*** Quoting Michiel van der Vlist from a message to Carol Shenkenberger ***


MvdV> Ok, so I misunderstood. I was under the impression that you used the D
MvdV> for the main leg of your connection with your uplink.

BTW, forgive if this is a duplicate reply.  My laptop on the ship died and
I'm ¨not sure if the answer got out.

Defining the DSN as the 'main leg' is problematic.  I'm not sure how to
¨describe that with my current circumstances.  Probably describing it as
'at ¨cost with minor amortization' would be the best way to say it?  I hit
a Japan ¨NTT switch on the way to the base communications even with my DSN
line.

 CS> can understand the confusion easily.

MvdV> Well... how about your connection when you are at sea? That *is* at ta
MvdV> cost isn't it?

That one is the spare excess bandwidth and considered allowable usage.  I'm
¨transiting some 50k at average a day for the BBSing habits.  I use more by
far ¨when doing mandated surveys off the internet .mil sites.  Neither one
do I pay ¨directly for, but as a tax payer, I 'pay' in a sort of way.  The
bandwidth is ¨there for real live work things like working out training
classes for my crew ¨or transiting data about current sea state and
operations, message traffic and ¨email on work things.

MvdV> this not meant to paint you into a corner, I was just explaining that
MvdV> you are a special case. I think it is perfectly ok for someone in your
MvdV> situation to get compensation from your employer for odd hours and bei
MvdV> away from home for extended periods. Communication facilities for thos
MvdV> away from home are and should be part of the fringe benefits.

Grin, thanks and yes, they are allowable but you'll track possibly a trend
of ¨my responses that I keep it minimal for personal use.  We all do.  That
way, ¨there's enough to go around for all 1,200 of us on the ship (3,000 or
so when ¨the Marines are onboard).

The imagery data is the one that really bites, yet we need our Telemedcine
¨systems.  Thats one where the Docs can go live VTT while performing a
surgical ¨technique we may not have a specialist onboard for and get
real-time acess to a ¨specailist for that while underway.  BTW thats one of
the reasons why we keep ¨getting sent to various 'hot spots'.  Medical
doctors with 5 operating rooms, 3 ¨with Telemedicine hookups.  Used them
quite a bit after the Tsunami.  While we ¨are not a 'hospital ship' we are
mobile and can provide quite a bit.  We helo'd ¨patients in and fixed them
up.  Doc 'S' (I dont repeat innocent others names ¨here as they may not
like it) used the Telemedicine with John Hopkins on 3 ¨occasions.  One was
that little girl with the crushed ankle which happened from ¨a mudslide and
he was able to save the leg/foot though I do not know what ¨happened to her
later.  The Doc at John Hopkins was talking him through some ¨specialist
bone stuff while watching the operation in progress.  Aother time
¨(unrelated to the Tsunami) when one of our shipmates fell down a ladder
and had ¨brain injury requiring immediate surgery (Bethsaida that time if I
spelled it ¨right for the VTT link).  Dont worry though, normal stuff like
appendectomy's ¨and such require no VTT.


MvdV> When I had a job that often took me abroad I thought it was perfectly
MvdV> natural that my employer paid for the daily telephone calls I made wit
MvdV> my wife. Your employer is the US tax payer and so I find it perfectly
MvdV> ok when the tax payer foots at least part of your telecom bill when yo
MvdV> are away from home.

Phone calls home are not free, but we have calling cards we can use and are
¨sold at the ship's store.  Email is free though!
                                       xxcarol

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