Make a bigger plane (1) Feb 29, 2008
I have a theory:  Airline travel would be nowhere near as uncomfortable, painful, and awful as it is if they just made bigger planes.  It's really quite simple: 
  1. Bigger planes would allow more legroom.  For everyone.
  2. Bigger planes would allow wider seats.  This wouldn't just benefit fat people.
  3. Bigger planes would allow more than one armrest between seats.
And just like that, I solved 98% of the problems associated with airline travel.  Bigger planes would mean bigger seats.  Bigger seats that fit normal-sized human beings.  For whatever reason, airplanes were designed to accommodate small, dwarf-like creatures with tiny legs and no arms.  Assuming it would cost airlines a bunch of money if they simply put less seats on current planes, my solution would be to have the same number of seats, but on a bigger plane.  And if you're gonna make the "how will such a big plane even get off the ground?" argument, I'll simply point you to the current state of affairs, where a 200,000-lb chunk of metal is magically able to get airborne, despite any amount of logic to the contrary.  Somehow I doubt adding another 100,000 lbs of metal will make any difference to a plane's airworthiness. #travel
Hotels and hospitality Feb 29, 2008
I feel like hotels have nothing to do with hospitality.  If the goal of hospitality is to provide a person with goods and services that make them feel welcome, hotels painfully miss the mark.  Why would I want a pull-out couch in my room?  Why would I want two TVs?  Why would I want a bathroom with a separate bathtub and shower?  Instead, I'd rather have a simple room with free internet access and free breakfast.  And it isn't just me.  I don't know a single person who, when they travel, spends much time in their hotel room.  They don't need a bunch of useless amenities like a minibar and a guest room.  Most people would rather have a free happy hour.  Most people would rather have a cheap place to get dinner, not an expensive fancy restaurant.  What I really don't get is why I even need to write this stuff.  People go to college for this stuff.  They get degrees in hospitality and hotel management.  Why isn't this stuff taught there, or better yet, common sense? #travel
Living in California Feb 29, 2008
I traveled to southern California this week, and I'm trying to figure out why I don't live there.  Leaving the typical New Jersey February of 30 degrees and snowing/raining, I got off the plane in Orange County and was welcomed by 70 degrees and sunny.  It cooled down at night though.  To 55.  Waaah waaah. 

Reasons to live in California: 
  1. The weather is amazing.  Always.
  2. It's near the ocean.
  3. It's near the mountains.
  4. It's near the forest.
  5. They actually take the environment seriously sometimes, especially with their electricity-generating wind turbine farms.
  6. They know a lot more about what causes cancer, as all those warning labels on cleaning products and other things point out.
Reasons to not live in California:
  1. It's the land of fruits and nuts, and since I'm not the former, I'd likely become the latter.
  2. Smog.
  3. Traffic.
  4. Property values.
  5. Lots of people.
  6. Lots of weird people.
  7. Hollywood.
  8. Arnold.
  9. Earthquakes and the very real possibility of half the state floating off into the Pacific Ocean.
In conclusion, I could probably put up with some of the negatives for a little while, but I doubt I'd like to spend the rest of my life there. #travel