Terry Jones

Here’s a great example of terrible (for me at least) UI design.

I was just trying to change a ticket booking at Cheaptickets. Here’s the interface for selecting what you want to change (click to see the full image).

As you can see, I indicated a date/time change on my return flight. When I clicked on the continue button, I got an error message:

An error has occurred while processing this page. Please see detail below. (Message 1500)

Please select flight attributes to change.

I thought there was some problem with Firefox not sending the information that I’d checked. So I tried again. Then I tried clicking a couple of the boxes. Then I tried with Opera. Then I changed machines and tried with IE on a windows box. All of these got me the exact same error.

I looked at the page several times to see if I’d missed something – like a check box to indicate which of the flights to change. I figured Cheaptickets must have an error server side. Then I thought come on, you must be doing something wrong.

Then I figured it out. Can you?

The race to be the US democratic nominee is pretty interesting. As has been pointed out though, it’s going to come down to what the superdelegates decide to do. Here’s a timeline / recipe for the Democrats to really blow it.

1. Obama’s popularity and momentum continue to climb. The popular vote is with him.
2. Hillary is unable to accept that she’s not the chosen one, and refuses to concede.
3. Instead, she and Bill pull strings and twist arms to get the superdelegates to vote for her.
4. The superdelegates cave, and Hillary wins the nomination despite losing the popular vote. The irony is unbearable.
5. Regular democratic voters are absolutely infuriated, the party is split, blacks, the young, and all sorts of other Obama voters don’t bother.
6. John McCain is elected president.

I think that’s a not-unlikely scenario. And wouldn’t it be perfect? Once again, the triumph of politics-as-usual, money and influence over hope, change, fresh air, and the will of the people. Just what the jaded populace needs! The republicans, cashing in on the never-ending fumblings of the craven democrats. Hillary calling for party unity, for us to put our differences behind us, for one and all to support her, now that she’s been democratically elected as the nominee. Plus ça change.

I can see it all so vividly. It makes so much absurd sense and is so historically fitting that it must be inevitable.

One can always hope that the superdelegates will tell Hillary and Bill to take a hike. I wouldn’t bet on it though.

I think it’s more likely that by then Hillary’s campaign will have had the good sense to collapse around her.