It’s been a long day, and it doesn’t stop coming.

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I’m posting my photos here (on Flickr account naufragio with the tag “ncmr2007″).

Nile has posted his photos as well.

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We arrived around 1:20 pm for our flight at 3:20 pm — two hours early, like any good and patriotic air traveler. The airport seemed pretty dead, so we went ahead and had lunch. Nile, thinking ahead, had packed his. I opted to buy something at the airport — not realizing this was Gainesville Regional Airport, and the restaurant was more like a 7-11 than a restaurant.

After eating my $3.99, pre-cooked, microwaved “cheeseburger,” we proceeded to the security check. (Ah, the healthy eating habits of travel are already setting in.) I should say we tried to proceed to security; “We’ll be open in about 15 minutes,” said the TSA employee, looking up from his reading.

So we killed some time and, eventually, went into the line.

“Are you carrying any liquids, gels, aerosols, snakes, plutonium, frozen embryos, etc.,” asked the TSA employee (or something like that). But no, I had already prepared for the war on liquids. I’d disposed of my bottled water after confirming I couldn’t bring it with me, and I hadn’t packed any liquids. But I was pretty sure that toothpaste and deodorant would count as “gels” or something along those lines, so I sheepishly replied that I indeed had those dreaded objects in my baggage.

“Are they less than 3 oz. and packed in a clear resealable container no greater in size than one quart?”

“Well, no.”

The gig was up. I could purchase a ziploc bag at the “restaurant” I had patronized earlier (clever business model!) but my toiletries were, in fact, greater in size than 3 oz. Fuck. Well, I guess I’d check that bag, then. Screw it. Nile added his to my checked luggage (those were less than 3 oz. but not packed in a clear plastic bag).

After checking my bag (the airline employee never checked my ID or itinerary) I went back through the line. Take off the jacket, phone and coins in the dish, laptop out of the bag.

“Did the guy over there check your ID and boarding pass?” inquired the next TSA employee.

Yes, he did. Oh, the extra boarding pass printed for me when I checked a bag (I had originally checked in online) had confused the TSA employee. OK, I’ll tuck the extra one away to avoid any conflagrations.

Alright, we’re all good now, right? Oh wait, nope. Take off the shoes.

The first thing I see on the other side of the security checkpoint: a soda vending machine.

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This weekend, Nile and I are headed to Memphis for the National Conference on Media Reform. We’ll be blogging updates and posting photos when we can. See you when we get back!

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On 29 December, the FCC approved the merger of AT&T and BellSouth, after AT&T submitted a revised set of conditions, including the following Net Neutrality pledge:

AT&T/BellSouth also commits that it will maintain a neutral network and neutral routing in its wireline broadband Internet access service. This commitment shall be satisfied by AT&T/BellSouth’s agreement not to provide or to sell to Internet content, application, or service providers, including those affiliated with AT&T/BellSouth, any service that privileges, degrades or prioritizes any packet transmitted over AT&T/BellSouth’s wireline broadband Internet access service based on its source, ownership or destination.

Now, this still permits Quality of Service based on traffic type, such as prioritizing streaming media, but such QOS measures would have to apply to everyone’s streaming media equally.

All in all, a big win!

Further coverage:
Tim Wu, Why AT&T’s Net Neutrality Concession is a Milestone in the History of the Internet
AT&T’s Final Merger Committments, FCC Filing

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From the participatory-democracy dept.

“For residence hall maintenance at UF, a photo is all it takes,” press release, University of Florida, 21 December 2006.

This press release points out a program by Housing to distribute digital cameras to dorm residents to photograph problems. The photo and information is then sent to Housing. After the problem is resolved, a before-and-after photo set is posted off- and online. Some examples are in this Flickr photo set.

The program reminds me of Andrew Rasiej’s 2005 race for public advocate of New York City. He started a Web site (now down) where people could upload pictures of potholes and tag their locations. (His platform also included providing free wifi citywide.)

There’s also a hint of the Cluetrain Manifesto: “Hyperlinks subvert hierarchy.”

Well, why not?

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