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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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by pbb
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 
