Saturday, October 04, 2003

Feds Want Cameras in Cockpits. The Federal Aviation Administration is considering installing video cameras on commercial flights, allowing people on the ground to monitor pilots and passengers in case of terrorist acts. Airline pilots are fiercely opposed. [Wired News] 6:56:54 PM    comment []

In 1970, Pete Seeger recorded a version of "Fixin' to Die Rag" for a 45 release. We know that at least a few advance DJ copies were produced, like the one pictured here. But something went wrong. The details are unclear, but Pete did mention once that the distributors refused to handle it. It was never released, and shortly afterward Pete left Columbia, his longtime label. Now for the first time since the 70s, you can hear this lost recording. (You'll need RealAudio.) 1:08:16 PM    comment []

Card Games: Should Buyers Beware of How Supermarkets Use "Loyalty Cards" to Collect Personal Data? By Joab Jackson, Baltimore City Paper. What we get out of it is insight into the needs of our customers, so we can provide them better service, explains Frank Gallagher, a director of marketing planning and analysis for Giant. The information Giant keeps is basic stuff: the customer's name, address, and phone number (if he or she elects to submit it), along with a list of all the items he or she purchased with that card. In return, shoppers are rewarded with lower prices on certain items. But, if anything, the controversy of who is playing who has just begun. Privacy advocates worry about the data being collected and how it will be applied, and consumer watchdogs grumble about whether or not the cards actually save shoppers money. And coming down the road in a few years is a new technology--product-tracking tags--that will make shopping cards look like the ragged tricks of a small- town con artist. 11:07:59 AM    comment []

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