Ah the good ole TSA...

I remember when I was a kid, going on trips with my parents, security at the airport was a breeze. I could walk through the metal detector carrying a stuffed animal. Not to mention, we were always treated fairly nicely.

Back in those days (I’m olde tymie…) you could also meet people who were coming in at the gate, or if traveling alone, you could wait with family or friends before boarding the gate. I also remember when my mom would have to book a specific non-smoking flight because of mine and my dad’s asthma not being able to handle the regurgitated smoke on the planes.

Boy have things changed. Airline employees tend to be a lot more surly, and customers are not treated as nicely. It’s more like we’re cattle, and should be happy that we’re being allowed this service that they provide. And consumers are showing their disapproval by not flying as much, or not traveling certain airlines, thus forcing mergers or having to declare bankruptcy.

But today’s entry shall focus on the good ole TSA. After 9/11 restrictions have become tighter, and understandably so. However with some things, the TSA can be a bit much. One of the new regulations is putting small 3oz or less liquid or gel containers in a ziplock bag in your carry-on luggage. Fine by me, but at the same time, there are some things that could be an issue to passengers, like adults traveling with small children. A news article I remember reading last year talked about a mother who was detained and treated horribly by TSA over her child’s sippy cup (message board post with article here)

The story quickly spread on the Internet this week after blogger Bill Adler, a Washington author, saw a note Emmerson wrote on a Web site for city parents. Adler interviewed Emmerson and relayed her account.

He wrote that a TSA screener seized her 19-month-old's cup after asking if there was water in it, causing Emmerson's son to cry. Emmerson was told she would have to leave the security checkpoint and dump out the water if she wanted to keep the cup.

Emmerson said she accidentally spilled the water because she was nervous and traveling alone with a toddler.

TSA, however, said Emmerson dumped, not spilled, the water on the floor.

Now yes, the TSA made the rules for safety, we should obey them, and I can understand this. The issue comes in with the treatment of passengers with regards to these rules. If they treat people calmly, then people will generally respond calmly. If they take an attitude, well, the results will be less than pleasing.

Thankfully, I’ve only had one bad experience. I was able to take my half-full face wash through JFK to Tampa, but apparently I couldn’t do that on the way back. Gotta love consistency! I think if the TSA went through some customer service training, and if they didn’t hire people who looked like they hated their existence, things could go better.

Then again I may just be idealistic…

Mini news bites

• Apparently, NYC is freaking out over Emperor Palpatine Pope Benedict's visit. Many streets are being closed off in the areas he will be visiting over the weekend, and in AM New York, it advises that if you can leave your neighborhood (if one of the pope’s stops is there) for the weekend it is advisable. Really? Come on. Getting around NYC is a hassle in general. And if you live near the UN and are whining about traffic being closed or increased police presence, it’s your own fault you moved there then. I will be happily tucked away in Queens far from the madness.
• I’m also fluent in Nerdic according to “experts”. Some key terms are: RickRoll, UGC, Mashup, HDMI, Android (according to Pixmania.com’s top 10 list.
• This is just full of stupid and I don't see how it would be considered art. FAIL
• As for good art, check this out “Cereal Mascot Reunion” His artworks is very interesting and thought provoking. I also like “Space Girl” (link in sidebar).

Ghost in the Shell: Live action movie (Spielberg has awesome taste)

According to Variety, DreamWorks has acquired the rights to the Japanese manga “Ghost in the Shell.”

Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Steven Paul of Seaside Entertainment are attached to produce and brought the project to the studio. Jamie Moss has been tapped to pen the adaptation.

Universal and Sony were also chasing "Ghost in the Shell," but Steven Spielberg took personal interest in the property and made it happen at DreamWorks.

" 'Ghost in the Shell' is one of my favorite stories," Spielberg said. "It's a genre that has arrived, and we enthusiastically welcome it to DreamWorks."

Ghost in the Shell is probably one of my all time favorite manga and anime series. There’s just something compelling about the world and the characters that were created by Masamune Shirow in the manga, and the fantastic way that they were adapted into animated films and a TV show.

The prospect of a live action GITS is interesting, especially with it being tied into using 3D technology. That would make the net diving scenes pretty interesting. Not sure who I would want them to cast as Motoko Kusanagi, but it would have to be someone who would do her character justice, otherwise I’ll probably hate the movie. I’m always worried about movie adaptations for video games and anime. From all accounts the live action Aeon Flux was horrible, and most people haven’t been happy with video game movie adaptations. Though I must admit, I really enjoyed the first Tomb Raider movie.

Now if only people can make up their minds with regards to the Halo movie…

It's a hassle to be sick these days...

I hate the US Healthcare system. Most insurances are bullcrap, and the only one that I’ve ever had a decent time with was Aetna. Now I have United Health Care, and I’m longing for the days of Aetna. An example of the crap that I go through with UHC: I need medication for acid reflux, however, my plan with UHC does not cover Nexium (which I have been on previously for a couple of years), and they won’t let me have another alternative because I’m too young. Yes, apparently I am not allowed to have Acid Reflux until I’m middle age or older.

And now I read articles like this: Consumers may see higher co-pay costs. The insurance and drug companies want to implement something called “Tier 4” pricing, which makes patients pay a percentage of the cost of medications, instead of a fixed rate as has been the norm for awhile. That means if someone has cancer, MS, anemia, arthritis and Hepatitis C (among other diseases) could pay thousands more a month for their medication.

“They lower the costs for most consumers, but it does so at a price,” said Avalere Heath President Dan Mendelson.

Insurers call them “specialty drugs” and say relatively few people suffer from these chronic conditions. But some research has found more than 75 percent of Medicare beneficiaries do pay into the “Tier 4” system.

“Relatively few” people may suffer from those chronic conditions, but I highly doubt that they’d be able to afford oh, say $4000 a month for medicines to help their cancer treatment.

Now, I have to admit, I haven’t seen the Michael Moore doc “Sicko” yet. I do plan to. But I’m sure I’ll get more horrified about our health insurance industry here in the states.

And to all you Canadians: Count your blessings. And if this country deteriorates more, who knows, maybe I’ll be moving up there. Oh and stop bragging about how awesome your healthcare system is… heh

One of my favorite street artists, Banksy, has created a new mural speaking about the use of CCTV in the UK.

And he managed to do this in plain sight of a CCTV camera. He ericted a scaffold, and behind a tarp (or some other sheet) painted the artwork without being caught. I guess someone was snoozing at the control panel and didn’t notice this at all.

To view more of his art, go here

As for the whole Big Brother issue that people are having with the CCTV, I’m on the fence. On the one hand having the cameras around is a good idea because it can help with watching the streets for crimes and for use in trials. However, at the same time, this can easily spiral downwards and the powers that be can turn it into Big Brother: watching the general populous, manipulating video to favor police/government, and crack down on general freedoms.

As I don't have one topic to discuss, here are some bullet point topics that I just have smaller comments about:

• Rick Rolling the NY Mets: Thanks to Fark.com, a vote on the Mets website to determine the 8th inning song resulted in Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" as winning (and yes I voted for the Astley song). However... sad news:

  Rather than commit to that as the new eighth-inning tune since it probably doesn’t reflect the fan base’s wishes, the Mets will play the top six selections once apiece during the first six games of their home stand. The one that draws the largest crowd response will stick.

  This is sad news. But at least it still has a chance. Oh well...
  
• I am convinced that the MTA is run by some crazy old prospector guy. There's a notice on the 4/5 subway line stating that the 5 train and the 2 train are going to be switching places. Meaning that the 5 is going to run on the 2 line, and the 2 on the five line. The reason? The MTA is doing electrical work on the 5 line. Ok... now... if they're doing electrical work on the 5 line... shouldn't they halt service? I do believe that the 2 train running on that line will still be using electricity... next thing you know they're going to raise fares again.
• One sees some strange people on the train at 6am. Like this guy on the J who was downing a Pabst Blue Ribbon like no tomorrow. Someone got an early start today.
• I have probably the coolest UPS guy who stops at our floor. We talk gaming, tech and metal music. And I may get him playing WoW.

Well... enough of the inane ramblings for today.

....really?

“Melanie Engle was trying to just pluck the stray hairs here and there. She was trying to deliver an age-appropriate eyebrow wax to her client. It was hard, though, because there was a foot tapping next to her, and a voice shouting in her ear: “No! Not like that — like a supermodel’s. I want them arched.”

After years in the beauty biz, Engle had seen her share of crazy ladies demanding perfect, Glamour-cover-worthy brows. But this Crazy Lady wasn’t talking about her own brows. The brows in question belonged to Crazy Lady’s daughter. Who was eight.

After sweating through the kid’s eyebrow wax, Engle, today an aesthetician at the Adolf Biecker Salon/Spa outposts in the Rittenhouse Hotel and Strafford — and, it should be noted, one of the most sought-after eyebrow specialists in the region — was directed to give her pint-size client a … bikini wax.”

--Full Article Here--

This is just awful. Apparently this is a new thing for the more privileged kids today, to go to spas and get the same treatments as mommy. When I was eight, I was lucky if my mom painted my nails. The nail salon and spa was a magical grown-up place in my eyes where little girls were not allowed to go to until they were grown up. I only ever went to Bo Ricks to get my hair trimmed when it got too long or unruly. I never had it dyed or permed until I was at least 12 or 13 years old, and the closest I came to getting special treatment was for two separate instances where my mom took me to Glamour Shots when I was between the ages of 10-12 for “pretty pictures” that made me look like at least a teen in high school. I considered it dress up.

But now kids are growing up to expect these special treatments. I have been in spas, both in Illinois and here in New York city, where I’ve seen a large group of pre-teens come in for a “spa birthday party” where they got the full treatment from mani-pedis, to hair cut/colors, massages, eyebrow waxing and probably facials. And all of these girls acted like it was nothing special, as if they do this on a regular basis. I would have been shell-shocked if my mother took me for a full spa day when I was 14!! I didn’t set foot into a spa until freshman year of high school, and only then to see the esthetician about my problematic skin and almost constant breakouts.

Now, that brings me to a point that was also brought up in the article. There are some mothers who bring their girls in for similar skin issues, or maybe their daughter has bushier eyebrows, and they want to save their children from the snot-nosed brats who will ultimately make fun of and shun them. This is okay. I went through that myself and wound up going to a spa for facials once a month to help my skin problem clear up. However, there is a thin line, and a lot of mothers are crossing it. And the mothers that cross that line begin to foster a behavior In their daughter which leads to expectations of such treatments. This expectation could lead into them wanting boob jobs for a sweet 16 or high school graduation (not unheard of…), botox injections in their 20s, and god knows what else.

I grew up having to deal with not the best looking hair, bad skin, and dealing with hair growth that I wasn’t used to. But I think I turned out fine, and I’ve learned to appreciate what I look like, instead of trying to hide all of my imperfections. Now, granted I do whine sometimes about wanting a body like, say Kate Winslet, but in general I’m happy with who I am.

I hate what the media, and their obsession with image, is doing to childhood… they’re slowly killing it.

I'm not your friend buddy!

South Park has managed to get a song stuck in my head all day. And a memorable, hilarious one at that. If you missed the episode from last night, here is what I'm talking about:



The episode consisted of Canada going on strike, for no real reason, and a huge fight in a waiting room between internet superstars such as the Numa Numa guy, Tron guy, Dramatic Gopher, Chocolate Rain Guy, Star Wars kid, and a few others that I forgot. They did a great job with these, and honestly the parts involving the internet "celebrities" was more amusing than the fact that Canada was on strike wanting more money. So far this season has not been a disappointment!

April Fool's wrap up: My favorites

Ah April Fools day… a day for pranks to be played on everyone you can think of.

I myself tried to Rickroll some friend’s phones, but I think the site went down, and I was quite sad. A friend of mine found a blue screen of death screensaver which he installed on two family members’ computers, resulting in both people freaking out about having a virus installed on their systems, and one even running a virus check.

There were also some great pranks played by some websites. Both little things and more impressive which may have fooled some, but not others. Below are my takes on the pranks.

1. Legend of Zelda - The movie: I know of at least two people who were fooled by this. And as I had first suspected, it was a prank by IGN (and Rainfall Films). They updated the page with the trailer at 12:01am with “Yup, you guessed it. The Legend of Zelda trailer featured above is part of an elaborate April Fool's Day prank. Check back in later today for more details on the IGN/Rainfall Films collaboration that resulted in this "love it or hate it" piece of videogame movie history.” As I said previously, it actually looked pretty decent. I’d see it in theaters if it came out. Maybe this will make Nintendo perk up a bit more about making a Zelda movie.
2. World of Warcraft Bard Hero Class: Blizzard realeased details about a Bard class, a la Guitar Hero. It’s fairly detailed, with some funny pictures to accompany the article. Hell if it were real, I’d be making a bard once I got the new expansion later this year
3. World of Warcraft The Molten Core: Probably my second favorite April Fool next to the Zelda trailer. I totally cannot wait to play this with it’s sweet 192i resolution, 6 different boss shapes, sweet 2D graphics… and it has sound?? Oh man that’s so sweet. So much better than WoW…
4. Virgle: Anyone want to go and colonize Mars? Well… as cool as that may sound, it was a hoax by Virgin founder Richard Branson and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. You could actually submit an application to join them in their desire to go and colonize Mars.
5. Google’s “send in the past email”: This was a hoax, obviously, but damnit I wish it was becoming a feature. Even if it did rupture the space/time continuum. This was the hoax that actually had me fooled and initially I was looking through Gmail to find it and test it out. Upon further reading of the page, was when I realized it was fake. Well at least one person had me fooled for a bit.

Some of the smaller hoaxes included Digg changing the buttons, so that once you dug a story, instead of the number increasing it went to a random symbol, like Pi or +. Fark had an initial page that had an image of a guinea pig inside of a server case with the caption “OMG hacked by pigs!” Engadget changed their layout to a more pink/T-mobile look after being sent a letter the previous day from Deutsche Telekom/T-mobile to “stop using magenta” on their website. ThinkGeek also released a fake product called Spazztroids, chock full of sweet, precious caffeine. Amazingly it’s only 15 calories per serving too!

So all in all some fun stuff this year. I can’t wait to see what these sites decide to do next year. Especially IGN, considering now they have to top a fake movie trailer that was done really well.

Legend of Zelda movie

So, not the post I was intending for my first full write up, but this is just very interesting. Apparently, they've made a Legend of Zelda movie, and IGN has the trailer. Now Digg had a story posted there about a movie being in development about two years ago, and it's been reported that Reggie has talked to Club Nintendo about the possibility... but it being April first and all, I'm skeptical.

An IMDB search gave me a completely blank page with a 2009 date, and details only available to IMDB pro subscribers. If this was a real thing, that page would be accessible hands down. Not to mention at least having an official site with a "Coming Soon" screen on it.

Skepticism aside, it looks good. Although I feel that Ganondorf is a bit too CG generated, along with Zelda's face. The kid playing Link looks good. I love the music, and the backgrounds look great. It could be good (if this is real), but it could also go horribly wrong.

I want confirmation that this is a reality before i make any decisions about anything.
For now I shall enjoy my awesome pasta dish that I made.