Category — Travel

Wow, now THAT is some driving!

Now, if only all Romans drove that way…  My memories of driving in Rome are close to nightmares.  I clearly remember driving to a train station and following the signs.  I pulled up to one intersection and the sign for the “Stazione” had arrows pointing BOTH left AND right!   WTF???  Maybe that’s why the trains in Italy are never on time anyway – to give you extra time to find the dang place!  hehe

Enjoy the video!

Well, I did indeed make a million miles, as predicted, somewhere over the Atlantic.  No, there was no party for me – just a rather nasty seat tease, as the nice folks in Zurich did a song and dance about getting me a nice seat with an empty one next to me.  They said they had pulled it off, which was great, because it was a 12 hour flight – but then someone came and sat next to me.  I don’t know if he was messed up in his seating, or if the Zurich folks were confused, or if something just changed, but that was a really nasty tease.  I do have to say that the people there were very kind, so I’m assuming something unexpected happened.

Anyway, thank you American for One Million Miles of carting my sore tush around this great big world of ours.

Hey folks,

Sorry for the lapse there – been travelling a bunch and am just starting to get caught up with things!

Saw Kevin James when I was in Vegas – you know, the guy from The King of Queens?  Man, was he funny…  I’d love to tell you all the jokes, but as is typical of me coming out of a show like that, I can’t remember a darn thing that he said.  All I know is that I laughed my tush off for nearly 2 hours…  If you ever have the opportunity to see him, I’d highly recommend it.

I also learned that Rita Rudner is closing her show – she’s been performing at the NY, NY for some time now.  I’ve never particularly been a big fan, but now feel like I should see it before it closes.  Highly unlikely, but still…

Also, I finally got to take a trip out to the Hoover Dam, which was a real treat.  I’ll be posting some pictures shortly.  A truly amazing structure!

well, I’m back in Las Vegas again – I know, poor me, right? Hey, believe it or not, it can get old, really quick… This is my second week here this year already.

Anyway, I’m exhibiting at IBM PartnerWorld, a tradeshow for IBM employees, partners and customers to (and I quote) “Innovate – Collaborate – Grow”. Hopefully I’ll be posting some info from the show floor soon – lots of neat products and technology to talk about – but there’s 6500 people here, and talking to them all takes a long time!
For now, if you missed it, sneak a peek at my take on Vegas. I’ll try to come up with a few more, as it will keep me away from the nasty man at the blackjack table. And the craps table, and the poker table, and the…

Well, anyway, you get the idea.

Some interesting information being discussed on Ars Technica about the potential interference of cell phones with important aircraft equipment.  A new study says that there may indeed be cause to worry.  An interesting read to be sure, but I think it misses the point entirely.

The article doesn’t talk at all about one piece of equipment that the cell phones would absolutely interfere with – ME.

I’m a frequent flyer – about 100K miles a year and 923K+ miloes over the last 7 years on one airline alone. I’m also a very frequent cell phone user – my plan is well over 1000 min a month, and one month a few years ago I actually used almost 3K minutes – that’s more than 40 hours in one month!  Now, do I say that to try and point out how hip and with it I am?  Goodness no.  It’s pathetic.  I hate my cell phone (when using it as a phone) and airline status is just a badge of stupidity showing that you let other people send you places they don’t want to go WAY too often.  I say this to establish the fact that I know flying and I know cell phones.

AND, I know that mixing the two would really suck.

I loath the idea of making them useable on a plane.  Can you imagine 300 people jammed into close quarters yakking on these things?  You can hardly hear anything on a cell phone anyway, let alone competing with the engine noise of a 767.  It would quickly degrade into each person trying to yell over the engines and each other while they make their calls.  What about during the night flights, when the lights are out and people should be sleeping – would you have a cell phone curfew?  That’s just silly…

Cell phones are a necessary evil of today’s business world.  They are also a great way to keep in touch with friends and loved ones.  BUT, they are not required in absolutely every moment of our lives.  Very few people are so important that they absolutely need to be in touch every single moment of the day.  And the people that are that important have their own damn planes and can do whatever they want in them.  If you really need to be in touch that badly, maybe you shouldn’t be on a plane?  Just a thought…

Anyway, my point is this – who cares about the technical aspect when the human aspect is so completely negative?  I literally don’t know a single person that thinks that this is a good idea.  The only reason I can see to make this kind of scientific research is to allow for broadband internet access.  At least that is a quiet technology that can provide entertainment as well as productivity.  BUT – you don’t need rampant wireless connections for that – you could easily put a plug in each seat, or in selective seats, like they do with the power outlets.  You’d need the internet tap to be wireless, but that has already been addressed, as we can see with Lufthansa and a few others.  I just don’t think that there is enough demand to warrant the kind of investment that broadband access would require – let’s not forget that most airlines are cutting out all of the extra frills, including that second little bag of peanuts that you crave so much. 

Here’s hoping that you won’t be able to “hear me now”…

Las Vegas is a “love it” or “hate it” sort of place. I’ve only met a handful of people who were indifferent to Her Charms or Harms. I personally fall into the “love it” category. Its not that I don’t see the terrible things that go on here, its that I believe that the good ultimately outweighs the bad. If you have a little self control, Sin City isn’t any worse than your home town, but chances are that its a heck of a lot more fun…

But, I digress.

For the record, I’m no Vegas expert – but I have spent a fair amount of time here over the last few years – 6 or 7 weeks over 8 or 9 trips – and my latest trip has inspired me to write what I’m calling “The Odds of Las Vegas”. I’m not talking gambling odds, but rather things that are odd, weird, ironic or just plain wacky. There’s a lot of them to mention, so I’ll get right to it…

• Sin City apparently has more churches per square mile than any other city in the US.
• For a place that is arguably the ‘Convention Capital of the World’, Vegas is very unconventional.
• Here, Strip Clubs aren’t on The Strip at all.
• For a place so completely situated around 1 stretch of road, it is nearly impossible to drive anywhere.
• While most things here are extremely expensive, Valet parking is free.
• The dealers actually want YOU to win.
• Some people will bitch about the $200 they lost over a weekend at the tables yet they will pay $100 a seat for 90 minutes of watching weird French circus freaks in oddly adorned catsuits do highly unnatural things with their bodies right in plain view for everyone to see.
• Others will rationalize betting cumulative thousands of dollars because they were ‘comped’ a $100 room for two nights.
• For a place where “companionship” can be bought for less than 1 spin of the wheels on a High Limit Slot, it’s surprisingly lonely here without friends to keep you company.
• The statement “I was at the crap table all day” doesn’t even raise an eyebrow.
• Speaking of crap, the demand for watching French circus freaks is SO high here that three theaters of the stuff with multiple showings each are regularly sold out for days at a time.
• The statement “Big nick on a 2-way yo” actually means something.
• You can make “Blackjack” with two red cards, neither of which is a Jack.
• The vodka tonic that was just delivered to you for free by a pretty lady in a bathing suit and fishnets would cost you $12 if you were to get up and get it yourself.
• New York, Paris, Venice, Tokyo, Cairo and Fiji are all within walking distance of each other.
• The Wynn Collection is a single hotel.
• Did I mention the French circus freaks? I’m one of the people who wants to see them – AGAIN.
• Walking from your hotel to a place “across the street” can take you a half hour and cover more than 3 miles of actual distance walked point to point.

And, the oddest thing about Las Vegas?

• The best Caesar Salad in town is made in a Chinese restaurant