I think it's here to stay.

I am still working on my official thirtieth birthday reflections, but in the meantime - how awesome is technology? I'm sitting on the plane right now with full internet access. For free. Maybe not so free when one takes into account the $50 in baggage fees that we had to pay this morning, but still...

I took these pictures as we were preparing to land at LAX just before seven o'clock this morning.

I edited these pictures somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico.

I will publish these pictures to the worldwide web just before we touch down in Tampa.

Technology also improves travel in other unexpected ways when it allows one a nonviolent means for venting frustration brought on by rude, oblivious, and otherwise unpleasant fellow travelers. I am, of course, referring to the surreptitious iphone photo of the offending party and the subsequent Facebook post in which the subject's manners and hygiene are publicly critiqued.

{This fellow removed his sweaty hiking boots to reveal filthy, putrid socks. He then proceeded to talk loudly to his mother. On speakerphone. We could have tolerated the noise, but the overwhelming smell of foot necessitated our finding news seats.}