Gadling

We're all heard about the ridiculous, archaic laws of the United States, stuff about shooting bison from trains and grazing your cows on Boston Common and so forth. But it's imperative to be aware of completely useless laws in other parts of the world, in case you should happen to travel there and find yourself in a really, really unlikely situation.

Here they are, the top 10 stupidest laws you may encounter abroad:

1. Australia - It is illegal to roam the streets wearing black clothes, felt shoes and black shoe polish on your face as these items are the tools of a cat burglar.
2. France - Between the hours of 8AM and 8PM, 70% of the music in the radio must be by French composers.
3. Thailand - It is illegal to leave your house if you are not wearing underwear.
4. Italy - It is an offence for women of 'ill repute or evil looks' to enter a cheese factory in the area of Ferrara.
5. Scotland - It is illegal to be a drunk while in possession of a cow.
6. France - It is illegal in Antibes to take photos of police officers or police vehicles, even if they are just in the background. (I hope the photo at right isn't from Antibes!)
7. Lebanon - Men are legally allowed to have sex with animals so long as the animals are female. It is illegal to have sex with a male animal.
8. China - Women are prohibited from walking around a hotel room in the nude. A woman may only be naked whilst in the bathroom.
9. Hong Kong - A woman is legally allowed to kill her cheating husband, only if she uses her bare hands. The husband's lover however may be killed in any manner desired.
10. Switzerland - A man may not relieve himself while standing up, after 10 P.M.

References:
LawGuru.com
FunFacts.com.au
DumbLaws.com

Welcome to Gadling's feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!

I get a lot of question about the specific details or features of airplanes. I thought I'd round up a few for today's Plane Answers.

Kevin asks:

I fly on A319 and A320s a lot. As we are on landing approach I hear three shrill tones or whistles from the cockpit. Sometimes it is close to the runway sometimes not. What is it?

Hi Kevin,

I checked with my friend Chris, who's an A320 pilot who has a good answer for what's causing the noise.

He's most likely hearing the autopilot disconnect siren. It has a two-tone chime that repeats three times. It's loud enough to easily be heard in first class and sometimes the first couple of rows in coach. A lot of pilots will allow the AP to trim up the aircraft after all the configuration changes before disconnecting the autopilot. That is why he hears it at about 1000-1500 feet on visual days.

The other possibility is the flight attendant call tone. It wouldn't happen close to the runway, but it's so loud that it blocks all other noises–including master caution warnings. They're trying to get Airbus to turn it down a bit.

I've often heard the altitude callouts on the MD-80 from first class. "50, 40, 30, 20, 10." It seems if passengers can hear it in the cabin, then maybe it's just a little too loud. Unfortunately, we don't have any control over the volume. Thanks Chris for the A320 insight.

At the end of last week's episode of Amazing Race 13, Andrew and Dan were penniless and in last place, but still in the race. Moscow almost did them in. Because it was a non-elimination round, they were granted a second chance. Luckily, with the Amazing Race and reality television, each new day brings a new beginning and more money.

When these frat boys opened their first clue, they found $326 to keep them solvent.

Of all the episodes this season, this particular day in Moscow evoked experiences similar to what it really is like to travel in another country. Most of the tasks involved traveling from one point to another while navigating signage written in the Cyrillic alphabet. For anyone who has tried to navigate another country in a hurry when the written language is unrecognizable, the teams' experiences may have looked familiar.

Travel Tips:

1. Check to make sure you have all your belongings with you when you get out of a taxi
2. When trying to catch a taxi, notice which direction the traffic flow is greater. If need be, cross the street to up your chances of finding one. You can always get a taxi to turn around.
3. If you loose all your money, don't be embarrassed to ask for help.
4. If possible, use a taxi with a GPS system. It can save time and money.
5. The metro system in Moscow has a map that looks similar to other metro system maps which makes taking the metro look fairly simple to navigate. Try it if you're in Moscow. It will be much cheaper than taking a taxi and you'll be out of the quagmire of Moscow traffic.
6. Do not let one person carry all the money. Each person should at least carry some of it.

This past weekend, off the coast of Yemen, luxury cruise ship the Oceania Nautica outran pirates. Pirates!

The Nautica is a 30,200 ton, 11 deck ship which carries a crew of 400 and 684 passengers, all of whom must have been very relieved when they narrowly escaped two skiffs who tried to intercept them. The Nautica accelerated to its full 23 knot (27 mph) speed and maneuvered out of the gunfire.

The Nautica was amid a 32-day cruise from Rome to Singapore when it encountered the pirates and totally pwned them. Oceania says there are no plans to re-route the cruise.

Though the area off the coast of Yemen is being patrolled by an international anti-piracy task force, it is common for pirates to hijack yachts and cargo ships. Cyrus Mody of the International Maritime Bureau says that the area is large, and "Vessels do not automatically get guaranteed safe passage even if they use it." Still, it is unusual for a passenger ship of the Nautica's size to come into harm's way.

Also, pirate activity has been far more prevalent off the coast of Somalia. The pirates there, who recently claimed they are unstoppable, have been called "animals" for their cruel tactics and treatment of hostages. The problem of piracy continues to fester despite the work of the UN and various national patrols. Someone tell the UN to send in a fleet of armed cruise ships.

[via cnn.com]

The first 5 days of Gadling's 10 days of gadget giveaways may be over, but there are still 5 other chances to win one of our fantastic prizes.

You have till 5pm EST today to enter the contest for an SeV Evolution jacket or a $150 gift certificate to the SeV store.

The remaining 4 contests are for a Yougetitback bag tag pack, a Peek personal email device (with 6 months of service), a MoGo mouse, or my fabulous "super swag bag" full of gadgets.

Entering the contests is easy, and involves nothing more than leaving a comment in the post. Don't wait too long though, the 6th contest ends in under an hour!

"Oh run run run so you don't fall in!" is what I'd be saying if I was watching this heron doing what it's doing above. Such a great shot of the bird (known to be a "wading bird") that looks like it's walking on water, and has to walk really fast to make it to the other side without falling in!

Taken by flickr user LadyExpat in Daejeon in South Korea, it's certainly a hard moment to catch so well.

Have any pictures capturing the beauty of animals in their natural habitat? Add them to our Gadling photo pool on Flickr and we might just pick it as our Photo of the Day.

Russians + Vodka + 35,000 feet = Trouble.

That's the formula that played out on a recent flight from Houston to Frankfurt. Two Russian sailors reportedly polished off the 2 liter bottle of vodka they'd bought at Duty Free and promptly began running wild on board the plane (police are not confirming which airline was involved).

The two men smoked cigarettes in the bathroom and went up and down aisles "frightening passengers," according to the Associated Press. They also reportedly attempted at several intervals to use their mobiles ("Hey man, I'm so wasted!").

The flight crew eventually ordered the men to their seats and the two were arrested on the tarmac by German police when the plane landed. One admitted to causing a disturbance and was released after paying a fine. The other, more contrarian, wouldn't cop to anything and is awaiting a court hearing.

UPDATE: Sorry, the deal is already over.

My daily deal for today is for the Nintendo DS Lite (Limited Edition Pink Ribbon edition). This portable gaming console usually retails for $129, but if you select the limited edition version at Amazon.com, you can pick one up for just $99.95.

I've carried a Nintendo DS Lite for for quite some time when I travel, and it is the perfect way to kill a couple of hours in the air (or on the ground if you are unlucky). I've always found that the battery life of the DS Lite is more than enough for several hours of non stop gaming, and the standard headphone jack means you can plug in your (noise canceling) headphones and play in peace and quiet.

Of course, the unit does not come with any games, so expect to invest some more to pick up games. When you click the link to Amazon, be sure to select the "Limited Edition Pink Ribbon" version, or you will not see the low price.

As I've pointed out before (see here and here), I love weird maps. The one above was created by a designer named Ben Fry, and shows all the streets in the lower 48 states (click image to enlarge). That's right-- according to Ben's website, this map features 26 million individual road segments. Ben also notes that "[n]o other features (such as outlines or geographic features) have been added to this image, however they emerge as roads avoid mountains, and sparse areas convey low population."

Head on over to his site to see interesting close-ups of the Appalachian Mountains, the Great Lakes, and the San Francisco Bay area.

It's the holiday season, which means lots of traveling and sleeping at the homes of friends and family. Inevitably, many of you will end up sleeping on couches, air mattresses, beds made for children or floors. Well, for you weary houseguests who end up sleeping in uncomfortable and contorted positions, SkyMall Monday is pleased to profile the Slumber Sleeve pillow.

Some products address such small, niche issues that you wonder why anyone would purchase them. But the Slumber Sleeve works for a much broader audience. Because if you're a person who has a complete dearth of pillows and likes to wedge your bicep underneath your head then the Slumber Sleeve is perfect for you. It's so effective that you'll be able to sleep with your eyes wide open like the totally-not-creepy model featured above. And that will allow you to keep an eye on your surroundings while staying at your uncle's house. Just because you're crashing on his couch doesn't mean he gets to sneak into the guestroom and brush your hair while you're sleeping.

The product description describes several of the myriad uses of the Slumber Sleeve. Here are a few of the most logical:

• The Slumber Sleeve is popular with college students or office workers taking a quick nap on a desk between classes or during a break
• As an ankle pillow, worn on the lower leg when the upper leg is crossed over on top - like when watching TV
• As a sunbathing aid, worn high on an arm and under your head, allowing for a comfortable side tanning orientation
  

I know that my boss has no problem with me taking a nap at my desk so long as my arm doesn't fall asleep. That's her only concern. The appearance of professionalism and maturity are secondary to me not getting pins and needles in my hand while drooling on the Johnson report.

And I never would have considered using the Slumber Sleeve at the beach. But what a fantastic idea! I mean, I love awkward tan lines and having something clinging to my skin in the hot summer sun!

I know that I'm ordering one right away. Now my arm won't fall asleep when I finally hire an artist to paint me in the nude while in a state of repose.

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.