United Squeezes One More Passenger On-Board

Well...here is something you don't often see...but I guess happens all of the time. On my flight from Denver to Dulles last week, I happened to look out the window to see United add just one more passenger to its flight. Apparently, sold out doesn't really mean sold out sometimes. 

Holy crap!

Circular Rainbow (with plane inside)

So...here is my once-in-a-lifetime event. My wife and I were flying to Miami a little while ago and happened to look out the window to see this amazing circular rainbow. Now, I know "all" rainbows are in fact circular, but given that 99% of us see them from the ground, it almost never looks that way.

Then it didn't end there. While we were mesmerized by the rainbow itself, as we watched, things got even more amazing when we noticed the shadow of our plane *inside* the rainbow.

Absolutely amazing. Has anyone ever seen this phenomenon?

Full disclosure...other than adding a little contrast via Picassa, I have made no changes to these photos. And if you want to know more about circular rainbows...check out this link: http://www.wonderquest.com/rainbow-circle.htm

Myers Briggs Battle

So...took my first Myers-Briggs test today in probably 15 years and it was pretty enlightening. Now, I don't think I am a "journalist" like these results say...but I do agree with the general conclusion. More importantly, it seems that this does help to highlight one of the key challenges I have had recently with some co-workers. For better or worse, I have not been able to "connect" with these folks recently...often leading to frustration on their part and mine. There are probably lots of reasons for that...but this test could be highlighting one of the most obvious ones. It won't solve the communications issue...but it should help with understanding where we are all coming from.

So...what are you?

ENFP - "Journalist". Uncanny sense of the motivations of others. Life is an exciting drama. 8.1% of total population.

Take Free Myers-Briggs Personality Test

I'm Going to Put You in the Auburn Store!

Some things require no explanation. And strangely, those things often occur in the South...where football and tradition reign supreme. That is why I couldn’t help but love this recent video of a child who has clearly been raised “right.” And by right, I mean to loath Auburn University the way so many other SEC fans do. So, enjoy this great video for what it is. Now, does anyone know if there is a LSU store?

Why America Needs More Trains

A lot of people wonder whether or not train service is something that the US should invest in. After all, we are a nation of car lovers and trains are seemingly unnecessary for getting people from place to place. And when a car doesn't suffice? Well, we get on a plane to fly halfway across the country. Besides, while a train serves a great purpose now and then, most people still get to work by climbing into their car and driving there.

That being said, I truly believe that train service is something we should invest in and do more of. Don't believe me? Check out this actual photo taken at DC's Union Station. 2 minutes before departure? Where else does this happen?

DIY Post: How to Use a Cell Phone on a Cruise Ship

Everyone loves to go on vacation...and one of the best vacations is to go on a cruise ship and enjoy the relaxing environment, great weather and incredible food. Even though you are on vacation though, many people still like to be able to keep in touch. Sometimes staying in touch may simply be for making sure the kids can call you, or other times work (for that "emergency"), but regardless, having access to your cell phone can be just as important on the ship as it is on land. 

Thankfully, using your cell phone in cruise ship is very easy, but there are still things to consider. While most any US cellphone from Sprint, Verizon, or AT&T will work, the differences are significant and there are major issues to consider when it comes to cost, convenience and flexibility. To help with this problem, I have written-up this short how-to guide which I published on eHow.com. These guidelines should help ensure that not only will your cell phone service works, but using your phone while on a cruise ship is a positive experience.

LINK: How to Use a Cell Phone On a Cruise Ship

We Waited All this Time for...uh...Promoted Tweets?

So...in-stream advertising. That is the answer on how Twitter will make money. I gotta admit that I am pretty underwhelmed with this idea. While the number 1 question about Twitter has long been "when will Twitter make money?"...the # 2 question has to have been "how will Twitter make money?" 

And now we know the answer. Basically, Twitter will partner with corporations to stick "promoted tweets" at the top of Twitter searches. In effect, this will mean that a search will be "user-generated" content, but instead, pre-determined, paid-for content provided by big corporations. Not exactly rocket science if you ask me.

So...will the model work? Well, if Twitter gets paid and corporations are happy...probably so. After all, Tweets are by-definition self-promotion anyway...so how different is corporate promotion? Maybe we don't like the idea, but it isn't like Twitter has been pure and clean. Heck, I myself wrote recently about the "sponsored tweets" business with recent posts on leading Twitter advertisers like Be-A-Magpie and Sponsored Tweets.

That being said, do I think twitter could have done better? Well, yea. It isn't like search advertising hasn't been perfected by the likes of Google already. As Newsweek stated earlier this week in their aptly titled post "Is Twitter Trying to Be Unimaginative at Making Money?", it is not like this hasn't been done before. To quote Newseek:

Yesterday Twitter unveiled its fascinating and nontraditional business plan, and it is … drumroll please … search advertising. Upon this announcement, a heavy sigh emanated from the Internet. In Silicon Valley, where tradition falls under the boot heels of revolutionaries every five years or so, it’s hard to think of something more traditional than search advertising, which Google perfected nearly a decade ago.

So what does this all mean for Twitter? Maybe nothing...maybe everything. While it is clear that Twitter needs to find a way to make money, it does strike me as uninspired that Twitter has gone down this path. After all, for a "revolutionary" system like Twitter it seems like a revolutionary model is needed. Do you agree?