Podcasting...on a whole new level

Have you ever seen something and wonder to yourself, “Who on earth thought this was a good idea?”

Do you remember the Bears/Lions game in 2002 where Marty Mornhingweg, Detroit Lions head coach, decided it was a good idea (after his team won the overtime coin toss) to kick the ball off to the Bears so his team could have the wind at their back?

(Editor’s Note: For all of you who aren’t football fans, pro football is sudden death, so the first team that scores wins the game, thus making kicking off to begin overtime suicide).

Marty, how in the world could you think that was a good idea? The Bears won 20-17 and Mornhingweg was fired at the end of the season for many of his bonehead moves like this one.


How about Saturday night's Notre Dame/Michigan State game. The Irish are down four points and Michigan State has the ball on the 19 yard line featuring a 3 and 4 situation. Realistically, Michigan State needs two first downs to wrap up the game. I am thinking you protect the ball punt it to the Irish and see if the up and down Notre Dame offense can score a touchdown. Bob Davie, former Irish head coach and current ABC announcer announces that this would be a great time for the Spartans to throw a pass. The group of guys I was watching the game with and I thought that was an awful idea. Why throw the ball and risk an interception so deep in her terriotry? Low and behold the Spartans throw a pass, the Irish intercept and score a touchdown giving the Irish a thrilling 40-37 victory. Bob Davie's job is to provide his football insight to America during Sunday night college football but stupid comments like he made will prevent him from ever being a head coach again!

Recently, I was walking through the Indianapolis Airport and I see this:
















That is right folks, an iPod vending machine. Now while I salute the Japanese for their inventive vending machines on corners that serve hot or cold coffee (which are great after a long night out or when you are trying to stay up for two straight days), I must question putting a vending machine that distributes iPod’s in an airport.

Now let’s walk through this. Who thought it would be a good idea to put an iPod vending machine in an airport? What market were they going for? Air travelers who notice everyone has an iPod on and they just happen to have $199 in their pocket so they can buy an iPod to look cool (even though they can’t listen to it, because there is no wireless in the Indy airport, so they can’t download songs)?

Are they aiming for the grandparents who are visiting little Jimmy and forgot to get him a gift? They can grab $199 out of their pocket and pick one up for him.

Are they marketing towards the stranded traveler who (through no fault of his own) is left to spend the night on an uncomfortable chair in the airport and is looking for something to pass the time? So instead of getting a hotel room, he goes for the $199 iPod shuffle from the vending machine?

Surprisingly after a bonehead move like Marty Mornhingweg's, you would think that no football team in their right mind would hire him. I googled him and found at that he is employed as the assistant head coach/offensive coordinator. I guess everyone gets a second chance. Hopefully the guy who decided to put an iPod vending machine in the airport will get one.

Whirlwind

A couple of weeks ago, work required me to travel to Toronto for some meetings during the day, while my social calendar had me venturing to Madison, WI for a bachelor party weekend. The following is a running journal of the day:

3 a.m.

The alarm blares signaling the dawn of a new day. I don’t know why I take these 6 a.m. flights, and I curse that fact as I head to the shower.

5 a.m.

I arrive at the airport an hour and a half early for my flight. Even though I am not a coffee drinker, I am now wired. I head to the airport lounge where I read a newspaper, watch some morning news and grab some breakfast, an orange, some juice, and some Natural Harvest granola bars.

6:30 a.m.

Flight departs Chicago bound for Toronto. I immediately shut the shade, turn on the iTunes sleep playlist, and try to catch up on some sleep.

9 a.m.

We land in Toronto, I clear customs and then I jump on a bus to downtown Toronto. We pass the CN Tower...






















and the Rogers Center...
















and I am dropped off in front a train station. I have about an hour before my meetings so I grab my second breakfast (a bagel and an orange juice) and meet up with an old friend who I haven’t seen in two years.

(Interesting note here: I tried to pay for a couple of things with a $2 Canadian bill. I found this while cleaning up my dresser from a trip to Canada about 12 years ago and figured I would get rid of it this trip. Twice, the people I was with laughed at me for trying to use this bill. Apparently it has been out of circulation for 5 to 10 years. Needless to say, I felt stupid. I feel even more stupid thinking that I could sell these rare, out of circulation $2 bills on eBay. Guess how much a $2 Canadian Bill sells for on eBay? If you guessed $2 you are correct. I thought they were rare?)
















4 p.m.

Back at the Toronto airport. Canadian airports are interesting. You check in, clear customs, clear security, and then you hand your checked bag over so that it can be put on your flight. In the last two Canadian airports I have been in, you walk through this nice and big duty free store. Since I wasn’t checking a bag and since the new flight regulations barring liquids on flights, I wasn’t able to pick up a bottle of duty free, but it is an interesting concept.

I head to the airport lounge, fire off some emails, grab some cookies, and then it is off to the gate.

6 p.m.

We land in Chicago, and I head to my house. I picked up my luggage for the weekend and droped off my computer. I needed to head downtown to pick up a rental car and then off to Midway to pick up three guys who were coming in from STL and KC. They are set to arrive at 7:30, but one of them is running late, and I don’t leave my home to pick up the rental car until 7:30.

9 p.m.

I pick up the guys at Midway and we head over to Goose Island for a late dinner. One of our friends pays $8 for a pack of cigarettes only to realize that he can’t smoke at our table. He then spends 20 minutes standing at the bar talking with an old prospector, smoking his cigarettes, and drinking his first red bull vodka of the night.

11:15 p.m.

We finally are on the road out of Chicago. It is about a 150 mile drive to Madison, and no one in the car really expects it to take that long. Complaining ensues followed by a stop to get some red bull, followed by a round of prank calls to our friends to keep ourselves amused.

1:30 p.m.

The day finally comes to a close when we arrive at our hotel in Madison and crash.

For all of those Billy Beane's out there, the final stats on the day:

22 hours, 2 countries, 2 US states, over 1200 miles of travel, 4 Natural Harvest granola bars consumed, 0 speeding tickets.