"/></p> <p><strong>3. Nude tights should only be worn</strong></p> <p>This is one thing the Queen always wears – you will have noticed Duchess Kate wearing them on a regular basis too – and her majesty expects that female guests follow her lead and adorn sheer pantyhose at all royal occasions.</p> <p><strong>4. Neutral nail polish only</strong></p> <p>This fashion rule is quite well-known amongst royalists these days. For all official royal events, nails must look natural and manicured with natural-looking polish only. So, don’t expect to see any bright or dark colours on Meghan in particular or the rest of the royal entourage.</p> <p><strong>5. The royal wedding dress will be made by a British designer</strong></p> <p>This rule is generally a little more flexible, however most royal brides have honoured it as a way to showcase local talent and also to support the economy. Queen Victoria was the first to set the trend when she wore a white lace dress (the first ever royal bride to do so) to bring attention to the artisanal lace counties that were dwindling at a rapid rate following the Industrial Revolution. Her plan worked, and the craftsmanship was written about in the press for months after the wedding.</p> <p><img width="498" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7817927/prince-william-kate-wedding_498x280.jpg" alt="Prince William Kate Wedding (1)"/></p> <p><strong>6. Prince Harry will wear a military uniform</strong></p> <p>Prince Albert, much like his wife Queen Victoria, was a royal trendsetter too. He was the first groom to wear a military uniform at his wedding in 1840. Royal grooms have done the same in the years following, and it’s likely Prince Harry will follow, er, suit. While Prince Philip and Prince Charles both wore their naval commander uniforms, Prince William chose to wear his Irish Guard Colonel military outfit.</p> <p><strong>7. Meghan’s bouquet will feature myrtle</strong></p> <p>It’s a royal tradition that began way back in the 1800s by Queen Victoria when she married Prince Albert. Known as the “herb of love”, myrtle is always in the royal bridal bouquet. Queen Victoria planted the fragrant herb in her garden after her wedding, and royal brides ever since then – including Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana and Kate Middleton – have included it in their bridal bouquets.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

Beauty & Style

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The secret code in your flight number

<p>That flight number on your boarding pass isn't just a random assortment of letters and numbers: it's a code.</p> <p>Just what that code reveals, however, depends on the airline you're flying with.</p> <p>The letter component is pretty straightforward: flight numbers usually begin with the two-letter code assigned to the airline by the International Air Transport Association. So that's "NZ" for Air New Zealand, "QF" for Qantas", "JQ" for Jetstar and "EK" for Emirates.</p> <p>Figuring out what the numbers mean is far trickier. While airlines have different systems for assigning flight numbers, no airline can use more than four numbers.</p> <p>Patrick Smith, the former pilot author of <em>Cockpit Confidential</em>, told <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/51515/what-does-your-flight-number-mean" target="_blank">Mental Floss</a></strong></span>, that flights heading east and north are typically assigned even numbers, while west- and south-bound flights are odd numbered (although there are exceptions). Return flights between destinations are often a number apart. So, if you're on flight NZ6 from Auckland to Los Angeles (northeast-bound), you're likely to be on NZ5 on the way back (southwest-bound). </p> <p>Often, the lower numbered flights are the most important - or biggest money spinners - for the airline. One or two-digit numbers typically indicate popular-long distance routes. The lowest Air New Zealand flight number, NZ1, is for the London to Auckland route via Los Angeles. </p> <p>However, some airlines use different systems.</p> <p>All Jetstar flights in New Zealand, for example, have three numbers. International flights begin with one, domestic jet flights with two and regional flights with three, a spokesman for the airline explained. </p> <p>Jetstar's "city pair" flights tend to be in sequential order - flight JQ286 from Christchurch to Wellington is followed by flight JQ287 from Wellington to Christchurch. </p> <p>Qantas assigns odd numbers to outbound international flights and even numbers to inbound flights to Australia. Flights numbered between one and 399 are international flights, while those numbered 400 or more are domestic services. It's not all systematic though - the airline tries to include an eight in routes to Hong Kong as it is considered a lucky number there. </p> <p>Some airlines deliberately avoid numbers with negative connotations. Qantas, for one, does not have a QF13 or QF666. </p> <p>Flight numbers often remain in place for many years, even as departure times and aircraft change. It there is a high-profile incident, however, the number will usually be scrapped. American Airlines operated flight AA11 between Boston and Los Angeles for decades, for example, until the September 11, 2001 attacks. In 2014, Brazilian airline TAM took preventative measures, changing one of its flight numbers after a renowned clairvoyant <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/63455454/brazil-alters-flight-number-on-clairvoyant-crash-call" target="_blank">predicted</a></strong></span> a plane bearing the original number would crash. </p> <p>Asked how Air New Zealand assigns its flight numbers, a spokesperson said "we have nothing of particular interest to share". </p> <p>Were you aware of this?</p> <p><em>Written by Lorna Thornber. Republished with permission by <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>

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How Meghan Markle used a code name for Prince Harry

<p>It isn’t easy to keep things on the down-low when you’re dating one of the most famous eligible bachelors in the world, but Meghan Markle did her best to keep things under wraps, even with her co-stars and friends on the set of her TV show, <em>Suits</em>.</p> <p>Her former castmate Wendell Pierce (who played her father on the show for seven years) revealed to Harry Connick Jr. that he and his on-screen daughter would often talk about Prince Harry using code.</p> <p><img width="498" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7267904/http_2f2fprodstatic9netau2f_2fmedia2f20182f022f072f072f352f180207_meghanwendell_498x280.jpg" alt="Http _%2F%2Fprod .static 9.net .au %2F_%2Fmedia %2F2018%2F02%2F07%2F07%2F35%2F180207_Meghan Wendell" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>“We always talked about him in code really,” he said. “You know, ‘How you doing?’, ‘Oh I’m going to London, coming from London’, whatever.”</p> <p>The actor also revealed the sweet words of farewell he and Meghan shared when she announced her departure from the show in November.</p> <p>“I had a really wonderful moment as we were coming to an end of her time on the show. It was just she and I in the room and I said, ‘I know your life is going to change but always know, no matter where you are, I will always be your loving fake father.’”</p> <p>When Meghan and Harry announced their engagement, Pierce was one of the first to congratulate them, tweeting his “blessing”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Congratulations to my TV daughter Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on the news of their wedding engagement. Harry you have her TV Father’s blessing. Robert Zane approves <a href="https://twitter.com/Suits_USA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Suits_USA</a></p> — Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) <a href="https://twitter.com/WendellPierce/status/935170930241781761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</a></blockquote> <p>Once a dad, always a dad!</p>

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Revealed: Secret codes airline crew don’t want you to know

<p>Did you know airline crew use secret codes to communicate during flights?</p> <p>Pilot speak is used by all airlines to avoid miscommunication at 30,000 feet.</p> <p>“Codes are used by crew in order to maintain calm and order in the cabin,” flight attendant and columnist at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.flyertalk.com/articles/category/columns/crewed-talk">FlyerTalk</a>,</strong></span> Amanda Pleva, said.</p> <p>“We’re specially trained in emergency situations, and panic can cause us to lose control of a situation and end up in injury or death.”</p> <p>Pilot Patrick Smith, the author of Cockpit Confidential, has revealed what the airline jargon means on his website, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.askthepilot.com/">Ask The Pilot</a>.</strong></span></p> <p>“There are people who make dozens of air journeys annually and still have only a vague understanding of many terms,” he said.</p> <p>Here is a selection of some of the secret codes use by airline crew:</p> <p><strong>Flight deck</strong> – Pilot speak for the cockpit.</p> <p><strong>Air pocket</strong> – Pilot-speak for turbulence.</p> <p><strong>Equipment</strong> – Pilot-speak for the plane (but we wonder why they don’t just call it the plane?)</p> <p><strong>Code Adam</strong> – Used by airport staff to alert other staff of a missing child. Named  in honour of Adam Walsh, a child who was abducted in a department store in 1981.</p> <p><strong>7500</strong> – You never want to hear this because it means the plane has been hijacked, or has a hijacking threat.</p> <p><strong>Last minute paperwork</strong> – The flight will be delayed. “Paperwork” refers to a revision of the flight plan, something to do with the plane’s weight-and-balance record.</p> <p><strong>Cropdusting</strong> – A method of “retribution” to passengers who are being very rude and difficult. It’s not unheard of for a flight attendant to break wind and “cropdust” past the offender.</p> <p><strong>Crosscheck</strong> – The emergency slides attached to each door have been deactivated. Otherwise the slide will deploy automatically as soon as the door is opened.</p> <p><strong>All-call</strong> – Request for each flight attendant to report via intercom from his or her station, a sort of flight attendant conference call. Usually part of the door arming/disarming procedure.</p> <p><strong>Ground stop</strong> – When the departure to one or more destinations is stopped by air traffic control, usually due to traffic backlog. </p>

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The cruise code you need to know

<p>When you pack for your cruise, it can be hard to know what is appropriate attire and what fellow passengers will be wearing.</p> <p>Back in the '60s there were many formal nights where men wore dinner suits and women wore long gowns.</p> <p>However, dress codes on cruises have become much less formal and some lines don’t even require ties and jackets.</p> <p>Follow these tips to help you pack before you depart on your cruise holiday.</p> <p><strong>1. Theme nights</strong></p> <p>On P&amp;O Cruises Australia, formal nights have been replaced with theme parties. President Sture Myrmell told <em>Escape</em>, “There is the Gatsby Party, with all the glamour of the roaring twenties, the Bianco White Party and the Back to School Party. Costumes are not a must, but they are encouraged.”</p> <p><strong>2. Smart casual</strong></p> <p>Some cruise lines recommend smart casual attire for dining. If your line has this same approach, there is no jacket or tie requirement. Steve Odell, the senior vice president of Norwegian Cruise Line, said, “At NCL, we recommend the same dress code as any sunshine resort, both during the day and in the evenings."</p> <p><strong>3. Different occasions</strong></p> <p>At Royal Caribbean Cruises, the recommended dress for breakfast, lunch and dinner is casual. In the main dining room and in the specialty restaurants, passengers can choose to dress casual or smart casual. There are generally two formal nights on Royal Caribbean Cruises where the dress is black-tie and cocktail dresses. On the Celebrity Solstice, passengers get the chance to wear glamorous clothes during the evening Chic nights. If you do forget your formal attire, black-tie and formal gowns are available for hire on the ship.</p> <p><strong>4. Black-tie</strong></p> <p>Holland America Line keeps the tradition of formal nights and has an elegant black-tie dinner at least once on the Maasdam and Noordam.</p> <p><strong>5. Formal</strong></p> <p>On Princess Cruises Australia, there are two formal nights where passengers are asked to wear dinner jacks or dark suits and long gowns or cocktail dresses. For other nights, passengers are expected to dress as they would for a fine restaurant ashore.</p> <p>What are your tips for packing before a cruise? Let us know in the comments below. </p>

Cruising

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What does “code alpha” mean on a cruise?

<p>The phrase “code alpha” can mean different things depending on the cruise line, but cruise operators say the code to alert the crew of a situation that requires immediate attention.</p> <p>It could signal something serious like an onboard fire or a medical emergency. It also might be used to instruct a crewman to clean up someone’s vomit on a pool deck. The phrase “Mr Mob” or “Oscar, Oscar, Oscar” is the signal for man overboard. These codes are used to avoid passengers finding out what’s happening so there is no panic on board. This allows the crew to deal with the situation without a frenzy being stirred.</p> <p>Unlike flags or horn blasts that cruise ships use to communicate with one another, there is no international standard for onboard alarm codes. Each code uses its own unique codes, since the purpose of the code is to conceal confidential information. Despite its purpose, passengers usually have a knack for figuring out the correct meaning of specific codes on cruise lines.</p> <p>However, there are a few codes that are almost used universally on cruise ships. “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie” indicates a security threat and “Code Red” usually means there is an outbreak of norovirus.</p> <p>Have you ever heard any of these codes uttered on a cruise ship before? Let us know in the comments below. </p>

Cruising

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