by Jeremy Del Nero

A new term is creeping into the urban vernacular.  Smartphone zombies – pedestrians who are engaged far more with their smartphones than with their surroundings – are cropping up everywhere.
While the term was not yet in use, the phenomenon was noted by FBT Editorial Director Jonathan Spira in his book “Overload! How Too Much Information Is Hazardous to Your Organization,” referring to “distracted walking” as one of multiple issues caused …

Review: ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ at Westside Theater

by Jonathan Spira

Theatergoers may flock to “Little Shop of Horrors” – a doo-wop musical based on Roger Corman’s low-budget horror movie about a flower shop assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human blood – to see the tantalizing combination of Jonathan Groff, Christian Borle, and Tammy Blanchard on stage, but the real star is the set of four puppets that portray Audrey II, the carnivorous plant.
Michael Mayer’s splendid revival of …

Today is Information Overload Day: Here’s How to Regain Control

by Jonathan Spira

This story was originally published on Information Overload Day in 2018. It is being reprinted with updates in commemoration of Information Overload Day 2019.
Do a search on the term “Information Overload” and what follows will be nothing less than Information Overload, over 3.5 million search results that provide conflicting definitions and descriptions and a fire hose of information.
Come to think of it, this aptly defines the issue.
The problem of Information …

Flight Review: American Airlines Premium Economy London Heathrow-New York JFK

by Paul Riegler

“This is real luxury,” a precocious ten-year-old said to his brother and parents as he lovingly stroked the leather armrest of an adjacent seat in American Airlines’ new Premium Economy cabin and fiddled with the easy-to-open tray table, all this after he had already passed through, and apparently ignored, the jetliner’s business-class cabin, replete with fully lie-flat seats and privacy panels, on his way to the back.
BOARDING
After a quick Heathrow …

Study: Pedestrian Detection Tech Works, but Has a Long Way to Go

by Paul Riegler

A new study found that, as pedestrian fatalities are increasing dramatically, driver-assistance technology designed to detect and avoid pedestrians has made significant technological gains.
The study, conducted by the Automobile Association of America, found that these systems, which incorporate automatic emergency braking, still have a long way to go to reliably detect people in the path of an automobile.
The non-profit tested four 2019 model-year cars – a Chevrolet Malibu, a Honda …

October Travel News Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Past Month’s Headlines

by Jesse Sokolow

How up-to-date are you with travel and aviation news from the past month. Take our travel news quiz and you could win a piece of airline and travel history including items from Pan Am, Cunard, and TWA.
In last month’s quiz, the question about which European automaker was caught using a so-called “defeat device” to cheat on EPA emissions tests had the highest share of correct answers, with 95%, but only …

Great Moments in Travel History – October 2019

by Jesse Sokolow

October, the tenth month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendar, is the sixth of seven months in a year that have 31 days. It was the eighth month in the old Roman calendar and its name comes from the Latin word for eight, “octo.”
October will forever be associated with Oktoberfest, a celebration of Bavarian culture and Bavarian beer that now begins at the end of September in …

Upgrading to the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

by Jeremy Del Nero

The question of an iPhone upgrade is one that is always fraught with peril.  If you’ve already decided to move up to the iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro, you need read no further, but if you are on the fence, please carry on.
The iPhone 11 product line – which includes the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max, have significantly better battery life and …