Brian Gongol
- Sorry, My Flight Was Late
2000 was a bad year for on-time performance by the major airlines. Some are worried that with merger mania in full swing in the airline industry, only United, American, and Delta will be left in a year or two. Several studies indicate that airlines don't have economies of scale -- that is, bigger isn't any better for making money. If you're truly interested in being depressed, you can see the current nationwide map of delays, or follow recent airline news. (2.4.2001)
- Job Hunting
As every journalist from here to Toledo tries to come up with another metaphor for the massive wave of dot-com failures, a good point is being raised: Think about how much you really believe in a company before you take a job. I, for one, would have thought twice about a company using a sock puppet for its mascot. Since unemployment is still near record lows, the labor market still offers job-hunters a little leeway in taking the time to do a little background research. It's not like recruiters are going to tell you the company's about to tank -- especially if you're being offered stock options in lieu of salary. (2.7.2001)
- E-Commerce
So what if every dot-com retailer except Amazon.com has gone under? It's good to see that people are still willing to sell their souls online. I'm particularly reassured that it was an Iowan who offered to buy the soul recently put up for sale on eBay. The selling price before the posting was taken down was reportedly at $400 -- which makes me think this guy doesn't understand the value of money. He could join the Stanford Ski Team or try to try to buy a horse for that price, or work about half a week in an average construction job. He could've even been ordained for free by a wacky online church. Seems like there's a bit of a soul sale on right now, with other people thinking about it. Others just sell their legacies. (2.9.2001) - Parking Fines
Who doesn't like to complain about parking tickets? Apparently, though, people in Chicago and elsewhere can get around them by using remote controls. Couch potatoes as public crusaders. Who knew? (2.12.2001)
- Hello Out There
Fears that the massive computing power organized by the Internet is being used for interesting purposes, like finding other intelligent life in the Universe. The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence at Home is coordinating the efforts of thousands of computers to use their screen-saver time to analyze information from the radio arrays pointed out to the great beyond. Teams compete to see who can contribute the most. One is named after Statler and Waldorf, the hecklers from the Muppet Show. I nominate them for best team mascots. (2.15.2001)
- The Use of Personal Electronic Devices...
Paranoia that cell phones could cause plane crashes continues. Of course, travelers can always call home if they're willing to pay for it. Even wackier, passengers can be assigned an in-flight phone number. Then again, sometimes we crash things on purpose. (2.17.2001)
- Working in a Coal Mine
More interesting news for anyone who works. The labor market is still tight enough that employers have to be creative when trying to retain workers. It's also bad news for unions, which are experiencing their worst lows in decades. Apparently people are still looking for places to park media companies, and it's always reassuring to find Chicago on the list. Go Cubs! And for people too busy to date while working so hard, someone has invented SpeedDating. Like people aren't trying to hook you up already. (2.19.2001)
- Stupid Viruses
The Anna Kournikova virus was a pain, but apparently didn't do much. Media coverage even got a bit silly. Symantec operates an excellent antivirus site for those times when they are serious. (2.19.2001)
- Airtoons is a singularly bizarre site, where the emergency instruction cards found in airline seat-backs are twisted and contorted in strange, funny, and sometimes offensive ways. A good site for wasting five or ten minutes of your day. (1.20.2001)
- Phonespell.org lists the interesting mnemonics that can be derived from any phone number. (1.23.2001)