Photo of the Day (12/23/09)

by Jamie Rhein on

When I saw this photo last week while looking for Santas from around the world, I knew I’d found today’s Photo of the Day. Although this fellow appears among the other Santas, here he is again– center stage.

The cultural mix of this Santa shot is superb. Taken by Carpetblogger in Azerbaijan, this is an excellent look at how elements of culture travel. As Carpetblogger explains, although the country is predominately Muslim, some aspects of secular Christian culture are celebrated. Santa is one of those boundary crossers.

If you have an interesting shot of cultural boundary crossing, send it our way at Gadling’s Flickr Photo Pool. It could be chosen as Photo of the Day.

Crazy dust storm covers Sydney in red haze

by Katie Hammel on

Residents and tourists in Sydney, Australia, might be feeling as though they been transported to Mars, and in fact, a glance around at the city covered in red dust against a red-orange sky does bring to mind images of what a colony on the red planet would look like. Despite its other-worldly appearance, the haze that converged on Sydney yesterday is earth-bound, composed of red dust from the Outback.

Australia has been suffering one of the worst periods of drought since the 1940’s and an eight-year dry spell and record high temperatures have combined to create the country’s worst dust storms in 70 years. The storms normally only affect the interior of the country, but this time, they’ve covered Sydney as well, all but shutting down the airport and halting the service of passenger ferries for several hours.

According to The Age, air quality in Sydney was reported as 40 times worse than the level regarded as “poor” and 20 times the “hazardous” level. People are being advised not to go outside, especially if they have respiratory problems, and to take care when driving in the poor visibility. Officials said they had received over 250 calls from people reporting breathing problems as a result of the thousands of tons of dust in the air.

The storms were visible on radar and their effects were felt as far away as New Zealand, 1400 miles away.

For more amazing images of the dust storm, click here.

Gadling gets an exclusive look at Virgin America’s cockpit technology

by Kent Wien on

While there have been many reports and videos highlighting the inflight entertainment provided by Virgin America, Gadling thought it would be interesting to find out what kind of technology was available to the pilots and flight attendants at Virgin America.

Take a look as pilots Gabe and Eddie and flight attendant Rebecca give Gadling a look at some of the gadgets available to them on board their A319.

Photo of the Day (12-17-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

It’s not usual that a person’s handiwork makes Photo of the Day two times in one week. This week Lola Akinmade‘s shot of this woman in Peru caught my attention. How could it not? Isn’t that vivid red gorgeous?

I also love the way the purple of the woman’s shawl pops against it and how the other reds are just enough of a difference to be distinct. This is a perfect example of the principles of a color wheel.

If you have your own examples of popping colors, send them our way at Gadling’s Flickr Photo Pool. One or two could be chosen as a Photo of the Day. Just ask Lola.

Food and in-flight entertainment on Virgin America can add up

by Iva Skoch on

I know Grant has been keeping you well-informed about Virgin America’s services, but I figured I would share my fresh observations.

I flew Virgin America for the first time yesterday: from New York to San Francisco. What can I say. I was impressed. Brand new plane, pleasant staff, fairly comfy leather (or fake leather) seats…For a second, you almost forget how painful it is to travel by plane these days!

One of the things I have always loved about flying Virgin Atlantic (the international version of the airline) is their in-flight entertainment set up: private screens with lots of movies, music and games to choose from.

I was hoping Virgin America would do the same.

They do, but you have to pay for it. I don’t blame them. It’s a great idea to target a bunch of people bored to death. We’ll pay almost anything to make a few hours go by a little faster. Those in-flight magazines only go so far.

I was curious to find out how much everything costs once you board a Virgin America flight. Here is a short list:

  • Headphones are free
  • Listening to music and watching music videos is free
  • Movies go for $5-7 a piece (there are lots to choose from)
  • Most TV shows will set you back 99 cents an episode (again, lots to choose from)

There is no free food on board. That’s not entirely bad news. I actually like that concept.

  • You can choose from about 7 kinds of meals (sandwiches, wraps, salads) for approximately $8/piece
  • Snacks such are about $2/piece
  • Basic drinks are free – coffee, water, soda, etc.
  • You pay $5 for beer, wine, etc.

You order your food using the TV screen of Red, Virgin’s in-flight entertainment system. You can just make your order, swipe your credit card and a few moments later, a flight attendant shows up with your meal.

To summarize, my roundtrip ticket was about $500. (Yes, that’s what NYC-SFO flights go for these days) and I also spent an additional $15 in movies and food. I have to say, I like that some airlines are turning to the “pay as you go” model. I love being able to choose my own meal and entertainment and choose when I want to eat, watch movies or sleep. This has got to be the way to do it.