Daily Dose of Common Sense

I’m back from vacation and need to get out this one last irritation: Please, pilots, we don’t want to hear from you while the plane is en route. We appreciate what you do and realize our safety is in your hands. This is even more reason for all of you to focus on the task at hand. Stop jabbering to us over the loud speaker about altitude and air speed. We don’t care about the nitty-gritty, as long as we takeoff and land on time.

And, really, is some passenger noting this information, or perhaps charting it at his or her seat? “Wow, June. I never thought we’d go above 30,000 feet. We’re really high up now!”

Pilot announcements are also lot louder than the flight attendants’ intercom. Why is that? And, the pilot usually comes on at a bad time. Like mid-movie or mid-nap, for example. Can’t we just relax and eat our peanuts (or other non-allergenic snack) in peace?

It’s obvious that pilots want to appear friendly and build a rapport with their passengers. It’s a nice thought, but, trust me, they don’t need to do this. People choose airlines by deals, schedules, and frequent flier miles. The friendliness of the pilots doesn’t really factor into the mix for most people. (Sorry.)

And, for the airlines who encourage this rapport to help make up for their cheapness, lack of leg room, and general nickel-and-dimeyness: you’re wrong. It won’t. We’re still keeping track of all that is wrong with your business model.

Photo courtesy of Flickr: ReneS

It is always surprising to get in an elevator in a hotel and see the numbers go from twelve to fourteen. We all know there’s a number missing. Are some people really still paralyzed with fear over the number thirteen?

There are many theories as to why thirteen has gotten a bad rap. Some say it has Christian roots revolving around the Last Supper. Others say the ancient Egyptians believed the number thirteen to be a symbol of death. There are also Norse and medieval ties to this number as well. Regardless, we all know superstitions are just crazy, right?

For example:
- Knocking wood won’t really change your luck (there’s no such thing as luck).
- Spilling salt doesn’t bring the devil (it means you’re clumsy).
- Sneezing doesn’t let your soul escape (it means there’s an irritation in your nose).
- A sudden shiver doesn’t mean someone is walking on your grave (it means you’re cold!).

And yet, the fear over the number thirteen persists. Friday the thirteenth is not just a horror franchise; many people actually alter their plans when this day rolls around. A small percentage of people polled said they would request a room change if given accommodations on the thirteenth floor.

A recent USA TODAY/Gallup Poll suggests a large majority of Americans — 87% — would be comfortable with a 13th floor room assignment. But 13% say they’d be bothered by a 13th floor room assignment, including 9% who would be sufficiently bothered to seek a room change.

The poll shows women, people age 65-plus and those with annual household incomes below $30,000 are more prone than average to seek a new room if assigned to the 13th floor.

The trend of renaming the thirteenth floor in buildings and hotels began in the late 19th century. However, in a rash of rationality, some newer hotels have bucked this nonsense and have installed elevator buttons with thirteenth floors. I say let the 9% move to a different floor–and get a grip. But, until then, I guess I’m staying on the “fourteenth” floor of my hotel.

Flying is increasingly a hassle. And, apparently it’s worse if you carry cash.

In March, a man was stopped by TSA agents in St. Louis because he was carrying $4,700 in cash. An employee of Ron Paul’s campaign, he was returning home from an event where he was responsible for the proceeds of campaign materials. TSA agents detained and questioned him for half an hour. When he repeatedly asked what scope of authority the agents had to hold and question him, he received no explanation. In fact, the situation escalated to the point where the agents placed him under arrest. Thinking fast, he recorded the whole incident on his iPhone.

The ACLU is now filing a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, which has authority over the TSA. The lawsuit maintains that the TSA is subjecting Americans to unreasonable searches and detentions.

TSA officials have the authority to conduct safety-related searches for weapons and explosives. According to the ACLU’s lawsuit, TSA agents are using heightened security measures after 9/11 as an excuse to exceed their search authority and engage in unlawful searches that violate the privacy rights of passengers. The lawsuit also charges that unconstitutional searches and detention by TSA agents have become the norm.

We can hope this lawsuit will result in some serious regulation overhaul within the TSA. Getting from point A to point B is hard enough without constantly having your constitutional rights trampled on. In the meantime, if you’re going to travel, use credit cards or remember to have a voice recorder program on your cell phone.

Of course, if you really want to remind the TSA about your rights, you can carry the Bill of Rights – Security Edition when you travel. These metal cards have the First Ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution printed on them, with the Fourth Amendment highlighted in red. (That’s your unreasonable search and seizure protection for those who don’t remember history class.) Power to the people!

Twitter allows users to send up-to-the minute messages about what they are doing. But if you’re traveling, is it wise to tell a large group of strangers that you aren’t home?

@joeschmo The wife and I are in Hawaii and loving it!

USAToday spoke to a man whose home was recently burglarized while he was away on vacation. He has over 2,000 followers on Twitter and sent frequent updates to the site while on his trip. The robbery could be random coincidence, but he suspects not.

One of the great benefits of Twitter is that you can follow anyone and vice versa. However, unless you keep your updates private and only allow friends to see your timeline, you don’t know who could be listening. Putting too much personal information in your social media, especially something that could put you or your home at risk, might not be wise.

Chances are, your followers on Twitter aren’t criminals who are plotting against you. But, it doesn’t hurt to be a little guarded with your personal information, either. Remember the old advice of never leaving an outgoing answering machine message that states you are out-of-town? Maybe it’s time to update the idea to include for new technology.

If you’ve ever been uncomfortable on an airplane, you’re not alone. And, it’s about to get worse on some of the major carriers.

Delta, American, and Continental are all adding seats to the coach sections of their new planes. This is clearly an effort to cram more passengers on to already crowded aircrafts. Now you’re competing with even MORE people for overhead space (who wants to pay to check a bag?) and bathroom access. And, longer lines waiting to board and deplane doesn’t make anyone happy.

The spokespeople for the airlines claim a few new seat improvements will make the loss of leg room invisible to the consumer. For example, some planes will provide power outlets at each seat. That will be nice. However, it’s hard to work on your laptop when your knees are in your chest.

Out of all the majors, Jet Blue has the most leg room at 34″. And, they usually run good sales for cheap tickets, not to mention provide a TV at every seat. I’m sure they smell a marketing campaign here.

With the hassle at airport security, extra airline fees, increased wait time, and now even less room on board, a root canal seems like more fun than flying these days.

[via Pat's Papers]

In this economy, almost everyone is looking for a good tip on how to cut corners. I saw an interesting blog post last week by Recession Mama over at MomLogic. It appears you can fund a reasonable vacation for a family of four by skipping soda in restaurants for one whole year.

It sounds crazy at first, but it makes sense after you see her math. If your family sticks with only water every time you eat out, you can save around $1,500 a year. If you don’t put the money toward a vacation, this change may make eating out more affordable for your family.

On a recent flight, my daughter fell asleep in her seat at an uncomfortable angle. I quietly asked the flight attendant for a pillow. She replied, “Sure. We have them available for $7.” What?! For a pillow? Um, no thanks. I’ll use my jacket instead.

As we know, the cash-strapped airlines are nickel-and-diming passengers to death. How to avoid paying those extra fees? Start by packing lightly to avoid a checked bag fee. Also, bring your own food on board. A few airlines charge an additional amount for the exit-row seats, which usually have a bit of extra leg room. So, sit in a regular row instead.

According to this article, some airlines now charge for advance assignment of window and aisle seats. Some day, we’ll all be stuck in middle seats.

Way to go, airlines. You’re making that proposed high-speed rail system look better and better all the time.

As summer draws near, thousands of committees are wrapping up plans for their high school class reunions. Parties, BBQs, bonfires, brunches, and parades will take place to gather classmates that we have forgotten. Or, have we? Facebook has made it easy to reconnect with old school chums. So easy, in fact, there’s almost no need to make a pilgrimage to your reunion in order to find those folks you lost touch with.

Facebook claims it has more than 200 million active users, more than two-thirds of which are outside college. Not only that, the fastest growing demographic is the 35 and over crowd. Chances are, if you’re on Facebook, you’ve already been “friended” by old pals you lost touch with, an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend, people you never talked to in school, and people you hardly remember. And now, thanks to the ever-changing status updates, you know every detail (important and mundane) about what’s going on in their lives.

Some say that a virtual connection isn’t as meaningful as chatting in person. However, airfare is expensive and an internet connection is cheap. (And really, you do most of your Facebooking at work anyway.)

If you still want the intimacy only face-to-face can provide, use your reunion budget to spend time with the friends you’re closest to. Most graduating classes have two to four hundred people. How many of those graduates do you really want to hang out with? Instead, get together with friends and rent a beach house or go to Vegas. You’ll probably have more fun than you would if you were listening to the same old yarns around the reunion punch bowl.