Yatzer.com: Great Escapes On Planet Earth

My future travel destination list just got a lot longer!

CNN.com: China bans time travel for television

New guidelines issued on March 31 discourage plot lines that contain elements of "fantasy, time-travel, random compilations of mythical stories, bizarre plots, absurd techniques, even propagating feudal superstitions, fatalism and reincarnation, ambiguous moral lessons, and a lack of positive thinking."

time travel = bad
flying kung fu fighters = good

Banning all this pretty much a ban against all science fiction.

SteveThomasArt: Vintage Star Wars travel posters

Fun Star Wars retro travel posters.  The artist hopes to be able to have all 8 posters available for sale soon.

It's bad enough that Spirit Airlines is charging for carry on luggage. Now Ryanair is planning on charging for the use of the toilets.

USAToday.com: Ryanair pushes ahead with plan for toilet fee

The Daily Mail of London writes "no-frills [Ryanair] is working with Boeing to redesign the cabin and develop coin-operated toilets on 168 of its planes. Not content with charging passengers for use of the facilities, the airline is also looking at reducing the number of toilets on board, leaving just one available cubicle for up to 189 passengers."

I predict bad things happening if there's only one toilet for 189 passengers.  Redundancy is the key.

I've flown Ryanair twice and it's actually not a bad airline. Ryanair is different from other airlines because they've always nickel and dimed passengers for every little service, but in return offered shockingly low prices.  Right now they're offering fares as low as 9.99 euros or ($13.36). 

If Spirit offered $15 tickets, maybe people would understand charges for luggage.  But $45 dollars for a bag in the overhead bin is tough to swallow.  I hope this charge comes back to bite Spirit big time.  Because if this works, every airline is going to adopt it.

Related Article
Havard Business Review: Why the Spirit Airlines Baggage Fee Won't Fly

NYTimes.com: Taiwan's Steaming Pools of Paradise

An article on Taiwan's hot springs.  I've been to Taiwan quite a few times, but have never been there.  Sounds like something I need to do the next time I go back.,

Cincinnati.com: Fairey poster depicts the CAC

As part of his solo exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Center, Shepard Fairey created an illustration of the building itself. Signed and numbered, limited-edition prints of the illustration - just 450 will be made - will be for sale only at the CAC Store for $50 (profits will benefit the CAC).
...
"I use the CAC building because it's a beautifully designed building and it makes a specific connection to my show traveling to that museum, but I'm not using specific landmarks for the other pieces in the series," he says. "The series deals with multiple themes and symbolic structures, including a bank and a factory.

This is quite an honor for the CAC.  Off hand, I can only think of a few other Shepard Fairey prints that are of recognizable buildings.

When traveling with my iPhone 3GS, I find myself using up battery charge much more quickly than while at home.  Whether it's the use of the GPS, entertaining myself browsing the web, playing games, or watching movies, I am always worried about whether I'll have enough charge to make it through the rest of the day.

The Sanyo Eneloop Mobile Booster is a compact and inexpensive solution to my traveling battery issues.  The Eneloop Mobile Booster is a 5000mAH Li-Ion battery pack that can recharge your iPhone 3GS a whopping four times!

I used it during my recent trip to Europe and it worked extremely well.  I used my iPhone for nearly the entire flight back as there was no personal entertainment system.  The Eneloop Mobile Booster kept the phone completely charged the whole time.  You just plug in your iPhone USB cable into it and your ready to go.  With this, you never have to worry about finding a plug at the airport again.  I highly recommend it

Right now, the Sanyo eneloop Mobile USB Booster for iPhone is being sold at Amazon for only $38.95.  I think this is an amazing deal for something that anyone who travels with their iPhone shouldn't be without.

UPDATE Feb. 10, 2010:  It looks like Sanyo discontinued this particular Eneloop charger.  As an alternative you might try the ImaxPower IMP500 External Backup Battery 5000mAh white which has the same amount of charge as the Eneloop or the massive ImaxPower IMP880 iTouch External Backup Battery 8800mAh.
 

Here's the size of the Eneloop Mobile Booster in comparison with the iPhone 3GS.  It's about twice the thickness, but compact.

NYTimes.com: For Americans, Plastic Buys Less Abroad

American cards lack a special chip, now commonly used in many foreign countries, causing the cards to be rejected by some merchants and kiosks.
...
The couple's cards, which rely on magnetic-stripe technology for transactions, lacked an embedded microprocessor chip, which stores and processes data and is now commonly used in Europe. Such chip-based cards -- commonly referred to as chip-and-PIN cards because users punch in a personal identification number instead of signing for the purchase -- offer an extra layer of protection against the theft of cardholder data and counterfeiting, and they are designed to replace magnetic stripe technology and signature payments.

I noticed this problem when I was in Paris.  We were in a hurry trying to buy tickets for the train to the airport and we couldn't get our credit cards to work when swiped.  We had to go to a ticket booth to have our credit card manually swiped.

I think the chip-and-PIN system is a better system because the signature is basically worthless.  Who spends the time to sign their name well on a digital screen? 

Streetcar in Jersey City.  I've been taking photos of streetcars when I see them while traveling.  This is part of a 2.2 billion dollar investment across the river from NYC.  Mass transportation is a way of life in cities on the East Coast.

Support Streetcars in Cincinnati

 
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

UPDATE 2/21/2010
SHEPARD FAIREY CINCINNATI LINKS:
Photos I took from opening night of Shepard Fairey's Supply and Demand Exhibition.
Photos and locations of Shepard Fairey's outdoor art installations.
New blog entry and info about Shepard Fairey's Supply and Demand Exhibition in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center: Shepard Fairey's Supply and Demand Exhibition opened Friday, February 19, 2010 and runs through August 22, 2010.

Original Article from April 14, 2009

Via Arrestedmotion.com: Shepard Fairey "Supply & Demand" Museum Retrospective to Travel

It is reported by Arrestedmotion.com that Shepard Fairey's Supply and Demand retrospective is coming to the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in February 2010.  Not yet announced on the Contemporary Art Center website, it is said to arrive after traveling to the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

Shepard Fairey is a renowned street artist who rose to national prominence during the election with his iconic Barack Obama Hope artwork.  Visit his website at ObeyGiant.com

I am a big fan of Shepard Fairey and I am very excited that this show is coming to Cincinnati.  Perhaps in conjunction, we'll see a Shepard Fairey street art installation somewhere in the city.  Preferably legal installation as I don't think a confrontation with the Cincinnati Police would be a good for Cincinnati's image.

Pictures of Shepard Fairey's Supply and Demand Exhibit at the ICA/Boston