> Be it by train or by plane, it offers an unparalleled opportunity to selectively tune out your environment and sink into an engaging activity like watching a movie or just working on your laptop. The more time passes, the less I can shake the feeling that the world would be better if we tuned out our environment less. > But damn, based on how well it all works now, you can just tell by the 4th or 5th generation, Ap…
I generally agree with this sentiment of people being too tethered to technology and not paying attention to the world around them, but I don't see a problem with it on a flight. You're generally going to be seated in one place for hours at a time. It's much more infuriating to be walking out of the subway here in NYC and people are just in zombie mode walking up the stairs slowly while staring at their phones. Or do…
Of course, my attention span typically maxes out around 2h unless I'm in a particularly thoughtful place in life, such as my bus ride to a new city after undergrad graduation, or the flight home after a big family event. And, of course, being in the window seat is a must -- you'd have to be something of a zen master to peacefully "raw-dog" a flight by just starting at the seat in front of you!
Rant aside, I absolutely agree that being stuck in place for hours at a time is good reason to want some form of entertainment, and this is arguably the perfect application for VR. Being stuck on a long bus/train/plane without entertainment can feel downright claustrophobic, and it's not like there's any communication with others anyway. Other than the nice flight attendants, which we still have, for some weird reason -- I thought it was a nice touch to clarify that talking to them with the headset for more than a phrase or two feels disrespectful.