Please share this link

This McCain video link was sent to me by a close friend. I am not endorsing the chain of links to additional videos and I do not recommend spending time following them. It amounts to negative campaigning. But this video is a good example of what skillful editing can do. (Editing isn't just about text.) Although I think that politically the video is accurate (it is, though, a little heavy handed at the end with it's pleading), I know a similar (or worse) video could be created for any of the candidates.

Interactivity

A long time ago, when computers and the Internet were still wedging themselves into our lives, I was amazed at how easy someone had made it for us to simply answer questions and upload information about ourselves online -- and how seemlessly we began doing it. Even just saying "yes" seemed ominous. I remarked to colleagues that somewhere in cyberspace someone was conditioning us to simply type in whatever we were asked to type in. Not that I heeded my own wariness. I was as eager as the next person to type in my name, place an order on line, answer a survey.

Now our Google toolbar will fill in forms for us and hand out credit card information without us even having to open our wallets. How many of us are paying a monthly $7.99 charge or $12.00 charge or. . . on our credit card statements that buys us some service we don't even remember we have? Who did we talk to when we ordered it, and who do we talk to to cancel it? And are we even sure all of those companies that are collecting the money are still in business?

We've given Microsoft free access to our hard drives because it's easier than trying to remember to download updates on our own. We let McAfee or Norton Utilities have free access. Who are they? And why can any of them simply shut down our computer at will to "reconfigure" the updates? Why does Dell want me to upload my hard drive to their server in cyberspace -- so I'll be protected when my system crashes? Do I know anybody at Dell? And why does Quicken check to see if I've got the latest financial tools and urge me to go to their website every time I start the program? For that matter, why do they want to pay my bills for me? Do I know anyone at Quicken?

What prompted this reflection was watching my local morning news today. The price of gas in Atlanta rose 11 cents overnight and another 4 cents in a half hour during the broadcast. It's because of Ike, and I just wish I had filled up yesterday. Wouldn't it be great if I could get some kind of warning? And then they said it. If you want instant alerts on what's happening with gas prices, all you have to do is sign up on 11alive.com and they'll send you an alert when there's going to be a change in the price of gas. I didn't sign up, but I assume they'd send it to my mobile phone if I asked. It seemed like it was the perfect solution to a serious problem. Thank God for the Matrix.

Care to take in a play, Mrs. Lincoln?

I'm impressed. We've been hearing a lot lately about just how bad a public image airlines have. Well I've been traveling the last couple of days, and it's clear they -- at least Delta -- are trying to do something about it.

First I booked my ticket for a flight from Atlanta to Tampa on line. No hassle, and not a bad price. I even got to choose the seat I wanted. On the day of the flight, the plane Left the gate in Atlanta exactly on time and landed in Tampa about 10 minutes early. Not bad.

But here's the rub. The day before the flight, I got an email from Delta telling me I could check in on line. I did. Even checked my bag on line. Printed out my boarding pass. I never had to speak to an employee, show an employee an id, reveal in any way I was who I claimed to be.

Then I got to the airport and took my bag to the curbside drop off. The employee at the counter printed out a new boarding pass and gave it to me. He said there'd been a gate change. Still no hassle. Except he never asked to see an id. Never took back the boarding pass I'd printed out the night before.

So there I was going through the airport with two valid boarding passes in my hand--only two although I could have printed the original boarding pass to PDF and had a ton of them in my pocket. And here's an interesting fact. To get through security at the airport in Atlanta, you don't need a picture id. Without one, you need two official(?) non picture ids.

It's interesting. The flight was on time leaving. The flight got in early. The airline did all it could to take the hassle out of flying. But just how secure are we supposed to feel?

Words I don't like

I don't like the term "Homeland."

It's jingoistic and sounds far too much like "Fatherland."

Seven Pillars of Wisdom

S and I began reading the TE Lawrence book Seven Pillars of Wisdom last night. In the introduction, Lawrence states that what we are about to read is a highly subjective account of the Arab revolt and that he has placed himself -- without apology -- in the middle of the narrative in a way that does not necessarily conform to reality. He goes on to say that others, some of whom he has not even mentioned, would tell the story differently. But this is his story, and when the others are ready, they can tell theirs.