Here is another column written from 32,000 feet aboard an airliner so old it appears to be just parts flying in close formation.

It's no secret to anyone who has flown lately that the airline industry, with the notable exception of Southwest Airlines, is in deep doo-doo -- and it really is starting to show in terms of service.

During this seven-hour flight from St. Louis to Dallas (yes, you read that right), I managed to jot down some technology-related tips that the road warrior may appreciate.

-- Don't forget the tunes. I often see young people laden down with CD cases and a CD player and they often are among the happiest people in the airport. I've done them one better, with a CD player that can play MP3 files in data format. What that means is I take my audio CDs and rip them into MP3 files on my PC. (I use Roxio Easy CD Creator Deluxe, but there are dozens of products that do this.) Once they are in the very small MP3 format, I can fit about 12 hours of music on one 80-minute CD. That eliminates the need to carry with me a couple dozen CDs and eliminates disc swapping.

A CD player that is MP3-capable is cheap; mine cost $40.

-- Perhaps an even better solution is an iPod or one of the clones that store hours of MP3 tracks on a small device no bigger than a cassette tape. I say "perhaps" because I don't have a Macintosh and therefore don't have an iPod, and I have not tested any of the other versions. To me they are still pretty pricey ($200 and up) for the convenience of small-size format.

-- Get a power cord for your laptop that fits the airline seats. I know they are obscenely expensive (mine was $99) but they can come in mighty handy when you have a presentation due the next day and you're stuck on the tarmac in Wichita.

Even better is if your laptop has a DVD player. Couple that with the excellent Bose sound-reducing headphones and you're in "nerdvana" and the envy of your seatmate.

Speaking of which, I can't figure out why people are buying these $999 portable DVD players when a laptop with DVD drive will do the same thing with a larger screen (and lots more) for less cash.

Someone out there with both will have to enlighten me. (You also can rent DVDs at many large airports and drop them off at the next airport.)

-- Put your name on the bottom of your laptop. You'd be surprised how often people are leaving them at airport checkpoints nowadays.

-- Install a BIOS password on your laptop. You can do this by entering "SETUP" right as your computer boots up. This will make your laptop's data much harder to get to if someone were to steal your PC. The warning here, of course, is don't forget the password because generally you'll need a service call from your PC maker to unlock it (and you will need to provide proof of ownership, too). The process to enter the setup screen varies by manufacturer, but it's a nice step for security reasons.

-- Buy a new GameBoy Advance. I know, the odds of you being an 11- year-old boy are slight, but you'd be surprised how cool some of the games are for big kids, too. (Or, for 10 bucks you can get that plastic handheld Mattel Classic Football again.)

-- Hint: If you're in an airport restroom and the guy in the stall next to you says, "Hey, what's going on?" he is not talking to you. He is, incredibly, talking on a cell phone . . . don't answer him or you'll look like a doofus.

-- Pack a 25-foot CAT-5 network cable and a 25-foot phone cord with you. I know many hotels now have data jacks, but they often expect me to want to work near the desk . . . when I do my best work sprawled on the bed. Why hotel front desks don't have cables to rent or buy is beyond me.

WEEKLY WEB WONDER: The American Cancer Society Web site contains much information about this dreaded killer. Check it out at www.cancer.org.

James Derk is new media editor for The Evansville Courier & Press. His e-mail address is jderk@evansville.net.

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