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I'm sitting beside the pool at our hotel, waiting for my breakfast. We've had a busy couple of days at CTIA. In fact I have seen little to nothing of the local nightlife (I went to bed last night before eleven).
However I did go to the local House of Blues to listen to some live music Tuesday night. I left there around midnight intending to go straight to bed, but on the way I passed an elevator with a door guard and a line. Above the elevator was a sign reading 'House of Blues Foundation Club'. Curious I asked the door guard (who had just turned away two groups of people) what that was about and he explained that it was a private club. You can only get in if you are a member or a guest of that hotel.
I asked if being a guest of a different hotel that was part of the same building worked. It did! In fact, my hotel was actually a better choice because it had guests who were less likely to be riff-raff or some such.
So I was ushered past the unwashed masses and rode the elevator up to the roof of the building; where I found myself one of the most over-decorated bars I have ever seen. There I got myself a thirty dollar glass of scotch (MacCallan 18) and went out to the balcony to smoke a cigar and enjoy an amazing view...
However I did go to the local House of Blues to listen to some live music Tuesday night. I left there around midnight intending to go straight to bed, but on the way I passed an elevator with a door guard and a line. Above the elevator was a sign reading 'House of Blues Foundation Club'. Curious I asked the door guard (who had just turned away two groups of people) what that was about and he explained that it was a private club. You can only get in if you are a member or a guest of that hotel.
I asked if being a guest of a different hotel that was part of the same building worked. It did! In fact, my hotel was actually a better choice because it had guests who were less likely to be riff-raff or some such.
So I was ushered past the unwashed masses and rode the elevator up to the roof of the building; where I found myself one of the most over-decorated bars I have ever seen. There I got myself a thirty dollar glass of scotch (MacCallan 18) and went out to the balcony to smoke a cigar and enjoy an amazing view...
Going to the Worldcon?
I have reserved a room at the Denver Hyatt (one of the convention hotels) for five nights from August 5th to 10th. It is relatively expensive with tax and all, so I am looking to share. Currently we have myself (I sleep in a chair, so I don't use a bed) and my nephew in a double-bed room. It should be easy to add one or two more.
If you don't have a room yet, and have suddenly realized you actually do want to sleep during Denvention, please respond with a comment here!
I have reserved a room at the Denver Hyatt (one of the convention hotels) for five nights from August 5th to 10th. It is relatively expensive with tax and all, so I am looking to share. Currently we have myself (I sleep in a chair, so I don't use a bed) and my nephew in a double-bed room. It should be easy to add one or two more.
If you don't have a room yet, and have suddenly realized you actually do want to sleep during Denvention, please respond with a comment here!
Yeah, on my way to Austria again; leaving tomorrow afternoon. Long story that ends with a short notice business trip for ten days. This is my third working visit there, including a trip with Anita for two weeks in England and Austria (with me working five days of it).
Like most business trips this will be less fun than it sounds like. You don't want to waste your time on-site when your company (or even your customer -- as in this case) is paying for it, so there's little time for sight-seeing. Of course there is good beer and pretty damn fine food and the girls are pretty. But you can say the same thing about Seattle. Plus we have better coffee, even if Vienna is the place where the ghod's brew first became a part of western culture.
Still I have come to like Austria and its people. If I was more inclined to work on my sucky German I suppose I would enjoy it even more. Maybe I'm not quite ready to invest in a pair of leather shorts and learn to yodel, but I do want to see more of the country someday. And I would be looking forward to this trip if there had been more time to prepare.
If only I didn't have to spend so much time trapped in an aluminum can full of people in order to get there and back...
Like most business trips this will be less fun than it sounds like. You don't want to waste your time on-site when your company (or even your customer -- as in this case) is paying for it, so there's little time for sight-seeing. Of course there is good beer and pretty damn fine food and the girls are pretty. But you can say the same thing about Seattle. Plus we have better coffee, even if Vienna is the place where the ghod's brew first became a part of western culture.
Still I have come to like Austria and its people. If I was more inclined to work on my sucky German I suppose I would enjoy it even more. Maybe I'm not quite ready to invest in a pair of leather shorts and learn to yodel, but I do want to see more of the country someday. And I would be looking forward to this trip if there had been more time to prepare.
If only I didn't have to spend so much time trapped in an aluminum can full of people in order to get there and back...
Well, all good things must come to an end and this one will soon end with me returning to Detroit metro airport to catch a flight home. Penguicon was fun! But I will be glad to sleep in my own recliner tonight...
I didn't attend a great deal of programming, but what I saw was mostly pretty good. (The exception was a panel on intelligence enhancement which included Vernor Vinge, but consisted almost entirely of two guys I didn't know arguing. On the other hand I played some computer games, met up with old and new friends, attended some good parties, saw some good anime, and ate several bowls of liquid nitrogen ice cream.
The highlights of the con were the giant singing tesla coils and talking to Vernor Vinge for an hour or so over scotch in the Confusion party. Plus I liked the Pirate Party, which consisted of a fake boat they would push up to other parties and use to 'board' them. (An idea I would love to steal for Vikingcon/Valhallacon, except we would 'invade and pillage'.) All told I am glad I came and hope to do so again.
I didn't attend a great deal of programming, but what I saw was mostly pretty good. (The exception was a panel on intelligence enhancement which included Vernor Vinge, but consisted almost entirely of two guys I didn't know arguing. On the other hand I played some computer games, met up with old and new friends, attended some good parties, saw some good anime, and ate several bowls of liquid nitrogen ice cream.
The highlights of the con were the giant singing tesla coils and talking to Vernor Vinge for an hour or so over scotch in the Confusion party. Plus I liked the Pirate Party, which consisted of a fake boat they would push up to other parties and use to 'board' them. (An idea I would love to steal for Vikingcon/Valhallacon, except we would 'invade and pillage'.) All told I am glad I came and hope to do so again.
I am at Seatac airport right now, waiting for my flight. Doing some work stuff near Detroit, then Penguicon for the weekend.
ETA: I am at my hotel in Troy MI now, tired as hell and cringing at the thought of getting up in less than five hours (seven o'clock local time). Tomorrow work at a client site. Friday morning? Maybe some more work, but there is a chance I won't have anything I need to do; in which case I will maybe head over to the Henry Ford Museum, a place Anita and I visited for a quick look-around when she came out here back in 2003.
ETA: I am at my hotel in Troy MI now, tired as hell and cringing at the thought of getting up in less than five hours (seven o'clock local time). Tomorrow work at a client site. Friday morning? Maybe some more work, but there is a chance I won't have anything I need to do; in which case I will maybe head over to the Henry Ford Museum, a place Anita and I visited for a quick look-around when she came out here back in 2003.
We made it. All checked in and even have enough energy for a little exploring!
Time for a late dinner at Queen's Square. An excellent Thai place called Keawjal.
Time for a late dinner at Queen's Square. An excellent Thai place called Keawjal.
Typing this at the Internet Kiosk at Narita airport. Local time is around 5:50 PM.
Bus to Yokohama soon.
Bus to Yokohama soon.
Here is my gadget bag, with only the things I am taking on the Japan trip (so this represents a subset of the usual gadget load).
Top row: Quality paper notebook, miniature 100v power inverter with car and airplane connectors, USB adapter set, noise canceling headphones, portable speakers, cheap notebook.
Middle row: Memory card holder, wifi finder, 4gb USB drive, more USB adapters, Airport Express, iPhone accessories.
Bottom row: Memory card reader, bluetooth headset and charger, iPhone.
Still in bag: Small MP3 player, extra headphones, pens, reading glasses, laser pointer.
(For a larger view, click on the picture. Click again for even bigger.)
Top row: Quality paper notebook, miniature 100v power inverter with car and airplane connectors, USB adapter set, noise canceling headphones, portable speakers, cheap notebook.
Middle row: Memory card holder, wifi finder, 4gb USB drive, more USB adapters, Airport Express, iPhone accessories.
Bottom row: Memory card reader, bluetooth headset and charger, iPhone.
Still in bag: Small MP3 player, extra headphones, pens, reading glasses, laser pointer.
(For a larger view, click on the picture. Click again for even bigger.)
About 10 hours from my writing this Anita and I will be leaving these shores for Japan. We are going for the World SF Convention in Yokohama (first time for Japan) and a week of general tourism after.
Our itinerary:
In Kyoto we will stay in a Minshuku Ryokan; not quite the full traditional Ryokan experience, but certainly not a Western hotel. In Tokyo on the return leg we will stay in a hotel modeled after modern Japanese apartments, with a kitchen and even a Washer/Dryer. During our tourism days we plan on mixing one or two morning guided tours with a lot of self-guided wandering around, hopefully including a few sights not on the usual tourist itinerary. For example, if possible on the second Sunday there I want to go to the bridge at Harajuku where Cosplayers hang out to have their pictures taken.
While in Japan we plan on updating our blogs and uploading tons of images to our Flickr streams. (Mine, Anita's.) So you can follow along from home if you want to.
We have also rented a cell phone in Japan which has a local USA number. Japan number is 090-3696-6909. USA number is 213-412-3978.
See you on the flip side!
Our itinerary:
- Tue Aug 28: Depart Seattle
- Wed Aug 29: Arrive and check into the InterContinental Grand Yokohama hotel
- Thu Aug 30 to Mon Sep 3: World SF Convention with some Yokohama tourism and a possible day trip to Kamakura
- Tue Sep 4: Explore Tokyo
- Wed Sep 5: Travel to Kyoto
- Thu Sep 6 to Fri Sep 7: Explore Kyoto
- Sat Sep 8: Travel back to Tokyo
- Sun Sep 9 to Mon Sep 10: Day trips from Tokyo (Nikko) and more Tokyo tourism
- Tue Sep 11: Travel back to Seattle, arriving before we leave thanks to the magic of the International date line
In Kyoto we will stay in a Minshuku Ryokan; not quite the full traditional Ryokan experience, but certainly not a Western hotel. In Tokyo on the return leg we will stay in a hotel modeled after modern Japanese apartments, with a kitchen and even a Washer/Dryer. During our tourism days we plan on mixing one or two morning guided tours with a lot of self-guided wandering around, hopefully including a few sights not on the usual tourist itinerary. For example, if possible on the second Sunday there I want to go to the bridge at Harajuku where Cosplayers hang out to have their pictures taken.
While in Japan we plan on updating our blogs and uploading tons of images to our Flickr streams. (Mine, Anita's.) So you can follow along from home if you want to.
We have also rented a cell phone in Japan which has a local USA number. Japan number is 090-3696-6909. USA number is 213-412-3978.
See you on the flip side!
(Meta: Yeah yeah, I haven't posted anything in a while. Usual thing; I've been busy. Working. Seattle Mindcamp (where I lead three sessions). Orycon (where I was on programming). Life in general. You name it. What can I say? This is basically an unpaid writing gig for me, albeit one I've chosen for myself, and sometimes it drops to the bottom of the list for short, and long, periods of time...)
I remember when I first got a cellphone; it was more than 12 years ago. One of the first calls I made was from the supermarket, as I was walking along looking for something. I don't know what I was calling about, what I said, or what I was looking for. But I clearly remember the strange feeling I had as I made a mundane phone call from in front of the dairy section in a mundane grocery store; two experiences I had never placed together in my mind until right that moment.
That moment was special, because it was a step into the future. And I could distinctly feel exactly how special it was. We all have these experiences, a kind of reverse deja-vu. Call it nueva-vu: The sudden knowledge that you are somewhere doing something you have never done before, but that you will continue to do until it becomes an everyday experience and you stop noticing. Even though it will change you, or your life, in some significant fashion.
Do you remember the first time you used a computer to do something interesting? The first time you saw a web browser? The first time you watched a DVD? If you are older you might remember the first time you saw color television or a manned space launch. Unless you are particularly insensitive each of those experiences would have been accompanied by that particular frisson of which I speak. The awareness that you have moved from the past into the future in some small way. Just think, only a few hundred years ago people might get this feeling once, maybe twice, in a lifetime. Yet for us nueva-vu is something we might experience monthly, or even weekly. As new technologies come into our lives more and more rapidly even nueva-vu will become mundane and unremarkable. But until then it remains a bit of a thrill.
I'm having a nueva-vu experience right now. I am writing this in the cabin of an airplane, on my way back to Seattle from a business trip to Austria. In just a moment I am going to press the "Post Entry" button and it will appear on the Internet for you to read. Why? Because this aircraft has Wireless Internet service. In my bag is a PDA, which is also a cell phone. I use it to make phone calls, and also to check my email. To check the traffic across the floating bridges of Lake Washington, and also to Google information about a subject my dinner group is discussing in a restaurant. This PDA/Cell works as well in Europe as it works at home in Seattle.
But it doesn't work on an airplane at 35,000 feet over the Atlantic. Yet I am still connected. Welcome to the future: Now you can be connected anywhere, at anytime. Let me assure you, knowing this intellectually is nothing like the gut feeling of doing it the first time...
I remember when I first got a cellphone; it was more than 12 years ago. One of the first calls I made was from the supermarket, as I was walking along looking for something. I don't know what I was calling about, what I said, or what I was looking for. But I clearly remember the strange feeling I had as I made a mundane phone call from in front of the dairy section in a mundane grocery store; two experiences I had never placed together in my mind until right that moment.
That moment was special, because it was a step into the future. And I could distinctly feel exactly how special it was. We all have these experiences, a kind of reverse deja-vu. Call it nueva-vu: The sudden knowledge that you are somewhere doing something you have never done before, but that you will continue to do until it becomes an everyday experience and you stop noticing. Even though it will change you, or your life, in some significant fashion.
Do you remember the first time you used a computer to do something interesting? The first time you saw a web browser? The first time you watched a DVD? If you are older you might remember the first time you saw color television or a manned space launch. Unless you are particularly insensitive each of those experiences would have been accompanied by that particular frisson of which I speak. The awareness that you have moved from the past into the future in some small way. Just think, only a few hundred years ago people might get this feeling once, maybe twice, in a lifetime. Yet for us nueva-vu is something we might experience monthly, or even weekly. As new technologies come into our lives more and more rapidly even nueva-vu will become mundane and unremarkable. But until then it remains a bit of a thrill.
I'm having a nueva-vu experience right now. I am writing this in the cabin of an airplane, on my way back to Seattle from a business trip to Austria. In just a moment I am going to press the "Post Entry" button and it will appear on the Internet for you to read. Why? Because this aircraft has Wireless Internet service. In my bag is a PDA, which is also a cell phone. I use it to make phone calls, and also to check my email. To check the traffic across the floating bridges of Lake Washington, and also to Google information about a subject my dinner group is discussing in a restaurant. This PDA/Cell works as well in Europe as it works at home in Seattle.
But it doesn't work on an airplane at 35,000 feet over the Atlantic. Yet I am still connected. Welcome to the future: Now you can be connected anywhere, at anytime. Let me assure you, knowing this intellectually is nothing like the gut feeling of doing it the first time...
