Mile-High Laptop Etiquette

by Catherine Bodry on

First cell phones, now laptops.

When you’re in tight quarters, is it okay to read the spreadsheet of the passenger next to you? What about watching that R-rated movie when there’s children nearby? And what to do about more shocking incidences, like the man hunched over his X-rated flick, or the child who doesn’t use headphones?

As there’s no current rules set for in-flight laptop etiquette, these questions are up for debate.

While manufacturers are making bigger screens, they’re also lengthening battery lives, which means more visibility for a longer time. Furthermore, laptops are becoming more and more affordable, which in turns means more passengers toting them aboard.

As with any flight disruption, flight attendants mediating between laptop abusers and laptop snoopers either move passengers to a different seat or help them come to a mutual agreement.

One solution for those who’d like to keep their financial spreadsheets private but can’t stand a few hours away from their accounts is a filter for their screen. These sell for about $50 to $125 and keep anyone but the person directly in front of the computer from viewing it.

Or, they could try not using their computer for any “business” they might not want anyone else to see.

[via USA Today]

Blogger Matthew Firestone

by Matthew Firestone on

Introducing another new blogger at Gadling, Matthew Firestone…

Where was your photo taken? This shot was taken at the summit of Mt. Sinai in Egypt shortly after sunrise. Although I’m trying my hardest to look awake and alert, I can hardly keep my eyes open. The trek to the top of Sinai was a gruelling overnight trudge, but it was worth every blister, stubbed toe and twisted ankle.

Where do you live now? Tokyo, Japan (???????????)

Scariest airline flown? Egypt Scare, er, Egypt Air. Call me crazy, but it should cost more than the price of a decent meal back home to fly across a country as enormous as Egypt. Then again, when the plane is a 1970s Russian-built Aeroflot complete with a tweed and beige interior, perhaps not.

Favorite city/country/place? Namibia – for the beauty and isolation of its landscape – though fresh sushi on any of Okinawa’s beaches is a close second.

Most remote corner of the globe visited? Against both my better judgment and my survival instincts, I trekked through the Darien Gap, the infamous no-man’s land between Panama and Colombia famous for FARC rebels, paramilitary and a healthy dose of pit vipers. My mother still hasn’t forgiven me.

Favorite guidebook series? Lonely Planet, particularly the editions I write.

The most unusual food I’ve ever eaten is… odorigui, which translates to ‘dancing-eating’ or the practice of consuming live animals. I assure you nothing can compare to the sensation of eating a writhing octopus tentacle that has just been chopped off its still-breathing host.

Worst armpit visited? Zimbabwe in summer of 2006 was about as bad as it gets, though I’m told it’s worse now. At the time, hyperinflation was nearing 1000%, which meant that a bottle of coke was priced at about 630,000 Zim Dollars. Of course, this was assuming you could even find a bottle of coke due to a nationwide shortage of sugar, petrol and just about every other commodity.

First culture shock experience? I grew up in a small town in New Jersey famous for drag-racing, strip malls and suburban discontent. Needless to say, you can imagine my culture shock when I found out that New Jersey wasn’t exactly like the rest of the world.

Missoula, Montana: A Great Family Destination

by Jamie Rhein on

In the midst of time we spend in Philipsburg, Montana every year, we make sure we have a day or two designated for Missoula. This year we spent more time then planned because of fires elsewhere. No matter. It’s a perfect place for families with multiple ages and interests. We’ve done most of what there is to do over our years of visiting.

This is a town where you can hook up with an outdoor company for float or a rafting trips of the Clark Fork or Big Blackfoot Rivers, visit Fort Missoula established in 1877 and now a museum, and ride on the Carousel for MIssoula with a wooden dragon that has a plastic sleeve with rings in it coming out of its mouth. Riders who score an outside horse attempt to grab the rings each time they go by until the last one is gone. The last ring is a golden. Whoever gets it gets a free ride. I tried this yesterday, and grabbing those rings is easier than it looks.

The carousel itself is stunning in the artistry of its horses and it goes a bit faster than most-often there are as many adults on it as kids. I wasn’t the only one. Adjacent is Dragon Hollow, a wonderous playground with outdoor musical instruments and art tiles as part of the play structure.

Another thing we’ve done a couple of times is hike up to the large white M above the University of Montana’s campus. The switchbacks make the climb not so dreadful and the view is wonderful. The town is filled with events year-round and downtown Missoula has some terrific stores for browsing. Made in Montana goods are easy to find and no matter where you shop, there’s no sales tax.

The best store, though is Rockin’ Rudy’s. There is a medley of stuff from Made in Montana goods like huckleberry jelly and candy to politically incorrect gee gaws that make fun of politicians (before the last election both George Bush Jr. and John Kerry were equally parodied in card games, chewing gum and bobble-head type stuff), great jewelry, music and videos, joke shop items, luscious smelling soaps, clothing and racks and racks of greeting cards. You really have to go there to understand the beauty in its bounty.

Here’s the “2007 Best of Missoula” article that lists what folks in Missoula like about their town. It gives me some ideas of where else to head the next time.

Yosemite Videos

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s one from the good folks over at National Parks Traveler, one of my favorite sites. They find some really good googies over at YouTube featuring the crazy sh*t people do at Yosemite. To wit: there are videos of people hang gliding over the valley, a gnarly, stomach-clenching 3000 foot slackline walk (like a tightrope, but, well, somehow different…or maybe it’s just because the guy here has a heavy-accent it just sounds foreign), and a line of people making the hike up Half Dome. As they point out here, what’s scary is not the vertigo-inducing height of Half Dome, or the fact that some of this was shot during a helicopter rescue attempt (about which you see very little), but rather the absurd line of people venturing up the dome. Double yuck.

Travel Writer Found Dead in China

by Iva Skoch on

Bad news from the travel world today.

Clem Lindenmayer, 47, a seasoned Lonely Planet writer, was reported missing three months ago, after he had set out to climb Mount Gongga, in a remote area of south-west China. Last Thursday, villagers had found his dead body on a mountainside 4,600m (some 13,000ft) above sea level, The Independent reports.

Mr Lindenmayer was from Melbourne and spoke Mandarin, German and Spanish. He had helped to update guides to China, Malaysia, Germany and Sweden. Lonely Planet said he had “developed a special affection for the Swiss Alps”. He was an experienced hiker, author of Trekking in the Patagonian Andes, published in 2003, and Walking in Switzerland.