If you're on Twitter you may have noticed - or may not have seen -- that I just landed in Denver. But here I am after having caught a flight from Oakland to this hub with the intent of catching another flight to Atlanta. That flight, UAL 7515, which was to leave at about 7 PM, was delayed to 9:19 PM, giving me time to catch up on stuff like blogging.
I think this is the fourth time I've been at DIA this year, the other three trips courtesy of my work at the Democratic National Convention. But regardless of the city -- Denver, New York, Chicago, Atlanta -- I love to fly. To me, since air travel became so accessible to so many people due to low fares, one can gain the measure of America in an airport: fashion, concerns, and overall mood.
The mood I would describe as "mellow". It certainly feels like the holiday season but it's almost like people are going through the motion of traveling but don't have a lot of gifts to give. I don't see a lot of gift bags or bags that look like they've got gifts in them.
I see a lot of kids and families and college students traveling alone, presumably to see their parents. And of course there's an occasional single person, like me.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Obama's Choie Of Rick Warren Caused Warren To Move To Center
Contrary to Blogger and Internet Guru Dave Winder, I think President-Elect Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren was brilliant in that it's forced a dialog America's not had, and will cause Warren to move to the center on the matter of Gays and gay marriage.
STAR TREK MOVIE TO FINISH NEXT WEEK - AN OFFICIAL MESSAGE FROM JJ ABRAMS
Dear All Those Who Checked Out the Trek Trailer on Facebook:
THANK YOU!
We're just making final tweaks to the movie -- we should be totally locked next week. Then we're going to flash-freeze it so it's totally fresh for you in May. I can't wait for you to see the movie. The cast is awesome. The action and effects pushed the stunt team and ILM beyond their limits. I'm so grateful to this cast and crew -- and to all of you for your interest and patience. We'll continue to update this page with new info and exclusives, so check back when you think of it. In the meantime, have a happy, healthy, fun holiday!
From the last days of the sound mix,
JJ
THANK YOU!
We're just making final tweaks to the movie -- we should be totally locked next week. Then we're going to flash-freeze it so it's totally fresh for you in May. I can't wait for you to see the movie. The cast is awesome. The action and effects pushed the stunt team and ILM beyond their limits. I'm so grateful to this cast and crew -- and to all of you for your interest and patience. We'll continue to update this page with new info and exclusives, so check back when you think of it. In the meantime, have a happy, healthy, fun holiday!
From the last days of the sound mix,
JJ
Monday, December 22, 2008
Zennie62 On Seesmic.com
After months of thinking about doing it, I finally did it: contributed a video on Seesmic.com , Loic Lemur's video conversation venture, featuring my friend Cathy Brooks, who was one of his first staffers.
I remember when Cathy was totting around a laptop showing Seesmic at work; that was last year, 2007 at a STIRR Founder Hacks Meetup! Wow, how time flies!
YouTube Partners - THE FACTS !
"TheFatAussieBastard" gives a great set of reasons why it's good to be a YouTube Partner, like myself. His take is laced with f-bombs but he has a way of making a good case with them. Oh, YouTube Partners are paid for their vidoes via views versus ad buys. It's a worthwhile effort.
Ecuador v. Chevron And The Associated Press' Bad Coverage
I saw the Associated Press' report on the Ecuador / Chevron case and was shocked at the lack of mention of Ecuador's responsibility to it's poorest people. Here' I take on Ecuador for its poor economic development record.
Toyota predicts first ever loss as sales drop - Dec. 22, 2008
More at CNN.com - Dec. 22, 2008: “NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Japanese auto giant Toyota said Monday that it would suffer an operating loss due to plummeting auto sales and a strong local currency.
About 30 minutes after the market closed in Tokyo, Toyota said it expected to lose approximately $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion this fiscal year. Toyota reports earnings on a fiscal calendar beginning in April.
This would be Toyota's first operating loss since 1950, Toyota spokesman Steve Curtis said.
Despite the likely operating loss, Toyota expects to post a $557 million net profit for the fiscal year. The profit stems, in large part, from joint ventures whose revenues are not included in the automakers' accounting for its operating profits.”
--- This should show others that it's not just American car companies that are hurt by this economy.
About 30 minutes after the market closed in Tokyo, Toyota said it expected to lose approximately $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion this fiscal year. Toyota reports earnings on a fiscal calendar beginning in April.
This would be Toyota's first operating loss since 1950, Toyota spokesman Steve Curtis said.
Despite the likely operating loss, Toyota expects to post a $557 million net profit for the fiscal year. The profit stems, in large part, from joint ventures whose revenues are not included in the automakers' accounting for its operating profits.”
--- This should show others that it's not just American car companies that are hurt by this economy.
More At The Denver Post
Banks not saying where bailout money is going - The Denver Post: “WASHINGTON — It's something any bank would demand to know before handing out a loan: Where's the money going? But after receiving billions in aid from U.S. taxpayers, the nation's largest banks say they can't track exactly how they're spending the money or they simply refuse to discuss it.
"We've lent some of it. We've not lent some of it. We've not given any accounting of, 'Here's how we're doing it,"' said Thomas Kelly, a spokesman for JPMorgan Chase, which received $25 billion in emergency bailout money. "We have not disclosed that to the public. We're declining to." The Associated Press contacted 21 banks that received at least $1 billion in government money and asked four questions: How much has been spent? What was it spent on? How much is being held in savings, and what's the plan for the rest? None of the banks provided specific answers.”
-- This is an outrage! One of President Obama's first axts as President should be to write an executive order forcing the banks to tell where the bailout money they've got is going!
"We've lent some of it. We've not lent some of it. We've not given any accounting of, 'Here's how we're doing it,"' said Thomas Kelly, a spokesman for JPMorgan Chase, which received $25 billion in emergency bailout money. "We have not disclosed that to the public. We're declining to." The Associated Press contacted 21 banks that received at least $1 billion in government money and asked four questions: How much has been spent? What was it spent on? How much is being held in savings, and what's the plan for the rest? None of the banks provided specific answers.”
-- This is an outrage! One of President Obama's first axts as President should be to write an executive order forcing the banks to tell where the bailout money they've got is going!
Continental Flight 1404 a Boeing 737-500 Crashed at Denver Airport during takeoff
This is the account of the accident from MSNBC.com:
"It was a miracle that no one was killed when Continental flight 1404 veered sharply off a runway of Denver airport during takeoff, which burst into flames and nearly broke apart. The 110 passengers and five crew members escaped miraculously. However, thirty-eight people suffered injuries including broken bones. The plane veered off course about 2,000 feet from the end of the runway and did not appear to have gotten airborne.
It was Houston-bound Continental Flight 1404 from Denver airport. The accident happened Saturday evening(12/20/08. The entire right side of the Boeing 737-500 was burned and melted plastic from overhead compartments dripped onto the seats. -Courtesy: MSNBC.com"
Airline Passengers recount the terrifying DIA crash - The Denver Post”
More At The Denver Post”: “In the seconds after Continental Flight 1404 came to a shuddering halt in a ravine after skidding off the airport runway, chaos erupted inside the plane's cabin.
Luggage tumbled down from overhead bins, smoke filled the cabin, seats collapsed into one another, and passengers and flight attendants yelled: "Get out quick. The plane is going to explode," said Gabriel Trejos, who was traveling with his 13-month-old son and pregnant wife to Houston to visit his father and sister for Christmas.
Trejos, who is from Pueblo, was one of 110 passengers on the Boeing 737-500 that skidded off the runway and slid down a 40-foot drop Saturday night.
There were no fatalities in the first major accident in Denver International Airport's 14-year”
Luggage tumbled down from overhead bins, smoke filled the cabin, seats collapsed into one another, and passengers and flight attendants yelled: "Get out quick. The plane is going to explode," said Gabriel Trejos, who was traveling with his 13-month-old son and pregnant wife to Houston to visit his father and sister for Christmas.
Trejos, who is from Pueblo, was one of 110 passengers on the Boeing 737-500 that skidded off the runway and slid down a 40-foot drop Saturday night.
There were no fatalities in the first major accident in Denver International Airport's 14-year”
Continental Airlines 737 path off runway traced - The Denver Post
More At The Denver Post: “The Continental Airlines 737 jet that departed a DIA runway Saturday night traveled nearly a half mile through fields, then up and over a taxiway and airport service road like a 4-wheeling Jeep before coming to rest on its belly a short distance from an airport fire station, a site visit for news media revealed today.
The National Transportation Safety Board took a pool of reporters and photographers to the crash scene for a 20-minute visit shortly after noon today.
The tracks made by the plane's wheels were clearly visible where they veered off runway 34Right and traveled over a field, crossed taxiway WC, then dropped down a steep embankment and traveled through a depressed area before bouncing over Kewaunee Street, an airport service road.
One of the plane's main landing gears rested on the other side of Kewaunee, so it appeared that the jolt of hitting the raised roadway sheared off the main gears. The other main gear sat about 75 yards from the roadway, close to the wrecked plane.
Bill English, investigator in charge for the NTSB on the Continental crash, said he hoped his agency would have its "in situ" (in place) investigation completed by Wednesday.
"There are all kinds of systems inaccessible to us beneath the plane," English said. The plane sat about 100 yards from Kewaunee on its belly with the nose gear collapsed under the plane.”
The National Transportation Safety Board took a pool of reporters and photographers to the crash scene for a 20-minute visit shortly after noon today.
The tracks made by the plane's wheels were clearly visible where they veered off runway 34Right and traveled over a field, crossed taxiway WC, then dropped down a steep embankment and traveled through a depressed area before bouncing over Kewaunee Street, an airport service road.
One of the plane's main landing gears rested on the other side of Kewaunee, so it appeared that the jolt of hitting the raised roadway sheared off the main gears. The other main gear sat about 75 yards from the roadway, close to the wrecked plane.
Bill English, investigator in charge for the NTSB on the Continental crash, said he hoped his agency would have its "in situ" (in place) investigation completed by Wednesday.
"There are all kinds of systems inaccessible to us beneath the plane," English said. The plane sat about 100 yards from Kewaunee on its belly with the nose gear collapsed under the plane.”
Mike Holmgren's Walk Around Quest Field After Final Game
It's official. The Seattle Seahawk's game against The New York Jets, a successful 13 to 3 victory, marked the final game of Coach Mike Holmgren and (perhaps) the end of one of the greatest coaches in of the late 20th Century and early 21st Century.
A Bill-Walsh protege, Holmgren developed Brett Farve and together the two brought Green Bay what is still their only Super Bowl win in the post-Lombardi era. Then he took over the Seahawks and molded them into a perenially competitive team, coming within two referee calls of a Super Bowl Championship.
Holmgren finishes with an overall 161 wins to 110 losses record. Will he return home to coach the San Francisco 49ers? Doubtful. Besides, they have Mike Singletary.
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