Travel 77 | ***Dave Does the Blog

I’m a travellin’ man …

My trip home was relatively uneventful. Knoxville Airport (it has a fancy name for some local Influential Fellow, but I don’t recall what it is) is nice, if not particularly…

My trip home was relatively uneventful. Knoxville Airport (it has a fancy name for some local Influential Fellow, but I don’t recall what it is) is nice, if not particularly well-appointed with stores and eateries. It does, though, have rocking chairs at the picture windows, which is nice (even though they are a bit uncomfortable.

Little commuter plane back up to O’Hare … but air traffic delays got us in a little late. And then we discovered that we couldn’t just go straight from the United Express concourse (F-gates) over to the United Sluggardly concourse (B-gates), but had to exit out to the sidewalk and be readmitted through security. Hilarity ensued, especially for folks with tight connections.

After a while, they started mentioning this problem on the loudspeaker, and offering the explanation of a “security breach” at yet another terminal.

Then I read this and realized that it was all because some metal detector had been unplugged for four minutes. Great.

Anyway, trundled off down the concourse, thinking I’d need to grab something to eat for dinner. I was also glad, given the security snafu, that I hadn’t stopped by the F-gates to eat.

Huge, huge, throng at the gate for my Denver flight. The tres cool displays over the gate indicated boarding was beginning in 1 minute.

A minute comes a minute goes, along with a dozen or so of its brethren, and I went and grabbed a sandwich at a nearby booth. Eventually we were all loaded on to the 747 (and with some comfort, as the reverse of my original travel problem occured — rather than the normal 777, which had mechanical difficulty, we ended up with a 747, which carries more passengers, not less. Imagine that.

Uneventful flight, reading reading reading, until we arrived in Denver. At which point, two observations.

First: 747s are big Seeing the wings, with the flaps down, drove home how really frickin’ big those birds are.

Second: Oh, look. It’s snowing.

The latter led to an entertaining (not!) and relaxing (yeesh!) drive back home, with the aggravations of spinning out of control mostly avoided by taking on instead the aggravations of driving behind snowplows with speeds of 25-35mph.

But … I’m home! Exhausted, but home.

Bag checks

Tomorrow has been dubbed “Black Friday” by many of the nation’s airlines, as it is the day by which Congress mandated all checked luggage be somehow “screened” before it is…

Tomorrow has been dubbed “Black Friday” by many of the nation’s airlines, as it is the day by which Congress mandated all checked luggage be somehow “screened” before it is loaded. This article discusses some of the issues at DIA.

Most airlines are expected to choose bag matching. The other three options are deemed hopeless, because there are not enough explosive-screening machines, bomb-sniffing dogs or staff to hand-search millions of bags. However, airlines may use a combination of these alternatives.
DIA has just three explosive-detection machines, where it will need 20 to 40. It has just five dogs, and processes up to 10,000 bags an hour.

Bag matching (confirming that the passenger who checked the bag has boarded) is certainly the easiest to implement, though as a security measure it provides no defense against a suicide bomber.

Still to be determined is whether airlines will be able to exempt connections from the bag matching (which would render this effort completely pointless).

What’s particularly interesting about this, as the airlines scramble to provide some rock-bottom minimal amount of screening, is that the majority of people I talk to actually think this is already going on. Everyone already thinks that every bag is X-rayed or sniffed or otherwise confirmed to be okay — and if they aren’t, they should be. I fear the airlines are not going to get much sympathy from the public on this one, esp. if service further deteriorates.

The article also mentions a United statistic that 1-3 passengers, on average, check in but miss a flight — usually business people on an important call who decide to take a later flight. I suspect this will have some interesting consequences, one way or another.

Another item I’ve not heard discussed in this context is where flights are overbooked and passengers are offered the opportunity to board a later flight. In such cases in the past, any checked luggage of the person accepting the offer has simply been shipped onwards on the original flight, waiting for them on the other end. Will that still be allowed?

And, if not, is there going to be provision for someone to pick up their (removed) luggage there at the gate? Nobody’s going to want to have to exit the concourse and the secure area, pick up their luggage (somewhere), then go through a re-check process. Yeesh.

Of course, the other ironic aspect to all of this effort to make it less convenient and more difficult to check bags is that the airlines (and security people) would also like to require all bags be checked, i.e., no carry-on. That’s a whole other kettle of fish, of course, but it seems further away than ever under the present circumstances.

Word-of-blog

Remember that story about the person who posted an on-line PowerPoint presentation about their bad stay at the Houston Doubletree? Squeaky wheels can be heard a long ways these days….

Remember that story about the person who posted an on-line PowerPoint presentation about their bad stay at the Houston Doubletree?

Squeaky wheels can be heard a long ways these days.

On the other hands, sometimes facets of the org remain clueless, as the person who was hosting the original PPT files is asked to take them down, as well as scrubbing any reference to the hotel name from his site. Sheesh.

(Via Opine Bovine and Boing Boing)

Fly me

Y’know, driving to and from California was a hassle. It was long hours. It cost gas, and wear-n-tear, and meals. And then I look at stuff like this, and say,…

Y’know, driving to and from California was a hassle. It was long hours. It cost gas, and wear-n-tear, and meals.

And then I look at stuff like this, and say, “Hey, I could have paid $1000 out of pocket, carried far less cargo, and tried to fly.”

Yeesh. Give me a road trip, any day.

Why I don’t play the market

Well, we made it home, and on Wednesday (sorta). We didn’t leave Faerie/SoCal until about 11:30a PST, having determined that Katherine had an ear infection in each ear. We got…

Well, we made it home, and on Wednesday (sorta). We didn’t leave Faerie/SoCal until about 11:30a PST, having determined that Katherine had an ear infection in each ear. We got drops for her ears, antibiotics, and eye drops (since her eyes are kinda gooky), and were, after an heroic last-moment pack-n-cram, on the road.

We were in time to hit rush hour in Vegas, but that wasn’t too bad. Darkness fell before we got to Arizona. I drove the first leg, to Mesquite, NV, just before crossing the border. Margie drove up through Utah, until Richfield, half an hour beyond the I-15/I-70 interchange (and I remain boggled at the lack of development at that spot). I drove across Utah, which is remarkable for being full of absolutely nothing except one blip of lights at Green River. I took the first chunk of Colorado, up to Glenwood Springs, and then Margie took over for the second (and much hairier) part, all the way home.

The roadway through the Rockies wasn’t all that bad, except for some oddly drifting/blowing snow, right atop the roadway, which gave Margie a few bad turns (metaphorically). Since she didn’t have a free hand to change CDs, she got stuck listening to the LotR soundtrack. Since my “sleep” in the back with Katherine consisted of 20 minutes of silence and then Katherine getting upset an an altitude change (toddler + ear infection + altitude change = upset), I got to listen to it a lot, too.

We got home at 5:00a, MST. We plopped Katherine in her crib, and us in our (large, cushy, cold) bed. Katherine lasted there about an hour, then wanted to get up. Daddy’s turn, since Mommy drove. We spent the next three-four hours down on the couch, Daddy snoozing on and off while Katherine did likewise on his stomach.

We slacked off yesterday, aside from unloading the van and running to the store and buying milk.

Expect a more normal, action-packed blogging in the days to come.

Slouching away from Faerie

Well, the van is … ah, not packed, but all the boxes and bags are packed, so the van cannot be far behind. We have managed to need much more…

Well, the van is … ah, not packed, but all the boxes and bags are packed, so the van cannot be far behind. We have managed to need much more space to return than to travel, no great surprise, so it’s good that Jim and Margie are both experts at folding time and space around luggage compartments. Otherwise, Margie’s rocking chair would have to sit on top the van, like Granny’s in The Beverly Hillbillies.

We head out tomorrow morning, relatively early. Looks like the Northern Route (via I-70) will be good-weathered, so we’ll shave off some time that way. We may push through in one day, like was journeyed hither, or we may stop along the way. We’re flexible.

It’s been great here in Faerie. But it will be really good to be home.

The Road Goes Ever On and On …

No, I haven’t seen Lord of the Rings yet. Maybe today, or tomorrow. Meantime, I greet you from Faerie nonetheless. Not that being here in Southern California and visiting with…

No, I haven’t seen Lord of the Rings yet. Maybe today, or tomorrow.

Meantime, I greet you from Faerie nonetheless.

Not that being here in Southern California and visiting with parents and in-laws is really like Faerie. I mean, there’s plentiful food and drink, good company, realms of wonder for Katherine to explore, and a strange, timeless, sense where days rolls by in a quiet, busy blur, and where worldly responsibilities seem to fade in importance …

… until you wake up, like Rip Van Winkle, and twenty years have passed, and all those things you promised yourself you’d work on during your vacation remain undone. Eep!

We made it from Colorado to California safely, and quickly. We didn’t get out of downtown Denver (because of a meeting Margie had to attend) until 10 in the morning. That put us at about 5 p.m. wending through Albuquerque rush hour, and approaching 10:30 as we came up on Flagstaff. We took the southern (I-40) route, rather than cut across Utah, because of reports on the Weather Channel, et al., of snow showers beginning there Friday. Better safe than sorry, and all that.

So as we approached Flagstaff, we also approached a decision. Katherine was intermittently either asleep in the back, or was quietly watching truck lights. We could stop in Flagstaff — and then run the chance that she wouldn’t sleep in the hotel, and the certainty that she’d not want to get back into the van in the morning, or be happy with another day of travel, and there was still that storm that was being predicted, extending even down to Flagstaff — or we could keep going.

We kept going. Margie and I traded off every three hours or so, one of us napping in the back next to Katherine, the other driving into the darkness. We encountered only one blip of weather, fog and sleet coming through the Cajon Pass.

We made it to my In-laws about 5 a.m., handed off Katherine, and caught about 5 hours of sleep. We’ve been kind of catching up ever since (not helped by Katherine having decided Friday night that she really wanted to sleep in bed with Mommy and Daddy, but not really sleep, but squiggle around and kick and giggle).

So here we are. And it’s fun, and Katherine’s having a blast with looking at the Christmas Tree and exploring a new house. She got her bangs cut yesterday, with all family in attendance.

The Christmas cards I worked on so hard last week have arrived with people here in the last few days, so that’s all a good thing.

It looks like all the gifts we shipped have arrived.

I got my “early” Christmas present, my new digital camera. More on that in another post.

My folks have been over the past few evenings — the first a “welcome to California” quiet pizza party, the second a “Pre-Christmas Eve Dinner” last night (since various scheduling difficulties make getting everyone together Christmas Eve problematic).

And I finally got around to blogging. Will wonders ever cease?

Late to the Rings

Given all the other stuff going on, we’re going to have to pass on a Wednesday Night Trip to the Movies, esp. since that’s the Night Before Christmas Travel. But…

Given all the other stuff going on, we’re going to have to pass on a Wednesday Night Trip to the Movies, esp. since that’s the Night Before Christmas Travel. But Margie promises much Taking In of Tolkien whilst in California.
I am really looking forward to this vacation.
On the bright side, the weather report for Thursday is 54, with comparable high temps on Friday. Which bodes well for at least that aspect of the trip.
On the other hand, any weather forecast more than 4 hours out ’round here has all the accuracy of a randomly selected economist.

Speaking of air travel …

Netsloth got caught in the fall-out of the Atlanta mess. Read the (in retrospect — like, maybe, five years from now) hilarity that ensued, and why Delta Sucks. The post…

Netsloth got caught in the fall-out of the Atlanta mess. Read the (in retrospect — like, maybe, five years from now) hilarity that ensued, and why Delta Sucks. The post following has his interchange of e-mail with Delta, in which they prove the hypothesis.

As I note in the comments, it’s intersting that the phrase “carriers suck” applies both to telcos and to airlines.

Lists of Four Things

4 things you would eat on the last day of your life: 1) A bag of Mother’s “Taffy” cookies. 2) A pepperoni pizza. 3) Haagen-Dazs Rum Raisin ice cream. 4)…

4 things you would eat on the last day of your life:
1) A bag of Mother’s “Taffy” cookies.
2) A pepperoni pizza.
3) Haagen-Dazs Rum Raisin ice cream.
4) Margie’s pepper steak.

4 CDs from your collection that you will never get tired of:
1) John Barry/Moviola
2) Pet Shop Boys/Actually
3) Eurythmics/Greatest Hits
4) Bangles/Greatest Hits

4 movies that you watch over and over:
1) Princess Bride
2) Undercover Blues
3) Judgement at Nuremberg
4) The Shadow

4 vacations you have taken:
1) Britain, with Margie.
2) The Grand Canyon, with my folks
3) My honeymoon, with Margie
4) Santa Fe, with Margie

4 things you’d like to learn:
1) To hit a golf ball straight, consistently.
2) Japanese
3) Philosophy (formally)
4) How to draw faces

4 beverages you drink frequently:
1) Coffee
2) Barq’s root beer
3) Grapefruit juice
4) Coke

4 TV shows that you liked when you were a kid:
1) I Love Lucy
2) Mission Impossible
3) Doctor Who
4) Star Trek

4 places to go in your city:
1) The Zoo
2) The Botanic Gardens
3) Lo-Do
4) Cherry Creek North

4 things to do when you’re bored:
1) Read
2) Watch TV
3) Blog
4) Read some more

4 things that never fail to cheer you up:
1) Margie’s smile
2) Katherine’s smile
3) Praise
4) Knights of the Dinner Table

(Via sillycow)

Art

Roger Ebert (whose opinions I enjoy, even when I don’t agree with them) interviews Steve Martin (whose comedy I enjoy whether it’s crazy, brooding, or just human): ”Sometimes I feel…

Roger Ebert (whose opinions I enjoy, even when I don’t agree with them) interviews Steve Martin (whose comedy I enjoy whether it’s crazy, brooding, or just human):

”Sometimes I feel like I’m expected to do a certain kind of comedy,” he said. ”But the suit doesn’t fit all the time and even when it does, you’re just doing the same thing. People think they want the wild stuff, but if you actually do it they’re looking for a younger, fresher face. As a comedian, I have to work hard to find a new angle that’s still within the realm of my own character and body. I’m older. I look different and I have to do movies that are appropriate for that. To do a movie where I’m still trying to act like I’m 28–that wouldn’t be right.”

When Margie and I were touring in the UK a few years back, we started listening to books on tape (which are widely available in gas stations there). One of them was Martin reading some of his essays/fiction pieces he writes in the New Yorker.

Drop. Dead. Funny. Not arrow-through-the-head funny. Smart funny. Erudite funny. Absurd funny.

Have I mentioned that one of my favorite films is Martin’s L.A. Story?

Ebert runs through a list of Martin films.

Consider such recent projects as the ingenious comedy ”Bowfinger” (1999), which he wrote, where he plays a Poverty Row movie producer who dreams up a way to get a big star (Eddie Murphy) to appear in a movie without knowing it. Or Mamet’s ”The Spanish Prisoner” (1997), where he was the genial, trustworthy con artist in a plot so labyrinthine I’m not sure even he understood it. Or his phony faith healer in ”Leap of Faith” (1992), who can’t handle the possibility that miracles might he real. Or his producer of violent movies in ”Grand Canyon” (1991), who is mugged and has a change of heart. Or his triumph in ”L. A. Story,” also 1991, which he wrote, and which still inspires imitations every time people order complicated coffee. And back and back, through ”My Blue Heaven,” ”Parenthood,” ”Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” ”Roxanne” and the wonderful, underrated ”Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”

I am amazed by how many of those films I really enjoyed, or found moving, or both (including the last one on the list). Which makes me think I should watch the others, too.

Steve Martin is who I think Woody Allen wants to be, but, frankly, better.

(Via 24-Hour Drive-Thru)

“Your papers, please.”

(Above headline best read in a sneering German accent.) The airline industry, faced with paying zillions of dollars on added security, wants the Feds to instead run a massive de…

(Above headline best read in a sneering German accent.)

The airline industry, faced with paying zillions of dollars on added security, wants the Feds to instead run a massive de facto national ID system, complete with background checks and screening (and “fast pass” lanes).

Under the Air Transport Assn. proposal, all reservations would be checked against a new government database that would include arrest records, intelligence information, immigration files and financial data. This master database, constantly updated, would be used to identify individuals who merit closer screening at the airport.
The industry also proposed a “trusted traveler” identification card, which would be issued to prescreened passengers willing to undergo extensive personal background checks. These travelers would be sent to airport checkpoints with less intensive screening, allowing them fewer delays.

And this, they think, will encourage people to fly more?

(Via Follow Me Home)

Flight Risk

I decided to check my small suitcase. It will fit in the overhead bin, but I didn’t want to deal with any more inspections than I had to. Walking along…

I decided to check my small suitcase. It will fit in the overhead bin, but I didn’t want to deal with any more inspections than I had to.

Walking along the 6th floor parapet, overlooking the 5th floor security areas, I could see the added walls they’re putting up around the security checkpoints, and enough switchbacking line barriers to warm the cockles of Walt Disney.

I did try the A-bridge security point, and it’s definitely the way to go. There was even a DIA Guest Services guy there handing out candy.

Corkscrews are not allowed. Now, I wasn’t dumb. I did not have a corkscrew that had a little knife. Makes no difference. Corkscrews are not allowed. I’m not sure what I could do with the corkscrew I had in my briefcase that I couldn’t do with, say, a pen, but … well, my corkscrew got donated to the Checkpoint A Contraband Box. It was either that or go back and check it. Sh’yeah, right.

Things were deserted. Weekend travel, based on our experience on the Orlando trip, is still heavy. Weekday business travel? Chirping crickets and tumbling tumbleweeds in the aisles.

On the train, heard a woman joking about how careful she was to not be carrying anything metal, only to be caught in the metal detector by her underwire ….

Sometime between when we left for Orlando and when we got back, Delta, at least, started a secondary security screen at the gate. Random names are called, and any carry-on they have is hand-searched. At DIA, they’re doing it in the space behind the big gate counter display.

On my second leg, Cincinnati to Philly, the little drop-down LCD screens were showing the “Delta Navigator,” which basically has fight information (Altitude 30,000′; Speed Mach 0.76; Outside Temp -46F) and a cool graphic showing the plane moving across the map at various scales. And then I saw the plane, and Washington, DC, and New York City. And the graphic reminded me of way too many newscasts. And for the first time in my flying since 9-11, I felt a little chill down my spine.

WDW – 2001

A compendium of posts for our trip to Walt Disney World in October 2001. A Vacationer’s Progress Deep in the Heart And the Morning and the Evening … There’s something…

A compendium of posts for our trip to Walt Disney World in October 2001.

UPDATE: I’ve created an honest-to-gosh subcategory for all the posts related to this trip. It should be visible at the bottom (or, if I redesign, the top) of this post, something like “Travel – WDW 01.” Now you can see it all at once. Oh, boy!

With apologies to P, P & M, and JD

All our bags are packed, We’re ready to go, Bellboy at 5:20 Is due at our door, When we wake the baby up, I’m sure she’ll cry. But the shuttle’s…

All our bags are packed,
We’re ready to go,
Bellboy at 5:20
Is due at our door,
When we wake the baby up,
I’m sure she’ll cry.

But the shuttle’s waiting,
It’s break of day,
Security checkpoints
Along our way
Orlando, Atlanta, Denver
Through the sky.

   ‘Cause we’re leavin’ on a jet plane,
   Don’t know when we’ll be back again,
   Good times, but good to go.

There’s so many times
We woke ere dawn,
Bags are full,
Our credit gone,
I bitched a lot,
But it don’t mean a thing

Went to Epcot
Magic Kingdom, too,
Animal Kingdom (not a zoo),
And retail stores,
Registers went ch-ching

(Chorus)

Now the time has
Come to leave here,
Gartner’s over,
No need to be here,
No more dinner
On a plastic tray

Check for binkies
‘Neath the bed
Thoughts of home
Dance through my head
Disconnect,
Put PC away.

(Chorus)

I haven’t posted something today

Today I had some fun. There was only one of the three Gartner sessions this afternoon that had any interest for me, so I said, “Screw it,” and went back…

Today I had some fun.

There was only one of the three Gartner sessions this afternoon that had any interest for me, so I said, “Screw it,” and went back to the hotel to play afternoon hooky with Margie.

We took the Squig down the river (well, by bus, but we used the shuttle boat on the way back) to “Downtown Disney,” which is basically a big retail center at the edge of the WDW parkland. Restaurants, night clubs (on “Pleasure Island” — on which my company also did engineering work), places of amusement (a mini-Legoland), entertainment locales (a blues club, an AMC theater, and a Cirque de Soleil arena), and several Disney-themed stores. That includes “Disney Home” (Disney meets Eddie Bauer — with some surprisingly tasteful stuff mixed in with “What would anyone be thinking in order to actually put this in their house?”), Disney Christmas (ditto), and the world’s largest Disney store (which basically has nearly everything that all the smaller stores at the various parks).

Which took care of some birthday, Christmas, and thank-you gifts for a variety of people.

It’s vaguely insidious how easy they make it for you to spend money here. Your room key can be programmed to function as a credit card (basically charging to your room). And stuff you buy anywhere can be sent back to your home resort. Danger, Will Robinson! Doctor Smith, put down that room key!

Anyway, Kitten had fun at Legoland. But she had even more fun at a fountain on the outskirts of the complex. This fountain was made up of various terra cotta pots at various angles, spilling water all over the place. This was the most fun place at all of Walt Disney World, if you gauge it by the screams and giggles of delight from a 16 month old. By the time she was done splashing about, she was soaking wet and utterly enjoying herself.

Being around Margie is also fun. I should do it even more often.

But now it’s time to sleep. Not fun, but around Margie, which does make it, then, fun. Even if all we do is sleep, and even if it is a double bed.

Allow me to bitch a moment

“I’m really not having fun.” I made that comment to Margie Sunday. And, with provisos, that’s actually true. And it’s all Katherine’s fault. Or the fault of her presence, since…

“I’m really not having fun.”

I made that comment to Margie Sunday. And, with provisos, that’s actually true.

And it’s all Katherine’s fault. Or the fault of her presence, since she’s fairly innocent in all of this.

That’s the problem, of course. She doesn’t understand. The good times are no more meaningful for her here than they would be at home. Look, an interesting plant! Look, a bunny on the grass!

In the meantime, all she knows is that she’s either confined to a little hotel room, or else stuck in a stroller or a high chair. Unhappy-making. Her schedule is disrupted.

Meanwhile, Margie has to deal with her all day. And we both have to deal with her in the evening (which largely means trying to get her to sleep, and then tiptoeing around the room the rest of the night).

Margie is getting night duty with her, first because I have to go to “work” in the a.m., second because Kitten has taken to screaming more loudly when I pick her up out of the crib (whic does have its advantages to me, but also its guilt). Margie’s duty is only slightly offset by the hilarity of Dave stumbling around by nightlight to get shaved, bathed and dressed without Waking The Baby Three Feet Away.

In other words, every moment in Katherine’s presence is dominated by her interests. Is she hungry? Thirsty? Poopy? Ready for bed? Into somwthing she ought not to be? Stir-crazy? Is the bathroom door shut? The bottle put away? Everything out of reach (everything that hasn’t been pulled onto the floor)? Why is she howling again, and are you sure the neighbors can’t hear?

And when you’re out with her (like at a theme park), things get even more interesting.

Not fun.

And the bitch is, she won’t remember this trip. We’ll talk about it. She’ll see pictures. But the fun parts of this trip — what could be good memories — are no more part of her than the thrills of the Haunted Mansion were (she
fell asleep).

This is a good conference. I’m glad I don’t have to miss Margie and Katherine. And there have been some fun times. And someday I’d like to come back, both when Katherine’s old enough to appreciate the place (and for us to appreciate her appreciation), and when Katherine’s out of the nest and it can Just Be the Two of Us. The Disney Resort thang can be a very enjoyable time.

But I’m looking forward to being back home.

Okay, enough self-pity! On with more blogging!

The name’s the thing

On Saturday we went to Epcot. That’s its official name these days, btw. The whole “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow” thing has largely vanished. Time marches on. As we rode…

On Saturday we went to Epcot. That’s its official name these days, btw. The whole “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow” thing has largely vanished. Time marches on.

As we rode in the bus past the manacured lawns amidst the trees, the occasional colorful building half-glimpsed, the pools of water, the sense of wonder, the stirring music wafting through the underbrush on the breeze, it occured to me that Walt Disney World is like Lothlorien. Only less subtle, and they charge for admission.

We spent the vast majority of the time at the International Showcase. That was fun, though the weather was blisteringly, swelteringly hot. There’s a reason this all used to be unoccupied swampland.

We bought some wine in France and Germany. Got some gifts in Japan. Took a cute pic of Squiggy in Morocco (with Princess Jasmine). Fun day. Long day. Hot day.

Epcot is doing this “legacy” thing. For a small fee (smaller if paid by AmEx or if you’re AAA members), a digitized photo of you will be placed on one of a number of huge granite plinths at the front enrance. Yes, we did it. Blame my History Major.

WDW has a unifying color scheme in its signage, busses, etc. Red, purple, white and gold. I’ve seen each o these used as both background and foregrounf, and it makes for nice coloration. I may dabble in this page’s color scheme that way.

PC or not PC, that is the question

One of the most popular attractions at either Magic Kingdom in the States is Splash Mountain. (My company actually did engineering work on the one in Anaheim. Could I tell…

One of the most popular attractions at either Magic Kingdom in the States is Splash Mountain. (My company actually did engineering work on the one in Anaheim. Could I tell you some wild stories. But I digress.)

Anyway, while Splash Mountain is popular because it’s a fun flume ride, the window dressing on the ride is the tale of Br’er Rabbit (though somewhere in the translation to the Disneyverse the apostrophe was dropped).

The Disney connection there is with the Disney film you will never see on VHS, let alone on DVD. Song of the South was an early (1946) Disney foray into mixing live action and animation, based on the book by Joel Chandler Harris with the tales of Uncle Remus. It also has, so I am led to believe, some portrayals of blacks and race relations that are quite un-PC. Not in a mean way or a violent way — this is Disney, after all — but condescending, paternalistic, insulting to modern sensibilities.

I don’t know for sure, because I’ve never seen it. And likely never will in this country. Though evidently the tape is available in the UK and Germany.

So standing I line for the ride Sunday, I see one kid asking his mom what “brer” means. She doesn’t know. I also hear a couple discussing how it’s all based on, uh, the Oz books.

Disney has a valuable property here, and they can’t do anything with it. Heck, they couldn’t even re-edit and PCize the movie, because half the vocal populace would yell at them for knuckling under, the other half for not going far enough.

It is a puzzlement. It is a shame. And it is a fun (bowdlerized) ride, too.

Today’s Hint for Achieving Geeky Goodness

Trying to keep up with your blog while gallavanting about at a major tech symposium? Try this helpful methodology! Write down all your bloggable sentiments in your Palm. The easy…

Trying to keep up with your blog while gallavanting about at a major tech symposium? Try this helpful methodology!

Write down all your bloggable sentiments in your Palm. The easy interface makes chronicling your life a snap!

During slow moments of the day, type out your notes in more detail into your Blackberry/iPAQ. Its superlative mailing abilities lets you send it to your personal e-mail account with no trouble at all!

That night in your hotel room, start up your notebook and dial in. Download your mail, then cut and paste into your blog editor. Clean up your thumb-fingered typos, click post-and -publish, and you’re on your way to yet another blogging success!