Happy 40th Internet!

On October 29, 1969 the very first message was sent between computers via the ARPANET (which is a computer network that is now the Internet). This message traveled 643 kilometers between the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Stanford Research Institute.

The electronic message that was supposed to be sent was the word “login” however only the first two letters “lo” were sent before the system crashed. Although the contents of the messages were not sent sucessfully, the actual exchange of information was a great feat that no one could have suspected would evolve so far. Today billions of users login to the Internet daily.

Over the years the system has been improved and extremely popular. Billions of users login to the Internet daily. It has become a part of everyday life, and is no longer seen as a luxury, but a necessity. Earlier this month, Finland declared that access to the Internet is a legal right for all citizens.

I wonder what great revelations the Internet has in store in the future or what the Internet and those technologies that work in conjunction with the Internet will look like in the coming years? I guess only time will tell!

Laptops in the Cockpit!

Flying on a plane can be very scary for a portion of society and to others it can be invigorating. For those who don’t think travelling is scary you might not have heard about the news story which recently broke about two pilots using their laptops while flying a plane.

Two Northwest pilots are suspended pending an investigation into an incident where they flew 150 miles past their destination because they were focused on their laptops. They lost track of time for more than one hour until a flight attendant startled them on the intercom. Instead of landing in Minneapolis, they were over Wisconsin when they realized they had flown too far.

How can this happen? Pilots are bored, so they turn their attention to something to pass the time during the cruise phase of flight. Jack Casey a former pilot for 34 years said “it is common, but unusual for both pilots to use their laptops at the same time.”

This seems quite ridiculous that pilots are authorized to use such devices during flight. Although some airlines do not allow personal devices to be used at all, others like Northwest don’t have rules against their use.

Rules and regulations won’t stop their use because they use them to escape the boredom and monotony associated with the cruise portion of the flight. Until airlines devise a way to monitor and regulate their use in the cockpit, pilots will continue to use them.

Luckily this time the pilots were able to turn around and land at their destination, next time the outcome could be deadly.

Personally, I know that next time I fly I will wonder what exactly are those two pilots doing in the cockpit after all announcements and formalities are through?

For more information on this news story click here.

Easing Travelling Pains

Easing travelling pain is always a good thing. Even experienced vacationers maybe unaware of these great sites that will do just that. If you don’t know airport floor plans, unable to locate the best seats on the plane when booking, or unable to get from point A to B these websites are great resources and will help you avoid the following situations.

Situation: If your plane lands late and you only have 10 minutes to get from one end of the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia airport to the other to make your connecting flight to Phuket, Thailand would you:

a)know where you are going

b) wander around aimlessly unable to process the contradicting directions

If you answered B you need to check out the World Airport Guide (www.worldairportguide.com). This helpful site contains all the information that you need to know about the airport, including restaurants, parking, and shopping.

Situation: Matt is on a red-eye flight from Canadian to China. This long trip is not his favourite but he wanted to see the Great Wall so he decided to go. Unfortunately, when he booked his seats the night before, he did not do a good job because when he reached his seat he noticed that he was right next to the washrooms. Worst of all, it seemed that everyone on the plane was suffering from the stomach flu!

If you can relate to Matt’s situation Seat Guru (www.seatguru.com) is the site for you. This site will guide you to the worst and best seats on the aircraft, the movies and amenities available onboard and much more.

Situation: You are on a one week vacation and you are lost with the entire family in the middle of Orlando, Florida.

Instead of suffering from a throbbing migraine, you pull out the directions that you printed off Mapquest map (www.Mapquest.com). This website is a great tool to keep you on track while you are in travelling in uncharted territory.

All this information may be too much, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Easing travelling pain can never be a bad thing!

Electronic Field Trips

With the downturn the in economy travel is one of the first luxuries that have been taken off the must do list. Some families aren’t travelling at all while some are looking for cheaper alternatives than taking the family to Disney World. Families aren’t the only one’s looking for a discount, school boards are struggling and as a result they are employing cutbacks. Field trips are one of the first luxuries that are being cut out.

Directly affected by these budget constraints are the US National Parks. To curb this problem the Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced that on November 3rd, 2009 millions of students across the country will visit the park, and they will do so without actually leaving the classroom. This interactive program will be delivered to students via satellite feed. The goal of this initiative was to give students a chance to see the “wonders of this great national treasure without the expense of travel.”

This new Electronic Field Trip Program is an interesting way to ensure children are learning and expanding their knowledge base without the cumbersome expenses or legalities of a field trip. Since this program is a first of its kind, it seems that it could give rise to many other similar programs as a way to fund the travel gap in times such as these. Tough times have led Great Smoky Mountains National Park to think outside the box, and it might give way to many more of its kind.

For more information on this new initiative go to http://www.smokymountainseft.org/

For some great footage of this spectacular park check out this video.

Online Travel Information vs.Travel Guides

The Internet has really changed the way people travel. A traveller can physically and mentally prepare themselves for the challenges that lie ahead by dedicating a little time to researching on the Internet. Even budget travellers or those with limited space in their backpacks can be well informed and prepared without the expense of a Lonely Planet, or other travel guides that are so cumbersome.

Books are not the only option you can utitlize a plethora of online travel sites to gain knowledge. One useful site is a travel forum site called Thorn Tree that has been set up by Lonely Planet to link travellers around the world. You can ask questions and get advice to ease the stress of exploring unknown lands. Dedicate a couple hours to the Internet, and print off a couple pages on each country that will be visited and voila, you have enough information to begin your trek. Oh, how the times have changed! That extra space you saved in the backpack can be used to house that Buddha that you so badly needed, or accommodate your ever expanding diary.

Great Product for Travellers

While I was supposed to be doing my homework, I came across this ingenius travel product. Most places I visit are developing countries, where the water is not safe to drink. I end up buying hundreds of bottles of water to satisfy my thirst. Many of you wouldn't think this to be a problem because water bottles are recyclable. Yes this is true, but most countries have a hard time giving money to their starving and poverty striken citizens, never mind setting up a recycling program. This product is a water bottle that has a water filtration system embedded in the bottle. This inexpensive product will help to make all of us travellers a bit more environmentally active. Here is the link to the Personal Portable Water Filter Bottle

The power of change

Only having access to dial-up as a child, I hated using the internet for anything beyond school work. At first whenever I thought of the Internet I placed it in the same category as peas. I hated them and was in the worst mood when my dinner involved them. Even my favorite foods, such as meatloaf, were ruined when my mom put peas in them. Back five years ago, the Internet was just as bad as peas. Now, the Internet isn’t so bad, as long as you have access to high speed. The availability of high speed Internet has changed my opinion, and habits. I now enjoy using the Internet to research, and even surf the web for fun.

This change got me to thinking about my last trip abroad and how it had been changed by the Internet. Since, I recently got over my hated relationship with the Internet I actually began to use it to research the countries that I wanted to visit. I was able to do more than merely book a hotel for my first nights stay. I was able to find out more information about their culture, language, foods, environment, geography, politics, business and much more. Before, I would buy a Lonely Planet Book to give me all this information, however, now with the plethora of information on the web I didn’t have to purchase the very heavy “travelers bible.” Through the Internet I am able to gain a little insight into places that I have never been.

Changes due to the internet have led us as a society, to be more aware, active and responsible for things out of our immediate sphere of influence. Gordon Brown in his presentation for TED spoke of this change. This idea that the Web has linked people around the world was his message. He talked about the fact that we now have the “capacity to feel the pain of others… and have the capacity to communicate instantaneously.” He suggests the internet has opened doors for us to create this global society where everyone should feel responsible and help others who are in need. We have the information and now we need to organize and do something with it. Check out his insightful presentation from TED.com.