Airport Scanners and Carry on baggage

So I came across this cartoon today (a friend emailed it to me).

It got me thinking about this whole airport scanner issue. Everyone goes on about privacy, invasiveness, etc. How many people really value this privacy over their own convenience?

Example... Lets say that these full body scanners become commonplace and are used at every airport. There will be those that are outraged about invasion of privacy. So, lets have 2 kinds of checkin -- you need to be there 1.5 hours before your international flight if you will submit to a full body scan, and 4 hours before your flight if prefer a manual scan and search. How many people do you think would show up to the early search?

I am betting almost zero.

The other rant that gets me going is carry on versus checked bags. Airlines have decided to start charging people for checked baggage. They are then surprised by the fact that everyone now tries to carry on everything with them. Solution? Check the 2 bags for free -- charge for the carry-on! As a business traveller I would have no problem paying $20 to carry my overnight bag on with me. When I travel for pleasure, I would rather check the bag anyways as the trip is usually longer and I bring more things with me.

This then brings me to the amount of carry-on bags. Some time ago, I was on a flight and a rather obnoxious woman boarded just ahead of me (wouldn't you know it she was sitting beside me). This woman had a massive winter coat, purse the size of a small child, notebook computer briefcase, and a rolling style carry-on. She then proceeded to put ALL of these items in the overhead bin, which filled it. I arrived at the row, took her bag out and handed it to her and placed my bag in the bin.

Suffice it to say she was not pleased.

She should not have been allowed on the plan with this much baggage, nor should she have been able to put all of it in an overhead bin.

To-Do's, Tasks and Organization

I have always had a strange, obsessive fascination with to-do lists, tasks and organizing things -- basically productivity applications.  I have played with all manner of software from internet-based, stuff on the Mac, iPhone apps, Blackberry programs, Linux tools, and even Windows programs. 

The dream is to have all of one's tasks in a single application (possibly synchronize to multiple locations).  The nature of to-dos makes this difficult.  My brother talks a bit about this in his blog.  The problem is the way that you acquire tasks.  As a salesperson, I get tasks at work via email, phone messages, my notepad, things I think of while driving, as well as all of the ways that one comes up with personal tasks.  Right now I have 3 systems running -- notepad, email and specific to-do software (at the moment, this is Things).  Too many things to keep track of, and often things that have specific dates get missed.  You can add calendar based tasks to this as well, as all of my meeting requests come in this way.

For email I used Mac Mail, and at the moment I use sub-folders under my inbox to sort tasks.  Those folders are: @ACTIONS, @DEMO, @EVENTUALLY, @READ AND REVIEW, @TO BE ENTERED, @TODAY, @WAITING FOR.  I sed to also have a @FILE folder but realized that I just jammed things into it instead of filing them properly.  Once completed, things move into off-line archive folders and are then indexed and searchable in DevonThink Pro Office. More on the folders....

@ACTIONS is where I immediately drag any emails that contain things that I need to do.  This folder is a list of tasks that I need work work on that that need to be completed relatively soon.

@DEMO is a sales specific folder where I keep 2 kinds of things -- emails from clients requesting demo gear or have demo gear, and emails from suppliers whose demo gear I have to remind me to return it.

@EVENTUALLY are tasks that I want to do at some point, but don't really have a timeline.  I look here (supposedly) when I have free time.

@ READ AND REVIEW is pretty self explanatory -- anything that I need to read over.

@ TO BE ENTERED used to have more value; was things that I had to enter somewhere to be useful; I haven't used this much lately and will probably get rid of it.

@TODAY is what I use for anything that I need to do right away.  I will also fill this folder with things at the end of the work day with anything that must be done the following day.  This folder usually has less than 5 emails in it.

@WAITING FOR is anything that I am waiting for something back to accomplish.  Maybe I am waiting for a PO from a customer, price from a supplier, or piece of technical information -- it goes here and is reviewed daily.

This system works pretty well but only takes care of things that come and go via email -- kind of leaves me locked in Mail all the time and can prove to be a bit distracting.  I tried to email myself other things and use everything in one system, but this doesn't work very well.  (not sure why, but it just doesn't seem to work).

Stuff that works well -- I can find just about anything.  DevonThink is brilliant for searching emails, and any files that I have.  I archive things into it by year and it automatically makes all my PDF's searchable. 

Stuff that doesn't work well -- if I don't religiously do the review, I can miss deadlines on things or leave things for too long in a folder.  There isn't really any kind of 'auto reminder' or anything in this system.

The next thing I am going to try is The Hit List.  However, other than nice keyboard shortcuts, I am not sure that it is much of a change from Things, and I lose the iPhone synch.  It does have the ability to drag and drop email to it to create a task -- maybe this will solve the problem.

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Man Bags

I have long toyed with the idea of the man bag.  I have tried manbags from many manufacturers including http://www.timbuk2.com, http://www.crumpler.ca, http://www.tombihn.com, and others.  I regularily scour the web for articles on the man bag, the murse, etc.  I while ago I thought that the Axible man bag http://www.manbag.com was the way.  (strangely they seem out of business as they have been out of stock on everything for the last 18+ months).

Success?  Not so much.  Many returns, things sold on Ebay, and things stacked up around the house that I have not yet had the time/motivation to sell.

The problem with the murse seems to be that too small looks like a purse, and too large becomes a briefcase or messenger bag.  I read several reviews at http://www.the-gadgeteer.com (a gadget review site that I enjoy).  However the ones reviewed there are too pursey for my liking.  The bag has to be able to be worn sling-like over both shoulders.

Many seem to tout the bag from 24 that Jack Bauer carries.  Though clearly a bag capable of a lot of whoop-ass, to me it is too big and briefcase like -- might as well carry the notebook computer while I am at it.

I need something that I can use weekday or weekend that can accompany my briefcase (either go in it, use with it, or use without it).  It should hold my wallet, notepad, phone, sunglasses, asthma puffer, Kindle, some various pills for headaches, maybe a bottle of water, and a file folder.  I think that the file folder dictates that the minim size is 8.5x11.  The list of requirements led me to the web to search for the exact item that will work for me.

On to the latest potential purchases....

My latest ideas are an Indiana Jones style bag such as http://www.magnoliclothiers.com/british-mark-vii-satchel-bags-cases-p-66.html which may be ideal -- but not so dressy for work.  The backup bag that I have come up with is from Far Horizon Traders and is made of camel skin http://www.farhorizontraders.com/servlet/the-16/Handmade-Camel-Leather-Messenger/Detail  Perhaps between these I can resolve the problem.

Are there others out there that carry the man-bag / murse? 

Tags: man bag, bag, murse, man purse, messenger bag, gear bag, briefcase

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The beginning of Blogging.....

So I used to think what is the point of blogging? Who reads them? Why is this interesting? I had never really read or followed other peoples blogs and couldn't really see the point.

Then I started reading my brothers blog: http://www.nigelbeck.com/blog.html

It was interesting to read! It has become part of my morning routing now to read a few blogs whilst doing my morning constitutional.

So, we'll see if my own blogging presents interest to others...

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