Ah the connected world of being an attorney. I recall my old firm being quite amazed and I think upset when I went to an island that had only rotary phones which meant I could not check in–a point that I loved as it meant I could enjoy my vacation. I also loved that one could not use a phone or PDA on a plane. Some friends admit that travel for work is one of the few times they can ditch the always connected, Borg-like life of a firm attorney. Of course not just attorneys suffer from this obsessive behavior. I remember tech folks being as bad if not worse, and I think there was a ranch in Montana (or some other ranch-filled state) where one had to check communication devices to ensure one did not fall off the wagon and madly try and catch up with email. Well, the New York Times reports that the EU has approved cell phone and PDA use on airlines as of September. Thus a small slice of peace dies and attorneys will now be asked “What do you mean you couldn’t check messages?” unless they go to ranches in Montana.