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From: jon@boulder.UUCP (Jon Corbet)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: $7400 coffepots
Message-ID: <222@boulder.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 14-Oct-84 00:02:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: boulder.222
Posted: Sun Oct 14 00:02:51 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 10-Oct-84 05:32:55 EDT
Organization: National Center for Atmospheric Research
Lines: 30

[Join me in a cup of coffee?]

The following excerpt from the _Boulder_Daily_Camera discusses the airplane
coffee brewers bought by the Air Force for the small price of $7400
each.  The problem was apparently not one of overcharging by the vendor,
but of bizarre product specification by the Air Force.  According to
the Camera:

	This was a machine that would keep working even after the
	plane had lost all cabin pressure.  This was a coffee brewer
	that could keep brewing under the force of 40 g's of gravity --
	enough to kill all the coffee drinkers on board.
	This was a coffee brewer with more than 2000 parts, custom
	designed and custom built to military specifications.

Personally, I think these people have a lot of goddam nerve building
gadgets like that and telling us we need to spend more on the military.
What's the idea, anyway?  I suppose that if the plane crashes, as certain
modern military planes are wont to do, it is polite to have hot coffee
for the rescue squad when they arrive.  I guess our pilots need to sit
down with a cup of coffee before deciding how to deal with a loss of
cabin pressure.  

Way to go, Ronnie.  More bucks (my bucks) for the military.  The
Russians will get us if the coffee maker fails.

Oh well, now I got that one out of my system.  I feel better.
--
Jonathan Corbet