I can't work up the same outrage about seats as some of the other people who've posted here. The fact is that I can get from my home in Europe to my job in Africa, or to visit family in the States, in hours instead of weeks. If I have to be a bit uncomfortable for several hours in order to make that possible, that's a trade-off I understand is necessary.

That said, the flying experience could certainly be tweaked for the better. I'm talking international - the US domestic market is entirely beyond hope, and best pre-treated with a visit to the airport bar.

My first suggestion comes from European trains: have an espresso machine on the drinks cart! Instead of the sludge that they warm up from the plane's septic system, they could pump out nice espressos and cappuccinos on the spot, with very little increase in service time or cart weight. The cart could remain available in the galley during the flight for self service.

Next, match meals to stomachs. When I get on a flight at 23:50, I do not want a full dinner an hour later, I just want to sleep. But I will want a nice-sized breakfast before landing, especially since I might have a connecting flight in 45 minutes that will only be serving cookies. Assume that people are adjusted to the timezone they are flying from, and give them food when their stomachs are likely to want it.

Then, make it known that there will always be a tasty, nutritious, filling vegetarian/kosher option. I always have to gamble - do I order the veggie special meal and perhaps be stuck with 2 carrots and 3 peas while my seat-mate gets a much better pasta dish from the cart that happens to be meatless? Or do I not pre-order, and then get stuck with a choice of beef or chicken that I can't eat? Have a guaranteed meal that meets multiple dietary requirements and you will greatly cut down on the costs of preparing, loading, and distributing all those special orders.

Next, make the arm rests fold all the way out of the way. What is nicer, when flying with your beloved, than to sleep with one person curled into the other. In this way, couples are able to pool their precious inches of seat space and each come out a little better off (kind of like a joint tax return). What is worse than being unable to hold your spouse next to you for 8 hours because the armrest doesn't tip back as far as the edge of the seat?

Finally, enough with the in-flight duty free. Does anyone really think they are saving money buying stuff on board? Does the airline really make enough to justify waking me up with the in-flight announcements, banging my arm with the service cart, and obstructing the aisles while they try to peddle their junk?

In short, let me sleep as much as possible, give me an ok entertainment system to divert myself when I can't sleep (or better yet, an outlet for my laptop), pay just the least bit of attention to making my stomach happy when I'm your captive for more than a few hours, and make it possible to find a comfortable position for my body. And then shut up and get me there.

Patrick just barely mentioned it, but another occasional incursion hazard is maintenance vehicles. This incident in Bucharest occurred after days and days of solid fog - presumably the ground crew needed to repair something that couldn't wait for the fog to lift. Obviously there was a major breakdown in communication, since no vehicle is supposed to enter a runway without the full knowledge of ATC, but I have not yet heard the outcome of the investigation. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the incident.

The video: http://planecrashes.blogspot.com/2008/01/tarom-737-300-hits-car-on-takeoff.html

I recently had the misfortune to spot some planes from Monarch Airlines on the tarmacs of a couple of UK airports. The plain-Jane version is not only ugly and boring, but a fabulous missed opportunity. When you think about Monarchs, and something that flies, you naturally think about ... a blue and yellow M-shaped crown?

My observations about drab, ugly Monarch was going to be limited to suggesting that they could have done much better with a butterfly motif. But then I went to Airliners.net and was assaulted with some of their other paint jobs. The sheer hideousness of their various skins is jaw-dropping. I guess it's a good thing they didn't go with butterflies, because, inverse of the good monarch King Midas, anything their designers touch turns to crud.

Governor Palin, you are a strong advocate of abstinence-only approaches toward public health programs in your state. What is your position with respect to abstinence-only mandates for federally funded programs aimed at preventing HIV transmission in the US, Africa, and elsewhere? What is your position about US funding for international family planning programs?

Dear Salon,

Hulu blocks it videos from being accessed by computers from outside of the United States. Instead of seeing the video you embed, those of us who happen not to be on US soil - including many US military abroad - are blocked from watching the content.

No reason is given for this bizarre isolationist policy, which prevents Americans abroad from participating in our culture and prevents citizens of other countries from enjoying what America has to offer.

Therefore, I respectfully ask that you abstain from referencing Hulu videos.

Thank you.