The much-ballyhooed opening of Heathrow's £4 billion Terminal 5 has been a debacle. British Airways has canceled 208 flights since Thursday, and has "stranded" between 15,000 and 20,000 bags. Area hotels are crammed with stuck BA passengers and are gouging on pricing, prompting BA to lift its stingy (and possibly illegal) £100 limit on hotels for stuck passengers. This is the terminal with the that just cancelled its crackpot fingerprinting procedure -- passengers are fingerprinted at check-in and at boarding.
British Airways loses 15-20,000 bags since Thursday at supremely b0rked Heathrow Terminal 5
Sunday, March 30, 2008
British Airways loses 15-20,000 bags since Thursday at supremely b0rked Heathrow Terminal 5
Posted by Blacky at 8:22 am 0 comments
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Top 5 reasons why “The Customer Is Always Right” is wrong
The phrase “The customer is always right” was originally coined by Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of Selfridge’s department store in London in 1909, and is typically used by businesses to:
Convince customers that they will get good service at this company
Convince employees to give customers good service
Fortunately more and more businesses are abandoning this maxim - ironically because it leads to bad customer service.
Top 5 reasons why “The Customer Is Always Right” is wrong
Posted by Blacky at 3:53 pm 0 comments
Friday, March 28, 2008
Free web-based Photoshop arrives
It took a year rather than six months, but Adobe Photoshop Express has finally arrived - at least in beta. Photoshop Express is a web-based photo storage, editing and sharing service. Adobe is presenting it as a tool for the masses.
Free web-based Photoshop arrives
Posted by Blacky at 12:12 pm 0 comments
Ten reasons to turn off automatic email checking on your phone
Six months ago I turned off automatic email downloading on my phone; it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Having access to email on the go is helpful (as is web access), but downloading email automatically does more harm than good.
Ten reasons to turn off automatic email checking on your phone
Posted by Blacky at 12:07 pm 0 comments
Thursday, March 27, 2008
How to embellish your life story without getting caught
The past month has not been kind to literary fabricators. The self-proclaimed half-Native American/foster child/South Central gangster Margaret B. Jones turned out to be Margaret Seltzer, a white girl from the leafy suburb Sherman Oaks. Misha Defonseca confessed that her Holocaust memoir, in which she traversed Europe, escaped Nazis, and lived with a pack of wolves, was a fantasy. Both revelations recall the fallout after James Frey's 2003 addiction memoir A Million Little Pieces turned out to be partially fabricated.
How to embellish your life story without getting caught
Posted by Blacky at 7:56 pm 0 comments
Best Digital Photo Organizer?
Today, the debut of the Hive Five Call for Contenders puts out the question: What's the best way to organize your digital photos?
Best Digital Photo Organizer?
Posted by Blacky at 1:54 pm 0 comments
Ten very idiosyncratic tips for having fun on a family vacation
Was it Jerry Seinfeld who said, “There’s no such thing as fun for the whole family?”
I disagree—but I’ve hit on certain tips that do help keep things fun. I’m not sure they’re universally helpful, but they’ve helped me.
Ten very idiosyncratic tips for having fun on a family vacation
Posted by Blacky at 1:51 pm 0 comments
25 Ways to Simplify Your Life with Kids
Anyone who has kids knows that any life with kids is going to be complicated, at least to some degree. From extra laundry to bathing and cooking and shopping and driving and school and chores and crises and sports and dance and toys and tantrums, there is no shortage of complications.
25 Ways to Simplify Your Life with Kids
Posted by Blacky at 8:16 am 0 comments
Free Ways to Synchronize Folders Between Computers
Nothing sucks worse than getting to the office in the morning and realizing you left the most recent copy of an important file—whether it's your to-do list or a PowerPoint presentation—on your home computer. No matter where you are and what computer you're using, you always want the most updated set of documents and files you've got without having to carry 'em around on a thumb drive.
Free Ways to Synchronize Folders Between Computers
Posted by Blacky at 8:14 am 0 comments
The Door to Hell
This place in Uzbekistan is called by locals “The Door to Hell”. It is situated near the small town of Darvaz. The story of this place lasts already for 35 years.
The Door to Hell
Posted by Blacky at 8:06 am 0 comments
You’ll Never Moonwalk Alone
On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon. He didn’t moonwalk alone – ‘Buzz’ Aldrin joined him on the surface – and he didn’t walk far.
After travelling hundreds of thousands of kilometers, the landing crew of the Apollo 11 lunar mission barely covered an area the size of a football pitch.
You’ll Never Moonwalk Alone
Posted by Blacky at 8:04 am 0 comments
Carnival Scams of 1930
This June, 1930 Modern Mechanix article on the cheats used in carny midway games is great -- it's amazing how many of these cons are still in use today.
Carnival Scams of 1930
Posted by Blacky at 7:58 am 0 comments
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Migration, Australia, 2006-07
Young adults proved to be the most mobile segment of the population during 2006-07, topping the figures for both overseas migration as well as interstate moves, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Overall, net overseas migration added 177,600 people to Australia's population during 2006-07.
Migration, Australia, 2006-07
Posted by Blacky at 12:01 pm 0 comments
The Power of Power Naps
Sleep is such a fundamental biological drive that it's shared by practically every species, from fruit flies to humans. Indeed, sleep is so essential that animals will die as quickly from sleep deprivation as they will from food deprivation.
The Power of Power Naps
Posted by Blacky at 8:08 am 0 comments
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The cost of food: Facts and figures
Explore the facts and figures behind the rising price of food across the globe.
The cost of food: Facts and figures
Posted by Blacky at 10:26 pm 0 comments
Smart Eating at Work
Top 10 all-around picks, in no specific order, to stash at your desk or in your office fridge.
Smart Eating at Work
Posted by Blacky at 10:19 pm 0 comments
Monday, March 24, 2008
Causes of Death, Australia, 2006
Presents statistics on the number of deaths for year of registration by state or territory of Australia, sex, selected age groups, and cause of death classified to the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
Causes of Death, Australia, 2006
Posted by Blacky at 10:54 pm 0 comments
Climate facts to warm to
CATASTROPHIC predictions of global warming usually conjure with the notion of a tipping point, a point of no return.
Last Monday - on ABC Radio National, of all places - there was a tipping point of a different kind in the debate on climate change. It was a remarkable interview involving the co-host of Counterpoint, Michael Duffy and Jennifer Marohasy, a biologist and senior fellow of Melbourne-based think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. Anyone in public life who takes a position on the greenhouse gas hypothesis will ignore it at their peril.
Duffy asked Marohasy: "Is the Earth stillwarming?"
Climate facts to warm to
Posted by Blacky at 10:20 am 0 comments
Top 10 Software Easter Eggs
Sure we like our chocolate bunny ears, but around these parts the best easter eggs aren't painted pink and stuffed with jelly beans—they're the undocumented and unexpected fun features hidden deep inside various software apps.
Top 10 Software Easter Eggs
Posted by Blacky at 10:14 am 0 comments
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Could Aging Mirror Scare You Straight?
Persuasive Mirror and Web Site Shows People How They Will Age Based on Lifestyle.
Could Aging Mirror Scare You Straight?
Posted by Blacky at 8:28 pm 0 comments