Another part of “people watching” I enjoy is pondering how times have so changed, particularly at the airport.

I can’t recall if I’ve written about this before, but I can’t help but notice the change in attire on passengers at the airport over the last 10 years or so. I suppose I haven’t yet accepted the true power of competition in the airline industry, but I can’t help but wonder how some people can afford a plane ticket.

Any more, business suits, button down shirts and dresses have given way to short shorts, tank tops and flip flops.  In fact, the two-piece suit is now the minority in the terminal building.

I’m not sure why I’m bothered by this, perhaps its a lack of respect for the industry, lack of leadership in the industry as a whole, or maybe I’m completely out of touch with the real world.

Two years ago, I was in Miami when an American Airlines 767 rolled in from New York, and you’d think a Greyhound buss had become lost and pulled into the gate.  What’s tragic is that a bus ticket was more expensive than a ride on a jet.

My how times have changed.

Travel people, Travel

My group at work is being provided new laptops to replace our old and outdated equipment that can no longer run out processor intensive programs.

It’s a nice perk to be issued a company laptop, and from the looks of it, fairly common place these days.

A subtle ping of my coworkers reveals that the cross-utilize their company issued laptops for personal use at home as well.  And while that can seem like an indirect perk all together, I wonder if the move is all that wise.

The equipment is in fact, company property, and given the economic climate today it’s not out of the question to be relieved of ones duties at a moments notice, with or without cause.

Which should segue into the rhetorical question, is it smart to use your company computer for personal use?

Sure, answering web-based email may seem transparent enough, although you should be aware that even that data technically belongs to your company.

Banking, storing personal documents, family photos, music and contacts of the personal and business sort may leave you wishing you hadn’t when your IT department puts your account on lock down.

Typically when an employee is excused from their job, the first thing that happens is a complete wipe out of their computer. In a sales or marketing based position, emails may be retained for legal reasons, but other than that, the ones are flipped to zeros without any regard to what those bits and bytes really represent. 

It is, after all, the companies data.

A couple suggestions for those who use a company laptop for personal use:

Save everything you don’t want to lose to a flash drive. Memory is cheap these days, and music files, contact lists and photos can easily be backed up onto portable media.

Clip that thumb drive to your key chain so you can’t leave work without it.  You never know, this Friday might be your last.

Think about what data you could live without.  Bank statements, phone lists, family photos probably should be secured outside of your companies network.  At least make a copy every couple weeks.

Laptops are cheap and getting cheaper.  Get one.

Business Business, Technology

I’m sitting in the Kansas City International Airport waiting for a flight to Chicago that connects to Frankfurt, Germany for a week long stint in Europe.

I love airports. Mostly because I’m a pilot and I’m at home around airplanes, but partly because airports are a great place to watch people.  Passing through, going home, setting out on vacation; an airport receives all kinds.

If you’re a frequent traveler, you see people you know, either from real life or the fantasy land of television.

Just today, I had a quick chat with Kansas City Chiefs ex-General Manager Carl Peterson. Seems like a nice guy, and while some believe and relent that Peterson was run out of town, you can tell that up front, he’s a business man.  He understands.

Most fascinating though, are those in uniform. A segment of the Armed Cavalry division is heading home for an extended weekend with their families, which is pretty cool.

You have to get deep into a conversation with any one of them to find out they’re heading back to Afghanistan in 6 to 12 months. It’s not at the forefront of their life right now, and let’s face it; they’re going home.  Little else matters now.

I always try and show some appreciation for a soldiers service anytime I run into them, and the regard seems much appreciated.  I also selfishly try to gain a bit of information from them in our closing remarks.

How are things going over there?

Let’s face it, if you want the truth about how our soldiers are doing overseas, you go straight to the horses mouth.

What’s interesting is that a recurring theme with any one of them is that I shouldn’t be getting my information from the news.

Completely unprovoked, Major Chaparral told me not to listen to the news. In fact, he loves his work, because “we’re doing great things over there”.

Sitting next to me at the boarding gate, Major Dixon told me that while the work in Afghanistan is hard due to the terrain (primarily in the Southern part of the country), he says it’s worth it and actually looks forward to going back.  Again, he urged me not to believe everything you hear on T.V.

That’s frustrating, as it’s as though our guys in the sand aren’t getting a fair shake.

With that, the Major’s cell phone rang, and from the context of the conversation, it was his wife.

I quickly excused myself, because let’s face it, that conversation would be far more important than any he could have with me.

Travel people, Travel