In-flight iPod Seat Connections: Watch Your Movies On The Plane

by Jonathon Morgan on

Looks like United, Delta and Continental “hope to install iPod seat connections in their plans by mid-2007.” But so what, right? Isn’t that why you have an iPod — because you don’t need to plug it in to use it?

But according to Apple, this means that travelers can “power and charge their iPods during flight and allow the video content on their iPods to be viewed on the seat back displays.”

Finally! An alternative to in-flight movies for overseas trips. I’ve been on maybe two flights in my life where the movie selection wasn’t awful, and even when there is something decent, they’ve inevitably edited it so thoroughly for “offensive content” that it’s barely worth watching.

Beyond the domestic carriers, it looks like Air France, Emirates and KLM will also be installing the iPod connections.

I think I’ll wait to plan my next European trip until after these get installed — just so I can try it out!

“God” Edited Out Of In-Flight Movie

by Jonathon Morgan on

It’s long been common practice for airlines to show in-flight movies that have been edited for “offensive” content, as passengers vary considerably in age, culture, etc, and no one wants to offend a paying customer. But by bleeping out all mentions of the word “God” when showing the Oscar-nominated movie, “The Queen,” one company went a little too far.

“[Bleep] bless you, ma’am” is just one of seven instances in which the word “God” was accidentally removed.

While Jaguar Distribution, the company that distributed the movie to the airlines, regularly removes “foul language, excessive violence and nudity,” according to Jack Klein, company president, “A reference to God is not taboo in any culture that I know of.”

So how did this happen? Human error, apparently. An inexperienced employee was told to edit out all profanities and blasphemies, and was somewhat overzealous.

Let’s pray to [bleep] that the poor guy doesn’t get fired over this rather embarrassing mistake.