invent a terrorist plot; win a prize?

Bruce Schneier's blog, Schneier on Security has announced its second annual Movie-Plot Threat Contest.

Schneier is asking readers to "invent a terrorist plot to hijack or blow up an airplane with a commonly carried item as a key component. The component should be so critical to the plot that the TSA will have no choice but to ban the item once the plot is uncovered." Readers are invited to post their scenarios on Schneier's blog. Schneier is looking for "a plot horrific and ridiculous, but just plausible enough to take seriously." The winner gets an autogrpahed copy of his book (lame) and possible a sit-down with a movie producer (cool).

There are already a bunch of hilarious plot's on the website, including one about an Islamic girl band called "Unveiled" and one in which a terrorist replaces talcum powder with anthrax. Another plot forces the FAA to ban water from all flights due to its explosive interaction with sodium metal.

I like that Schneier has the balls to ask people to invent terrorist plots and post them online. During the climax of Bush administration power and post-9/11 absurdity, this would have been unthinkable and may have even caused a few FBI investigations (although we can't say for sure that it hasn't). He also deftly points out the pointlessness of current air travel regulations in the U.S.

We screened for guns and bombs, so the terrorists used box cutters. We took away box cutters and small knives, so they hid explosives in their shoes. We started screening shoes, so they planned to use liquids. We now confiscate liquids (even though experts agree the plot was implausible)...and they're going to do something else. We can't win this game, so why are we playing?

Post your entry here, Slob readers.

world's best cities

Mercer Consulting has released its 2007 Quality of Living Survey, naming the world's top 50 cities for quality of life. So where are we going to move?

According to the survey, the top 5 cities in the world are Zurich, Geneva, Vancouver, Vienna (tied with Vancouver), Auckland, and Dusseldorf (tied with Auckland). The highest ranking American city is Honululu at 27, followed by San Francisco at 29, Boston at 36, D.C. and Chicago tied for 44, Portland at 46, New York City at 48, and Seatlle at 49.

The survey does not name a single city in Africa or Central or South America (or Antarctica for that matter). The only Asian cities named are either Singapore or are actually in Australia, which is rumored to be its own continent. The world (pictured inaccurately above) apparently only consists of Asia, Europe, and the Americas. And Australia is now part of Asia, and the Americas are actually just Canada and the U.S.

Obviously, some high-ranking cities like Calgary, Ottawa, and basically everywhere in Canada, are pretty boring, especially when compared to grittier cities such as Shanghai, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, or São Paulo. But as the report notes,

"A city with a high Quality of Living index is a safe and stable one, but it may be lacking the dynamic je ne sais quoi that makes people want to live in world-renowned cities such as Paris, Tokyo, London or New York. Sometimes you need a little spice to make a city exciting. But that "spice" may also give a city a lower ranking."

via Mercer HR Consulting

world's geekiest hotels

There are some travellers who want to stay in the grandest, goldest, marble-floored hotel in the world. Some seek out the hippest, boutiqueist, most Wallpaper* hotel out there. For others still, the local hostel will do, with all the comforts of shared bathrooms and Euro-trash roommates. Yet what do you do if you're looking for a hotel that, say, provides you with a Mac G5 in your room, or you want to travel to a hotel based in the set of Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine (pictured at right)?

Luckily, HotelChatter has generated a list of the Best Geek Hotels in the World. The list includes the obvious Hotel @ MIT in Boston (complete with "historically significant robots" on display in the lobby), the Lord of the Rings-inspired Woodlyn Park at the film-site New Zealand, and the Faena Hotel + Universe in Buenos Aires where pool staffers will offer you charging cables for your electronic devices. My favorite? The Hotel Gansevoort in New York City comes with Wii in every room

via HotelChatter

un airbus a380 en 7 minutes

Apparently, you can actually build an airplane in 7 minutes--in French. Here's the video of Airbus's new monstrosity that made its debut in North America this week. The behemoth is "as tall as a seven-story building, roomy enough to fit 70 vehicles on its wings, as heavy as 500 Volkswagen Golfs and big enough to carry 35 million ping pong balls." Yeah, but Boeing 747s are big enough to take out a 110 story building. Too soon?



[via Gridskipper, The Lede]

patagonia travel bags and DIY shoes

Patagonia's new line of Lightweight Travel bags ($50.00-$70.00, patagonia.com) includes a Tote, Courier (messenger bag), and Pack (shown left), all made from 30-denier triple-ripstop silicone nylon. The fabric allows the bags to be extremely lightweight yet still incredibly durable; the three weigh less than 11.5 oz each, with the Courier coming in at a svelte 7 oz. Each pack can stuff into its own pocket when not needed, making them perfect for travel. The Pack can also convert to a stuff sack. Talk about useful.

Patagonia has also introduced a new do-it-yourself shoe ($30.00, patagonia.com) that comes sold as a kit, aptly named the DIY. According to the company:

Our DIY shoe is somewhat reminiscent of the moccasin kits we all had as kids, but it's made from leather scraps left on the floor of manufacturing facilities. Distinctive and easy-to-assemble (about one hour per shoe) and requiring no glue or tools, DIY shoes provide both maximum comfort and ample opportunity for personal expression.

Customizable, recycled, and cheap. Cool.