random: October 2007 Archives

Chistopher Lock of The Heartless Machine takes the scissors confiscated by the TSA and makes them into sculptures, like the spider on the right. I really like how they look. Via boingboing.

Osaka police will be using rabbit shaped lights for their police vehicles, proving once again that the Japanese have completely decimated everyone when it comes to cuteness:

Taco Bell is at it again - they're promising a free taco to everyone in the US if a base gets stolen during the World Series. Via kottke.

Fly enough, and you become familiar with all kinds of tips and tricks to get what you want from an airline. From super cheap tickets, to free meals and flights when you get delays, this article gives you some pointers on how to get these and more:

1. Rule 240: Understanding your rights according to Rule 240 is vital. This article from Aviation.com explains the ins and outs of Rule 240, which states “that if an airline [can’t] get you to your destination on time, it [is] required to put you on a competitor’s flight if it would get you there faster than your original airline’s next flight.” Some airlines, including Delta, “no longer make any mention of transporting passengers on other airlines in the event of a flight disruption,” so it’s in every passenger’s best interest to speak up.

And for you frequent flyer mile fiends, there's FlyerTalk, a community site where people share the best ways to earn frequent flyer miles. The dedicated almost never pay for a flight.

After trying for years to change its airport code to something a little less negative, Sioux City, Iowa is now embracing "SUX" in a new advertising campaign:

The code, used by pilots and airports worldwide and printed on tickets and luggage tags, will be used on T-shirts and caps sporting the airport's new slogan, "FLY SUX." It also forms the address of the airport's redesigned Web site - www.flysux.com.

I completely agree with the airport board member who proposed the idea:

"I've got buddies that I went to college with in different cities that can't even remember their own birthdays, but they all know the Sioux City designator - SUX," he said.

Making something memorable is half the battle, and if you can throw some humour in there, even better. Via boingboing.

A federal appeals court has ruled that fantasy baseball companies do not have to pay licensing fees to use player names and statistics.

My question immediately following is: will this affect licensing fees on other companies that use player names and statistics as part of a product? For example, the video game industry pays licensing fees for the use of team logos and such, but I'm pretty sure they're charged for the use of player names and statistics as well.

Srslycool has a collection of colour WW1 photos:

Little is known about each individual photo, they are believed to be digitally coloured. During WW1 colour photography was in it's infancy, pioneered by photographer Jean-Baptiste Tournassoud using Autochrome plates invented by the Lumiere brothers. These photos are either digitally remastered or works by Tournassoud.

It's always amazing to see photos from this period in colour.

Cute Overload is a permanent member of my daily bookmark rounds due to its ability to induce an "aww!" from me no matter how bad a day I'm having.

Today they bring a parrot actually dancing to the Backstreet Boys. I almost can't take this much cute:

A provoking picture set of the lifestyles of American vagabonds.

Some of these have almost a charm to them, I must admit. A little bit of bohemia.

A neat infographic showing that Wal-Mart has more square footage than the whole of the island of Manhattan. Via kottke.org

Some advice for anyone intending on moving to Texas. Some of my favourites:

3. If you do run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in the cab of a four wheel drive with a 12-pack of beer and a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them. Just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.

5. Remember: "Y'all" is singular. "All y'all" is plural. "All y'all's" is plural possessive.

26. BBQ is a food group. It does NOT mean grilling burgers and hot dogs outdoors.

Having lived in Texas for many years, I can personally attest to these.

A beautiful panorama of the sun as it traverses the sky.