Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Over the seas




Am flying again. This time flying from Chennai to Washington DC. Like i had expressed a couple of times before, i really dont know if i am going to or coming back to DC. So, i will try to avoid the use of these specific terms. Am flying my now favourite airline, lufthansa. Favourite as in, dont have too much choice, pick the best of the available, and also because they are partners with United Airlines with their frequent flyer miles programme. I am having some major second thoughts about this whole frequent flyer thing. I am not sure, if it is a boon or it is just a way to hook you in, and then ensure that you will not leave irrespective of the level of service. Anyway i will leave that for another day.

One of the benefits of lufthansa, that i had been hearing for sometime, but havent had an oppurtunity to try is the internet access on the plane. Well, here i am using it to connect and blog this. Thats only 'cause i finished the statutory requirements of checking work related emails, responses, work assignments and quick follow-up using IM. So, while i wait for the internet time i bought to lapse, i am typing as fast as i can to ensure that i can get this in.

I dont abhor technology, but i do not completely like the way, it is overtaking my life and controlling me. But hey there are a few times, i would have died of boredom, if it werent for technology. This is one such moment. I could be watching the boring program telling me how to fill the I94 form and the customs form, before i land in the US, and then the lame movie that follows afterwards, but i chose to play and work with the internet access instead.

So, now i am able to find out that India were bowled out for 203 in the 1-day and then now, managed to win the match against England. One thing about our team, the men in blue or men with the blues, depending on the day and time, is that, they give value for money. They sure make each match interesting, and can turn an easy game against lame england or bangladesh into a nail-biting finish, or also wrap up a tough fight rather tamely, so that we wont have to wait out all the 50 overs to know our fate. I am sure all cricket fans from India have heard of the phrase, 'snatching defeat from the hands of victory'.

As i write this line, i am bang in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, 35000 feet high in the air, cruising over the clouds and the lower atmosphere. My internet pages, email and IM sessions are all working fine. There are two things at work today, that always manages to amaze me, no matter how many times i have seen it or even done it. One is the fact that massive thing, an Airbus A340 is flying up in the air, and the second is the internet, and how it works at such blazing speeds, not the MegaBits per second speed of data transfer, rather the fact that it works when this aircraft is moving at some 300-400 mph. Amazing.


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