Traveling technology getting us to infinity and beyond...almost.

Almost a century has passed since crossing the Atlantic in a luxury ocean liner was considered the crème de la crème of traveling. Since then tourism has changed quite a bit. 

Virgin Galactic is taking tourism literally to new heights with the introduction of actual space tourism!

Yep, you heard right! This new ability is pushing boundaries that previously were held only in the distant future of science fiction dreamers. 

This technology isn’t quite ready to visit the moon or take a lap around the International Space Station, but  XCOR (another company looking into space travel) spokesman Mike Massee told USA Today in an April 27 article that the suborbital tours would allow passengers to “see stars and easily the curvature of Earth. And aside from the visual experience … it's also the ultimate roller-coaster ride." 

www.gizbuy.com

This adventure would certainly be the ultimate roller-coaster ride! According to the same USA Today article passengers will also experience genuine weightlessness from flying 68 miles into the air and being at the edge of space.

Thankfully, aerospace companies aren’t in too big of a rush to send civilians out to the stars. Both Virgin Galactic and XCOR are still in the testing and tweaking phases. Columnist Leonard David for Space Insider reported April 22 that Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo made its first flight in October of 2010. The most recent and longest flight lasted just over 14 minutes on April 22.

To be fair, these real-life spaceships do not resemble any traditional spaceship you might be envisioning.  The craft that six passengers and two pilots will be taken into space in (like SpaceShipTwo) will be launched from the center of its mother ship (WhiteKnightTwo) 50,000 feet in the air. All together it looks like this:

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The entire structure is very impressive. Composed of carbon composite construction rather than aluminum or another metal, SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo are relatively light and incredibly durable. 

The Virgin Galactic website spares no effort to show potential passengers the safety of their craft. President of Virgin Galactic Will Whitehorn expressed the importance of safety to Space News in an April 2006 

“For us, the biggest risk is a medical incident in space. Heart and blood circulation -- those are our big issues. SpaceShipTwo is designed so that the passengers would survive even a catastrophic failure of the craft during flight.”

iainclaridge.co.uk

With every precaution being taken to ensure that these spaceships are safe and functional, don’t be ready to take off with them quite yet. A ticket into space costs a pretty penny. An April 27 Time article reports a trip to space costing $20,000, however the goal of Virgin Galactic is to get the price down to the equivalent of an SUV.

For those desperately seeking the joys of space but don’t have the comfort of an extra $20,000 lining their pockets, don’t worry. Time released an article April 12 stating that Virgin Galactic is looking for Pilots/Astronauts to fly the spaceships!

Google going to new heights with its newest acquisition

I had always found it a little ironic that I could search Google for just about anything I could possibly imagine… except for airline tickets. 

Searchengineland.com

According to a July first 2010 press release made by ITA, those who were unhappy with this situation will be given reason to rejoice: Google, which had been looking to acquire ITA software for a while, was given a green light to purchase the software company. The only thing that stood in the way was the US Department of Justice.

Even if this software doesn’t sound familiar, chances are high that if you’ve ever booked your own flight, you have worked through the ITA system. This software is what runs the big online booking agencies like Kayak, Bing and Oribitz. ITA is also what airlines such as Continental, Southwest, and American Airlines use to book flights. 

Jia Lynn Yang announced in the Washington Post on April 8^th, after quite a few months and a few added constraints to the agreement, the DOJ as agreed to let Google make the $700 million purchase of the software! 

The Associated Press outlined a few of the newly added features to the purchase in this video:

What does this mean for you? All-in-all, not too much actually. 

Travelers just have one more place that they can look for their flights, and the regulations ensure that they will still be able to get competitive prices.

Google’s Senior Vice President of Commerce & Local Jeff Huber made it clear, both in Google’s official blog and in corporate negotiations, that the transition would be smooth and shouldn’t have a great negative effect on any of the parties involved:

It’s important to us that ITA continue with business as usual, providing great service to its business partners. We indicated last July that we would honor ITA’s existing contracts. Today we’ve formally committed to let ITA’s customers extend their contracts into 2016. We've also agreed to let both current and new customers license ITA’s QPX software on “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms” into 2016

thenextweb.com

Being fair seems to be what much of the negotiations consisted of. David Grossman stressed in his March 1 article for USA Today the risks that would be run through the merger if it were to be handled as a Google takeover. If Google gave only its own fares preferential treatment over those of other ITA companies, all competition would be lost in creating affordable travel. This would hurt other companies and travelers.

Thankfully, this is not the case. Fair Search applauded the DOJ’s restraints by releasing a statement April 8 saying, “Today’s decision by the Justice Department to challenge Google’s acquisition of ITA Software is a clear win for consumers.”

There you go, travelers and Google lovers alike: a potentially perfect fusion between the world’s most popular search engine and the world’s premier ticket finder.

Should we celebrate with tickets to somewhere wonderful (bought through Google of course!)?

Learning the Lingo Now in Turbulent Waters *re-edited

Concept became reality when, In 1982, computers became common enough for Allen Stoltzfus, his brother, and brother-in-law to create the computerized language immersion programs known as Rosetta Stone. The company currently offers 31 different language systems. 

theepochtimes.com

The program allows users to learn a new language as they learned their native language. The technology became an excellent tool for travelers, both of business and pleasure, wanting to communicate with the native people they met while traveling. 

For such a straight forward language tool, they sure have been cropping up in the news lately for many different reasons. 

It started March 23^rd. 

In the aftermath of the Japan earthquakes, tsunami, and the still present threat of radiation, a Washington Business Journal announces Rosetta Stone’s offering its services to relief organizations in the form of free Japanese lessons.“It’s our hope that by providing these organizations with the tools their members need to learn Japanese, we can help lessen their burden while increasing their ability to communicate with those in need,” chief executive of Rosetta Stone Tom Adams says.
 

The same day brought an additional announcement for the company. The software was going to be offered internationally; however, the success of this endeavor is pretty up in the air according to the MSNBCarticle by Ed Salwin of the Motley Fool. 

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It all sounds great, people of the world learning to communicate together and Japanese being taught to help victims of natural disasters. This was all wonderful news as far as I was concerned until red flags started going up on March 27 and 29. Class action lawsuits are being held against Rosetta Stone.

Izard Nobel LLP is a law firm representing the investors of Rosetta Stone. In a press release issued by Izard Noble, the situation is such: “Rosetta Stone and certain of its officers and directors violated federal securities laws.”

I’ll admit that I know little about law, and am often baffled by law terminology, but through the Izard Nobel press release the Case Complaint is available to the public, page 16 outlines Rosetta Stone’s biggest problem

During the Class Period, Defendants materially misled the investigating public, thereby inflating the price of Rosetta Stone common stock, by publicly issuing false and misleading statements and omitting to disclose material facts necessary to make Defendant’s statements, as set forth herein, not false and misleading. Said statements and omissions were materially false and misleading in that they failed to disclose material adverse information and misrepresented the truth about the Company, its business and operations, as alleged herein.

Mike Flanagan, Cartoonstock.com

This essentially means, the people in charge are being investigated to see if they were honest about their financial situation during the most recent purchase period for stock.

It’s still up in the air for what will happen to the popular language learning software, but I thoroughly hope that these negative recent events will not prevent people from learning a new language and exploring someplace new.

Flying to new, strange heights in advertising

There is nothing so refreshing after a long flight than nipping into the restrooms to wash your hands and make sure you don’t look like you’ve been sitting in a cramped plane for a few hours.

Mirrus

Imagine looking up into the mirror, expecting to see yourself looking back, and seeing a blaring advertisement for Geico insurance zooming up into the corner of the mirror. I appreciate that little gecko as much as the next person, but he is not what I plan on seeing in the airport’s bathrooms.


This is what travelers from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport can expect to see when they stop by the rest rooms. Pepsi, Dove’s body care for men line, Pledge cleaning products, and Microsoft are a few of the advertisers looking to benefit from this newly targeted audience.

Clear Channel Airports’ spokesman Toby J Sturek told the UK’s Daily Mail in a March 8 article “These displays create unique opportunities for marketers to deliver targeted messages that are highly impactful and relevant to consumers.”

As Tnooz writer, Denis Schall, jokes in his March 7 article that from a marketing aspect, there is no better way segment an audience than a men’s room and a lady’s room.

These mirror-advertisement hybrids are made possible by Clear Channel Airports’ teaming up with Mirrus technology. At face value, the technology is rather straight forward and has already been installed in some sports areas. This video created by Mirrus captures the essence of the technology:



It may seem like advertisers are just tossing advertisements in every possible place people might pass in their daily live; however, Mirrus’ founder and president, Brian Reid, assured CNN in a March 6 article, the company chose to target audiences in the bathroom. He points out that bathrooms are often the last place people stop before boarding a plane and the first stop when the plane lands.

Reid also underlines the fact that these mirrors are over the sinks in the bathroom, so doing your business is still a private matter.

digital signage expo

While it was only a matter of time before advertisements crossed the boundary into bathrooms, I must admit that I have mixed feelings about this new technology. It does seem like a new and innovative way to reach the most ideal target audience. I totally agree with Mirrus and Clear Channel’s thinking there. But, contrary to what Reid and Strurek have told reporters, I don’t feel particularly receptive in the bathroom to messages being sent to me through a mirror. Maybe I am too focused to realize that I am incredibly focused, mistaking that amazing focus for an intense desire to wash my hands and move on with my day.

Focused or not, if these mirrors prove successful in Chicago, passengers can expect to see advertisements smiling back at them in the mirrors of other airport bathrooms.

The not so dangerous call after all? *re-edited

“We have just been cleared for takeoff, please disable and stow all portable electronic devices.”

W-cellphones.com

W-cellphones.com

If ever you have flown a commercial flight, you’ve undoubtedly heard these words and stashed you cell phones, blackberries, laptops, and music players. It seems unnecessary, especially considering you can take out iPods and laptops once the plane has reached cruising altitudes.

Why do we have to do this?

Well, all the electronic devices that we love so much emit radio signals that have the potential to interfere with instruments in the cockpit.

“Every regulation we are told to inform to people is a rule because chances are someone either died from it or a significant event transpired where we needed the rule,” says Cole Nesgoda, flight attendant for Compass Airlines. Within the first minute of the pre-flight video by Delta, passengers know what they need to do with their devices.




Why are some devices allowed to be used again but not cell phones?

The easiest answer is that, since 1991, cell phones have been banned on in flight aircraft by the Federal Communications Commission. Phones just emit a stronger radio wave, which leads to a stronger possibility that it could interfere with equipment, even the heavily shielded instruments, on planes.

This doesn’t mean that if you forget to turn off your phone and someone calls you mid-flight you’ll be using your seat cushion as a floatation device. The discovery Channel's Mythbusters even had an episode about the effects of cell phones on equipment. Some European and Asiatic airlines are beginning to allow passengers to take calls in flight.

Veteran pilot John Nance said in an 20/20 article for ABC, despite what federal air officials say, cell phones shouldn’t be a concern when on aircraft, the equipment is all heavily shielded.

Shielded equipment or not, Nesgoda still advocates for the necessity of not using cell-phones,

Cole Nesgoda

Cole Nesgoda

“The main reason why we want ALL electronic devices off is because we have to maintain something called the sterile period of flight, or sterile flight deck. A plane is most likely to crash below 10,000 feet. That is why we need everyone to have everything off with their attention focused on the current environment. If we need to evacuate the aircraft, we need to do it under 60 seconds, no matter how big the plane. Part of doing this falls on us as flight attendants, but it cannot be done if someone is sitting in the aisle seat listening to their iPod or if they are on their phone talking, they will screw the whole process up.”

Safety isn't the only concern when it comes to having phones in flight. Travel blogger John DiScala (or Johnny Jet) told ABC reporters, "it's going to be hell. people are going to be so tired from a long flight and want to sleep, and you're going to hear someone's annoying phone go off and then talking so loud, telling the person on the line everything."

crankyflier.com

For the time being, keep your cells and other transmitting gadgets tucked away while in flight, but it could only be a matter of time before you are as reachable thousands of feet in the air as you are on the ground.

Talking with Technology

Let’s face it. As people who live in a world surrounded by technology, we like to interact with technology. First it was stuff like the clapper, then voice dial on phones (mine still doesn’t know what I’m ever saying). Now the vacationing tycoon, Walt Disney Resort theme parks are giving guests a chance to interact with their entertainment on a whole new, technological level.

Guests flock to the Disney parks from around the world, I admit to being one of those flockers. In 2007 the Disney Parks were number one in attendance with 116.5 million guests (the runner up had 32.1 million guests). With such high park attendance, the company has to stay on top of what guests want, and what guests what is technology in their attractions.

Of course Disney did not fail to meet these expectations when they introduced two interactive attractions based on Disney and Pixar films: Turtle Talk with Crush and the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. Both attractions rely on the interaction of guests.

Turtle Talk with Crush provides guests with the unique experience to talk with Crush from Finding Nemo. Crush addresses individual guest, asks questions, answers questions from guests in real-time.



What astounds guests about this show is that it is performed in real-time, so each show is unique, based on interactions with guests. Yelp and other review sites are brimming with comments circling around: "How do they do that??" and guesses as to how it was all possible

This is the reaction Chief Creative Executive of Disney Imagineering, Bruce Vaughn, wants to get out of guests. Vaughn sees this form of entertainment to be just the beginning of what future Walt Disney attractions will be like.

“It’s the link between the virtual and the physical that is going to be exciting. I think this is something Walt Disney had in mind from the very beginning."

It's all made possible through a form of animation called digital puppetry.

A camera allows a puppeteer to see the audience, enabling “Crush” to identify people by the colors they are wearing and their hair: “I would like to talk to the squirt wearing the purple shell with brow fur”

Crush’s movements and how he speaks is improvised as the show goes and controlled through a 3D animation computer by a puppeteer. The actor providing the voice of crush is able to sync his voice with the system so the Crush people see is essentially lip-syncing.


It’s similar to the technology used in movies like Polar Express, the newest Christmas Carol, Avitar, Lord of the Rings, and Pirates of the Caribbean. The only difference is that, because it is in real-time, these guys can't edit it and the puppeteer and actor have to work fast during each show.

The Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor utilizes the same technology as Turtle Talk, but allows for an additional way to interact with the show.

The premise of the show is just a comedy club staring monsters, and the laughs from the show help to power the monster city of Monstropolis. As the character Roz phrases it in the show, “laughter gives us power. If you humans don't laugh loud enough, we may not have enough power to open the exit doors.”

Throughout the show the “monsters” talk with members of the audience and can control a camera to put audience members on the stage and a part of the show.
Guests are also encouraged to text (before the show, please)jokes for show. By Including their name and hometown, selected guests become a part of the show.

I was excited to see how much people were getting into the show, even at 11:00pm when I saw it the first time. The kids that were still awake were ecstatic when their jokes are presented, and the adults in the audience made up most of the laughter “Monsters, Inc.” was after. I saw groups of adults jump right back in line when we left the theater, still laughing. The gauge on the laugh canister responds to how much the audience was laughing, and helped put everyone in the show.

Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix, a columnist for MousePlanet, said that Disney is working on incorporating technology and interactions into the attractions that have been there from the beginning. These projects are still in the works, and Bruce Vaughn will not say if these are going to be used in the parks, but they have the possibility of increasing guest interaction.

A few of the considered technologies are using hand held devices to find Injun Joe’s treasure of Tom Sawyer Island or capture ghosts in the popular Haunted Mansion. Even if these projects don’t get released, they have opened up many doors for other developments in the parks.

It seems clear to me that interaction is where technology is going, especially when it comes to entertainment and attractions. These new innovations are making audiences happy and active when they visit destinations like Walt Disney World.

In years to come I will be excited to see what the imagineers come up with next and how they continue to bring the guests further and further into the Disney magic.

Kimmunicating around the World...Showcase

I know I already lamented about jumping to conclusions when  tourists are glued to their gadgets, but there are other ways travelers use technology aside from app surfing.

mombytes.com

For example: Disney World has a new program incorporating technology into vacationing.  However, all I saw were little kids clutching cell phones. Every time they stopped running they would punch something out in a text or take a picture.

First, I was irate. We're at Walt Disney World and kids are more into phones than parks! My family was really enjoying our spur of the moment trip to Florida. Why weren't these kids as excited as I, the 19 year old, was?

I sat, agitated, in the Germany pavilion and saw another batch of phone clutching kiddies ramble in, pointing at things around the staged marketplace. I watched them find a button hiding by the fountain. As they pushed it, the square’s glockenspiel sprang to life and Professor Dementor, from the TV show Kim Possible, came out. (If you are unfamiliar with with show, reconnect with the early 2000s for a second here . It takes only a few minutes to catch the gists.)

Well that was new.

As soon as the character was gone the kids went back to their phones and ran off. Another group of kids did the same thing just minutes later.

What Disney had created was a new technology driven program to get kids active in Epcot's World Showcase, which has the unfortunate reputation of not being as kid-friendly as other parks. They call it Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure.

Mommybytes.com

I spoke with one of the Team Possible members manning a booth. She told me that guests are issued specialized phones that give instructions for places to go and what  “agents” are supposed to find. There are seven different adventures they can take to better explore the featured countries in ways they probably wouldn’t have if they weren’t playing the game.


Disney is well aware of the impact technology has on the everyday lives of guests, even when they are vacationing. People want to interact with everything possible. Bruce Vaughn, Chief Creative Executive of Walt Disney Imagineering , explains it well in a March 23rd, 2009 article in D23 :

“As leaders in family entertainment, Disney theme parks push the envelope by combining state-of-the-art technology with creative storytelling to enhance the overall Disney vacation experience.”

“State-of-the-art technology” is right! The Kimmunicators are more than just phones. They have a GPS that helps  guide “agents,” and chips that help personalize the experience. In the United Kingdom pavilion, a tin solider addresses “agents” by name (courtesy of the chip) and responds to guest's voice and appearance.

tellnotale.yuku.com

The GPS is also handy if guests get lost or side tracked and need help getting back on course. As Disney puts it on the attraction's website: “even secret agents need ice cream breaks!”

The World Showcase Adventure is just one of the many ways that Disney is giving their parks a techno-friendly face lift. Engaging guests more than ever, Disney is embracing technological advancements and moving forward into an enriched vacationing future.

You Travel? iTravel: Apps that guide the modern tourist

When I travel I am often times a sightseer as well, but recently there have been other sights catching my eye aside from beautiful landscapes, and energetic cities. I have been fully aware that countless other tourists are tied to their iPod, Blackberry, or other smartphone.

At first this really annoyed me. Not being an owner of any such technology, I couldn’t understand why on Earth these people more absorbed by their gadgets (let’s just call them all, collectively, “gadgets”) than the destination they are at. Why weren’t their eyes lifting from the screens to see where they were?!

It turns out that they probably weren’t being as ignorant as I had impulsively thought. Each one of their gadgets offer countless apps that are designed to help globetrotters, adventure seekers, and even casual or business travelers through every step of their trip.

For instance: I am the worst navigator. If I were to have bought the Google Maps app, I would never have to give bad directions or wander aimlessly lost again! Paper maps may be helpful, but when you are going the wrong way, it is nice to have something tell you to “turn around!”


Sascha Sagen works as an analyst for PCmag, and spends his time reviewing new technologies and the apps they use. He likes to use the TripIt app to help manage his flights and reservations. This app keeps track of his confirmations and itineraries.

There is another app Sagen uses, TripCase, that helps to manage his entire itinerary and notify him of gate changes and flight delays. In his review of travel apps, he recommends using both TripIt and TripCase together, just to keep things from getting to overwhelming.

Once manage to get a location, there are apps to help travelers even more. The most basic being those that keep tabs on the weather. Weather channel apps, WeatherBug, or Accuweather, all know the local weather and can provide forecasts.

Yelp, Foursquare, and Zagat apps help travelers find places to go. While Zagat is famous for its restaurant reviews, Yelp and Foursquare review restaurants as well as local businesses. An added bonus to these apps is that the reviews are from ordinary people with no affiliation to the businesses.

Some businesses even offer special deals for Foursquare members.




A few apps that a ran across when shopping for apps that I have no devices for made me laugh at first glance. They are completely practical, but I commend those who thought to create them:

TippingTips promotes itself as “Tip like a local, all around the globe.” This app takes into account that not all cultures tip the same and will help users act appropriately.

Mo’s Nose app locates areas around any US town that is dog friendly, including restaurants.

PrimoSpot helps drivers find open and affordable parking in cities. They also help find bike racks.

SitOrSquat. This seemed ridiculous to me at first, but this app helps users find public bathrooms and almost any city. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense as a useful app. If you are not familiar with an area, how are you supposed to know where bathrooms are?!


Even if you are like me, without an iPod or smartphone, you can text a question to 46645 and get the top listings from Google.

This only scratches the surface of apps that have been designed to help travelers have better experiences. There are hosts of other apps to help translate or provide first aid in an emergency.

No matter what travelers are searching for to make their trips more enjoyable (Hotels, better food, or just a place to relieve their bladders), technology has been keeping up to try and make that happen.

Agencies of the Internet: Where to Buy Tickets

It’s hard to think about new technologies that have been impacting the travel and tourism agencies without giving notice to the slowly diminishing trade of travel agents. The once vital planners of vacations are being replaced by online travel agencies. These relatively new sites offer low air-fares, the ability to easily compare multiple travel options, and book as a package (the package includes combinations of air fare, cruise tickets, or rental cars).

There are numerous of these sites floating around in the internet. Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, and Hotwire only scratch the big names. These sites have their benefits, most notably they save travelers money on fares, but there are instances where these companies do not have the benefit of the consumer in mind.

Recently, there has been a huge debacle between American Airlines and online booking agencies.

Writer Christopher Elliott describes it as, “airlines and travel agencies are squabbling over how they show you ticket prices. Agencies want to display it their way; airlines want to show you the prices the way they want. Neither necessarily has your interests in mind.”

The bottom line is that American Airlines is no longer giving low-fares to Orbitz and Expedia is not going to accept American Airlines’ low-fares for posting. The same deals will be posted directly on American Airlines site, they way they want the fares displayed.

The necessity to check the individual sites might become more of a hassle if a traveler is comparing tickets, but the airlines hope to be eliminating the third party and either cut the price for travelers or pocket more of the profit.
This isn’t really new news. Consumers and companies both flocked to the online travel agents when they found that they could eliminate commission prices that had originally been devoted to behind the desk agents. Now looking to save even more, companies are taking on the responsibility of booking.

My family has always liked to travel. I remember a time, I was quite little then, when we booked all of our big vacations through AAA. We had a folder and the agents knew our names and ages. The agents knew our preferences. They knew when the Armstrong family walked in there was probably booking to Disney World in it for them. It was easy, and my dad would remember later as taking a vacation from planning a vacation.

After the introduction of online travel agents, my family started to selectively use AAA for our vacations and went ticket scavenging to get the best air-fare on our own.

Now, we are in charge of our own planning almost entirely. We buy attraction tickets and lodging directly from the resort’s website, and buy our tickets through Delta.
Delta even gives us rewards for booking through them. My family travels enough to skip the long TSA line at airport security and check in kiosks. American Airlines is hoping to cushion the change for customers by offering their AAdvantage flyers double the reward points to be used towards future flights.

The internet has brought us much advancement in the way that we approach vacation planning, and recent events will further impact these. As individual companies take control of their own marketing and sales, it is will hopefully pay (literally!!)for travelers to stay alert to changes in how the travel industry is working.