by RobertKCole on April 1, 2011
Exactly one year ago, on April 1, 2010, a startling exposé rocked the travel industry – revealing Tnooz Editor Kevin May as not only the travel industry’s most powerful kingmaker, but its most feared thug as well.
This year, a dangerous year-long undercover investigation concludes by casting an unwelcome light on the inner-workings of his Tnooz media empire.
photo credit: lisby1With his true identity revealed last year, Kevin May has once again morphed, this time into a psyche-appropriate 15th Century Galley Master
An apparent gleaming pillar of journalistic excellence to outsiders, a short foray beneath its rich veneers reveals a medieval serfdom characterized by atrocious working conditions and an oppressive stifling of independent thought – Only unilateral directives executed by an underrepresented and oft-forgotten group of minions.
Perhaps the most telling indication of the relationship between Lord May and Tnooz’s seasoned and highly collaborative team of respected travel industry professionals is his decision to use the derisive term Node to describe their position within the Tnooz organization.
Node Biopsy
It is clear Mr. May, a self-professed connoisseur of the delicate and nuanced flavors of irony and sarcasm, intended from the inception of Tnooz to undermine the self esteem of his extended team of reporters and analysts through the subversive use of the term Node.
Merriam Webster‘s first four definitions of the word are:
node
noun \ˈnōd\
- a : a pathological swelling or enlargement
b : a discrete mass of one kind of tissue enclosed in tissue of a different kind - : an entangling complication (as in a drama) : predicament
- : either of the two points where the orbit of a planet or comet intersects the ecliptic
- a : a point, line, or surface of a vibrating body or system that is free or relatively free from vibratory motion
b : a point at which a wave has an amplitude of zero
Seriously, how many singular nouns simultaneously describe something as a “pathological enlargement,” “entangling complication” and something with “zero amplitude”? Coincidence? I think not. continue reading →
Tagged as: humor, Tnooz
by RobertKCole on September 11, 2010
USA Today’s article profiling the SkyRider saddle-inspired airline seat highlights the continued dehumanization of the air travel experience.
photo credit: Duncan KinneySaddles and flying have a long & storied history - not normally providing a pleasant experience for the passenger...
The design rationale provided by Designer Aviointeriors could only be described as falling somewhere between naive and masochistic. “Cowboys ride eight hours on their horses during the day and still feel comfortable in the saddle.”
As a former equestrian, I can assure you that saddles are not generally described as “comfortable” by occasional riders. Let’s agree not to explore the possibilities introduced by clear air turbulence or hard landings… please…
For carriers obsessed with maximizing aircraft cabin passenger density, why not bypass unnecessary evolutionary steps and skip straight to the end game? Pack ‘em in.
The editors of the always forward looking (well, not too forward looking, as they are now defunct) Breaking News website ran a great article introducing the FedEx PeoplePak in April, 2000.
Conspiracy theorists eagerly pointed at the political strength of the commercial airline industry lobby, the untimely demise of Breaking News, and the suppression of the FedEx PeoplePak technology as representing inconceivable coincidence? You be the judge.
As a public service, I have re-created the classic Breaking News post, complete with the original images: continue reading →
Tagged as: airline, bad idea, FedEx, seats, travel
by RobertKCole on July 12, 2010
To be clear, I am not an Apple hater. My history with Apple goes back to a time before many of you reading this were born. The company’s foresight and design prowess have always been a source of inspiration and personal admiration.
Morphed image provides conclusive proof that Big Brother from Apple's 1984 Macintosh launch ad is actually Steve Jobs from the future!
In college, the Apple II changed my life. It was soon apparent that accounting homework and the pressure on teaching assistants to grade final exams and enter semester grades would never be the same with VisiCalc’s spreadsheet and database capabilities.
While I had some previous experience “re-purposing” (OK, hacking) my high school’s career computer to play Hewlett Packard Football on the University of Washington mainframe, that was only accessing a comm link and spoofing a password. With the Apple II, I got my first experience in social computing by recoding the binary tree game to guess fetishes instead of animals.
Apple made microcomputers both useful and fun. I became an Apple fanboy in 1979. continue reading →
Tagged as: advertising, Apple, Google, innovation, technology
by RobertKCole on April 1, 2010
Six months ago, Tnooz launched as the preeminent provider of news, analysis, and commentary to the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. On the surface, all appears to be going smoothly, but after undertaking the most dangerous investigative reporting assignment in journalistic history, the seamy underbelly of the Tnooz dynasty, and its puppet-master, Editor Kevin May have come to light.
Don't believe the picture on the Tnooz web site - This is the real Kevin May
One only needs to look as far as Kevin’s denigrating treatment of his fellow Tnooz writers to know something was seriously wrong… Where other Editors would respectfully refer to field journalists as reporters or correspondents, Kevin prefers to call his minions “nodes.” Despite being resentful for being referred to as a swollen, knotlike mass of tissue, none dare leave Tnooz for fear of retribution resulting from May’s inexorable wrath.
Iron-fisted Control of the Global Travel Industry
Kevin May thrives in the murky shadows that encircle the edges of the travel industry. By design, his influence is not perceived by the traveling public, but the mere mention of his name strikes fear in the hearts of even the most experienced travel industry executive.
May regularly reviews, adjusts statistical results and aggressively edits all research produced by PhoCusWright and Forrester to align reports precisely with his prescribed view of the future. Norm Rose, PhoCusWright technology analyst provides an example “ Kevin has forced me to write extended dissertations on the resurgence of Fax technologies. Fortunately, he’s so out of touch with reality that he doesn’t realize we never published the work.” continue reading →
Tagged as: humor, Tnooz
by RobertKCole on August 12, 2009
Don’t you find it odd that almost all travelers periodically find that traveling can become an incredibly laborious effort – at some points, a pursuit that some say borders on torture? People have been traveling for thousands of years, and we still have not quite gotten it right… How could this be? Is this only a recent phenomenon?
photo credit: MendhakThe room appointments and service standards needed a little attention?
To borrow some philosophy from Slumdog Millionaire, there are four possible reasons travelers encounter difficulties when away from home:
- They are Cheated
- They are Unlucky
- They are Stupid
- It is Written
From personal experience, I know points 1-3 certainly occur from time to time, and occasionally in tandem during travel… Point #4? – The Travel Gods could not be so cruel as to smite us with such challenges.
There must be more to the story… continue reading →
Tagged as: history, insight, torture, travel
