The myth of an RV is that you can go anywhere and bed down wherever you end up. The reality is that you can’t go just anywhere, and bedding down is not much more comfortable or convenient than tenting.
» about 1000 wordsAirport x-rays can damage, maybe ruin film, and there's nothing more you can do about it than beg for hand inspection. » about 500 words
By way of update on my earlier post after researching options for AT&T iPhone users in Europe (with an unlocked phone), I ended up not bothering with local SIM cards in either The Netherlands or France. A savvy user should be able to find a local pay as you go SIM plan that’s less expensive […] » about 600 words
There’s uncertain talk of a European trip coming up, so I’m making nonspecific preparations for it. One of the questions I have is how to avoid hefty roaming charges from AT&T. In previous trips abroad I’d purchased overseas voice and data add-ons so I could use my iPhone. That works, up to a point. On my […] » about 400 words
I heard a story that the “Bolinas Border Patrol” removes all the signs pointing to town, so Cliffy and I had to go check it out. Border patrol or not, there are no signs, but Smiley’s bar is my kind of place. Given the story about the signs, I worried they’d be leery of outsiders, […] » about 100 words
The Woodman Institute Museum in Dover NH is famous for having a four-legged chicken, but that’s only a small example of the weirdness you’ll find inside. A big collection of snakes and bugs and bears in top hats along with other examples of taxidermy fills the first two floors. The top floor is dedicated to […] » about 100 words
All I know about Denmark is what gets imported: Legos, of course, but also a tradition of exquisitely clean and functional design. That’s why, as I prepare for my talk in Copenhagen later this week, I’m incredibly conscious of my own design and a bit jealous of Jessamyn’s outstanding use of orange.
Anyway, that’s where I’ll be all week. Any tips? Anybody up for a drink?
A long time ago somebody started the Newtons Around The World gallery, and it came to symbolize the love we Newton users had for the little device as well as our geeky pride. The trend seemed to continue with iPods Around The World, and now iLounge wants to start a gallery for the iPhone. I […] » about 300 words
That’s me on JetBlue Flight 481 to Long Beach, wearing my noise canceling headphones. Sandee saw me wanting them, so she was especially happy to make them a Christmas present to me. And, with all the flying I’ve been doing lately, I was especially happy to have them. I wanted the QuietComfort 2s not just […] » about 400 words
The Switzerland‘s Verzasca Dam is now added to the list of places I’d like to visit.
“Take a deep breath.” I did, and with it Lisa Souza, my massage practitioner at San Francisco's <a href="http://internationalorange.com/">International Orange</a>, pressed into a knot just below my shoulder blade, deep in the <em>latissimus dorsi</em>. She worked along the length of it, not as a baker kneads bread, but rather as person wringing water from a damp cloth. Each press was deliberate, powerful. I'd asked for the deep tissue treatment. Eight hours in planes from Boston (six hours to LGB, almost another two to SFO) had taken their toll, and this, I hoped, might spell relief. » about 300 words
As noted here, I’m going to WordCamp in SFO in early August.
Matt describes it as a BarCamp-style event (where “’BarCamp-style’ is a code phrase for ‘last minute’”) with “a full day of both user and developer discussion.” I’m just going for the free t-shirt, of course, but I can imagine a number of folks will get a good value out of the sessions and discussions that will likely run, especially all the developer stuff.
Also, if you’ve got some suggestions about what else I should be doing in San Fran, leave a comment or contact me with any suggestions.
| I have to thank <a href="http://stealthislibrary.com/">Caleb</a> and <a href="http://www.carolinecummins.com/">Caroline</a> for showing around town, and offer my apologies to <a href="http://quiddle.blogspot.com/">Heidi</a> and Alice, who had offered me tips and suggestions that I (again) didn't have time to follow up on. Someday I'll enjoy a <a href="http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=21958955">Stanich burger</a>; someday I'll find <a href="http://www.43places.com/places/view/310884">Rimsky-Korsakoffee</a>; heck, someday I'll even get to <a href="http://www.powells.com/">Powells</a>. » about 200 words
Iain Anderson‘s animated film, Aiport, shows even the most pedestrian of designs come to life with a bit of creativity. Elsewhere, a post at Copyfight, suggests that the availability of those symbols — their freedom from copyright and trademark restrictions — was a key factor in spurring their broad adoption, creating both the culture and […] » about 100 words
Oregon City apparently boasts one of only four municipal elevators worldwide. One hundred thirty feet tall, with an observation deck at the top, it seemed to be worth stopping for. Jason wrote in to Roadside America explaining: It began as a water-powered elevator in 1915, but was upgraded to an electric-powered elevator in 1954. It […] » about 200 words
If I didn’t like flying, or at least if I couldn’t tolerate it, I wouldn’t making my third distant trip in as many months. And though I know many others spend a whole lot more time in planes than I do, I still think Vasken has a bit of a point in the following: I […] » about 200 words
You won’t get your salad dressing on the side in San Antonio. I don’t know what it says about a place, but in New England it’s so common I never learned to ask for it on the side, it just happens. Not so in San Antonio. You’ll also have trouble finding a place to eat […] » about 400 words
What didn’t work out because of our problems with the hotel was our drive to Barstow to see Sandee’s friend Joanne.
I don’t know much about the town, but Wikipedia told me to look out for the original Del Taco, Rainbow Basin Natural Area (site not loading now, try this instead), Calico Ghost Town, and the old Solar One solar energy generating experiment. Along the road, however, is the the World’s Tallest Thermometer, in Baker, California.
Karen has the smart-sexy-funny thing going on, but that doesn’t stop her from eating donut after donut or beating Will and me in every white-knuckled kart race we ran last weekend. Drivers sit only an inch or two off the ground in karts that are said to go 40 miles an hour. Eight minute races […] » about 200 words
Dick Porter, of Onset MA, has been building his collection of over 5000 thermometers since the mid-80s, though the collection has nearly doubled since 1998 when it was just over 3000. He calls it the world’s largest and only thermometer museum. He’s certainly passionate about them, and he’s been an invited speaker at more than […] » about 300 words
My old passport is expired and my wife has never had a passport, so I had to look this up. Fortunately, the US State Department has a pretty good website for it. There are rules of course, especially for first-timers or expired passport holders. You’ll have to fill out a DS11 application form and bring […] » about 200 words
BostonNoise.org says “Jacques’ Cabaret is Boston’s oldest gay bar. The upstairs features live female impersonator shows five nights per week, including weekends. The downstairs basement is open only on Friday and Saturday, and hosts local bands.” Jacque’s official website shows Norell Gardner & his cast of miss-leading ladies playing every Friday and Saturday upstairs. The […] » about 400 words