Above the clouds

You wanna know what I think one of the funniest things about airplane travel is? It's those Sky Mall catalogs. If you've ever seen one, you probably know what I'm talking out. My assumption is that they started out as duty-free shopping aides, where you could pick your bottle of booze and be on your way. What they have evolved into is an astounding accumulation of some of the most awesome useless crap ever known to mankind. So on one of my last flights, I took a copy of a Sky Mall catalog, to be able to document some of the stuff they offer. Hey, it's a free copy - take it, and they'll replace it. So they have customer service down to an art already. We're off to a great start.

First off, let me introduce you to Vuzix iWear, found on page 5. Basically, this is a movie walkman, that you wear like glasses for that "big screen movie experience while you fly". I don't know, I may very well be wrong, but I have a hunch that watching a movie with that is actually not a very enjoyable experience. Especially not in a plane. But hey, at least it's a gadget geared towards travelers, which kind of makes sense for this type of publication. I wish I could say the same about "The Animated Emotive Robotic Companion" and "The Indoor Dog Restroom" on page 17 (notice how the article is part of the product name? This seems to be specific to Hammacher Schlemmer products). The latter is basically a doormat with a plastic tray under it, so that after your dog pees on it, you get to balance the thing to the toilet and dump it. At roughly $150 it seems to be the very definition of a bargain. Thank you very much, but my money is on "The Superior Comfort Bed Lounger" (page 29). That thing looks so freaking comfortable, it makes me feel good just looking at it. If you ever find yourself wondering if this is for you, try to picture yourself using it. Putting it on the bed, sitting down in it, storing it and all that. Yeah, give your money to a homeless person instead.

I could go on and on about the awesome stuff in this thing, but let me just briefly list a few highlights: The Pop-Up Hot Dog Cooker (page 37), Airchamber's controlled, virtually moisture-free environment for your car (page 55, it's a clear plastic tent for inside your garage courtesy of Frontgate, who seem to specialize in offering their home furnishings to aviation consumers), TimeMug (page 139, a thermos mug with a clock on it), iwavecube 2.0 personal microwave (page 143, with a handy carrying handle), the portable tent for overnight layovers (page 228, can't you just see yourself setting that up in the airport) and last but not least, the portable desk, which is basically a plastic tray, with a neckstrap-like harness, on which you set your laptop computer (page 229). I know, this last one opens up a whole new world. Type while walking down the street, in line at the grocery store and while casually loitering at stripmalls and street corners. Finally, you can blog live from the mosh pit of your choice. You know what? I bet you can set your McDonald's on there as well, and eat that while walking. I wonder if they have a cupholder extension?

The examples I picked are some of the more hilarious ones, but I swear, 90% of that stuff is either useless or super-cheesy, like Harry Potter's wand, motivational posters and desk decorations, big foot garden statues, car logo Christmas tree lights and a million and one iPod accessories. And also, think about the folks in the Chinese factories making that stuff, probably laughing all day at the ridiculous stuff they have to make. Great dinner table stories for the kids too.

That omninous glow...

You wanna know what I like? National Geographic Magazine. We just got a subscription (or membership, which makes me feel even better about it) and received our first issue, and I freaking love it. This issue has an article about light pollution, which we became very aware of after moving here. Just check out this image and you'll see what it's about. The magazine actually has a map that identifies different degrees of darkness and where you can still find really dark skies.

Other than that, not too much is going on. I found some Ohio Players records at a flea market a few weeks ago, and that is some funky stuff, let me tell you. Now this is not counting as a proper review, but Pleasure, Skin Tight, Fire and Honey are all pretty good. There was something else I observed the other day, but I forgot what it was. Sorry.

Instead I'll tell you why I'm not an Obama fan. Sure, he probably was the better choice, but let's remember one thing: He's just a politician. And history has taught us that you can't rely on them to do anything that's really great. I guess it's part of the job, but still, everything is not suddenly going to be awesome because of one guy moving to a new house. I don't see myself ever being a fan of any politician. That's reason number one.

Reason number two is his endorsement of nuclear energy (which for some reason the German media chooses to ignore or at least downplay, but instead claims he supports only renewable energy). And what's worse, his endorsement is part of a disturbing discourse that has only recently crept its way into the political debate. Somehow and for some reason, it's really beyond ludicrous, nuclear energy is being touted as clean these days. CLEAN! There is absolutely nothing clean about it.

When it comes to matters of politics I try to base my opinions on reason and follow lines of arguments that are logical and can be applied to other circumstances and issues as well. So that overall, arguments are consistent and make sense. And whenever possible, I try to base my opinion on scientific fact.

But claiming that nuclear energy is clean defies all reason and known fact, while ignoring the lessons of history. Uranium is strip-mined in the 3rd World and incidents at nuclear plants can have disastrous consequences. But worst of all, we don't know what to do with the waste. And I don't consider the current "solution" to be even remotely feasible. Cause burying it in a abysmal hole in a really thick-walled box is not a way to get rid of nuclear waste at all. Actually, it's a preposterous suggestion that defies all reason and displays a irrational and arrogant faith in science I thought humanity had long overcome. Those containers will have to last longer than recorded human history to safely contain the hazardous materials within them (assuming I understand the science behind this correctly). They will need to last longer than anything man-made has ever lasted, and survive whatever political and social change lies ahead of us. Further ahead of us than we recorded our past. They're having problems with these containers and the people that run the storage facilities in technologically advanced and politically stable nations such as my home country. This somehow reminds me of this boat they once built that was unsinkable, and that big balloon that blew up with a bunch of people in it.

Yeah, you're catching my drift. If abandoned underground mines stuffed full of nuclear waste (remember that the effectiveness of gamma ray blockers is measured by how thick the material has to be to block 50% of radiation, so the radiation is never completely blocked, as I understand) don't make you feel uncomfortable, maybe the increased risk of nuclear material falling into the hands of terrorists or rogue nations does. The more of that stuff is around, the easier it will be for people to get a hold of it. I wish I had something more cheerful to say, but the resuscitation of the nuclear debate has been bothering me for a while now. Sure, it might be cheap and easy now, but if we dedicate our efforts to renewable sources and cleaner fossil fuel plants, I think it's not hard to pick the lesser evil. Heck, I'd rather flood a few valleys, as devastating as it can be, than build any nuclear plants.