Just read a “reporter’s notebook” item in the LA Times that made journalism sound — for a moment, anyway — fun again.

It seems LAX – the nation’s third busiest airport – is now using a $600,000 simulator to help train air traffic controllers.

It sounds pretty cool: it’s got computer screens with planes on them, and you can program the simulator to make the planes do anything – taxi, land, crash – or just follow realistic patterns, but it’s up to the trainee to get all safely on the ground.

Apparently, reporter Dan Weikel and other scribes and newsies on hand who worked the simulator did a pretty good job – as they say, “safety was never compromised”. I guess reporting has changed since I left – I wouldn’t have trusted us with anything more than pen and paper.

Imagine have a phone app that would basically take over your life for you – at least when you’re going on a trip.

The people at zdnet.com quote an airline tech guy as saying, “if you are getting out of your car at the airport, the app that has the details of your flight realizes you have not checked in and lights up and asks you whether you want to check-in.” That has always been my spouse’s job, but I think he’d give it up.

Want more? The article says such an app could “detect when a traveler misses their connection after an incoming flight has been delayed, and then automatically books a seat on the next onward flight”.

They say this could be a reality in another 12 to 18 months. Could be.

Well, that’s good enough for me. Heck, I don’t even have an iPhone, but I’d get this app.

Sure, Los Angeles’ LAX is noisy – it’s an airport, for pete’s sake!

And it’s also noisy at Van Nuys (private planes) and Ontario, too. But too much noise is bad, so – thank goodness for WebTrak!

WebTrak is “a new online noise complaint system…for resident living near the [LA area] facilities”. According to a local wire service, it’s an easy way to report your complaints.

Well…not all that easy. It took some doing to find this new WebTrak on the Los Angeles International website – so here’s the link to the LAX info, save you some time – but once there, you get a cool map with little planes on it, showing them merrily take-offing and landing. Nice.

Problem is, I can’t figure out what they do with complaints. It doesn’t say. Surely, someone reads them. Hope so, but…somehow, I figure the residents of Torrance and Playa Del Rey and Inglewood aren’t going to be getting any decibel relief anytime soon. Hope I’m wrong.

I saw this and thought, “What a good idea!” Then I saw the price tag. Well…

The product is called, Ekosteps – we’re talking disposable footwear – sort of a thong type of deal made from recycled paper. Picture thin-soled cardboard-ish flip flops. Or just look at the photo to the left.

Forget fashion, this is about function: Ekosteps are meant to protect your bare feet after you’ve put your shoes on the conveyor belt at security and now must make the trek through the metal detector in your socks, or worse, barefoot. Barefoot across a floor where oh so many other bare feet have already passed (ewwwwwww). Best of all, these are TSA approved!

These unisex Ekosteps are sold in packages of five pairs for $19.99 – and shipping will cost you another ten bucks. You can get more information from the Ekosteps website here.

Loved the piece about them in the Dallas Morning News – they noted that while these paper sandals are meant for one-time use, Ekosteps CEO Orin France said he’s worn a single pair “in daily activities for as long as two weeks.”

I want to know what “daily activities” means. Did he wear them to some swanky place for lunch? Was it raining?

Do you follow FareCompare on Twitter? You should.

Because FareCompare now has Tweets tailored to your home airport. Get it? That means you get a real-time heads-up about the deals that really matter to you.

You know how Rick Seaney is always saying that airlines never put a planeload of seats on sale – only a few of those seats are the super-cheapies. Okay, so if you get these new FareCompare tweets that tell you about the deals you want instantly – you’ll be first in line to grab one of these super-cheapies. And then you, my friend, will be a winner.

And you barely have to lift a finger. Okay, maybe one – so you can click here to follow FareCompare’s tweet from your home airport – just put in your airport and then click “follow” and you are good to go.

Try it. You will like it – because you will save a ton of money.

I know I’m going to take some flak for this, but – when perusing the latest “Hints from Heloise”, I came across this tip:

“Dear Heloise: My husband and I each wear something like the military DOG TAGS. We have our name, city, state, date of birth, blood type, spouse’s name and phone number on one side, and on the other side we have the names of our daughter and son and sister, with the states and phone numbers. We wear these when traveling on vacation – almost every time we leave the house.” – Bonnie, Irvine, Calif.

Heloise seemed to think it was a good idea (“Maybe we should call them ‘people tags’!”) – but my first thought was – with all the info she put on them, Bonnie’s dog tags must hang down to her knees.

My second thought was – kind of macabre, no? I mean it’s perfect if you anticipate disaster. On the other hand, you might as well. I guess.

Maybe we roll. Thing is, we don’t do endorsements here. But I have to say, I was intrigued by the “Skyroll on Wheels” bag. Well, intrigued by the photographs, anyway (have not seen one in person).

The Skyroll is a carryon bag – on wheels – with this compartment that allows suits and stuff to lie flat. In theory, the clothes do not get wrinkled.

Check out the video – it’s really kind of fascinating the way they pack this thing. Also fascinating is how closely the video resembles the ones shot by your earnest but sadly incompetent brother-in-law (and next time, use a noise-canceling “lip mike”).

But I gotta say, the bag looks cool. If anyone’s used it, let us know.

I got all excited when I saw this jacket at left – featured on Gizmodo.

You self-inflate the hood, and – wham! — instant pillow. Sweet.

Unfortunately, actually buying the thing seems somewhat problematic – no prices, sizes, etc. on the designer’s site.

Also problematic – the name of the jacket — the aforementioned designer calls it, “Never Stop a Rolling Stone”. Let’s see – Mick Jagger – inflatable hood – no, I’m not quite getting it.

No matter -you can’t buy it. But hold on – Burton has a jacket with an inflatable neck! I’m told it’s good.

First, I must wipe up all the Diet Coke that splattered out my nose and onto my keyboard.

Done.

Second, allow me to thank Mike Barish at gadling.com for the funniest stuff I’ve seen in ages (well, at least since I last checked The Superficial).

Nah, this is funnier. You see, Barish has a feature called SkyMall Monday — and this week, he’s rounded up the creme de la creme — the best of SkyMall Monday.

Do read this.

It features products targeted to specific customers — just pray you’re not one of them. Among the amazingly bizarre items is, a Hair Flair Visor — a Cruzin Cooler — a Noseaid — and some sort of potentially lethal looking neck thingie.

Did you know? Some 637,000 laptops are lost at U.S. airports each year — lost, or — STOLEN!

At least according to one report. But I’m sure plenty do disappear. And the solution, according to the fine folks at TurboBag? Why…a TurboBag.

Now, I don’t own one, but they sound good. For those who don’t know, a TurboBag is one of those new, TSA-approved laptop bags that you can put through security — without removing the laptop. Great idea. One less thing to worry about — and that means less stress, according to the TurboBag folks — and that, they suggest, means you’ll be more alert to laptop thieves.

Maybe. You’re still going to be fiddling with your shoes and looking around for your belt, and what could happen is, a the thief makes off with a laptop in a nice snazzy TurboBag.

Again, don’t get me wrong, the bag sounds cool (and they start at just $39.95) — but the BEST thing you can do during the holidays and any days is — watch your stuff like an eagle-eyed hawk. Yep, two metaphors for the price of one to show you how serious I am about this.

If you’ve ever cut it close on making a flight, or if you’ve had to change terminals to make and had to go through airport security for a second time in one day while desperately trying to make a connecting flight, you know that the 50 people in front of you with laptops can slow you down. The line just seems to pile up as people (most likely you included) reach into bags to pull out computers, portable DVD players, and any other large electronics they might have.

Well, the TSA feels your pain, and they want to do something about it. Or at least, they want to consider doing something about it. The TSA is in search of the perfect laptop bag; one that will let you run your laptop through while it’s still in its bag.

Keep reading to see exactly what the TSA is planning…

Ever sit around, trying to figure out how to work that cheap little radio/alarm clock in your hotel room? Don’t bother, they never work.

Oh, and ever left a wake-up call, that you never got?

Rest easy, my friends. I have the solution. And it won’t cost you a dime. You know what to do here: click that little “more” thingie on the right…

You’re counting the days ’til you can leave work and school behind and hit the beach for a week of Spring Break festivities.

Well, when you’re out there, you might find yourself in desperate need of a bottle opener to crack open all of those colas you plan on drinking. Instead of lugging one around, why not just pop that bad boy open with your flip-flop? Yep, the Reef Fanning Sandals give you all of the comfort of luxury beach footwear with all of the convenience of a bottle opener.

It’s Spring Break, people. Can you really survive without a sandal bottle opener?

We had such a good time trying out the Knee Defender on the FareCompare Grumpy Santa tour, that we contacted the good people of GadgetDuck.com to see what else they had to offer the travelers of the world. They were kind enough to send us the Scanner Bag.

While Scanner Bag might not cause the controversy that Knee Defender inspired, it can come in handy when you’re taking to the skies. It’s designed to double as a luggage ID tag and a handy carrying case for personal items such as keys, a Black Berry, cell phones, watches, coins, and more.

The Scanner Bag is meant to make your life a little easier when walking through security lines at the airport or anywhere else you might have to go through security.

The three different models range from $13.45 to $24.85. Visit GadgetDuck.com for all the details, and keep reading for for a close-up…

CES has just wrapped up in Las Vegas, and the world was introduced to new gadgets of every make and model. Some are ready for the big time; others not so much.

One of those new toys that’s not quite ready for prime-time is the latest edition of the MP4 watch. Hey, it looks like a fancy timepiece, and the screen and video quality are great, but as the folks at endgadget put it, “too bad you’ll need a forklift to keep your wrist propped up while wearing this behemoth.”

Hang onto your laptops and portable DVD players for now, but the future of watching video on planes may lie with your wrist. Be sure to visit endgadget for images and video of the MP4 watch and other great gadgets from CES.

You’re traveling from city to city, spending your days connecting to wireless services at various airports and hotels in a desperate attempt to keep up with your portfolio. Is it safe to make that trade, or are you opening yourself up to password and ID theft?

Well, trading on the wireless networks isn’t necessarily the safest way to go, so get some added security. The folks over at Vagabondish suggest you check out E*TRADE Complete^TM Digital Security ID. According to E*Trade, this Bondesque travel gadget “generates a personal 6-digit access code every 60 seconds” and “Keeps out hackers even in the unlikely event that your User ID and Password are compromised.”

Keep traveling, keep trading, and look cool doing it.

Tired of lugging around unwieldy blankets and cumbersome pillows? Looking for that special travel gadget that gives you all the comfort you need rolled up into one handy-dandy product.

Well, my friends, the Cabin Cuddler 6-in-1 Travel Blanket and Pillow might just be what you’re looking for. It’s a contour-cut blanket, an inflatable pillow, a foot warmer, and more. At least that’s what I am led to believe.

Give the Cabin Cuddler 6-in-1 Travel Blanket and Pillow a look, and decide if it’s worth the $29.95 they’re asking.