A personal story - How the Hilton O'Hare nearly ended my YouTube career

I noticed the peoplemover went down on my layover this past November from Amsterdam to St. Louis. I was very disappointed

Joseph Prest

I flew through O'Hare on a domestic layover as a child once, and distinctly remember taking the people mover, and knowing now that it's only really for the international terminal is especially confusing why we ended up having to take that.

I fly out of O'Hare at least ten times a year and I've never once gotten on the people mover. The closest thing would be the Blue Line, which is (sort of) useful.

My High School senior year job was darkroom tech for a small local paper. Good job.

Brian Miller

Cool! And all this time I thought you were an electrician 😁

So glad I saved this one for Sunday morning. As a former business traveler, it was neat to have some perspective from behind the counter.

This ADHD Life

This was a great video! I love hearing stories like this. Long hair = yes. Keep being your amazing self.

Enjoyed hearing about your experiences in the hotel industry! I worked on the software side writing PMS, POS, Stock, inventory management, OTA & revenue management systems for the past seven years! Always wondered how things were from the other side :)

I would be very interested in the film & print content. I haven't developed b&w film for a couple of decades, but still think it's cool. I miss the smell of dektol, though I read it's not what it used to be.

Jeremy

I used to use the People Mover all the time for work. It was pretty convenient. Now, the only real option is a ride share and those things are real hit-or-miss with how quickly they show up these days. Last I checked, the contractors were messing it up and the city had no plan on finishing it. FWIW the buses worked fine as a stand-in.

Dan

And of course thanks for sharing. I enjoyed listening to your rambling. Rambling it was, but that doesn't mean it wasn't worth listening. :-D

Martin Ibert

MAYBE things have changed, but I don't think they have. Because of the way the US customs systems work, you ALWAYS have to collect your bags, go through customs, and re-check your bags, and of course go to security again, EVERY TIME you arrive in the US from a foreign country (that does not have pre-clearance, like Toronto does). No matter what the terminal situation is; since you have had access to your checked bags, which you last saw before security at your airport of origin, you need to go through security again.

Martin Ibert

I really enjoyed learning about your background and the inner workings of the hotel industry. I'm also glad that I'm not the only one that finds big international airports cool because you can see airplanes from all over the world. And yes, absolutely keep the ponytail!

Nick Loh

Getting to know you through personal stories is no bad thing.

Arthur Robillard

Embrace the ponytail! Wear it higher sometimes, leave some hair under the last wrap of the hair tie to make a little bun, long hair is fun because it gives you options, and you clearly enjoy it.

Trevor Sullivan

Well, I misspoke and it should be a "kiss-and-fly" and the idea is that it's a non-rushed place to drop people off or pick them up. My go-to right now is to park at O'Hare's hourly parking which is something like $3 for the first hour, that way I can meet whoever I'm picking up a baggage claim and we can leisurely walk back to the car without being rushed by the traffic officers at the normal pick-up lanes. So a kiss-and-fly would be something like a free, short-term parking area (though it may not be considered parking) that allows the same sort of thing.

Technology Connections

I just watched Twin Peaks for the first time and I can't believe I didn't make that joke!

Technology Connections

Exactly this

Jonas

That was surprisingly interesting! Thank you!

PeteyPak

Thanks for sharing the stories about the US hotel business! I stayed some nights in two hotels in California once, I recognize the "limited service" part. And yes, after staying for one or more weeks, you definitely get to know the staff :-). And I like the long hair too ;-).

MrHammond

This was longer than most videos I watch on YouTube, but I wasn't bored at all by any of it. I had no idea how the hotel industry worked behind the scenes, so that was interesting, and I love infrastructure and aviation, so the People Mover and airport shots were cool, too. This is why I like being a patron of yours - you cover a wide variety of topics and you're never boring.

Circuitmike

Yes! Tedium is one of my favorite things on the internet these days! I spent months going through their back catalog reading almost everything.

Circuitmike

The People Mover bit makes me wonder if the delay is software related, particularly since the cars are moving on the tracks. Having worked in software for over 25 years, I know trying to get poorly implemented software working well is nearly impossible. Sunk Cost in action.

Alec, keep the ponytail! Don't dare to cut it. That's the style.

Andrey Pivovarov

I really shouldn't spend so much time watching videos, but thank you anyway. It did occur to me that there wasn't too much moving out there and so a short burst of the background without you, or maybe a fade out, could have been used to demonstrate your alternative time-stream had you taken the job there. Shades of 'back to the future' and a few others.

Jim Hewlett

This is what I've always enjoyed about your content - you seem to take joy in understanding things most people just gloss over, take for granted, or would rather not. Like a hotel room at an airport with a view of the airfield. Or the details of people movers. Or a whole series on gas lighting. Or going into a career of hotel management. It makes me feel less like I'm a weirdo that enjoys staring at infrastructure when I'm out in public. That or at least I'm not the *only* weirdo.

John Bradley

The good Alec is in the White Lodge. Put it in your diary

Yagsti

Multi-modal Facility also has quite a few Level 2 charging stations, too. Went there in Nov, 2019. Had to take the bus. Can't believe the people mover still isn't working! :(

Dre

I've been at companies where they rent test gear which they could have bought for four month's rent, and they've had it for well over a year. When I've asked why they don't buy it, I get some complicated explanation about capex vs opex and random accounting stuff.

Paul Mansfield

I'm always amused by those build-to-sell schemes. Particularly when they involve something like the hotel scheme: "We'll sell you this but you have to keep doing things for us." They remind me of the bit at the start of Monty Python's Meaning of Life with the Machine that goes Ping: "Well you see we lease this back from the company we sold it to. That way it comes under the monthly expenses and not the capital account!" And because that really happens I just assume I will never understand taxes. (Almost everything in accounting is because taxes, that much I know.)

Graham Reed

Hair is armor

Stephen Gillie

A bit of a shaggy dog story with a pony tale!

Paul Mansfield

Will the "global terminal" really allow transfer from international arrivals to domestic flights without going through security? this implies the USA would recognize the security checks at foreign airports and I haven't seen this so far. At JFK and DFW you still go through security if changing international arrival -> domestic even when you arrive and depart from the same terminal. It's all about agreeing with foreign countries if you trust their airport security.

Richard Bevan

Interesting BTS story, especially on how close the “path A” or “path B” timing actually was. But yes probably best as a Patreon only story. A few of the items are a bit too “insider talks” for public viewing I think (especially about former staff at other hotels). Thanks for sharing with us though, Ewen

Ewen McNeill

“Kiss-and-ride”? What’s the heck is that?! Not a term we have in the UK. What else is there? “Grope-and-fly”? “F***-and-jaywalk”?

Tom Gidden

I have three words: Great Wolf Lodge

Quixylvre

Hey, thanks a ton for sharing these stories. It's really nice just chilling and listening to how you got to where you are. I'm glad you've found success doing something you enjoy. We all enjoy being able to share it with you and support you. Cheers!

I loved this video. It was a little rambly, and strayed into multiple topics, but it had such a 'hanging out with a friend' vibe. That felt really nice after all the everything that's gone on and is still going on.

Kevin Kostka

Any tips on how not to freak the F out when your ponytail brushes against your neck and you think it's a spider? Asking for a me.

Michael Dunn

You’re such a dork, I love it. Thanks for sharing!

Taylor Cuzela

Very interesting, I'm only a recent patreon and glad I am. As an engineer myself I thought you might be an engineer or a science teacher, just goes to show anyone can do anything as long as they enjoy it.

Andrew Maltby

I get to be the first one to point out; Of all the times to get TAPE in the video ID?! Awfully ironic.

VxJasonxV

I can try Google Transcribe app.

I can understand that. I don't know what similar offerings exist outside of the Chrome browser, but hopefully this video gets true auto-captions shortly. I fear, though, that it may never given its length.

Technology Connections

Auto English would be a definite plus. It helps. Not familiar live captioning as I don't use Chrome, due to privacy (or lack of) issues.

Hi Wayno, Although I've committed to putting professional captions on my main channel content, for bonus content like this and indeed content on Connextras more generally, I've not done so. For these lighter projects, particularly since they're unscripted, it's hard to commit the time to transcribing them and I've let the auto-captions do their thing. Now, I realize the quality of these captions isn't anywhere near as good as professional captions, and I'm sorry about that. And as I'm sure you've noticed with this video, the auto-captions aren't there. That's because it takes YouTube a very long time to process auto captions on longer videos. As a temporary workaround, are you familiar with the live captioning available in the Chrome browser (and Android phones of late)? I know it can't produce captions even up to the standard of YouTube's auto-captioning, but I gave it a quick test and it's doing a decent job at getting the words correct at least. I myself has used this feature a few times when I'm in a noisy environment. If you're aware of it already by all means just ignore me and I hope you accept my apology, but if it's new to you I hope it helps both here and elsewhere!

Technology Connections

Interesting story. Thanks for sharing it.

Gavin

Unfortunately this has no captioning. I am hard-of-hearing and wear hearing aids, but this is still tough for me. Please consider adding captioning to the videos for the benefit of those of us in the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

Gotta admit I’d love hear you go full out on a Raid Shadow Legends pitch just once.

Ryan Butler

Oh yes, I know allllll about the people mover mess. Another use-case for it is if you've arrived via the pace bus, which starts its route near NU!

This was an enjoyable ramble and brings up some IL memories: Being grounded at O'Hare and spending the night at a hotel not the Hilton--probably the Crowne as mentioned by Mr. Kahn above; Attending USAF training at the now defunct Chanute AFB near Champaign; I've even been to Merrillville, IN where one of my Air Force buddies (an Elgin, IL resident) and I went to see a George Jones concert. Being a former long-time resident of the "Uncrowdedly Beautiful" state mentioned in the poster on the skyway, I can't recommend travel there--there's a reason for it being uncrowded ya know.

Mark Hesse

That was far more interesting than it probably should have been.

tim1724

How interesting! Always wondered about your background. Sometimes I think that if you’re *not* from a tech background, it means you can explain things better, because you’ve had to learn it in a different way first. Pop over to the UK, you seem like such a lovely guy, and I would love to meet you, haha!

Gareth Molyneux

I think it makes sense how you were able to transform the "customer service" role into the "let me tell you about these things" role you do on YouTube. I can draw a line between those two things. Also, being from Michigan, I always appreciate a good Midwestern Goodbye.

Hodgkin LeBlanc

Loved your explanation and background in the travel industry. Please feel free to bring this topic up ANYTIME.

Haven't got a chance to watch yet, but I just wanted to say the timing of this video is apt because I was just stuck overnight in O'Hare after a canceled flight. Stayed at the Crowne hotel instead though because it was 11pm and I took the first room I found.

Well, not what I expect from Technology Connections, but certainly interesting. As someone who's worked in retail for 25 years, I know a lot of the service industry isn't fun. It's not even the customers (who get flak in popular culture for being dicks), it's the constant management turnover and the hiring of people in lower management / supervisory positions who are completely unsuitable. I quit my job in a supermarket 6 weeks ago because of this stuff, and the stories *I* could tell... Looking forward to the next video. The photo development stuff sounds intriguing as I've never seen it adequately explained either.

Matthew Lawrenson

I often find myself in the same thought train of wondering how different things would have turned out for me if I, or my parents, didn't make what now seems like a minor decision. Would I have would up living in the same city? Met the same people? Even wound up in the same industry? I always find myself dividing my life into segments: living with my parents, going to X school, working at X company, etc... and I find myself wondering or trying to determine what kind of person I might have ended up as if say, my dad took a job at a different part of the province or whatever. Thanks for sharing this video with us. Aside from shedding some light on how the hotel biz works it also got me thinking about myself and my past.

Ian Spence

"There's a connection to this hotel, and my YouTube channel." A *technology* connection, perhaps?? :) (Ok, now I'm going to watch the other hour and 9 minutes of this video)

coredumperror

Pony tail. Pony tail. Pony tail. Keep it.

I find the hidden way in which hotels operate quite analogous (and just as interesting as!) the secrets of electronic, so absolutely loved this video, Alec. I realise it wouldn’t work on the main channel, but it might interesting to take some of this and make a second channel video about it some time. I’m so glad you’ve made it work on YouTube without sponsorships – I’ve seen quite a few prominent channels go downhill / lose their integrity in chasing the sponsorship 💰, so it’s great we can support you directly instead. Part of what makes folk like you, Techmoan, LGR etc particularly great to watch.

Zveebo

I used to practically live in Garden Inns. My first thought when you mentioned it was “man you could pull those places apart with your hands.” Also often hub carriers like to have employees up in the tower to better manage parking relocation etc. The FAA obviously gets precedence. So often when new towers get built unless the old one is a safety hazard one or more major carriers will take it over for their employees.

Ryan Butler

THANK you for confirming the ponytail's existence. I love it!

Jennifer Holz

Hey congrats, not sure if you subscribe to the Tedium newsletter, but they referenced your 'Magic inside your VCR' video last week. You should subscribe! Twice a week they send an in depth look at some obscure technological phenomena, from the cardboard under frozen pizzas to why there are no graphics cards these days.

An hour of Alec talking on a crappy day? Yes please.

John Dye