Thanks @JesseDee for assembling this slideshare on some of the more visually compelling presentations from Cannes.

I really love ads (in this case billboards) that are so "spot on" that I wish I had thought of them myself. Well done Hot Wheels and Ogilvy & Mather.  More here.

This week I experienced a whirlwind travel binge of one night stays in Cleveland, Phoenix and New York City.  In a comedy of errors, some mine, I experienced lots of traveller annoyances.  What drives you crazy about traveling?  And more importantly, what are service businesses doing to try to address at least some of these? 

- On a flight from Phoenix to JFK, I volunteered to move to a Newark flight ($475 voucher was offered) because the plane didn't meet weight requirements.  I was asked to wait to see if everyone shows up, at which point I lost my overhead luggage storage space.  Turns out they didn't need the volunteer after asking.  My reward?  A checked bag, which I never do.

- I returned a rental car after driving a grand 10 miles, and was charged for gas (yes, just a little). The tank was still on full, just no longer "over" full.  Come on.

- I had a one night stay at a hotel and had to depart 6am the next morning to catch my flight.  I've stayed at the hotel numerous times before, but this was the first time they didn't put a bill under my door to make checkout easier in the morning.

- My hotel room air conditioning unit (in Phoenix, 80 degrees out) was ancient, loud as hell and would keep the room cool for 5 minutes before switching off and popping back on.  This wasn't a low-end hotel.

- It's a five hour flight.  If you are sitting in the window or middle seat, and have to go to the bathroom, cool.  If you are also sitting in the row, since we're all now getting up, probably a good time for everyone to go (at least the two inner seats).  Hey middle seat, NOT 5 minutes after the window seat guy comes back.

- When you get up during a flight, don't grab the seat back of the person in front of you to help you up.  You do realize there is someone sitting there, and the seat back moves, right?

- I don't have a problem with conversations on planes, I just don't want to partake in them.  I tend to close off into my own world and get some work done or do some reading.  If you are going to talk, there is such a thing as an inside voice.  You don't need to talk loud like there is bar music playing - Everyone can hear your miserable story about getting sick from drinking too many Jack and Cokes the night before, and your theories about the jet stream impacting our turbulence right now are captivating - not.

- Dear pilots: If you need to get on the loud speaker, by all means let us know that something important is happening.  But going on and on about the barometric pressure and re-routing the travel plan by the tower to one that takes the same amount of time, especially on a 6am flight where everyone just wants to go back to sleep, is only less worse than the people talking loudly the whole flight. 

- Really?  You can only spare to serve a Dixie-cup sized amount of Diet Coke?  You can't leave the can? 

- If you're going to really treat 1st class fliers different, that's great.  They either paid for it or have flown so many trips they deserve it.  I've been upgraded often - it really helps make the experience tolerable.  But you don't need to rub it in the coach area faces - put a wall up or an opaque curtain.  A flimsy curtain showing everyone in the first five rows of coach the wine & cheese, hot towels, and egg omelets being served doesn't make us feel better about paying $8 for a soggy salami sandwich and some M&Ms for breakfast.

- I wish airports would keep one security lane open at all times, just for airport and airline personnel. 

Perhaps my biggest pet peeve of all:

- Dear all airlines who haven't figured it out yet: wifi, power and DirectTV in your seat make long and short flights one hundred times better.  You know that trick hotels play by putting a mirror near where you wait for the elevators, to distract you from how long you have to wait?  I'm shocked airlines still operate planes equipped with nothing, giving everyone time to realize how uncomfortable they are. They plane I am on right now, flying from Phoenix to JFK, has zero - not even the big cathode tube drop down screens showing re-runs of Frasier.

Got a pet peeve from traveling?  Since you spent time reading my vent, I'd love to hear yours.

Interactive Display Window Concept from Gustaf Engström on Vimeo.

Thanks Mike Pascucci for sharing...

A few weeks ago, I was grateful to 451 Marketing to be included in their list of top social media strategists to watch in 2011.  What I didn't expect was this follow-up - a package of incredible brownies sent to the Boston office of Rosetta with a nice card and a congratulatory note.  I tend to travel each week to clients or other Rosetta offices since I am the only one in Boston - what Dancing Deer didn't know was that I typically pick up snail mail about once a month.  The brownies are fantastic- and an unexpected treat.  Thanks to Dancing Deer for the surprise.  (I wish I had known, I would have taken this approach similar to pal Marc Meyer, making some folks at the Pine Street Inn a little happier this holiday season....He's inspired us to do something in a different way.)

Thanks again Dancing Deer, much appreciated.

Only fans of Futurama will get this.  Brilliant.

Google Zeitgeist does a nice video recap of what people searched for in 2010...along with showcasing their products.  Even better, you can see and explore the actual data at: http://google.com/zeitgeist2010

I really like this combination of infographics and video - not to mention the information is fascinating.

I stopped using my Hotmail account several years ago.  The web service became increasing ad-infested and the usability was deteriorating.  When I discovered Gmail it was a whole new world - filters, threaded conversations, and now priority inbox.  Well, I should have deactivated my Hotmail account, because last night my account was hacked.  The spammer thankfully used poor grammar and anyone who has been on the interwebs could recognize it didn't come from me.  My account was suspended for sending too many emails, and I was unable to send a follow-up to my contacts who were spammed as a result, even after I changed my password and verified my account through mobile.  So, goodbye Hotmail, despite your recent improvements you lost me long ago and it would have taken a lot more than a slightly improved UI to return.

Oh, and please don't forget to change your passwords more often.