Elliott C. Back: Internet & Technology

Flying to and from Orlando, I had the pleasure of flying Song Airlines, a luxury airline operated by Delta. Some of the nice things include larger, clean, brightly-colored seats, and free satellite TV. The aircraft itself was fairly large, and fast–from the onscreen readout, we cruised at almost 700 mph. It only took 3 hours to get from NYC to Orlando!

Since I was alseep the whole time, I didn’t have a chance to see if the Flight Attendants were well trained or not. However, the fact that I slept well is a tribute to the Song’s quiet interiors. There wasn’t as much noise as is usual on a big jet, which I found nice.

The in-seat entertainment center also offers a selection of music, video games, and telecommunications gear!

Update: Mark Jen is also a big fan of song!

While waiting in NYC to catch a cab to the La Guardia Airport for our 6:30 AM flight to Orlando, we ran into this character at starbucks:

His laptop display was broken, so he brought with him a power strip, large external CRT monitor, all-in-one-printer and scanner (offscreen), and various cords and attachments. It kind of defeats the purpose of a laptop, huh? Still–pretty funny.

Update:

Corey has just been featured here, on Boing Boing, and Engaget!

The first thing we did after arriving in Orlando Florida was head out early in the morning for Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom. After buying expensive tickets, waiting in line for the park to open, and watching the steam train lead the opening ceremony, we dashed off for Tomorrowland. We wanted to ride the go-karts–we ended up stalling in them! After that we rode the space mountain indoor rollercoaster, which was very scary. It’s fast, and in the dark. You’re surrounded by stars, and you can’t see the track at all. I loved it.

After that we went to Stitch’s Great Adventure. It’s an animated feature with animatronic robots which guide you through a “catch Stitch” experience. Since I have no experience with Lilo and Stitch, I found it interesting to gawk at the little monsters at first. That is, until they strapped me into a seat, had Stitch “escape” from his holding cell, and jump on our backs, spray us with spittle, belch foul air, and otherwise annoy us. Why go on a ride to get annoyed by rude monsters?

Some of the highlights, though, weren’t the rides, but the variety of interesting Disney characters we met, posed with, and photographed in the Magic Kingdom. We got to meet a Furry Bear, two Lion King characters, Pocahontas, and of course Mickey Mouse!

One of the interesting things about Walt Disney World was the branding. Everything rang “Disneyworld.” Anything you bought had Mickey Mouse ears on it. Even the manholes were patterned after the great Mouse himself:

Some of the other rides and attractions we went on or saw were Splash Mountain, a 50ft drop into a pool of water, the Flying Dumbo, a merry-go-round with altitude, the End of the Day Parade, and the Magic Kingdom Castle itself! Here are some pictures:

I also had the opportunity to try on some Stitch alien ears and a Nemo Fish, which I purchased. Aren’t I cute?

Even though Walt Disney World is for kids, I still had a great time. And, when I go back, I can visit Epcott, Animal Kingdom, and the MGM parks, too!