Aviation Enters the Satellite Age (Eventually), Travel + Leisure, December 2007
+ Sea Changes: Tech News from the Cruise World (including hope for a greener cruising future!)
++Crazy fact learned during the cruise tech research: The average cruiser watches 6 hours of TV each day!! My question? Why take the cruise in the first place? I've been on two cruises in my life. Both were rather unusual--not your Carnival-type of trip. I certainly didn't want to watch TV--we only watched one in-room movie on a stormy day. But, look: There are many good reasons not to cruise, including many of the people you might meet (!), the "entertainment," the environment, etc. But if you should happen to find yourself on a big white matronly ship in the middle of the ocean, turn off the television and realize the great philosophical inspiration you've purchased. You *are* in the middle of the ocean. Think about that and your place in the world. Think about the actual expanse of the globe and your position on it. It's one of the rare chances you may get to actually disconnect with the nonsense you deal with on land and experience a peaceful thought or two. That is, provided you don't take advantage of all the new cellphone and wifi access...
