Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Hola, Costa Rica

Tourist boards used to send glossy brochures by post. The various levels of government deemed the costs as an expenditure which would pay off with larger numbers of visitors. Even as a kid, I used to write to the tourism departments of various US states and receive all sorts of free pamphlets and maps. Starting in the early 1990's some would send video tapes to potential visitors who requested information. Is there still a dusty tape extolling the advantages of vacationing in New Mexico in the closet?

From the beginning of the Internet age, these organization were some of the first to create web sites. When I first got access to the Internet in the early 1990's, the global aspect became immediately apparent. I was spinning actual hard discs on computers in the countries I was researching. Note the dead links in the inclusion of the 'Where in the World' section on this archived copy of my personal site from the mid-1990's. The letters 'www' quickly started to supplant much of the need for the post office.

Of course in the last 15 years there's been no looking back. Tourist boards only publish fine, paper brochures for a niche markets; namely, destinations popular among people so old as to not know their way around a keyboard. For the rest of us there's plenty of .html and .pdf information available 24/7.


The other day I did pick up a Lonely Planet guide to Central America at our library. That became a springboard for additional online research. It is a relatively close destination but I'm sure I couldn't have matched the countries' names to their shapes on a map. Now, there's more online information to read than would fit on the postal service's largest trucks. Imagine, now I can even spread video content designed for tourists right here on a personal blog.

La tecnología es grande.


2010 Games (23) 3-D Printing (21) 5-Night Local Cruise (7) Adobe Premiere Elements (4) AI-generated images (102) AI-generated text (35) AirAsia (11) Alaska (6) Alaska Cruise 2001 (9) Alaska Cruise 2019 (14) Alaska Cruise 2022 (9) Alaska Cruise 2023 (11) Alaska Cruise 2024 (12) Alberta (14) AllegiantAir (9) almsgiving (4) alternate facts (2) Amazon (55) Amber Sky (2) American Somoa (1) Amsterdam (9) analog (13) Android TV Box (35) Apollo Ghost (7) Apple Inc (17) Aquatic and Community Centre (1) Arts and Literature (29) Aspire Z 24 (6) Australia (4) Bahrain (33) balcony (146) Bali 2018-19 (57) Bangladesh 2020 (10) Bathroom Reno (21) BBS (7) BC Ferries (17) BC-WA Road Trip 2013 (6) BCIT (334) beach (66) beer (64) Bella Coola Road Trip (11) Bellingham (28) Berlin (4) Białystok (4) bikes (17) biryani (20) Blaine Stayover (3) Bloedel (8) blog (1) blogging (241) bread (18) Bret (53) briefcase (6) British Columbia (210) Brunei (1) Buenos Aires 2022-23 (81) Bulk Barn (11) Burma (Myanmar) (17) Burnaby (2) Burnaby Lake (2) Cairo 2015 (4) Cambodia (20) camcorder (49) Canada (113) Canada Day (30) Canadian Superstore (84) Canon SX740 HS (1) Carnarvon Place (86) cars (66) Central Europe Trip 2024 (36) Central America 2011 (36) changes (1) China (9) China and Malaysia 2011 (26) Christmas (102) Christmas in Cancun (6) Class of 1977 (14) Cleveland Dam (1) Coastal Cruise 2006 (12) coco (1) coffee (13) Columbia Station (11) Columbia Station Noise Problem (7) Columbia Street (42) community gardens (8) Como Lake (1) complaints (95) computer (4) computer lab (21) computers (158) Coquitlam (2) Costco (17) Countries Visited (13) COVID-19 (107) Cozumel (1) credit card (12) cross-Canada (14) Cruise to Buenos Aires 2022 (19) Cruise to New Zealand 2017 (49) Cruise to Prince Rupert (8) Cruise to Rio 2023 (14) cruises (1) Cuba 2018 (12) dad (1) Deer Lake (1) dentist (10) Desert Southwest (23) Dictionary (2) digital camera (124) digital picture (41) dinosaurs (5) DNA (2) Don (24) drinks (28) driving (43) drone (7) drones (37) Duba 2023 (1) Dubai (70) Dubai 2020 Expo (3) dubai 2021 (29) Dubai 2022 (9) Dubai 2023 (8) Dubai 2024 (7) Duck Swap (60) Duolingo (3) e-scooter (2) early retirement (113) Ecoped (17) Electric Vehicles (29) email (57) errands (247) Eurotrip 2005 (31) Eurotrip 2007 (41) Eurotrip 2010 (40) EVO Car Share (5) fake news (2) false advertising (1) father (22) feelings (380) fiction (3) Fiji (2) file archives (30) fire (1) fireworks (13) Fitbit (6) flash memory (20) Flickr (307) Flickr slide show (31) Flipboard (9) flora and fauna (138) Florida (2) flying (100) food (305) Fraser River (133) futurecast (21) games (21) Gdańsk (1) glasses (24) Google (87) Google Earth (24) Google Home (41) government (66) GPS (36) grandmothers (12) Grouse Mountain (1) growler (4) hair (2) hair colour (1) Halloween (6) hard disk (14) hardware (52) Harrison Hot Springs (6) Hawaii (10) Hawaiian Shirts (11) HDTV (62) health (125) Hikkaduwa (1) Hollywood (4) Hong Kong (8) Horseshoe Bay (1) Hulu (10) humour (53) Hurghada 2015 (6) Hurghada 2016 (4) Hyack Parade (12) Hyundai KONA Electric (75) IKEA (15) In-front-of-series (6) India (27) Indonesia (10) Instagram (1) Internet (326) IP (24) Ipoh 2019 (3) Istanbul 2022 (6) Italy (21) Italy 2008 (23) jackfruit (10) Jay's Surgery (30) Joel (86) Juneau (1) Kenya (6) KIA Niro (7) kid's story (9) kitchen counters 2024 (5) Kiva (8) KL is ... (3) Krabi 2019 (3) Kraków (1) Kuala Lumpur 2019 (75) Kuala Lumpur 2020 (47) Kuwait (29) Langkawi (4) Laos (10) Las Vegas (28) Last Will and Testament (2) Laurie (37) Laurie's Visit 2024 (15) LED Strip (6) library (24) light bulbs (5) Linux (2) lists (33) living room furniture (8) London (8) Los Angeles (14) Lowe's (8) Luxor 2014 (7) Lynn Canyon (2) Machu Picchu (1) maintenance (139) Malacca 2019 (4) Malaysia (16) mattress (5) Mavic Mini (42) Mazatlan (51) Mediaplayer (29) Mediterranean Cruise 2017 (35) Metrotown (8) Mexican Cruise 2008 (14) Mexican Property (19) Mi band (26) Midjourney (7) Mini-Road Trip 2014 (8) Minuwangoda (41) money (218) monkeys (9) Moon Bugs (4) Moorebot Scout (2) Mother (9) motorcycles (18) mountains (33) movie musical (20) Movie Night (1) movies (194) MS Teams (2) Mt. Baker (12) Museum of the Future (2) music (80) musical theatre (10) My YouTube (56) MyEV (79) n (1) National Geographic (11) NE/Canada Cruise 2019 (3) Near East Trip 2014 (33) Near East Trip Planning (9) Nearby Neighbourhood Parks of 2020 (21) Nepal (10) Net apps (93) netbook (20) Netflix (25) New 7 Wonders of the World (1) New Caledonia (3) New Westminster (876) New York City (32) New Zealand (8) NewWest filming (12) NH Trip (10) Niagara Falls (2) Nikon P900 (16) Nikon S9900 (21) Nile Cruise 2016 (4) Novus Internet (2) Nvidia Shield TV (9) NYC2005 (17) NYC2009 (10) Okanagan (27) OnePlus (12) Ooma (8) opinions (272) Our 10-Year Plan (14) our ashes trip (1) Our Cruise History (2) Our Sri Lanka 2021/22 (1) Ozempic (10) Panama 2018 (10) Pandora (7) paper (1) parade (6) Paris (12) park (2) Parks in the BC Lower Mainland (25) passport (10) Pattaya 2018 (13) Pattullo Bridge (29) PBS (15) peeps (2) Penang 2011 (5) Penang 2017-18 (88) Penang Thaipusam (2) Persian (1) pets (58) Photo Sphere (20) Phuket 2019 (5) Pier Park (94) Pier West (19) pig (8) Pinterest (30) Pinto (10) Pixel 5 (2) Pixel 7 Pro (3) Pixel Watch (17) podcasts (47) poem (1) Port Moody (2) Portland (15) Portland Pride 2009 (6) Prince Rupert (1) printers (14) privacy rights (12) PS3 (30) Puerto Vallarta (46) Puerto Vallarta & Guadalajara 2010 (24) Puerto Vallarta 2012 (8) Puerto Vallarta 2013 (8) Puerto Vallarta 2023 (12) PVR (14) QR Code (7) quarantine (10) Quay (30) Queen Victoria (14) Queen's Park (97) quotations (150) Qurna Market (7) Ranger (59) RC vehicles (9) relaxing (27) review (55) Riga (3) road trip (106) robovac (1) Royal City Mall (29) Royal City Star (10) Royal Columbian Hospital (4) RSS (22) Russia (2) San Francisco (19) sandals (12) Saudi Arabia (48) Scandinavian Cruise 2016 (24) scanned snapshots (18) sci-fi (23) science fiction (2) SE Asia 2013 (53) searching (16) Seattle (27) SF Pride 2018 (1) sharing (31) shaving (9) Siem Reap (11) Siem Reap 2018 (34) Sigiriya (7) Simcoe Park (3) SIN-BKK 2024 (20) Singapore (5) SkyTrain (45) smartphone (117) social networking (141) software (64) soursop (6) South Eastern Europe Trip 2025 (4) Southwest Road Trip (8) souvenirs (18) Sri Lanka (121) Sri Lanka 2004 (54) Sri Lanka 2006 (29) Sri Lanka 2009 (35) Sri Lanka 2012/13 (95) Sri Lanka 2019/20 (88) Sri Lanka 2021/22 (79) sri lanka 2023 (1) Sri Lanka 2023/24 (54) Sri Lankan food (90) Sri Lankan Property (20) staff (4) Stanley Park (5) stars (34) Strata BBQ (11) Street View (36) students (102) Summer Lovers (5) Sunapee (71) Surf Internet (13) Surrey (67) T&T Supermarket (18) tablets (54) Taipei (5) technology (113) TED (1) telephone (46) television (176) temple (32) Tesla (2) Təməsew̓txʷ (1) Thailand (19) Thanksgiving (13) the French Riviera 2023 (38) The Happiness Series (2) The Harbor Gameroom (16) the Maldives (1) The Wedding Weekend (6) the Wenas (29) Then and Now Images (3) thrift shop (26) Tile Trackers (3) Tim (73) Time Machine (2) Tipperary Park (53) to (1) tour (2) tourist shots (43) train (22) transit (62) travel planning (230) TRS-80 (6) Tulum (4) TuneIn (2) Tunis 2016 (6) Turkey (Country) (9) Vancouver (199) Vancouver Island (25) Vegas 2024 (5) Vietnam (9) Viking Passage Cruise 2022 (30) Villa Diletta (27) Vilnius (4) Walmart (61) Warsaw (10) Washington DC (16) weaather (1) weather (562) webcam (25) Week in Montreal 2019 (9) Weekend in Winnipeg 2022 (6) Window (1) Windows (63) winter 2014-15 (151) Winter 2015-16 (161) winter 2015-16 (planning) (17) Winter 2016-17 (planning) (16) winter 2017-18 (planning) (7) winter 2018-19 (152) winter 2018-19 (planning) (14) Winter 2019-20 (136) winter 2019-20 planning (11) winter 2020 (3) Winter 2020-2021 (159) winter 2020-21 planning (11) winter 2021-22 (113) winter 2021-22 planning (17) winter 2022 (2) winter 2022-23 (104) winter 2022-23 (planning) (9) winter 2023-24 (67) Winter 2023-24 (planning) (13) Winter 2024-25 (9) winter 2024-25 (planning) (15) World Vision (17) zip.ca (20)