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Mike Ditka is considering running for the Senate, as noted by Dick. Guess Illinois wants to make California’s choice of Arnold look intelligent. Sports Illustrated recently did a photo spread of sports figures turned politicians. Of course, their website doesn’t turn it up, but from memory the two-page spread included Jack Kemp, Bill Bradley, Steve Largent, Tom Osborne, and a few others. I’m not a Chicagoan, but… Ditka? Once you’ve done hair ads aren’t you disqualified? Aren’t you supposed to do the erectile dysfunction ads after your time in public office? (cf. Bob Dole)

I caught Spider-man 2 this evening. With this movie, I couldn’t escape the reviews and the hype, but I still enjoyed it. Most of all, it felt like the comic book. The movie even is paced like the comic book, with pulsing action, and then some backstory/development, then more pulsing action, in an almost predictable pattern. The ending, especially, was very comic-like, in setting up the next villian. Since we all know there will be a 3 and a 4 (and more?!) in this series, the comic serial method of foreshadowing so you’ll buy the next “issue” didn’t even feel out of place.

I actually saw this brilliant stop-motion Lego summary of the film before seeing the movie, but I just watched it again. If it cost $200 million to make and market the actual film, I wonder what it cost to make this film… marketing has been practically free, since everyone is spreading the link (like this).

So I followed Mark’s advice and tried Mobissimo to launch me into this evening’s travel agent duties. Maybe 90 minutes later… I still have no tickets. Not Mobissimo’s fault, but it didn’t get me much further along the path.

For three “adults” and an “infant with seat,” I finally found a multi-city package (SFO to BOS to SLK then ALB to PIT to SFO on the return) which was relatively reasonable in mid-August via Orbitz (where Mobissimo led me). But every time I tried to select a package — the Book It! button — I got a frustrating message reading:

Because flight availability can change rapidly based on traveler demand, the flight you selected is no longer available. Please make another selection. (Message 100)

While I’m pleased they shared the number of the message with me, I was floored when this happened for every single flight I tried to buy. Finally, I broke down and, at the suggestion of my wife, I called Orbitz. Toll-free call, and I got to a real person quite quickly. That was good. The person on the phone suggested that I try again tomorrow, as he’d heard a few similar complaints today. Well, wouldn’t it be nice if message 100 made that issue a bit clearer? I asked the person to run the times/flights on his end, and he seemed to try, but ended up telling me to try again tomorrow. Which, as I have no other choice, I’ll do. But I don’t have to like it. This “internet expert” wants a travel agent, although I guess I’d have spent a lot of time on the phone with someone as they typed through the same screens.

At least I was able to rent a car for this weekend with little fuss.

So Mark gets some nice press from USA Today for HotelChatter.com. Very nice, and likely deserved… I’ll admit I have not been keeping up, since I travel so very little, and then only to places (usually) where I’m staying with family. But what bugs me here in 2004 is that USAToday doesn’t use a link that will remain constant… no permalink. The URL above will continue to work, but next week (or whenever this regular column publishes), the URL will point to a new column. Sure, the HotelChatter.com piece will appear on this index page… but it’s not there yet. It’s 2004, people. I understand the beautiful simplicity of your URLs, but no one can link to you with any confidence. Is that what you want?

News.com Extra launched earlier today. The public explanation spells out what we’re doing. I would add only that the end goal is to save readers’ time. News.com reporters and editors do their damndest to get you the best story as fast as possible on every tech story that matters. But no one is as big as everyone, so News.com has always pointed out to other stories of interest. Extra amplifies that, applying the concept to individual stories, in addition to “unattached” stories, as you find in More news around the Web. Also, Extra includes some general news (yes, aggregated via RSS) and a group blog for the editorial staff called Missing Links. Maybe it’s too much. Maybe it’s not enough.

But if it saves the reader time, we’re doing something right. Send feedback; I’m not the only one eager to read it.

After my own challenges booking travel, I found Steve Yelvington’s question pretty interesting: “Travel bookings: Do humans do it better?. If you want something a direct flight, the answer can certainly be yes. And, as Steve points out, most software isn’t designed expressly to get you the best deal… just a deal via their site, whether airline or outsider. I’ve some tickets to find for August, and I’m not looking forward to it because once again it’s not a hub destination. The destination is worth it, but the journey can sure take it out of you. (Is that supposed to be a larger metaphor? Nah.)

Thanks to TiVo, I caught up with the first three stages of the Tour de France in one evening. Can’t ask for more than that. Maybe I’ll watch the team time trial that is Stage 4 closer to live.

I brought the laptop with me for the weekend, but didn’t even open it up. Four whole days. That’s independence. Of course, back now and lots of digital detritus (and a few gems) to sweep up, but a nice break. I did consider going online, but it would have been dial-up, and that was enough to return me to my scheduled vacation.

Let’s all celebrate Independence Day. Independent from what, you might ask. Or you might just enjoy the holiday.

Agony is holding your one-year-old child for the “routine” blood tests (venipuncture is the term), and watching the technicians (a label I wanted to turn into a curse) stick your infant three times while they dig for a vein. First the left arm, at the elbow. Then the right arm, same place… same lack of success. Finally, in the veins on the top of the right hand, blood spurts into the tube, and all three of us (by now, the first technician has asked for help) breathe a sigh of relief. Of course, we still have two of us holding the child tightly, and she’s crying and squirming. I was furious, but biting my tongue since I didn’t think it would help to make these folks angry. It’s clearly a difficult task, but it’s hard to be sympathetic when these are the experts! My wife went through the same experience with our son a few years ago… which is why she sent me this time.

Dean Kamen made his (first?) fortune with medical devices, including a much-improved stent. Babies — and parents — everywhere would welcome similar advances in the tools and techniques of drawing blood from an infant. Clearly, some folks are working on related problems for newborns. I don’t know enough of the right terms to find anything conclusive, but clearly phlebotomy (blood-letting) is the scientific term. CPMC could improve their infant phlebotomy, to be sure… even if it was a great place to have our children born.

Note: Clearly this is more of an issue for parents than children, in the long-term, but I do wonder if this kind of experience is what instills fear of needles.