FallenPlat

I agree with the second point, about writing. Different style, different audience. Still, you can tell more than you might think from how someone turns a phrase, even here.

On the first point, I would also agree that you have to be careful in drawing sweeping conclusions from a few dozen lines of prose. But, trust me, some of the whoppers posted here are all too telling. Truly.

Oh, and to respond to another post above, I've always been with you on the "jealously" charge generally. It's so absurd. I mean who in his right mind could possibly envy someone who's homeless and on the road 24/7/365? Yuck. How some folks manage that trick is simply beyond me.

(Edit: I don't have cable or satellite, and so I've never seen Housewives; I rather gather that it wouldn't be for me. And a hint about what I think of language knowledge: yes, if you told me, for example, that you read Latin fluently, I'd be truly and honestly impressed; and, yes, Ben and the folks here who are more fluent in German than I impress me as well.)

josephstern

Not that I'm recommending watching, but your lack of cable or satellite TV just isn't a good excuse for not watching Housewives:

http://bfy.tw/66d6

Watching once just to get the gist would, of course, only add to your cultural fluency.

FallenPlat

Sure, absolutely, but then I'd also have to learn things like, say, Beyonce's birthday . . . and life's just gotta be too short, right?

Adam1222

I spent an hour today watching Housewives, but am also fluent in a foreign language (that no one in my family spoke), have several academic publications and degrees from highly ranked institutions, and feel at ease in some of the world's finest restaurants, art museums, operas, and at Popeye's. And I don't think I'm particularly unusual.

And I don't know Beyonce's birthday.

Your stereotyping isn't helping.

TMM1982

Awesome

Adam1222

Although I wasn't looking for validation, thanks!

GUWonder

"Chip, meet shoulder." "Cycle, repeat".

Those phrases just about summarize what I expect to encounter in seeing discussions on this topic too.

kokonutz

Caveat emptor.



I'm not particularly interested in Ben's opinions on premium cabins and US chain hotels. What gives his reviews such great utility is that he is (literally?) OCD about taking photographs and utilizing/describing every single feature/perk available. Want to know what size and brand of water bottle you'll get in Cathay First? Don't worry, there will be a photo of it on OMAAT! @:-)

84fiero

You're right, his strength isn't in the manner in which he writes about the products but the extensive photo documentation. Some P&M and travel bloggers take too few, or very poor quality, photo documentation of their experiences.

Touching also on cruisr's comments, I'm much more interested in thorough, recent photos from real customers than I am the review itself (in most cases) because there is so much variability in individual opinions and standards. I will look over a sampling of written reviews from various sources of a hotel, cabin, attraction, etc. to get some impressions or look for any consistent red flags, but ultimately a picture is worth a thousand words.

Like most things, OMAAT is best when Ben sticks to his core competency, IMHO.

iadisgreat

Sadly, he seems to actually give very few true opinions anymore. The number of qualifiers on any sort of true opinion has made this blog that much closer to worthless.

gpapadop

I loved the pics of wet towels and Diet Coke cans the most!

SponsorSFC

I am certainly finding less value in the blog outside of seeing what lounges and seats look like but I guess that is also a function of there only being a finite amount of new content you can create with flight and chain hotel trip reports without it becoming repetitive.

My personal gripes are how everything is described as'over the top'. It seems like this is now used to describe anything and everything associated with F travel.

The other is the (perfectly acceptable in the US I know but it infuriates me for some unknown reason) spelling of pajamas. It is pyjamas dammit.

This contributes absolutely nothing to the thread and is extremely petty however I have been subject to a 5 hour delay in SYD so I needed to get this off my chest.

josephstern

Ha!

Loved the post about the new Bose headphones.

He doesn't have them - it's just a notice that they exist, oh, and here's an Amazon link or four.

FallenPlat

Everyone has his own interests and perspective, I suppose.

Here's mine.

Today there's a post on flying during Ramadan in the ME. For me, personally, that sets a world record on the "something I'm not going to read" scale.

At the extreme opposite end of the scale, I guess I'm practically the only one on earth who likes all those Prestige Card posts. I know for sure no one else here does (which is certainly fair enough).

I may be a minority of one on both points but, in a way, that's my point: no blog can be all things to all people.

As for pet annoyances -- always as fun topic -- above I noted Ben's gerunds without the possessive. Here I'll just ask why Ben can't learn how to punctuate quotations. And, yeah, I know already. Who cares about grammar anyway?

lrm72

In Lucky's most recent post, he talked about reasons he was now considering leaving AA for Delta (some fair points that I don't care to get into). He did not seem to acknowledge at all, however, that he has been banned from United Mileage Plus permanently, which several of the comments on the post did; he also did not respond to any of these comments. To anyone's knowledge has he ever acknowledged this ban on his blog, and, if not, how does he justify claiming to provide an unbiased opinion to his readers?