BGR Saves You $1,000

OK, $999.99 to be exact, but a video walkthrough of the much reported, and maligned I Am Rich application is posted over at BGR. Brilliant, typos and all. I think the last laugh goes to the application developer who, in fact, may yet get rich.

Tutelage Of The Elite

Part way through reading Larry Summers’ take on the perils of peer homogenaeity at Harvard, All the privileged must have prizes,I found myself asking why it was I’d had a predisposition to dislike the man so much.

To sense the sterility one had only to listen: “shopping period” was the name of the week they selected their classes. Once, when I proposed to teach a junior seminar entitled “Anarchist cultural criticism in America”, I was instructed to go ahead only if I first changed the title to “America and its critics”. Here was the same method of cultural hygiene that has transformed Harvard Square from a bohemian enclave into an outdoor mall.

When Google Owns You

What happens when you’re cut off from your Google Apps and Mail? Nick Saber had the misfortune to find out.

This is something that I’ve conjectured about in the past and something that I think really needs to become a more open dialogue as more and more professionals and entire businesses rely on the GCloud.

(A)IRC

Chatting on a plane on Flickr – Photo Sharing

The Dark Night

No, that is not a typo, but with all the discussions around greening companies, LEED certifications and corporate carbon footprint reduction, are we likely to see an era of dark skylines as skyscrapers dim the lights to trim the energy bills?

It’d be a strange sight, indeed, although some ornithologists would likely rejoice.

What do you think, is it likely, feasible?

Update: An Open Letter To American Airlines (pt. 2: The Response)

In an update to my earlier post, apparently, to borrow from American Express, “membership [does] have its privileges” as I received the following reply from American, to my earlier submission. Interesting that they make it a point to note that they wanted to ” respond to.. our AAdvantage Platinum customer first.”

Were I Executive Platinum, would I have received a direct phone call?

Dear Mr. XXXX,

Thank you for your interest in American Airlines. We want to respond to
you, our AAdvantage Platinum customer first.

Please know that we pay close attention to comments, like yours, so that
we may better gauge trends in the industry and meet the needs of our
passengers. Accordingly, I have sent your feedback regarding Kayak on
to the appropriate management team for their review.

We appreciate your visit to the American Airlines website, AA.com.

Sincerely,
Barbara Kuebler
AA.com Web Services
American Airlines

An Open Letter To Ameican Airlines

I received notification, via email, that American – my airline of choice – is ceasing its information (fare) sharing relationship with Kayak.com, my preferred fare comparison engine and directing all fare querues to the aa.com site. I am a fan of American, i travel them quite a bit, however, Kayak has created an interactive web fare comparison engine that trumps anything I’ve seen from any airline. That American believes it can – or that it should – take captive control of information in this way is such outmoded philosophy, it makes me question the airline’s ability to be forward thinking in an era of Web 2.0. My letter to their customer service follows:

I recently received an email, subject line “American Airlines Ends Relationship With Kayak.” I am, to be blunt, perplexed by this policy change.

As a frequent AA traveler, Platinum AAdvantage member and Admirals Club user, it is clear that AA is my preferred airline. Kayak.com, however, is my primary vehicle for obtaining and comparing fare information. To exclude AA fares from the Kayak engine puts an onus on me as a valued customer to obtain AA fare information and makes me less likely to consider AA when booking travel.

I am sure that there is some perceived logic inside of AA that presumes control over fare information should be limited to AA and its preferred partners, however, I assure you, this is simply outdated thinking. Attempting to plug the “information hole” of a Web 2.0 business like Kayak is absurd and will cause customers like myself much anguish trying to compare fares when booking, a necessary step for any business, and most personal, travelers.

I believe a reevaluation of this decision is in order if AA wishes to retain the business of me and others like me that make frequent use of your airline as well as today’s open, web-based tools for information sharing like Kayak.

Yours,
XXXX
AAdvantage number XXXXX

iPhone 2.0 Unlock Unleashed

The iPhone 2.0 Pwnage Tool for Mac was released into the wild the weekend. Time to go and get that iPhone, I guess. Yes, a Windows version is also available, if not quite as straightforward.

How long can you hold on?

One of the apps for the iPhone, Hold-On, is a test to see how long you can hold on to the button on the front. Yes, it’s free

David Owen’s Airline

David Owen explains how he’d like to see things, including,

“you must keep your feet stowed directly in front of you at all times in such a way that your legs do not touch my legs or penetrate any part of the imaginary vertical plane separating your seating space from mine. Fifty dollars.”

Read more in his New Yorker piece, My Airline.