Just recently, I have noticed that the FAA requires (so say the flight staff) that the window shades remain open on takeoff and landing. Why? Is this so the flight attendandt can look out and say, “Oh crap! An airplane is coming right for us,” and abbreviate her safety briefing?
Is is a post 9/11 thing to verify that there are breathing passengers on the aricraft?
Sgt Schwartz
This is one of the favorite questions here. It certainly isn’t a recent thing though. It goes back decades.
The basic answer is maximum light and visibility for both the flight attendants and passengers in case of a mishap.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=252111&highlight=window+shades
This is a little stranger than I thought. Here is actual answer from a pilot. He didn’t ven seem to know why and it doesn’t appear to be an FAA regulation but rather an airline one.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=164815&highlight=airplane+window+shades
It’s the same for Qantas flights as well, from what I’ve heard on board flights to and from Australia and domestic within Australia.
If it’s in the FARs I’d like to know the chapter and verse.
Knew I should have done a search, but I had never heard the question raised before. The answers were more fun than the question though. 
Sgt Schwartz
One of the next generation airliners, I think either an Airbus or Boeing’s 787, won’t have the pull down shades but instead will have LCD film over each window and will lighten and darken electronically, both with a knob and remotely via the cockpit…