Times have changed and most of us, including kids, have become pretty demanding. If you are a frequent traveler, you’ll probably be fed up with watching the same movie for the third time (or Beethoven’s Third for the first time).

So, in this list of gadgets, here are some high-tech ways to pass the time.

As ’80s high-tops and slim jeans parade their way into contemporary fashion, it’s throwbacks to the prior decade that are surfacing in the design and architecture of L.A.’s nightlife venues.

Maybe it’s only a coincidence that problems we have on our hands now—an oil crisis and a lengthy war—are the same ones we faced three decades ago, but several bars and clubs are making it clear: The ’70s are back.

Looking at a range of trends, it’s amazing to see how much business travel has changed since 1990.

Back then, using a laptop in-flight was such a rare novelty that it involved fending off questions and comments from flight attendants and passengers.

There were no automated check-in kiosks, or even electronic tickets. Every passenger got a complimentary meal.

Nowadays…….

American Airlines told web sites like Kayak, Sidestep, Orbitz and Cheaptickets, which allow users to compare airfares for the different airlines and then purchase the tickets, that they could no longer sell AA tickets

As the dire finances of the airline industry force carriers to find ways of charging for what once were free services, in-flight WiFi offers an appealing alternative: charge for something new that didn’t have a precedent of being free.

After a number of US carriers announced plans to offer the service on specific aircraft models, Delta Airlines has decided it wasn’t interested in these half-measures.

By next year, it plans to have every aircraft in its domestic fleet fitted with hardware to allow in-flight WiFi access.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) set a goal of creating a zero-emissions airplane within 50 years. The European Union plans to implement an emissions cap and trading system for airlines by 2012.

But what are the airlines doing today? Seatguru has rounded up the most eco-friendly airlines and aircraft.

Let it never be said that Americans aren’t a generous or charitable people. In fact, the most comprehensive research on U.S. volunteering ever assembled has just been released, and the numbers are encouraging — particularly given the soft economy and an uncertain global future.

Yesterday, the results of the Volunteering in America report were unveiled, based on six years of data, by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the USA Freedom Corps

Though Chicagoans may grow weary of mind-numbing traffic jams, a lumbering mass transit system and outbreaks of neighborhood violence, deep down they are apparently quite fond of their city—fonder, in fact, than the denizens of much flashier global icons, including London, New York, Paris and Tokyo.

The Windy City, which is chasing its dream of global recognition by pursuing the 2016 Olympics, will get another arrow in its quiver Tuesday when it is announced that it trounced 13 other cities worldwide in a survey of resident satisfaction.

In these tough economic times, there’s a new type of summer camp for kids.

Forget archery and swimming. No kumbaya here. Instead, talk of stock portfolios and credit card debt are de rigueur.

Jasmine is one of a growing number of children — many of whom are still in grade school — who take summertime lessons in personal finance at so-called “finance camps.” Many of the camps have three- to six-day courses that range in price from $150 to $350 for children from grade-school age to high school.

From the Washington Independent:

“The steep hike in gas and energy prices has created a national debate about the future of American metropolitan areas — mostly about the reputed decline of suburbs and edge cities dependent on cars. But with all this focus on the troubles of traditional suburbs, one big story is overlooked: the rapid rise of America’s energy-producing metropolitan areas.”