I received my Mac Mini last week (from the free iPods folks). It seemed cool, it was really small, but what in the world was I going to do with it? I just decided to sell it on eBay. Someone bought it for $600, which is about $100 more than retail. Frankly I don’t understand people sometimes. I’m still working on getting the free Playstation Portable and the free digital camera. I’m really enjoying the free iPod Shuffle. I have the photo iPod, which is great for transferring pictures onto, but for daily use nothing can beat the little Shuffle which is the size of a stick of gum. It’s still new enough that I get looks on the metro as people try to figure out what it is. It’s the easiest of the free…
This strikes me as bad. Very, very bad.
Mar
19
2005
A state representative in Texas wants to ban sexy cheerleading. Legislation filed by Rep. Al Edwards would put an end to “sexually suggestive” performances at athletic events and other extracurricular competitions. “It’s just too sexually oriented, you know, the way they’re shaking their behinds and going on, breaking it down,” said Edwards, a 26-year veteran of the Texas House. About the only redeeming thing in this idea is a middle-aged state legislator talking about young girls “shaking their behinds, breaking it down.”
$50 off Travelocity Packages
Travelocity is offering $50 off flight and hotel packages to the Caribbean, Hawaii, or Mexico through April 15. Promo code is BEACHNOW.
Paying More and Getting More Value
Joel Widzer”s new column up at Tripso.com is about spending more on travel and getting value for money spent. His basic message is right on the money: the rock-bottom lowest price isn”t always the best deal, and it can be worthwhile to spend a little more when traveling. That doesn”t mean, as Joel says, “you get what you pay for.” I don’t think he means to imply that paying more is always worthwhile. Just this past weekend I helped a colleague get a room at the Jersey City Hyatt for $55 when they were looking for an inexpensive stay in New York. There wasn’t anything available inexpensively in Midtown. It’s certainly not the case that they would have been better off picking a $100 or $150 room (though if they were full price patrons at…
$139 at the W Seattle
TravelZoo has a weekly special with the W Seattle, my favorite W hotel property and my favorite hotel in Seattle — $139 a night through July 4. It’s valid any night of the week but requires an arrival on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. This rate must be booked by March 28 and April 27, 28 and May 20-24 are blackout dates. The rate plan is WLTB3.
Ruminations on Living Wage
Mar
15
2005
Further to my comments on rental car companies being subjected to San Jose’s ‘living wage’ rules, a reader writes: The main effect of raising car rental workers’ wages from $7.50 an hour to $9.66 an hour is that a certain number of honest working people, who are not on welfare and not on street corners selling drugs, will be making the princely sum of another $2.11 an hour — which will make it just a little easier for them to pay for their day care and their rent (although not enough to pay down their credit card balances). To me, that doesn’t seem like such a terrible thing. Why grope around for all of these abstruse and unproven second-order effects, plus make a guilt-by-association reference to apartheid, rather than focus on the main question —…
Minimum Wage Hike May Be Applied to San Jose Rental Car Employees
Mar
14
2005
Via Tripso Daily the San Jose Airport Commission has voted to recommend to the city council that airport rental car company employees be subject to the city’s ‘living wage’ rules. The average wage for the 700 or so employees is reportedly $7.50 an hour. Under the city’s living wage policy, the workers would make a minimum of $11.11 without benefits, or $9.66 an hour with benefits. The actual impact of minimum wage rules is always hard to predict. Increasing the minimum wage doesn’t always lead to unemployment as critics would suggest, often because the prevailing wage is already higher than the minimum wage. For instance, increasing the federal minimum wage to $6 wouldn’t have a tremendous impact on rental car employees at the airport, since their average wage is already more than that. At the…
Digital City Daily Deals Returns… Sort Of
Digital City used to publish the best low airfares from various cities across the U.S. It was an invaluable tool for finding out about great deals. Alas, it got the axe. One of the drivers of that project has new blog — a daily update of airfares like what Digital City used to offer, but at the moment just for the New York area. Folks who call New York home need to check out Today’s New York Area Airfare Report.
Intercontinental Ambassador Club Signup Bonuses
Mar
13
2005
Intercontinental Hotels offer Priority Club points for stays but maintains a separate elite program — Ambassador status — which is purchased rather than earned. The benefits of this status are Gold Elite membership in Priority Club (unless you earn platinum on your own), a free weekend night certificate (in conjunction with a paid weekend night, valid on just about all rates), one room-class upgrade, late check-out, a free in-room movie with each stay, and a welcome amenity. There’s also an upper tier of Ambassador, Royal Ambassador, awarded based on revenue spent with the chain. Early check-in is available, guaranteed upgrades, and free mini-bar are the parks. That status can’t be purchased. The usual cost of membership is $150, although there are sometimes promotions to earn the status free with a certain number of hotel stays.…
Delta Bonus for Amex Transfers
Mar
11
2005
Delta is offering a 15-20% bonus for transfers from American Express Membership Rewards between April 1 and May 15. Registration required. (Hat tip to Free Frequent Flyer Miles.)
