6 ms·

>Calling a company "Airmule" seems to be a particularly bad choice, since the term "mule" is commonly used to denote a person who carries smuggled drugs (someti

by rl3 9y ago

>Calling a company "Airmule" seems to be a particularly bad choice, since the term "mule" is commonly used to denote a person who carries smuggled drugs (sometimes concealed inside their body). No kidding. One has to wonder how the founders can't be aware of that. Perhaps it was intended as a tongue-in-cheek name?

greenyoda 9y ago
Perhaps it was. But security and customs officers aren't known for their great sense of humor, so it's probably best to stick with names that don't suggest drug trafficking.
- rl3 9y ago
  I agree completely. In fact, I'd wager every time customs hears the name it's bound to trigger further scrutiny, even if subconsciously.
- madeofpalk 9y ago
  Side note: Just a few days ago I flew domestically within Australia just a week after some anti-terror arrests and increased security screening (which has since been lifted). As my bag went through it got flagged and the security officer flagged the aerosol can. I was already pretty nervous already, so I apologise profusely for the mistake. Turns out the security officer was just a Regular Person, claimed deodorant cans are his "bread and bitter" and had a little chuckle as he found it in my toiletries bag.
  - gtirloni 9y ago
    What airport security had to say about a regular person impersonating security agents?
    - JadeNB 9y ago
      > What airport security had to say about a regular person impersonating security agents? I initially read madeofpalk's comment (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14940680 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14940680) as it seems that you might have, so that it seemed to say that the supposed security agent was not actually a security agent; but a second reading suggests that the meaning is instead that, in addition to being a security agent, the person in question was a Regular Person, and had a sense of humour. Repeated readings still do not reveal whether an Australian security agent referring to something as his "bread and bitter" is a typo or intentional. :-)
      - matt4077 9y ago
        A bread & bitter is a typical Australian breakfast of stale bread and (when available) an anise liquor. It's derived from the continental "existentialist breakfast" of a black coffee, cigarette, and Aspirin–but had to be adapted due to the bad availability of commercial products in the past, as well as the higher activity levels the Australian bush requires and the resulting danger of a breakfast completely devoid of calories.
        jonah 9y ago
        I had to look it up to see if you were serious or not. There does happen to be a brewpub by that name in Nottingham though. http://www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk/pubs/bread-and-bitter/ http://www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk/pubs/bread-and-bitter/
        skinnymuch 9y ago
        I can't tell if this is real or not. I guess the joke is on me for not knowing if you're satirizing with bitter and liquor or not.
        matt4077 9y ago
        As @jonah found out, it's just a joke–only the "existentialist breakfast" is a real thing that probably started as a joke, and that I've seen on one or two menus of cafes willing to skirt the rules on selling pharmaceuticals. But the joke is most definitely not "on you". As in: It wasn't meant to expose anybody's shocking lack of knowledge of arcane Australian trivia.
DonHopkins 9y ago
If they wanted a tongue in cheek name, they should have called it RectalExpress.
sorokod 9y ago
Perhaps to allow self selection to do its thing and interact only with those stupid enough.
ptero 9y ago
I remember an article at WSJ years ago on how many startup founders choose such tongue in cheek / humorous names and how that is almost always a bad choice. But calling this airmule is insane. On the risks, I wonder if making the person carrying an extra bag the temporary owner of it (and showing him the packing of the luggage) so he can always say no would help making it safer for the user. But I personally would never do this even in this setup.
notahacker 9y ago
If I'd have wanted to satirise the worst elements of the "gig economy" and SV founders' wilful exploitation of grey areas in laws, I'd probably have bought the domain name Airmule and set up a Smuggling As A Service marketplace. Of course, to make it a bit more obviously a Very Bad Idea and not just a neat little hack I'd focus my "areas of operation" on a country which executes drug smugglers and gives no preferential treatment whatsoever to naive Western backpackers whose parents and embassies can get them good lawyers. I'm still hoping they're not actually in operation and this is just a PR stunt to promote their actual business of selling Chinese Visa arrangement services (also on the website), but I'm not holding out too much hope.
- skinnymuch 9y ago
  Hah this would make for a great satire site with that domain name. Or maybe not. Clearly it wouldn't have gone far enough since this seems real.
pkulak 9y ago
Airmule is people?
pkaye 9y ago
Maybe change the company name to "Brokedown Palace"?
x0x0 9y ago
Customs officials are well known for their senses of humor.

by rl3 9y ago

greenyoda 9y ago

Perhaps it was. But security and customs officers aren't known for their great sense of humor, so it's probably best to stick with names that don't suggest drug trafficking.

rl3 9y ago
I agree completely. In fact, I'd wager every time customs hears the name it's bound to trigger further scrutiny, even if subconsciously.
madeofpalk 9y ago
Side note: Just a few days ago I flew domestically within Australia just a week after some anti-terror arrests and increased security screening (which has since been lifted). As my bag went through it got flagged and the security officer flagged the aerosol can. I was already pretty nervous already, so I apologise profusely for the mistake. Turns out the security officer was just a Regular Person, claimed deodorant cans are his "bread and bitter" and had a little chuckle as he found it in my toiletries bag.
- gtirloni 9y ago
  What airport security had to say about a regular person impersonating security agents?
  - JadeNB 9y ago
    > What airport security had to say about a regular person impersonating security agents? I initially read madeofpalk's comment (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14940680 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14940680) as it seems that you might have, so that it seemed to say that the supposed security agent was not actually a security agent; but a second reading suggests that the meaning is instead that, in addition to being a security agent, the person in question was a Regular Person, and had a sense of humour. Repeated readings still do not reveal whether an Australian security agent referring to something as his "bread and bitter" is a typo or intentional. :-)
    - matt4077 9y ago
      A bread & bitter is a typical Australian breakfast of stale bread and (when available) an anise liquor. It's derived from the continental "existentialist breakfast" of a black coffee, cigarette, and Aspirin–but had to be adapted due to the bad availability of commercial products in the past, as well as the higher activity levels the Australian bush requires and the resulting danger of a breakfast completely devoid of calories.
      - jonah 9y ago
        I had to look it up to see if you were serious or not. There does happen to be a brewpub by that name in Nottingham though. http://www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk/pubs/bread-and-bitter/ http://www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk/pubs/bread-and-bitter/
      - skinnymuch 9y ago
        I can't tell if this is real or not. I guess the joke is on me for not knowing if you're satirizing with bitter and liquor or not.
        matt4077 9y ago
        As @jonah found out, it's just a joke–only the "existentialist breakfast" is a real thing that probably started as a joke, and that I've seen on one or two menus of cafes willing to skirt the rules on selling pharmaceuticals. But the joke is most definitely not "on you". As in: It wasn't meant to expose anybody's shocking lack of knowledge of arcane Australian trivia.

DonHopkins 9y ago

If they wanted a tongue in cheek name, they should have called it RectalExpress.

sorokod 9y ago

Perhaps to allow self selection to do its thing and interact only with those stupid enough.

ptero 9y ago

I remember an article at WSJ years ago on how many startup founders choose such tongue in cheek / humorous names and how that is almost always a bad choice. But calling this airmule is insane. On the risks, I wonder if making the person carrying an extra bag the temporary owner of it (and showing him the packing of the luggage) so he can always say no would help making it safer for the user. But I personally would never do this even in this setup.

notahacker 9y ago

If I'd have wanted to satirise the worst elements of the "gig economy" and SV founders' wilful exploitation of grey areas in laws, I'd probably have bought the domain name Airmule and set up a Smuggling As A Service marketplace. Of course, to make it a bit more obviously a Very Bad Idea and not just a neat little hack I'd focus my "areas of operation" on a country which executes drug smugglers and gives no preferential treatment whatsoever to naive Western backpackers whose parents and embassies can get them good lawyers. I'm still hoping they're not actually in operation and this is just a PR stunt to promote their actual business of selling Chinese Visa arrangement services (also on the website), but I'm not holding out too much hope.

skinnymuch 9y ago
Hah this would make for a great satire site with that domain name. Or maybe not. Clearly it wouldn't have gone far enough since this seems real.

pkulak 9y ago

Airmule is people?

pkaye 9y ago

Maybe change the company name to "Brokedown Palace"?

x0x0 9y ago

Customs officials are well known for their senses of humor.