Parking Meter Overload FAIL

Our parking meter liked the first 5 coins we fed it, but FAILed at #6. And out of coins to feed another meter. Nearby cop said he'd move the car if he were us, Atlanta Parking Authority is vicious. (Photo by Amy)

Ducks in a Basket

I visited Rangpur, Bangladesh in summer 2008 with my friend Turzo. We visited a nearby market to pick up a duck for dinner. While there, we spotted a basket of ducklings that were for sale. My fiancée found them to be irresistibly cute.

The Alphabet Song

It is stuck in my head today. Good thing I know all the lyrics.

Where are the bills?

I recently performed a study to determine where most of the U.S. currency is located. Using a large sample (n=0), I determined where the majority of the given currency type is currently located:

$1 bills = in snack machines

$2 bills = in frames

$5 bills = in coffee shop cash registers

$10 bills = in pants pockets in your closet, waiting to be found next time you put them on

$20 bills = actually in wallets, it's what the ATM gives out

$50 bills = in the wallets of grandfathers

$100 bills = in banks

pennies = in your car's change drawer

nickels = in your car seat cushions

dimes = further down in your car seat cushions

quarters = gumball machines

half dollars = coin collections

dollar coin = NJ Transit ticket machines

I swear, every time I find a bill in pair of pants, it's a 10!

Water Heater Ant Colony

A colony of ants has chosen the top of my water heater to settle their colony. I see them walking on top of the water heater all the time, going in and out of the holes they've chewed through the metal lid. I'm not quite sure how deep the colony goes, or how a water heater's inner structure is good for making a colony.

There is one major detrimental factor to locating an ant colony in a water heater...it's a water heater. Every time the water heater turns on to refill up its tank, the colony pours out of the water heater running for their lives in fear. Not sure if it's the heat or if their homes are getting filled with water. They carry their precious larva in their teeth, and hide wherever they can for a couple of hours. Then they return. This happens every time the water heater turns on. I'm wondering how long it will be until they decide to abandon this foolish idea. How can one have a successful ant colony if several times a day you have to abandon it?!?

A Terminal's Demise at RDU

I flew through Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) last week. I've flown through the airport since 2002, using Terminal 1 on the majority of my flights. Terminal 2 used to be the secondary terminal at RDU, but recent renovations have made it the much better looking terminal. Terminal 2, with its sweeping wooden arch roof and glass exterior is now the home to the legacy airlines at RDU. Delta, Continental, United, U.S. Airways, etc. used to be housed in Terminal 1, but now call Terminal 2 home.

Left behind at Terminal 1 are all the low-cost carriers (LCCs): Southwest, AirTran, and JetBlue. As low-cost carriers, their business model doesn't necessitate having a flashy new terminal, and the cramped corridors of Terminal 1 which once housed legacy airlines, is perfectly suitable for the LCCs. The three LCCs can't possibly fill up all the gates which once bustled before, so Terminal 1 is now being operated below capacity. As seen in the photos below, Terminal 1 is a haunting shell of what it once was. The check-in counters are almost all boarded up, the gate areas are almost all boarded up, and the hallways are mostly void of life. The airside departure hallway is lined with potted plants, a last ditch attempt to make the terminal seem cared for. The gate areas have art which looks like it was bought at a garage sale, not the interesting posters advertising foreign destinations that the legacy airlines used to hang. Only one restaurant and a couple of shops seemed to be in business. It was incredible to see such a change to the terminal which one was RDU's main building.

LCC terminal buildings have been built in foreign cities to cater solely to the LCCs which have seen strong growth in their respective regions, such as in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. These terminals were purposely built as giant simple structures, with minimal amenities for passengers, but look decent and well-kept because their design was purposeful. Outdated U.S. terminals will likely become similar structures for American LCCs, a good re-purposing of the less attractive terminal space, such as at RDU. One can imagine unused terminal space at U.S. airports which have lost hub status over time (Pittsburgh due to U.S. Airways, St. Louis due to American Airlines), can evolve their older terminal space for their LCC traffic, and reserve the newer gates for the legacy airlines. In doing so, non-hub airports will redefine their position in the U.S. air network.