And Estee, I sense that your post lacked the banner touch. So, any time you need a banner, you may use this one. A Tribe creation. Just make the obvious word replacements as you wish. (That's me - sort of - in the pilot's seat)

LAST EDITED ON 08-06-07 AT 11:43 PM (EST)

Dang it. Just posted on Fanatics. Sorry Webby!

Something that has bothered me about this plane and CBS not wanting the hamsters to see them. They are in a studio, presumably on CBS' lot, correct? And 1)CBS knows the planes are coming, and 2)CBS does not want the hamsters to see them.

How hard would it be to build a retractable screen over the backyard to keep the hamsters from being able to read the signs? The plane comes, the screen goes over the yard. The plane goes, the screen retracts. Not very difficult, IMHO.

LAST EDITED ON 08-07-07 AT 08:13 AM (EST)

I can see significant design problems with a large fabric structure that could withstand wind and weather, with actuators quick enough to react in time to shield from a passing plane, and a folding system to allow quick reactivation after being stowed. What about the detection system? Presumably they wouldn't want to deploy the shield every time just any plane or helicopter passes near or else the rig would be jumping up and down many times a day.

Sure, it can be done, but I think you would find it to be a difficult engineering trick to pull off.

But that's sorta beside the real point I think. If they eliminated this problem, then we wouldn't be discussing it.

It probably cost less to pursue legal action than to design, test, and build it, and the publicity is free.

I disagree. I'm guessing the yard is maybe 100'x100' square.Blue plastic tarping is cheap and light and comes in 20'x20' standard sizes and larger. I'm sure BB could afford to special order. Steel cable rigging is easy enough to install and would allow the tarp supports to hook onto it and slide up and down it. And a pulley system to pull the tarp(s) across the backyard shouldn't be too hard to operate. Also, as far as deployment, I'm sure a lackey to watch the skies, or at least keep an eye on them when houseguests are outside wouldn't be too expensive. A pair of binoculars and one could easily see a dangerous sign miles before it would be visible by house hamsters with their limited visual sight range.

I'm not sure how big a fabric cover would have to be to shield a 100'x 100' area (I'll accept those dimensions for the sake of argument), but even if it is only that size, just wait till the wind catches 10,000 sf of sail. If there isn't a very strong well designed and tested system, that rig will be gone in no time.

And I think you underestimate the complications of the rigging necessary to get it up and down quickly enough repeatedly and without tangling.

Maybe Moley's (you lurking, Moley?) girls would try and design something like this as a engineering project, it would be interesting.

I think there's an irony about this, though...... According to the front page's article, this pilot's banner was injunctioned out of the sky before Thursday's episode, and his banner was gonna reveal the "America's Player" twist to be Eric...... his banner might have been less harmful than the one that actually flew over the cage...........