2008 › April › 10

Coldplay ranked “Top band that help Britons get off to sleep”

by Iva Skoch on

“Oh, what’s Coldplay whining about now?” asked my friend David, when he heard Coldplay playing in my apartment a few years back. Ever since then I haven’t been able to listen to Coldplay. All I hear now is whining!

It appears that Coldplay brings entirely different sensations to Britons though. According to a Travelodge-conducted survey, the top bands/singers that help Britons get off to sleep in a hotel are:

  1. Coldplay
  2. James Blunt
  3. Snow Patrol
  4. Take That
  5. Norah Jones

I don’t really know much about the music business, I am guessing it is not really a compliment to be the band that puts people to sleep?

Thanks, Rory Boland, for the tip!

[via Lost Weekend]

The suburbs suck. Wait, don’t they?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

If Desperate Housewives has taught us nothing else– and it hasn’t– we’ve at least seen that there’s often more to the suburbs than meets the eye. Over at one of my favorite travel sites, Vagabondish, Ben Hancock tries to explain that the suburbs don’t completely suck, especially if you’re willing to approach them with the right attitude.

One key to surviving, and perhaps even enjoying, the land of “big box” stores and McMansions is this: Seek out local businesses. “People like to pretend that mom-and-pop shops get squeezed out by national corporations, which is only half the story: local businesses are more often killed by public capitulation to convenience,” Hancock writes. “Even in the suburbs, you shouldn’t be a part of that.”

Despite the fact that the suburbs often seem navigable only by car, walking and bicycle are still entirely legal, and frequently these modes of transport offer a closer, better view of the ‘burbs. Worth noting: bicycles, unlike cars, receive infinity miles to the gallon.

Hancock also suggests hanging out in parks, checking out religious centers, and if nothing else, “Hey, IHOP is always open.”

These tips are all great, really, but the most important thing is attitude. If you’ve grown up in the suburbs, like I have, or if you’re just spending time there to visit friends or family, it’s easy to think that there’s not much to see. Take that attitude, and I guarantee your expectations will be met. But if you’re open to the idea that there’s usually more to the suburbs than Wal-Marts and Starbucks, you just might find something you never expected.

Like that cute housewife down the street.

Hollywood stuntman to sail Atlantic in popsicle stick ship

by Abha Malpani on

31 world record breaker and former Hollywood stuntman Robert McDonald’s new adventure is to cross the Atlantic in a 15-meter ship made of 15 million ice-cream sticks, that looks like a replica of a Viking ship.

A lot of the sticks were used, steam-cleaned ones and about 13-million of them were donated by Unilever. He made the ship, stick by stick, with the help of his son and 5000 children from Holland; the sticks have been stuck together by salt-water proof glue. This ship is probably the world’s largest handmade recycled object.

McDonald’s creative and risk-filled life stems from the fact that he was injured in a gas explosion that killed his parents and six-siblings, and confined him to 5-years of hospital bed rest. All his feats are motivated by a strong and simple belief that he wants to share with kids: “you can do anything”. Part of McDonald’s fearless stunt portfolio includes climbing the Twin Towers in 1995, and free-climbing the Grand Canyon.

A dangerous expedition but possible; the ship is undergoing various sea-trials at the moment. Apparently, McDonald said that when a boat inspector analyzed one of his planks made of 5000 popsicle sticks, he pronounced it 5-times stronger than steel.(!)

According to a Reuters report, he currently is looking for a crew to sail the ship across Atlantic from Holland to America as well as of course, funding.

Virgin America’s Los Angeles – Seattle launch party

by Grant Martin on

Virgin America‘s service between LA and Seattle kicked off this week with a bang, and Gadling was invited along for the ride.

The event, celebrating the link between two musically rich cities, started with a rock-concert send off by The Donnas at the VA gate in Los Angeles. After a brief ceremony where CEO David Cush and several Donnas members cut the symbolic ribbon, everyone jumped on the short flight up the coast.

Once things got organized, Cush said a few corporate words then Cisco Adler (Mischa Barton’s ex boyfriend and lead singer of Whitestarr) and his pal Shwayze got up, grabbed a guitar and started serenading the plane as AP and Virgin photographers stalked them through the plane. Three songs deep, the duo handed the baton off to Michael Tolcher, who, after three songs handed the baton off to the Bamboo Shoots. The four of them rocked up and down the plane for a few songs handing out goodies, standing in seats and banging on things.

The aircraft was met with by a howling crowd of Virgin America employees who, lined up on either side of a red carpet, would wildly cheer every time someone deplaned. A brief arrival party with (more) Champagne took place at the gate, then everyone dispersed to meet up for the after party at the venue, The Showbox at the Market later that evening.

The Showbox was tricked up special for the Virgin America party. Photographers were on hand to take media photos of the celebrities on hand, including Rebecca Cardon from Bravo’s Work Out and Lukas Haas. They took places in a special VIP judging section, and after a few more corporate words, Virgin hosted a quick battle of the bands where the winner was given a free music video shooting.

After the battle, The Bamboo Shoots came up for another set, followed by Thurston Moore (formally of Sonic Youth) and his new band.

You have to admit, Virgin does know how to throw a party. I met several interesting people along the road that I’ll be telling you about over the next few days once I can put my thoughts and pictures together and my hangover wears off. Stay tuned for an interview with CEO David Cush, details about the in flight experiences (business and coach), video and an unofficial report about some of the chicanery that went on, including shots with Shwayze and Cisco, the Banana Republic marketing team and a trip to the hospital.

FAA update: Flight delays continue, airline inspections could continue through June

by Jeffrey White on

There are a few factors at work behind the widespread disruptions, cancellations and plane groundings at airlines like American, Delta and Alaska. One of them is U.S. Representative James Oberster (D – Minnesota). He is the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which is demanding the tougher scrutiny of airline upkeep that we see the Federal Aviation Administration now responding to.

Congress went easy on the airline industry during the immediate aftermath of 9-11, given the financial hit carriers took in the wake of decreases in passenger traffic. But now passenger numbers are up, and airlines like Southwest have acknowledged lapses in mandatory safety inspections. Congress has turned its helping hand into a fist.

“[This is all] an effort to get [airlines] back on course, to being the gold standard in the world for aviation safety oversight and maintenance oversight, and to re-establish a safety mind-set and culture with in the [FAA], instead of this coddling of the industry,” Oberster told the New York Times yesterday.

The FAA seems to be listening. Today it is breaking the bad news that a broader round of airline inspections are likely to last through June. The FAA also suggests that further groundings are likely not just in the coming few weeks, but during the next few months.

The inspections, like the ones at American, are targeting specific things (at American, it’s faulty wiring in the wheel wells and along the wings of its MD-80 fleet). But there is a broader investigation also ongoing here, as airlines are under increased pressure to prove their compliance with industry safety regulations.

Of course, passengers suffer, in the form of flight delays and cancellations. Some of the biggest hubs in the country, like O’Hare and LaGuardia, have been most affected.

I want to put this question out there: Are these travel inconveniences acceptable if it means that we have an aviation system that is taking our safety seriously, or is it more important to arrive to our destinations on schedule? Let me know what you think.