Flying back from an exhausting few days at the National Speakers Convention in New York on Tuesday I was looking forward to catching up on my sleep with a few hours rest in the window seat of JetBlue Flight 95 from JFK to Oakland.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the New York Times that morning to read that the “Happy Jetting” airline had decided to charge customers $7 for pillows and blankets.

Exhausted and intrigued, I decided to hand over my credit card (no cash accepted by the cabin crew) and see what money can buy at 36,000′ these days.

A lot less than I expected.

The pillow and blanket came in a sealed plastic sack which also contained a $5 voucher for Bed, Bath & Beyond. So the net cost is $2 if you remember to cash in the coupon.

The package was branded as a CleanRest by MicronOne and promised “The World’s Cleanest Pillow”. Gary Goldberg the founder of CleanRest tells us on the insert provided with the pillow that “my wife’s vigilance in building the healthiest possible environment for our kids led me to take action … to create a clean, safe, sleep environment for our kids.” Hopefully the Goldberg’s keep their kids off airplanes where recycled air carries far more germs than are ever found in a pillow.

Anyway, the pillow was not worth the money. It’s tiny (10×12) – and does not bridge the gap between the seat-back and the wall which is the main way someone sitting in a window seat can make themselves comfortable.

Obviously, airlines are suffering from high fuel prices. They don’t seem able to raise fares to cover the added cost of flying, so they are reverting to charges for items which they used to provide gratis. One wonders where it will all end. How about a nickel a sheet for loo paper?

I’ve always been amused by the language of wine. Many reviewers pile adjectives on top of one another with repetitive monotony. This might be due to the professional necessity of writing while tipsy (despite claims to spit and not swallow.)

Jon Bonné and Lynne Char Bennett’s list of 100 Best Wines in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle, modifies ‘cherry’ in no less than 17 different ways when describing red wine:

…red cherry, crushed raspberry and spice…
…vibrant cherry, plum and berry fruit that’s laced with subtle sweet oak shadings…
…toasted cherry and a leafy hint…
…musky red fruit – strawberry, dusty cherry…
…baked cherry and raspberry…
…radiant red cherry, highlighted with cranberry, candied orange rind, oregano and fir cone…
…bright with thick cherry and citrus zest…
…ripe black cherry and subtle plum, with a mineral overlay and a juicy, salty profile…
…cherry, blackberry and cedar…
…rich pile of black cherry, nuanced raspberry and blackberry, coffee, toast and a full box of exotic spices…
…dried cherry and oolong…
…dried cherry, pebbles and black tea aromas…
…coffee, vanilla, mint and plush back [sic] cherry…
…rubyish cherry and cranberry fruit…
…roasted red cherry, warm oak to round the edges…
…tree bark and cherry lozenge…
…raspberry and cherry scents, with slight mushroom and mineral…

Ray Davies was right on the money back in 1970:

I met her in a club down in old Soho
Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry-cola
Cee-oh-el-aye cola
She walked up to me and she asked me to dance
I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Lola
El-oh-el-aye Lola la-la-la-la Lola

Lola – The Kinks

Thanks to freelance communications specialist and technology maven Davis Fields, I have a picture of my blog on an iPhone:

How cool is that!

Enough has been written about the changing fortunes of the major computer manufacturers to fill my hard disk many times over. Analysts have reviewed product mix, features and benefits, distribution models, P/E ratios and more, However, this chart comparing the page views for dell.com, hp.com, ibm.com and sun.com over the past 3 years says it all:

Remember, unlike HP, Dell is a company known for doing most of its business online.

Ever noticed there’s a slew of consultants out there who will offer advice on what the well-groomed public speaker should be wearing?

It all began with Dress for Success.

Now, for the executive on the fast-track, there’s outfits like Global Image Group who offer to

Perfect your understanding of industry appropriate business attire using The Style Scale System and define your own personal style.

Why sweat the details of speech structure, message and authenticity in communications when it can all be reduced to implementing the guidelines of confident dressing and dress for the position you want, not the one you have. Look for help from Michelle, a Certified Image Master.

If people are wow’d by the clothes you wear they’ll not even notice the sweat on your brow and upper lip; detect the fear in your eyes or even take much notice of your face at all.