NERD YOUR ENTHUSIASM (24)

By: Vijay Parthasarathy
December 23, 2021

One in a series of 25 enthusiastic posts, contributed by 25 HILOBROW friends and regulars, on the topic of (one of) their nerdy obsessions.

VIRTUAL TRAVEL

When I want to travel, I take the Tube – specifically, YouTube.

Right now, I am seized by the impulse to visit Brazil, so I lean back in my First Class-worthy executive chair, find a video transporting someone from my approximate location to Newark International Airport, bypass security, get on a plane, put on earphones and kick back. Ten minutes later, having absorbed the picturesque cockpit view – a luxury not generally afforded to modern travelers – I exit Rio airport. I sample a mix of 4k videos and debate riding to Ipanema. Too monotonous. Grabbing a beer from my refrigerator, I switch to Google Earth 3D on the phone. First stop: the real estate directly below Christ the Redeemer.

Living in the shadow of one of the continent’s most famous landmarks must be no joke. Look closer, and you’ll notice many of those homes have swimming pools – a guarantor of opulence, even if that design element cannot match the self-indulgence of infinity pools in Malibu pouring into the endless expanse of the Pacific. I picture the owners smirking like Latin Kardashians. Peeking into their lifestyle is amusing.

Speaking of ‘peeking’ by the way: do save yourself the bother of physically presenting yourself before Buckingham Palace and gawking at the guards. Google Earth 3D has you covered: the top view can get you into some pretty private nooks. Between this and The Crown, that’s all the British entertainment you will crave.

Traveling without moving is addictive. Innovative apps are, to some extent, democratizing access to travel. Who knows, soon you might be able to digitally smell places. Until that transpires, a stable Internet connection is a workable substitute for plane tickets, particularly in the middle of a pandemic. Within minutes I have bounced around Tokyo, Brno (what’s with those red-tiled roofs?) and Santiago. I scope out the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile where my old squash buddy teaches. (Nice campus, Sebastian!)

That’s the key, isn’t it: context makes everything richer. It’s one thing to drive around a city listening to a local radio station or to look blankly out of some window; and a different level of fun altogether to have some sort of connection to a place.

Simulation to the point of obsessive detail has its charm: in some ways, a virtual world that replicates the humdrum of our daily existence allows us to slow down moments, focus our attention and take stock of reality on our terms. It opens up the possibility of traveling not just in space but also in time – to be able to glimpse a recognizable street corner or the same building where you grew up decades ago, even if it’s in a city you will likely never see again. The old feelings rush back in; you are rejuvenated.

To this day, I possess a terrible sense of direction. Modern technology fills gaps in my awareness, counters the dimming of memory. The Internet is much more than the final, comfortable refuge of the sentimental traveler: it is the perfect receptacle for lived experience.

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MORE ENTHUSIASM at HILOBROW

NERD YOUR ENTHUSIASM (24)

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