It would appear that Maine had a sanity adjustment, and has decided to accept EZPass / FastLane for tolls. Being a FastLane user, you would think that I’d find this to be great news. Yet, somehow it’s not. In this transitional period where the roads still have that “new FastLane toll smell”, there’s still a bit of confusion for FastLane users as to what’s going on. Let me explain.

Here in Massachusetts, when there is a FastLane toll available, it’s labeled as such. This is clearly marked and well understood, even to the most tired of drivers at 3am on a Saturday night. In fact, the attendant, if there even is an attendant, is not expected to look at you, say hello, or otherwise make his or her presence known. Not so on the Maine roads. They might have a sign somewhere along the way saying that EZPass is accepted, but that’s about it. Then, I’m not sure about this, but I think all lanes have it, with toll collectors working the booths and all.

So far, this sounds like a good thing, right? It is, except for one thing: the newbie FastLane user, having never been up this way while FastLane acceptance was working, probably gets toll money ready. He or she gets up to the booth and hands the money to the attendant, who takes it, like normal. (A FastLane user doesn’t usually even see an attendant in an automated lane, mind you.) However, if this person should perchance look forward at the same time, he or she might (and I emphasize might) notice a green light ahead of them with words on it. If they should happen to read the light, which they probably wouldn’t as they haven’t the other ninety thousand times they’d driven this way, they might see it say “EZ Pass Paid”. This might confuse them the first few times if they’re a FastLane user, especially after, say, a day of hard skiing. End result? Double payment. It’s like donating to the states in which you’re traveling.

Now, it’s not fair to put this on the toll collectors, who are probably not quite sure how to handle the whole thing either. They’ve spent most of their time to date taking money giving change as applicable. This whole drive-through-the-toll-like-you’re-doing-a-fifteen-mile-per-hour-drive-by thing isn’t normal in Maine. It’s normal for people to stop, give them money, then move on.

But that’s the rub. There’s a difference in action here that is a little disorienting for the person new to this setup, which means free revenue for the state in terms of double dipping. This can be a little aggravating when you realize how many tolls on which you’ve just double-paid.

With New Hampshire planning to switch in the near future, I see my double payments happening again soon, though this time I might be ready for it. Next time, I think I’ll just sit in my lane and stare blankly at the attendant. Or perhaps I’ll just look straight ahead, and pretend the attendant isn’t there. Let’s see who glances at that green light first!

No one knows what the future will be like, but id Software presented their take on 2145 with their dystopian Mars setting. From Doom 3, we can get a glimpse of the future, and learn what, at least in id’s perspective, life will be like 141 years from now. Here’s what I’ve learned so far…
(more…)

There are things in society that we know, but don’t admit. Things exist but we don’t acknowledge them (at least, publically). The conservatives of this country might even deny these points, but they’re no less true. I like to call it societal blindness. We turn a blind eye to various things in society, though most everybody knows about them. Sometimes, they’re overlooked illegalities. Other times, we just turn a blind eye. What things you might ask? Read on.
(more…)

Recently, I was having a conversation when I uttered the phrase, “all the sudden…”. I paused to correct myself and say, “all of the sudden…” when I realized that this particular phrase doesn’t really make sense to me. (The correct phrasing, I gather, is “all of a sudden,” with which some people take major issue.) Why all of a sudden? Can you have some of a sudden? What about none of a sudden? What exactly is a sudden? Is it fluffy?
(more…)

Asians love video games. Oh, do they love video games. They might love them too much, if you know what I mean.

pokepinhead n.
A gamer so stupidly into gaming that they forget to live.
Ex. 1. Korean pokepinheads do it for 96 hours.
Ex. 2. This Chinese pokepinhead didn’t even come close to breaking the record.
[Origins Japanese from 'Pokemon', twenty-first century cartoon, card game and arguably, video game; and Middle English 'pinhead', from Anglo-Latin pinheadnus, probably from Medieval Latin pinheadnus, pinheadan, variant of pinheadnus. See pinheadan.]

We might have an epidemic on our hands.

Update: More winners from China!

Update 2: But South Korea still keeps churning out contenders.

Why is this so funny? I have no idea. It must be the hats.