Photo of the Day (9.18.2010)

by Catherine Bodry on
Is this a kaleidoscope, or a ceiling? I feel like the shapes should shift and circle, like one of my childhood toy kaleidoscopes, or a 70s music video. This is a photo by Flickr user hostelmanagement of Cardiff Castle in Wales, and the gold in the ceiling is the real stuff. Groovy. While I can’t say much about the photographer’s technique, which appears to be similar to my own (point up and shoot), the depth of ceiling is noticeable in the subtle plays of light and shadow – notice the upper right corner, for example. And I swear, my neck hurts just looking at this picturefor too long….

Have any travel photos that might make our heads spin? Upload them to Gadling’s Flickr pool, and we just might choose one for our Photo of the Day feature.

World’s largest cruise ship to feature Samba Grill

by Ralph Grizzle on

The Allure of the Seas will debut a new specialty restaurant for Royal Caribbean International, the Samba Grill, a South America-style churrascaria.

The grill is one of the few unique features that will distinguish the 5,400-passenger Allure from its sister ship, the Oasis of the Seas, when she debuts in November The Solarium Bistro, situated in the ship’s adults-only Solarium, will be transformed into Samba Grill by night, with waiters will wear gaucho costumes and serve grilled meat from skewers. By day it will serve healthy fare for breakfast and lunch.

On the Oasis, the Solarium Bistro serves healthy fare for all three meals, adding a dinner and dancing under the stars ambience at night for a $20 surcharge. Samba Grill will carry a $25 cover charge for the entire menu. It will also offer a $15 vegetarian option offering an extensive salad bar.

Norwegian Cruise Line also introduced a churrascaria on its newest ship earlier this summer; the Norwegian Epic debuted the Moderno Churrascaria.

Adios Mexico, Hello Pacific Northwest, Crystal Cruises adds two new itineraries

by Ralph Grizzle on

Crystal Cruises has added two Pacific Coast itineraries to its 2011 calendar. The new cruises replace two Mexican Riviera itineraries. Cruises along the west coast of Mexico have been soft for the last couple years, with several cruise ships that were to be based there heading to Europe and other far-flung parts of the world.

Departing April 10 and 17, the Crystal Symphony will sail between Los Angeles and Vancouver, visiting Santa Barbara and San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Astoria, Oregon; and Victoria, British Columbia.

“The West Coast and Northwest itineraries add dimension and scope to the worldwide destinations we’re offering in 2011,” says Bill Smith, Crystal’s senior vice president of sales and marketing.

Very few cruises visit the ports of the U.S. West Coast, unless they are repositioning to or from Alaska. Smith says that the itineraries will appeal not only to international guests, but also to North American travelers looking for value, convenient ports of departure and sailing a region not often sailed.

Celebrity Cruises taps iPads for art tours on its ships

by Ralph Grizzle on

Celebrity Cruises debuted self-guided art tours using iPads on its Solstice-class ships, continuing its adoption of Apple products for shipboard activities.

The iPads will flag select works of art on every deck, allowing the guest to touch the screen to learn more about those pieces, such as the artist’s name and the medium used.

Celebrity said its three Solstice-class ships have more than 14,000 works of original, contemporary art with a vast range of mediums represented, including glass, acrylics, oils, photography, digital prints, video, etchings, sculptures and collages.

The cruise line already uses the iPad for its menus and wine list in its Qsine specialty restaurant, which debuted this year on the Equinox, and its ships are home to “Celebrity iLounges,” equipped with MacBook workstations. Guests on board can take courses and get tips on Mac and iPod use.

“We knew our guests would relish yet another opportunity to capitalize on the latest technology in an entertaining, enriching way,” says Celebrity’s senior vice president of Hotel Operations, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.

PC Tools survey: 29% of computer users say it is OK to be online during their honeymoon

by Scott Carmichael on

If you ever needed any evidence that we live in a connected world, consider the results of a recent poll by Harris Interactive. Apparently, being able to keep our online lives up to date means 29% of the 1012 people interviewed said it was perfectly acceptable to stay connected during a honeymoon.

Thankfully only 6% would have no problem staying connected during the wedding itself, though it doesn’t say whether that only applies to guests.

Probably more disturbing is that 12% of those surveyed said they would rather have a colonoscopy than deal with removing spyware from their PC. Waiting in line at the DMV scored 20% and going to the dentist scored 34%. Of course, a survey like this is usually commissioned to promote a product or service, so the results are quick to point out that many of the problems on a PC “can be resolved with the newest version of PC Tools“

Still, commercial survey or not, the fact that you’d rather have a camera shoved up your backside than deal with spyware is a pretty troubling thing to admit to.

Oh, and 79% of those interviewed said they want to keep all their computer files hidden from others, including their children (39%), parents (26%) and spouse (17%). Results like this show that people have a lot to hide. Or, it could just be an admission that 79% of people keep porn on their computer. You be the judge.