Seldom used word of the day...

Word of the Day for Saturday, April 25, 2009

imbroglio \im-BROHL-yoh\, noun:

1. A complicated and embarrassing state of things.
2. A confused or complicated disagreement or misunderstanding.
3. An intricate, complicated plot, as of a drama or work of fiction.
4. A confused mass; a tangle.

Air travel hell or fodder for technology impaired whiners?

Is this really an issue? Have you ever 'forgot' to turn off your phone prior to take-off? Have you ever looked at the signal bar when you were up there cruising at 39,000 feet? I have. Guess what? There is no signal! This is because cell phone tower antennas are aimed horizontally across the surface and not pointed at the sky. Why are people worried about cell phones on planes? The Skyphone in the head rest is designed for plane to ground communications your cell phone is not.

Wired News: An increasing number of airlines think the person next to you should be able to chatter away on a cell phone, something some consider the best thing to happen to air travel since in-flight cocktails and others warn will make flying even more hellish.

Although several U.S. carriers offer in-flight Wi-Fi (via satellite uplink), we've yet to see them roll out in-flight phone service, which is still prohibited by the FAA and the Federal Communications Commission.

Some aren't waiting for the technology to arrive. A group of lawmakers led by Rep. Pete Fazio, D-Ore., have drafted legislation called the Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace (HANG-UP, get it?) Act to ban in-flight cell phone use. Proponents of the bill say the incessant chattering of passengers would make life unbearable for passengers already dealing with delayed flights, crowded planes and the hassle of flying.

But a growing number of passenger rights groups and small business organizations argue the government is grossly overstepping its authority and hasn't done its homework.

"Given the increased difficulties we face in getting to our destinations these days Americans are spending more and more time at airports and on board commercial aircraft," says Kate Hanni, executive director of the Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights. "We believe it is essential that the federal government perform a full inquiry before deciding whether to ban the use of wireless communications on commercial flights and that all the relevant benefits and information be considered before a decision is made before Congress."

Planet Terror!

I will view it and post my review over the weekend.

She does not need a Disabled Persons Parking Permit in her car!

http://accelerate-the-world-i-live-in.blogspot.com/

Shoot Em Up!

Whoah! If you're looking for mindless action, THIS is the movie for you.
It's over the top, totally unbelievable, physically impossible, but absolutely brilliant all at the same time.

2 minute version:

Clive Owen eats a lot of carrots, and values his privacy. There are many things that he absolutely hates, and he comes into contact with most of these things when he unwillingly gets involved in a plot to kill a very pregnant young woman. Suddenly faced with a nanny job, he shoots his way out of the frying pan and into the fire, each scenario more draw-dropping-ly impossible than the last. Monica Bellucci is under-utilized as the proverbial professional with a heart of gold except she's also got a chest of milk to go with it. Things get political, and hopelessly complicated, and of course there's lots and lots (and lots) of shooting, during any (and I do mean ANY) situation.