AT HOME HE’S A TOURIST (2012 EDITION): NINE RANDOM THINGS

And now, nine (9) random things about my side trip to Tennessee:

1. Full frontal nudity

I went through my very first full-body scan machine. Which means you can now see me naked on the internet somewhere. (Presuming you haven’t already.)

2. Sleepless nights

I had a lot of them, thanks to jet lag, 4:00am pick-up times, and a suicidal deer.

3. Air Force One

We passed it, according to the driver who took me to San Francisco airport at 4am. We were passing Travis Air Force Base at the time. It was dark, and all I saw was what looked like a jumbo jet silhouetted by floodlights, a shadow on the tarmac. I presume it was to do with this.

4. Joe Biden

I didn't see him, but he delayed my connecting flight out of Charlotte. Not personally – he’d arrived at the airport just before we were supposed to pull away from the gate (I presume it was to do with this), and they shut down all air traffic until he was clear of the area. Which took about 45 minutes.

5. More than a feeling

I had no CDs to listen to on the way to Nashville, and there was no iPod port, so I listened to the radio. I heard an awful lot of Boston, for some reason. Also, they're Light Rock now, apparently (though an argument could be made that they’ve always been Light Rock).

6. Used (and new) media

I had CDs to listen to on the trip back, thanks to my traditional stops at the Great Escape and Grimey’s. Now I have a new stop – McKay, which sells used books, CDs and videos. I’d been to the one in Knoxville (and went there this time too), but apparently they recently opened one in Nashville as well. Which means I now have some new Spinrad to read. And I have my old Cheech & Chong records back.

7. The ongoing death spiral of TV news

Why is it that when the US TV news media kicks into high gear and covers a story with hours of in-depth expert analysis, it's about something like Justin Bieber punching a photographer?

8. Pitbull

I saw him perform on the Today Show. The audience screamed for more. I wept for America.

9. Drunk shirtless cowboys and hookers

Spotted hanging out in front of a hotel next to a truck stop outside of Knoxville where I was refueling. I didn’t manage to get a picture, sorry.

To be fair, I don’t know for sure that they were cowboys and hookers. All I know is the guys were all shirtless, drinking beer, wearing cowboy hats, and accompanied by women in halter tops and Daisy Duke shorts. And they were all drinking Rolling Rock. It could have been a graduation party, for all I know. Or an office team-building retreat. Or something.

FWIW, I also saw a Hell's Angel walking a bulldog. 

Anyway, that’s about all I got.

Barbarism starts at home,

This is dF

AT HOME HE’S A TOURIST (2012 EDITION): 50 SHADES OF TENNESSEE

And finally, here’s a photo taken inside McGhee Tyson airport outside the news kiosk: a photo of a Tennessee volunteer statue surrounded by the 50 Shades Of Grey pseudo-bondage trilogy.



Which I find amusing, all things considered.

For my next trick I’ll need a volunteer,

This is dF

YOU’VE GOT ROBOTS ON YR PANTS

Yr Robopocalypse headline of the day:



A team of roboticists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has designed a robot specifically designed to roam around on yr body using the wrinkles in yr clothing.

Possible uses include “a movable phone on our shoulder which frees human hands.”

Video is available.

FUN FACT: I also have no trouble navigating yr pants.

I’m gonna crawl,

This is dF

180,000 CANDLES CAN’T BE WRONG (2012 EDITION)

Last night in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park:



That’s the annual candlelight vigil marking the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. And as the title notes, that’s about 30,000 more candles than last year.

Which is both impressive and telling. Impressive because ten years ago – or even five years ago – 55,000 was considered a decent turnout. And telling because this year’s turnout was motivated as much by this year’s sad excuse for an election and subsequent scandals of everyone involved as the the ongoing sagas of Bo Xilai and Chen Guangcheng.

Even the outgoing chief executive isn’t getting a dignified exit – he’s under investigation by the ICAC for accepting “inappropriate favours” from local business tycoons such as overseas trips on private jets, staying on luxury yachts and leasing an apartment for below market price. Even his family is under scrutiny for cashing in.

Which admittedly has nothing to do with Tiananmen. But it does seem to be a trend that more public discontent with the HK govt, the bigger the turnout on June 4. And the election itself did serve as a big reminder that HK chief execs are not only pre-approved by Beijing, but also have comparatively limited accountability to the public – and Tiananmen is an extreme but stark example of what happens when govts feel they don’t have to answer to their own people’s demands.

Much has also been made of the fact that many of the people who attended the vigil are students who weren’t even born when Tiananmen happened. Which is worth noting because it’s always possible to forget, and even more so when a given event can only be remembered via history books.

Remember,

This is dF