Cognections

Happy Easter from Healthy Happy Hoppy

Easter treat

Mämmi, cream, and sugar

Mämmi is a traditional Finnish rye malt dessert that is eaten during Easter.

It's an acquired taste. But, it's not one of those desserts you eat a bunch of. A small dollop suffices. This one was pretty tasty, though. The brand was Kympi (a way to say 'ten'). It came frozen (as usual) in a box printed to look like birch bark. How cute.

Oh, and don't mistake it for chocolate mousse as I did the first time I ate this. ;-)

More adventures in common sense ... with a happy ending

 

By modern aviation security rules, these items are considered a threat. Indeed, I can see how an individual or group armed with these items can over power the crew and passengers of an airplane. Right. Of course, according to the laws of most civilized countries, these are considered absolutely harmless for people of most ages.

This little tool set was confiscated.

The irony is that I already had passed one standard security check and this one was an extra one. Also, just behind me the just let a bunch of folks through to thin out the back-up. So, how serious could this check be?

The silver lining on this dark cloud of idiocy is the extreme kindness of the security guys near gate 27 at Heathrow today. They apologized for having to take it. When I asked the gate personnel if I could check my bag at the gate, they showed me the chute nearby just for that. Then, the security guy kindly accompanied me and put my little toolset in my bag and watched with me as it flew down the chute.

We all turned out winners today and kindness and common sense overcame stupidity.

:-)

Where am I?

Internet 2.0 - Blogs and Social Software Event in Paris, 25 April 2005

I'll be there. Maybe even give a talk on something interesting.

Link: LoicLeMeur Wiki - Internet 2.0.

What is this event ?

Within the last few months, the Internet as we know it has started to change very fast, taken by storm by blogs and social software.

I decided to organise in my city, Paris, an event to help us better define what's coming next, the first of this kind in Paris, all in english and with a dream panel of the key movers and shakers in the world.

It is a one day and (probably) one evening event on Monday, April 25th, so you could also plan for a cool week-end in our beautiful city of Paris the day before.

Where ?

We're so proud to announce that the French Senate receives us for this one day event. Yeayyy.

Address:
SENAT
15, rue de Vaugirard
75291 PARIS Cedex 06

It is NOT a conference organised by events professionals, mostly self-organizing event I start with a bunch of friends so PLEASE be nice about all the changes that are going to happen, and we also need your help !

Great store sign in Munich

When I was on my way to get my new Crumpler bag at the store on Adalbertstrasse in Munich, I passed by this beauty salon. Very funny.

For those who don't know - Schick is my last name.

But, no one's ever called me Micky.

Cool mixutre of images and text by Simon Hoegsberg

Interesting project around face and mind 'life-snaps'.

Link: THE THOUGHT PROJECT // BY SIMON HOEGSBERG.

Thanks, Jorma, for another great link.

I repeat myself

Idiotic. Idiotic. Idiotic.

Ten bucks to whomever can give me a common sense reason why we need to take off our shoes at airport security check points.

I can understand (sort of) the use of x-ray machines and metal detectors (when was the last time you had to go through one to get on a Greyhound or Amtrak or Carnival Cruise?). I can understand (sort of) the security questions at check-in (though they are getting less frequent). I can understand (sort of) the scooping up of baggage that's lying around.

But, some loony puts plastique in his shoes and millions of travelers now need to remove their shoes to board a plane (figure out the cost-benefit for that). Then, some paranoid reporter freaks out watching muslim men chat on a plane and we no longer can wait in line for the bathroom on the plane or stand up for a neighborly chat because that's congregating (so out of the books of every totalitarian government). And then, some suicide bomber (in some backwater place in Russia, no less!) hides explosives in her bra and the TSA starts feeling up women.

When will we have to strip totally? When will security procedures do more for the government image than for actual safety (I think they already do)? When will airports and travellers begin demanding some common sense (almost there, but we are all good citizens and the procedures haven't gotten so out of hand for the majority, just for whiners like me)? When will we formalize racial profiling of airline passengers? When will armed guards be placed on all flights?

And while I'm whining, why is plastic silverware any safer than metal silverware? When will they ban black belt karate folks from flying because they could be considered weapons? And so on.

The airline industry is already so messed up that the TSA paranoid policies are finishing it off. At the airlines' cost, too.

How idiotic.

Ja-ha!

Tue 15.03.2005 23.59 03152005(026)

Glub

Gold Digger

Gold flakes in belly now

On Bourbon St., Club 544