Gadling

A study sponsored by Dell found that over 12,000 laptops are lost or stolen in U.S. airports each week. The airports with the highest frequency? In order: LAX, then Miami, then JFK, then O'Hare, then Newark. Two-thirds of those are never recovered.

What to do? Well, Dell has come out with a suite of security services that might help: Dell ProSupport Mobility Services. The software allows for several nifty solutions for a missing laptop. There's remote tracking and recovery, also called "Lojack" (the opposite of "hijack", from a system developed for stolen cars). This "Lojack for Laptops" system has been around a while, introduced by a company called Absolute Software, but now Dell is putting muscle behind it by allowing you to get it preinstalled. Lose your laptop, call the service, and they'll track down the address where the laptop is sitting (they use the laptop's IP address and then get the physical address from the Internet service provider).

Perhaps even cooler, there's a remote data delete service. Report the laptop missing, and they can wipe your drive clean, so sensitive data is protected.

Of course, there is a hitch. A big one. In order for the search or destroy commands to reach the laptop, the thief has to connect to the Internet. Finding a laptop connected via Wifi can be tough, but, worse, try recovering your laptop from Ulan Bator.

I happened to be in San Francisco for this year's Gay Pride weekend. So did an estimated 1,2 million other tourists, including men, women and the currently undecided.

Lots of people came here this year to get married since it is now legal in California. Lots of people came to make political statements: "I am thirteen and I understand equality. Why doesn't McCain?" Others came to criticize Boy Scouts of America for raising kids into homophobic adults. Yet another poster said "Christian + Gay = OK."

It was especially entertaining to watch the unsuspecting tourists stumbling upon the parade on their way fromSan Francisco's main tourist trap, Fisherman's Wharf. Different city completely! Yeah, they sell cheesy T-shirts here, too, but they are more original. I mean, what little kid wouldn't love a T-shirt that says: "I [heart] my mommies."

One of my favorite people was the guy in the picture. Part backpacker, part nudist. I could only aspire to that kind of liberation.

I wonder whether they should just tear down Heathrow and build a new airport from scratch. Heathrow consistently gets the worst ratings among airports. And with competition such as the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, that's saying a lot.

According to the latest statistics published by the Association of European Airlines, nearly half of flights left or arrived at Heathrow at least 15 minutes late during the first three months of the year, Telegraph reports. Not only was Heathrow rated as the worst of the 27 airports in the survey, but this was the 16th quarter in succession that it was rated among the poorest five performers.

Heathrow suffered particularly badly with air traffic control delays, which were responsible for 15.3 percent of flights arriving late. Loading and handling at Heathrow was also bad, being cited as the key factor in 11.1 percent of planes' delayed departure.

Even with the new Terminal 5, Heathrow just can't win.

Anyone out there living in the Big Sur area? If so, I am very, very sorry to hear about the devastating wildfires.

I am supposed to drive down from San Francisco to LA tomorrow and I was hoping to take Highway 1. Is that just completely insane? Is highway 1 still closed around Big Sur?

I have been reading a lot about the wildfires, but I can't find updated local information.

Anyone?

Beautifully cropped! A shot of a hot air balloon in Istanbul by smallscreen. This is what they call big sky in Turkey, I guess.

I realize I am a little late with this Photo of the day, but it's still June 30 here on the West Coast.

***To have your photo considered for the Gadling Photo of the Day, go over to the Gadling Flickr Pool and post it. Make sure it is not copyrighted, otherwise we can't post it here.***

I know Grant has been keeping you well-informed about Virgin America's services, but I figured I would share my fresh observations.

I flew Virgin America for the first time yesterday: from New York to San Francisco. What can I say. I was impressed. Brand new plane, pleasant staff, fairly comfy leather (or fake leather) seats...For a second, you almost forget how painful it is to travel by plane these days!

One of the things I have always loved about flying Virgin Atlantic (the international version of the airline) is their in-flight entertainment set up: private screens with lots of movies, music and games to choose from.

I was hoping Virgin America would do the same.

They do, but you have to pay for it. I don't blame them. It's a great idea to target a bunch of people bored to death. We'll pay almost anything to make a few hours go by a little faster. Those in-flight magazines only go so far.

I was curious to find out how much everything costs once you board a Virgin America flight. Here is a short list:

• Headphones are free
• Listening to music and watching music videos is free
• Movies go for $5-7 a piece (there are lots to choose from)
• Most TV shows will set you back 99 cents an episode (again, lots to choose from)

There is no free food on board. That's not entirely bad news. I actually like that concept.

• You can choose from about 7 kinds of meals (sandwiches, wraps, salads) for approximately $8/piece
• Snacks such are about $2/piece
• Basic drinks are free - coffee, water, soda, etc.
• You pay $5 for beer, wine, etc.

You order your food using the TV screen of Red, Virgin's in-flight entertainment system. You can just make your order, swipe your credit card and a few moments later, a flight attendant shows up with your meal.

To summarize, my roundtrip ticket was about $500. (Yes, that's what NYC-SFO flights go for these days) and I also spent an additional $15 in movies and food. I have to say, I like that some airlines are turning to the "pay as you go" model. I love being able to choose my own meal and entertainment and choose when I want to eat, watch movies or sleep. This has got to be the way to do it.

Traveling to Flint, Michigan anytime soon? Better keep those pants up!

Flint's new police chief is planning to crack down on sagging pants that expose too much skin (or boxers.) Chief David Dicks feels that "this immoral `self expression' goes beyond freedom of expression; it rises to the crime of indecent exposure/disorderly persons."

Under the order, anyone with exposed buttocks could be arrested on "a misdemeanor charge of being a disorderly person, punishable by up to a $500 fine and three months in jail."

Hmm, I wonder why they don't fine girls for wearing thong-exposing low-cut jeans?

Are air passengers sick of how they're being treated? Heck, yeah. But in China, they actually stage protests, of a sort.

Ok, it wasn't exactly Tienanmen Square, but on a flight out of Beijing, fifty-two passengers (out of about 200) refused to leave the plane when the flight was canceled due to weather. They slept on the plane for over twelve hours, then finally walked off when the flight crew announced they could take another flight.

The biggest irony, and something I can't see happening on America's cash-strapped airlines? The flight attendants kept serving food and drinks to the "protesters."

I frequently order special meals on planes. Why, you ask? They are usually much better than the standard in-flight fare you get.

I am neither a vegetarian nor a practicing Jew, yet I order vegetarian, kosher, low-sodium, or any other alternative I get, rather than ordering the standard salt-packed meal. I never thought twice about it.

My sister's recent experience changed that.

For her recent Czech Air flight from Prague to New York, my sister ordered a kosher meal. When distributing meals, the flight attendant came over and asked her:
"Excuse me, did you order a kosher meal?"
"Yes."
"Are you Jewish?" the attendant asked.
"Why do you ask?" she replied.
"Well random people sometimes order kosher out of curiosity and then they don't like it."
Sigh.

I don't know about you, but this strikes me as incredibly rude. Asking a customer what religion they are in front of a plane load of people? I don't think so.

It got me thinking though. Do airlines frown upon people ordering special meals just out of curiosity? Is it ethical to order kosher even if you are not Jewish? I, personally, don't think so. If it's offered, it's fair game.

Perhaps Heather, Gadling's own galley expert, could help us out here?

Watch out, binge drinkers and pigeon-feeders! Offences such as feeding pigeons, spitting, urinating and vomiting in the streets will soon be punishable in Prague.

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, Prague is trying to lure wealthy tourists. It's sick of budget travelers. That's not exactly how the government officials put it, but I can read between the lines. They want to accomplish this not only by creating commercials that advertise Prague as "the city with beautiful women. Come here and check them out," but it is now trying to figure out how those solvent tourists are going to feel about Prague when they step into dog crap the minute they get out of a cab. And probably get ripped off by the taxi driver at the same time.

Well, you know, those folks don't really see that as adventure travel.

To help things out, Prague City Hall has come up with a new decree that will come into effect this July. According to the Prague Daily Monitor, people in Prague will be fined CZK1000 ($70) for throwing away cigarette butts, chewing gum, food scraps and other waste, feeding pigeons, failing to remove their dogs' excrements, spitting, urinating and vomiting in the streets.

A lot of people consider Prague a dirty city. Those people include me. And I am from here and like it here. However, I honestly wouldn't mind if people picked up after their dogs every time.

The thing is, Prague will never be as clean as Singapore. It's, in essence, a dark, sinister, messy kind of place. How clean is too clean for deal old Praha?