Linux on Delta Airlines and Wifi in Tokyo

Luckily my wife and I were able to travel in business class from Atlanta to Tokyo which meant nice slippers, recliners that almost went completely flat, all the booze you want, yummy sundaes and your own entertainment system in the seat.

Delta (and other carriers) have pop-up screens in the seat. The screen is only about 8 inches or so, but works nicely. There is a remote control in the seat as well, but the screen is touchscreen so I rarely used the remote.

What’s great about this little entertainment system in the seat is you can individually play movies, TV shows, Delta radio, CDs and games or simply watch the progress of the flight towards the destination. This is obviously great for a 15 hour flight!

So an hour or two into the flight, my wife’s seat entertainment system rebooted and guess what? The penguin appears! Delta uses Linux for this slick touchscreen inflight entertainment system. Sorry, the camera was safely packed overhead and I didn’t get a chance to snap a picture… maybe on the way home.

By the way, I’m writing this post during a five hour layover in Tokyo going to Beijing using wireless that I purchased for 500 yen (or $4.12USD) for 24 hours. The Atlanta airport wanted to charge me $6 for the 1st hour this morning!!! Another surprise with the wireless connection is that it is blazing fast even for all the US sites. I was also able to charge up with a regular old American looking power outlet with no converter needed.

I like Tokyo even though I’ve only been wandering around the airport.