Techniques

I rock and roll with a 15″ MacBook Pro, which means a couple of things. It means I have a full-size keyboard wherever I go. It means I have a nice giant screen, and a big, powerful CPU for on-the-fly video editing or whatever else I need.

It also means that I have trouble opening my laptop all the way on plane flights when people lean their chairs back.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who opts to travel with a full-size laptop, and we all know that in a lot of airplanes, that click-shooop of the seatback in front of you sliding backwards is the kiss of doom for your in-flight laptop time.

Apparently this is called Airline Laptop Syndrome by some (ganked my hilarious image from this link).

Suddenly, you’ve got less than half the space you had before, and if you want any chance of seeing your screen at all, you’ll have to balance your computer in an odd upright-V position and hope you don’t fly through any turbulence.

So if I’m getting settled in on a flight where I plan to need my laptop, I’ll sometimes jam my knees into the bottom of the seatback in front of me just after takeoff.

Most people never ask the person behind them if it’s OK to lean backwards (which I find interesting) — they just go ahead and do it. But if you’ve got your knees nestled firmly up against the chair, that seatback is not going to flop backwards like they expect it to.

Usually they’ll try once or twice, and then give up. Voilá! Productivity space.

From the Wall Street Journal article (subscription required) Follow the Money, Frequent Fliers: It’s Time to Start Collecting Cash, Not Just Miles

Reporter Ron Leiber runs the numbers:

Most people redeem miles for domestic plane tickets in coach class. So, if you used 25,000 miles to book a ticket priced at $250 on the open market, you’d be getting only a penny per mile of value for that trip.

Only if you use your miles for free international seats in first or business class do you start to see more than a 5% return on your rewards. A first-class trip to Sydney on United requires 120,000 miles. A round-trip in January could cost over $16,000, valuing the miles above 13 cents each.

Similar logic applies to the Membership Rewards points from an American Express card. Turn those points into miles, and the same math applies. Trade them for merchandise and you rarely get more than a penny of value per point.

A good case is made that for many the better deal is a cash back card that offers up to 5 times the reward(!)

The Citi Dividend Platinum Select MasterCard and the new Chase Cash Plus Rewards Visa both give 5% cash back at gas stations, grocery and drug stores, and 1% everywhere else. Others deliver 3% back on restaurant purchases or 2% on all purchases as long as the refund goes into a college savings account.

Many travelers might want to consider ditching their frequent flyer charge cards for the ultimate point system that’s always redeemable for airplane tickets: Cash. No blackout dates either…

Singapore Airlines recently announced the onboard availability of live international TV beamed through it’s broadband internet provider Connexion by Boeing. This service will be available directly to any Connexion subscriber with a laptop–in addition to internet and email content beamed from its satellites.

From mid March 2005 onwards: available on selected Singapore-London (SQ320 and SQ321) flights, subject to operational availability of aircraft installed with Connexion By Boeing. The service will be progressively available on all flights between Singapore and London, and on selected long-haul routes in the near future.

Check out this link for pricing and further program info.

Tired of trying to be productive while waiting for your plane in the gate area or other public places–only to be affronted by a TV playing nearby—out of your control? There was nothing you could do short of wishing for a power outage–until now. The TV-B-Gone™ is essentially a one-trick remote control that turns off virtually any TV–clearing the air, protecting your rights……some might even say provide a public service as well.

If you believe that having a TV on or off should be a a choice, this silence creating TV-Zapper is for you. As the product packaging says: ‘Side effects may include decreased anxiety, increased social skills, increased cognitive ability (and an) increased sense of well-being……

Boingo Wireless Inc. announced a deal with Connexion by Boeing to provide direct billing to their accounts for users of the Connexion wireless broadband service. See this article by IDG News Service for more information about this partnership and a few interesting thoughts (pro and con) of the Connexion by Boeing service…….