The marine environment, where salty water is in abundance, is not the first place a person would want to bring delicate electrical equipment, where a single drop could wreak havoc on its internal workings. Yet, modern sea vessels, from pleasure craft to oil tankers to the navy, are stuffed full of marine electronics Juneau is no exception. This can mean anything from the cook's mobile phone to the captain's video games and the sophisticated black boxes that tell everybody on board where they are and when to respond to a distress call.

The transition over to satellite navigation from conventional paper charts is occurring as we speak. Navigation may be defined as any task that involves finding out an object's direction and position. This applies as much to campers at Yellowstone as it does to astronauts in space. Unfortunately, a conventional SatNav system as used terrestrially cannot be used at sea, where there are no traffic lights.

While it would seem a difficult task to get a cell signal out at sea, a new gadget has been invented that enables precisely that. This is called a SatSleeve and it is designed to allow fluid communications from land to sea. It is capable of receiving vocal communications as well as text messages and can even allow the user to connect to the Internet.

Another new technological development that is sure to capture the hearts of all types of mariners, from sailors to crews on cruise ships. This is the bendable television set. It is extremely flexible, so can be molded into close quarters and rolled up and stowed when the soaps have finished.

Modern technology is also being harnessed to keep the hulls of boats squeaky clean from foul bacteria who make the surfaces slimy and disgusting. Ultrasonic waves create vibrations that the bacteria find inhospitable. Several devices placed inside a hull can be connected to a control panel and power supply. That's one less chore for the dry dock team.

Situated in the Alaskan panhandle on the Gastineau Channel, Juneau has been the capital of the State of Alaska since 1906, when the local government of what was then the District of Alaska voted to move it from Sitka, under the orders of the United States Congress. Juneau is named after Joe Juneau, a gold prospector, although it had also been known as Harrisburg (after Joe's business partner) and Rockwell.

The climate in Juneau is surprisingly mild, considering its location in frigid Alaska. Because of its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, which has a high heat capacity, the lowest average temperature in the dead of winter, January, is around -5 degrees Centigrade. In the summer time, the blazing heat remains a comfortable 18.5 degrees Centigrade, even in the torrid month of July.

Juneau is the largest city and borough in the country. As of the last census, the population was just over 32,000 people. It is located in the same time zone, Pacific Time, as California, Oregon and Washington. The city is served by 13 elementary, middle and high schools. There is also a home schooling program in addition to several private schools. Juneau is also home to the University of Alaska Southeast.