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Dubai / Dubai Travel / Internet Cafes / Internet / Emirates / DXB / → All Tags

Internet Crash Travel: No Emailing Travel Snapshots This Week

So that's why you haven't been able to upload your photos at the Internet cafe in Jodhpur. Two big underwater communications cables under the Mediterranean got damaged yesterday, hampering web access from Egypt to India. The slow-down scared more than just photo-happy tourists: Passengers on Emirates Airlines, with its headquarters in Dubai, feared their flights would be grounded.

Still, airline reps say there aren't problems with scheduled flights out of the region. But that isn't what Dubai International Airport workers are saying; they've reported problems on the ground since the cables were cut.

Not everyone in the Middle East is without YouTube, though. Israel is on a different undersea cable, and folks in Lebanon and Iraq are both able to get online. Lucky: You'll still be able to research your Euphrates River shark fishing expedition.

Related Stories:
· Internet Outage Hits India, Middle East [AP, via Google]
· Internet Failure Hits Two Continents [CNN]
· Dubai Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Marc Shandro]

Podcasts / Crowds / Flash Mobs / Internet / → All Tags

Hipster Swarm Engulfs New York City Park

Ever wondered what 800 people gathering in a field looks like from above? Now you know. As you might have guessed from the watermark, some pranksters belonging to a group called Improv Everywhere recently drew a huge crowd of people who would apparently do whatever the Internet told them to do--even when that advice is as cryptic as, "Download this song, go to a park wearing red, green, yellow or blue, and start listening at 4PM."

The track instructed participants, some who had come from as far away as New Hampshire and California to meet at the World Financial Center, to point to the Statue of Liberty, take pictures of each other and high-five unsuspecting pedestrians. We were there but obeyed the track's instructions not to stop to take pictures. Rest assured, it was tons of fun.

Past Improv Everywhere missions have included a synchronized-swimming routine in the Washington Square Park fountain, giving out dirty "snowcones" in Aspen, Colorado and faking a U2 gig in Midtown.

Related Stories:
· Improv Everywhere [Official Site]

Travel Tips / Cafes / Internet / → All Tags

One Wifi with Cheese, Please

Tim Leffel has posted the results of a recent Wired survey of internet café pricing around the world, as the article is not online. The prices seem to equate, with a few notable exceptions, to how far your dollar goes in a city in general. Places like Lima, Bangkok, or Marrakesh set you back a tiny amount in comparison to the average of $12.80 an hour you might pay in New York City, or even $3.80 an hour in Prague or Budapest.

Of course, the New York City prices are deceiving. If you have a laptop, there's always a T-Mobile hotspot, which is $7 an hour, as well as the myriad free wireless internet connections dotting the city. We've noticed quite a few dive bars and pizza parlors (and even on restaurant on curry row) advertising free wireless access for customers, so it's becoming more common. You need a laptop, which isn't always an option, but wireless and a slice sure sounds informative and delicious to us.

[Image via h.neu/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   Internet Cafe Prices [Cheapest Destinations]
·   Park Perks [Jaunted]

WiFi / Internet / Hotels / → All Tags

How Much Is Too Much for Hotel Internet?

Steven E. Landsburg, Slate's Everyday Economist, takes on the mysterious question of hotel Internet fees, which go from cheap on up to $20 or more a day. Why such a spread? The various prices are all attempts to equalize the total price paid -- some people are willing to pay more for a room, but wouldn't pay extra for WiFi or other internet access. Others want a cheap room, but don't mind paying extra to get their Jossip on the road.

We're just not sure how sustainable this model can be. With more and more WiFi available in major urban areas, it's easier and easier for "cheapskates" to avoid paying for it. And as it gets more common, internet access also becomes more and more everyday, like CNN on the TV, and less like an extra-special treat worth springing for.

Related Stories:
·   How Much Should Hotel Web Access Cost? [Slate]
·   Hotel Internet Fees [Wi-Fi Net News]
·   Decent Free WiFi Hotels List [HotelChatter]