A lot has been made about Apple's refusal to allow Flash on the iPhone (that link is from 2008, but nothing has changed).  Apple has its reasons, and they're legitimate:  It's buggy, looks crappy, kills battery life.  Android, on the other hand, allows Flash without a second thought.  And yes, it's buggy, looks crappy, and kills battery life.  As an Android user, I don't particularly care for Flash, but I'm thankful my phone has the option.  Because when it comes down to it, I'd rather have a phone that crappily displays the information I want when I want it, rather than a phone that idealistically doesn't display the information I want when I want it.  Flash on mobile is fairly bad, and I think Flash in general should be put out to pasture.  But in the meantime, just give me access to information. #technology

In Italy I wasn't allowed to take pictures of certain landmarks and works of art, and this caused me some mental anguish.  It's not that I have a problem obeying arbitrary rules; I'm a functioning member of society after all.  It was more that I couldn't understand the reason those arbitrary laws were put in place, i.e. no one benefited from my feigned respect.  In the Sistine Chapel, there were no pictures allowed at all.  This makes sense because people are stupid and don't know how to take indoor pictures without using their flash, and since flash harms painted works of art, it's probably just easier to forbid all picture-taking.  That's fine.  But at a cemetery in Venice, I couldn't understand what was preventing me from snapping a few shots.  Surely the dead people don't care.  And I have enough common decency to not take paparazzi photos of mourners at a funeral.  The only thing preventing me from taking pictures was a silly little sign asking me to not take pictures.  There was no obvious reason.  There was no enforcement.  Nobody benefited.  And I think intent plays an important role in all this.  None of the pictures I took, whether legal or illegal, were done for the purpose of showing disrespect.  If somebody felt disrespected in the process, I kind of feel like that's not my problem. #psychology

I stopped by the library yesterday, and I parked next to an idling empty car (with open windows).  I've mentioned this before, but there was very little stopping me from stealing this vehicle.  And I thought about doing it just to prove a point -- that there's really no reason to leave your car idling in the parking lot while you enter a building to do something.  You're certainly not saving time, unless your vehicle requires a hand crank to start.  And if you think you're saving gas, think again.  I saw the vehicle's owner come out of the library just as I was entering, and I thought about asking her what ridiculously stupid ideas were going through her head when she made that decision.  But my social anxiety took over and I stared at the ground while walking away nervously. 

Related:  Idling SUVs, Idling planes #travel

I heard recently that you don't really buy liquids like coffee and beer.  You really just rent them.  They go in, and they go out, and aside from some stimulants and depressants, your body doesn't really get much in return. #food

Previously there was part 2, now some commentary on miscellaneous things: 

Public water fountains were located throughout many of the cities, which was awesome.  But there were no public bathrooms, which was not awesome. 

Rome Airport is pretty much nowhere near Rome.  They should probably call it something other than Rome Airport. 

Everybody smokes.  Even on the plane.  The "no smoking" signs were there and everything, but people just disregarded them.  If that happened in America, they would've kicked those people out mid-air. 

You can drink alcohol in public from an open container, which really isn't that big of a deal when you think about it. 

They sell alcohol everywhere, from cafes to pizza places to convenience stores.  But there was very little beer, and none of it came in multi-packs. 

Hotels often had tiny rooms, tiny bathrooms, tiny showers, but 10-12 foot ceilings.  Personally I would've liked 6-foot ceilings and a shower that could fit a normal-sized human being. 

Dogs were well-behaved, didn't bark much, and seemed hardly interested in human affairs.  They were often leashed, but seemed kind of independent. 

There were no screens on any of the windows.  And while the bug problem wasn't as bad as say, Africa, screens aren't exactly a new or expensive technology. 

We used Fodor's Essential Italy guidebook, Rick Steve's Italian Phrase Book, and Rick Steve's audio walking tours. #travel

An interesting thing I noticed while in Italy was that English was used as the middle language between non-native English speakers.  For example, a group of Germans ordered their food in English from an Italian waiter.  The same thing is happening as I write this by a Chinese co-worker who's explaining things to a Korean co-worker. #language

First part 1, now a review of some important topics: 

Food.  I like eating, but I'm not picky, so I wasn't blown away by the food.  The food was good; lots of pizza, pasta, and gelato.  Gelato is the Italian version of ice cream, which people will try to explain as similar but different from ice cream.  Short version:  Gelato is ice cream.  And it's good. 

Wine.  Italy is famous for its red wines, which I'm not really a fan of.  Or at least, I didn't think I was.  Italy's red wines are lively and full of flavor, instead of the typical dry and oaky flavor.  Wendy discovered Brunello di Montalcino, which she'll share with you on a special occasion, and I discovered Raboso, which I'll share with you on my deathbed.  (Just kidding; it's cheap but hard to find.)  Bottom line, we drank wine frequently and never had a bad one, though not many really stood out. 

Art.  I'm not an art fan, and Wendy isn't enough of one to force me to pretend.  That said, we went in several churches which were painted floor to ceiling with frescoes and filled with sculptures, so art was kind of unavoidable. 

Money.  The American dollar is worth a bit less than the Euro, so everything costs more.  But we stayed in cheap hotels and checked menus before entering restaurants.  I'm actually really pleased with my current credit card (Capital One), which charges no foreign transaction fees.  But unfortunately, the very few places that accepted credit cards liked to somewhat angrily remind everyone how high their merchant fees are.  Oh boo hoo; if it costs more, charge me more.  An unexpected benefit of not readily accepting credit cards is that some services were offered at a discount if paid for with cash.  We got an 8% discount on our hotel in Venice, which was nice. 

People.  The Italian people were nice.  They wanted you to drink wine and have a good time.  But one thing that stood out to me was that people had no awareness of their surroundings.  If you were approaching someone on the street, they would walk right into you.  Or if you were walking behind someone, they would suddenly stop walking for no reason.  And the idea of common courtesy was absent.  For example, if you were getting off a crowded plane, people sitting behind you would just plow down the aisle without offering anyone the chance to go before them.  Concerning fellow travelers, a train rider (an Australian) made a comment to her friend about how Italy was so full of American tourists.  If anything, there were more Australians than Americans, and there were quite possibly more Germans than all the rest of us combined.  In other news, Germans smell.  It's nothing personal; they just don't wear deodorant. 

Language.  We learned some Italian from a phrase book on the flight over.  And even though the vast majority of people spoke English, we tried to speak our broken Italian when we could.  I just liked the sound of it.  It's so melodic and sing-songy.  Ferrovia dello strato.  Vino della casa bianchi, per favore. #travel

Not to beat a dead horse, but I was thinking recently that a helpful way to understand how far a dollar will allow you to travel is to calculate miles per dollar, which is just gas mileage divided by the price of a gallon of gas.  So if my car gets 30 miles per gallon and gas costs $3.00 per gallon, that means a dollar will get me 10 miles.  This is helpful if, for example, you're really low on gas and need to figure out if the spare change under your seat can get you home. #travel

A recent KFC commercial asked, "What part of the chicken is nugget?"  It then proceeded to espouse the wonders of its popcorn chicken versus other restaurants' chicken nuggets.  The obvious counter-argument is, "What part of the chicken is popcorn?"  I get their point; chicken nuggets are made from pureed chicken parts (probably mostly white meat), while popcorn chicken is just fried cuts of white meat.  But either way it's just fried chicken.  It's a stupid argument. #food

I don't like the term "political science."  If anything, politicking is an art form, not a scientific pursuit.  Lumping the two words together is a disgrace to the world of actual science. 

I feel somewhat the same about "food science."  I know there's actual science involved in the interaction between food chemicals and human taste buds, but in practice I just see chefs in a kitchen, which is inherently artistic.  Food scientists can take that as a compliment if they so choose. 

Slightly related:  Medicine as art #science