....faster than Santa's reindeer.

Map

This maps shows flightpaths, and thanks and recognition here to www.openflights.org. By some estimations there are around 45,000 airports in the world (although what constitutes an airport is open to debate). The following link: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=spacestation+view+of+planes+leaving+airport&&view=detail&mid=1DA6EE436D2DD6BDECF71DA6EE436D2DD6BDECF7&FORM=VRDGAR brings this map to life, synchronising the 24-hour day/night cycle with scheduled flights- watch those  big birds fire up in the small hours from north America and Europe. Are airports best seen as synapses, transmitting data? Images of internet digital traffic can provide a similar effect, as the map and video. If a) intelligence can be reduced to base digital pulses; and b) we as a species are beginning to create artificial intelligence, will air travel (and space travel) one day become redundant? If structured data (intelligence) can fly at near the speed of light, will material/bodily presence at a point of destination become unnecessary? I certainly don’t have the brain for this sort of discussion, but am content simply to enjoy the beauty of the map.