vertigo!

Last Thursday was the first radio broadcast of U2's new single Vertigo, the first cut from their new CD How to dismantle an atomic bomb. More than its share of Punk aesthetics throughout (even in the promo image), and more than a reminder of Out of Control, Gloria and other early U2 songs. More info over at u2.com and u2log.com (exhibit a, exhibit b).

Btw, the song begins: Uno! Dos! Tres! Catorce!. Literary license for counting to four? Or something else? :)

Plus: a video segment from TOTP and the countdown.

the state of the union

The Economist this week has a survey on the European Union that is quite interesting. Lots of commentary that is right on the mark. Recommended.

airborne madness, two years later.

This post I wrote on September 2002 could have been written two days rather than two years ago. I can't easily describe how ridiculous I find the restrictions companies place on electronic devices because they might "interfere with navigational systems" and such. Every time I travel there seems to be a new device or system that is "dangerous." Example from my recent footrip to the Netherlands was that you couldn't use any "laser-powered device, such as a CD player." Nevermind that a CD player is not "laser-powered", you could use laptops, which generally have CD or DVD players. But laptops are OK.

Right.

Cellphones have long been no-no at any time during flight (only recently some airlines have started to let you use them with the doors open at the gate, others still don't, even though they use the same airplanes). Now, in a couple of years there will probably be cellphone service on airplanes. Aha. Having a cell on the airplane and everyone using their phones, doesn't interfere. Giving you WiFi in the plane is also A-OK. Turning on a phone on its own, however, is quite dangerous. I get it.

Anyway. I wonder how they will spin the fact that WiFi & cell service on planes creates way more interference that a single device ever would.