The Wright Brothers, just after telling the world
about their first flight, via Twitter. / Image: NASA
I am typing this from my airline seat, just east of Omaha, aboard Virgin America Flight #259 from JFK to Las Vegas. Sure, the hipper, cooler and more technologically advanced kids out there have been blogging, Facebooking and Twittering from airplanes since the glory days of PanAm, but this is new to me and pretty darned neat-o, I have to say. (I also realize that true technorati do not use the term "neat-o". Whatever.)
In fact, just to see if it works, I am actually using LogMeIn to access my computer back at my office and I am typing this on THAT computer. (Yes, it works like a charm.)
Some might say that airplanes are the last bastion of true "disconnectedness", and it's a shame that we are losing this sanctuary. (In fact, Harry McCracken discusses this very topic today over on his most excellent Tecnologizer site.)
There is some merit to this argument, but I'm not too concerned. Why? Because you always have the option NOT to connect. If the boss is ticked off about you being unreachable, you can say that your battery went dead or that the wireless wasn't working on the flight or that you couldn't figure it out. All are legit excuses to take a few hours away from dealing with the constant deluge of stuff that comes at us every minute courtesy of the Internet.
But, like Harry, I would always choose a flight that offers Internet access over one that does not. It's a great way to kill time, get work done or suck up valuable in-flight bandwidth watching YouTube videos of cats playing with their tails.
(An aside: People with bad sleep apnea should not be allowed to fly or at least not be allowed to sleep on planes. The guy across the aisle from me is drowning out the pleasant drone of the engines and I did not bring my noise canceling headphones.)
I am, however, opposed to the airlines offering cell phone service on flights. Can you just imagine six hours of sitting next to the same woman who walks through the supermarket screaming into her iPhone about what a jerk her boss is?
If they do offer phone service, it should be restricted to the back of the plane, like the old smoking section days. Or, only in the bathrooms. And they should charge an extra $100 per ticket for the privilege. And we should have the right to throw dirty looks at them without fear of reprisal as we walk to and from the bathroom.
Lastly - The whole "Mile High Club" thing: That's just a myth, isn't it?