two questions after returning from a trip

[da]

1) Why do airplanes need a separate kind of headphone plug? If they didn't, people would be more inclined to use their own headphones, and the airline wouldn't have to hand out disposable headphones on the flight. (They are disposable; if you give them back, they go straight into the trash). This bugs me. Why does it make sense to them? Economically: say 300 pair x $0.50 cost to the airline = $150 could be saved on each long-haul flight. How much would it cost to retrofit the planes for regular 3.5mm stereo headphone jacks? Say a highball $100 a seat- it would pay for itself in 200 flights. I remember when the airlines used to sell the headphones, but now they just give them away. I'm sure it's not an image thing; it sure isn't glamorous to rip into a packet of headphone.

2) Why do washing machines have a separate dial for clothing colour when they already have a setting for temperature? If I set "hot/cold" and "colours" does it modulate the hot temperature downward? I don't tend to think it does, since the water feels just the same whether it's on "whites" or "colours."

To tie these two questions together, if I'm going to accidentally send a piece of electronics through the wash, I'm really happy it was my headphone airplane adapter.

Comments

[secretsoflife.livejournal.com]

1) a lot of airplanes now have standard jacks. i carry an adapter for my regular headphones with me when i travel, just in case :) and some airlines still sell the headsets. swiss air charges an absurd 5 euros.

2) that is pretty silly.

[da-lj.livejournal.com]

Aha! I haven't been on any with standard jacks, though I don't fly very often. I was trying to remember if the newest AC planes I had been on had standard jacks to go with the seat-back entertainment units, and I concluded they had the old-style ones, because I remember trying to watch one of the movies on a seat-back with their headphones (instead of my headphones, because I forgot my adapter on that trip). 5 euros is absurd, though it's more or less in line with what they cost when I first flew. When $5 felt like a lot of money to me. :)