Right now I have the minimum local phone service plan - and it is still almost $13 a month.

$13 a month for something I never use. Why do I keep it around? Because I like having a power-failure proof communication device perhaps?

But now I’m seriously thinking of switching to SkypeIn. At 30 euros per year (~$38USD), that’s about a third of the price I would pay for a year of local phone service.

Granted, I don’t leave my computer on all the time - so I’d probably miss a lot of calls. But then again, do I even get phone calls on my local phone line?

The one thing I’m really curious about is this uConnect product:

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be shipping quite yet.

Does anyone see any significant drawback to this plan, aside from the fact that in a disaster (terrorist attack, earthquake), I wouldn’t be able to communicate?

The Borowitz Report .com

BUSH REFUSES TO SET TIMETABLE FOR WITHDRAWAL FROM CRAWFORD
Early End to Vacation Would ?Send Terrible Signal,? President Says

President George W. Bush said today that he understands and respects the views of those who are calling for him to cut short his summer vacation, but warned that an immediate withdrawal from Crawford, Texas would ?send a terrible signal to the enemy.?

?The enemy would like nothing better than to see me cut short my vacation and get back to the White House,? Mr. Bush told reporters. ?They hate my freedom.?

I swear, the Borowitz Report is the funniest thing I read every day. Go to the site and subscribe.

Greece crash plane may already have been flying tomb - Yahoo! News

Greek government spokesman Theodore Roussopoulos said the F-16 pilots sent to investigate reported that with the pilots out of action there may have been a last-gasp effort by others on the plane to bring it back under control.

“The situation was characterized renegade, meaning the aircraft was not under the control of the pilots,” Roussopoulos told reporters, explaining how the crisis unfolded after the plane failed to make radio contact.

“At a later stage, the F-16s saw two individuals in the cockpit seemingly trying to regain control of the airplane,” Roussoupoulos said.

[snip]

One of the F-16 pilots said he could not see the captain in the cockpit and his co-pilot appeared to be slumped in his seat.

What a tragic story.

This, and incidents like September 11th, make me wonder when we will have remote-control over airplanes.

Tipped Off - New York Times

WHEN Thomas Keller, one of America’s foremost chefs, announced that on Sept. 1 he would abolish the practice of tipping at Per Se, his luxury restaurant in New York City, and replace it with a European-style service charge, I knew three groups would be opposed: customers, servers and restaurateurs. These three constituencies are all committed tipping - as they quickly made clear on Web sites. To oppose tipping, it seems, is to be anticapitalist, and maybe even a little French.

But Mr. Keller is right to move away from tipping - and it’s worth exploring why just about everyone else in the restaurant world is wrong to stick with the practice.

[snip]

Rather, customers are likely to tip more in response to servers touching them lightly and crouching next to the table to make conversation than to how often their water glass is refilled - in other words, customers tip more when they like the server, not when the service is good. (Mr. Lynn’s studies also indicate that male customers increase their tips for female servers while female customers increase their tips for male servers.)

What’s more, consumers seem to forget that the tip increases as the bill increases. Thus, the tipping system is an open invitation to what restaurant professionals call “upselling”: every bottle of imported water, every espresso and every cocktail is extra money in the server’s pocket. Aggressive upselling and hustling for tips are often rewarded while low-key, quality service often goes unrecognized.

Hurrah!

News like that makes me so happy that I’m considering going through the insanity of trying to get a table at Per Se again, just so that I don’t have to tip.

It’s no wonder why we’re the butt of so many European and Asian jokes - everyone feels they deserve a tip no matter what. Even airport security screeners at JFK:

On Feb. 11 [2002], Sean Mendis, an aviation consultant from Atlanta, saw a
handwritten sign that said “Tips Are Appreciated” at the security
checkpoint at Terminal 9 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New
York. Mr. Mendis mentioned to the security screener that he didn’t think
the sign was appropriate. The screener, an employee of Worldwide Flight
Services, bristled at the criticism — and proceeded to question the
validity of Mr. Mendis’ American Airlines e-ticket.

So thank you thank you thank Thomas Keller. I hope this trend catches on broadly.

The Seattle Times: Local News: Man leaves screening; Sea-Tac shuts down

Activity at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ceased for about 40 minutes last night after a man walked off during a security screening, according to the airport’s Transportation Security Administration.

About 6:40 p.m., the man went through a central checkpoint and was selected for a secondary screening. Instead of waiting, he picked up his luggage and walked away.

[snip]

In the meantime, passengers were not let out of the airport and could not get through security checks until about 7:20 p.m.

Actually it was closer to 7:25pm. I know.
Thank goodness for my American Airlines Platinum card which let me go to the high priority, super short line!

WSJ.com - This Chopstick Habit May Be Hard to Break: Double Dipping

Chinese health officials are trying to change the way people eat, pushing a utensil they hope will stem disease outbreaks: an extra pair of chopsticks.
At restaurants and homes, Chinese meals are dished up family-style, with serving platters in the center of the table. Most diners pluck their dumplings and stir-fries out of the platters and onto individual plates or bowls of rice. They use the same chopsticks to put the morsels in their mouths, often going back to the serving platter for seconds and thirds.

[snip]

Serving chopsticks aren’t new to China. Usually, they look exactly like regular chopsticks, although they sometimes come in different colors. They have long been used for special occasions like business dinners or banquets, or by families who eat their meals more formally. But most Chinese eating at home or at restaurants shun them.

In China, sharing food is all about strengthening family and business bonds. Using a separate pair of serving chopsticks can be a bit of an affront — a little like showing up at the family table with a surgical mask. A few diners stake out a middle ground and flip their chopsticks when they serve themselves or others at the table.

[snip]

Mr. Tang, who also founded the Shanghai Tang fashion brand, was recently chastised by his children when he plunged his chopsticks straight into a steamed fish. “They said, ‘Daddy, please use the gong fai,’ ” he said. “I gave them a nasty look, and we carried on.”

This article cracks me up - because it highlights one of my biggest pet peeves about Chinese dining.

And, it reminds me of the fact that I did indeed break my parents of this habit. So much such they in turn frown on people who don’t use serving chopsticks.

I rule!

Whoa… I hadn’t turned on my PC at home for about 2.5 weeks (because I was moving) - today I check for updates and there’s a nice pile of them!

Visit http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate to make sure you have the latest updates!

Thanks for coming out to the MSN Search Jobs party at our SVC campus tonight. I met a bunch of people from Yahoo, Google, MSN Search (yeah yeah, I don’t know everyone yet), and a variety of other companies.

A number of people were surprised at the size of the Microsoft campus here in the Bay Area - though many had seen part of it while stuck in traffic on northbound 85.
Here’s my sad picture of the swag I got - it’s a glass that is lit up by colored led:

Mark Jen, who found out about this event from this blog (thus validating that this blog does have a purpose) dropped by and took far better photos than I did. Check them out on the link prior.

To those who didn’t come - boooo on you. The food was awesome. (Unfortunately, now I feel fat) The demos were great - especially Bubba’s!

Alright… don’t forget to visit http://search.msn.com/jobs/ - it’s not your typical Microsoft recruiting site!