Week in Seattle - Followed by a LONG FLIGHT

I spent last week in Seattle - well actually in Tukwila, down by the SeaTac airport.

The facility was quite nice, and comfortable. The classroom was right on-site and the service at the Homewood Suites more than expected. Some cities have higher rental car rates than others... and some airports have on-site rentals and off-site rentals. Since I arrived late in Seattle last Sunday... I just took the hotel shuttle and didn't rent a car. Then each day during the week when I thought of renting a car so I could do something after class at night... the $75 per day charge just didn't justify it.

So a week in Seattle and NO KING WHA... boo hoo... I just couldn't justify the cost. (And a taxi from my hotel to King Wha and back was just about as bad.)

I did get to go over to the Southcenter Mall food court one night while the 'Twilight'-mania was going on. Hundreds of teenage girls (as well as a lot of their mothers) were dressed in Twilight-branded clothing fawning over the actors from the show (I guess 'Jacob' was in town)On Wednesday Ken/Cathy and Debbie/Craig came down and took me out to dinner! Thanks... it was nice to visit with you all again!

Friday after an 'early-out' one of the students was kind enough to drop me off at the Airport and I took a flight to San Francisco. This was to have an hour and a half layover... time to recharge my electronics, get a bite to eat, and leisurely go over to the International Terminal in SFO. But that was not to be. Our flight down from SEA to SFO was delayed and after 'running' through the airport (I know, that's a disturbing visual image) I barely made the flight to Auckland (and had a terrible seat assignment for the nasty 14 1/2 hour flight)The hotel was sold out the Saturday night before my Sunday morning arrival, so they weren't able to put me directly into a room when I arrived at 6:30am... but gratefully some folks were continuing on a tour and checked out early... so by 8:30am I was back in a nice bed taking a nap to get my body 're-sync'd' to New Zealand time.This afternoon I took a walk around the 'North Shore' area across the bay from Auckland and even got to walk on the Takapuna beach and watch the wind surfers and kite surfers.
Here are some pictures from the area around the hotel and the view of Auckland from my room on the 19th floor of the 'Spencer on Byron' hotel - this is on the 'North Shore' of Auckland.I should be all ready to go for class here starting tomorrow.

Travel Ideas - Suggestions?

Here are some travel ideas I've been 'kicking around' - any comments or suggestions?

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Travel Ideas
Plan on One Trip per year

Paris London Trip - 2008
Paris
London

World Trip Plans - 2009
Pompeii
Venice, Italy
Istanbul, Turkey
Athens, Greece
Petra, Jordan
Jerusalem, Israel
Masada
Dead Sea
Great Pyramids of Giza
Cairo, Egypt
Cruise on the Nile
Taj Mahal, India
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Visit Hong Kong
Three Gorges/Yangtze River Cruise
Terracotta Warriors
Forbidden City
Great Wall of China

Pickup Brent Trip - 2010
Machu Picchu
Rio
Christ Statue
Sao Paulo

Panama Cruise
Panama
Costa Rica
Honduras
Tikal

Alaska Cruise
Alaska
Canada

Utah National Parks Trip
Mesa Verde
Four Corners
Visit All the National Parks

Finish 50 States Trip
South Dakota
North Dakota

British Isles Trip
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
Ireland

Return to Morocco Trip
Alhambra, Spain
Gibraltar
Morocco
Kenitra
Rabat
Casablanca

Antarctica Cruise
Argentina
Falkland Islands
Patagonia
Antarctica
Chile
Uruguay

Baltic Train Trip
Finland
Russia
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Belarus
Ukraine

Danube Cruise
Eastern Europe Countries

Africa
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Victoria Falls
Photo Safari

My 'Life List'

After doing that 'Tag' for my blog, it made me think about the things I'd like to do with the remainder of my life.

Here's my first pass. I had a couple of these already in my computer for my travel list... but I updated it and put in the things that I think are possible.

Please give me your input on things you think I might want to add to this list.

Thanks,

Keith

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Keith Parsons – Life List

Do These Things

• See a total eclipse of the Sun - Faroe Islands - 2015
• Go Sky diving or Para sailing
• Raft the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon
• See a Volcano Erupting
• Spend a Christmas in New York City
• Drive along Route 66
• African Photo Safari
• Float in the Dead Sea
• See the Northern lights

Visit These Places

• All 50 States – Still need S.D., N.D., Alaska, WV
• 100 Countries – Still need 45 more
• All 7 continents – Still need Antarctica
• All National Parks in Utah

1. Acropolis in Athens
2. Angkor Wat in Cambodia
3. Antarctica
4. Eiffel Tower in Paris
5. Great Wall of China
6. Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
7. Jerusalem in Israel
8. Machu Picchu
9. Mesa Verde
10. Mount Kilimanjaro
11. Panama Canal
12. Petra in Jordan
13. Pyramids of Giza in Egypt
14. Ruins of Pompeii
15. Statue of Christ in Rio
16. Taj Mahal
17. Terracotta Warriors
18. The Louvre
19. Three Gorges/ Yangtze River
20. Tower of London
21. Venice
22. Victoria Falls

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Life To-Do List Tag

Bold the things you've done:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (rappelled count?)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (not allowed since 9/11)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort (and slept in many snow caves as well)
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone swimming in the ocean at night
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (wasn't much...)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (caricature)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (Bottom count?)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (bought them count?)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (and given)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (doh!)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (yech!)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (well the wife has...)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (and I live here... embarassing!)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

85 - not bad...

Don't Lose Your Suitcase!

I know the title of this blog is obvious... but someone at Delta Airlines didn't heed it this past week.

I was on a flight from SLC to Detroit with three checked bags, my suitcase, and two pelican cases with course and classroom materials.

The two non-essential cases arrived and my personal suitcase did not. Big deal, flying over 150,000 miles this year and to finally have a 'lost' bag wasn't much of a deal...

The nice lady at the Delta baggage claim office in Detroit looked it up on the computer and my bag's bar-code scan was last seen in SLC - and they'd put it on the next flight via Atlanta and it should be at my hotel by 11:00pm. (this happens occasionally to me, perhaps one out of fifty flights)

When it wasn't delivered to the hotel room in the morning I got a bit worried. Called and checked online - but to no avail.

It still hasn't been tracked down yet! After five days I can charge Delta for a Lost Bag.

So I don't recommend you try this any time when you travel. Not too fun. But, if you have a credit card, and shopping near by you can do pretty good. A Jos. A Banks and CVS across the street got me by this week. (That and an emergency care package from Ryan).

So my recommendation:
Take along whatever medicines and a spare change of underwear and socks in your carry-on - Now I'll start doing that...

I was amazed at how much value was in my 'small' version of a traveling suitcase. Here is the list of what the Delta is supposed to reimburse me for. I didn't even carry a couple of laptops or projector with me on this trip!
Just as a reminder - Airlines in the US only reimburse up to $3,000 per bag. I thought I was way off on that figure. But be warned. It doesn't take all that much to be above the limit. If you are over limit you can get 'extra' coverage from your Airline (before you fly).

Always have pen and paper!

Ok, this will be the start of a series of blog entries about my recommendations based on years of business travel. This first one will be on 'Always have a pen and paper!'

I've been one to carry a pen with me... all the time... for many years now. This habit has been quite helpful in many ways. It comes in quite handy to have your own pen, to sign receipts, fill out customs documents, and the most important... to take NOTES!

I use a Mont Blanc with Rollerball Refill... classy, spins nicely, doesn't leak, and puts down a clean smooth black line, even works through carbons. It's not too thin, not too thick, just right.Well, what to take notes on? This has been a journey for me for many years now. I've tried small notepads, larger notebooks, Franklin Day Planners (various sizes), the backs of my business cards, etc.

My current system is to always have with me 3x5 index cards. These are always available to me to take notes, write down lists of To Do's, leave notes to students, or a wide variety of other uses. I've opted for a personalized 3x5 card from www.levenger.com with my Name, blog, and e-mail addresses. These I can give as reminders to students or friends of my contact information.

I use a grid pattern. It can be used to organize To Do lists, or draw out network diagrams, or design things. I like it.I found this article on the history and use of Index Cards... a pretty good synopsis of the ubiquitous 3x5 card!

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Dancing with Darwin:

The vanishing index card is a useful species still

Just about everyone’s heard of—and has probably used—3 x 5 cards, but where did they come from? Surprisingly, their origin dates back a thousand years. Also known as index cards, their evolution is rooted in the concept of cataloging, or indexing, key words in a book

The monks of medieval times employed a hands-on system for marking a manuscript’s key words: they would use a symbol that indicated a finger pointing to the term—that digit being the forefinger, or index finger. Index traces its roots to Latin and the concept of informer, or pointer. Its Greek forbear means to show

Eventually these pointy fingers found their way to the back of the book in the form of an index of terms

But how were books themselves being catalogued? In fits and starts, it seems, with the Alexandria Library using an alphabetical system in the third century B.C. E., but the European libraries using a peculiar rhyming system 11 centuries later. Things got better organized in the nineteenth century, and in 1820 the first card catalog appeared in a library in London

The American hero of the library index card was Melvil Dewey. He introduced his decimal classification system in the 1870s, in the library at Amherst College in western Massachusetts. The card he devised for his catalog drawers was approximately 3" x 5". The typewriter had been invented a few years earlier, and ultimately the card and the keys met and married

The Library of Congress started printing its catalog index cards in 1901. For the next eight decades or so, the library index card and its attendant cabinets would serve as the Google of their day. Nicholson Baker, in his elegiac essay on card catalogs that appeared in The New Yorker in 1994, reported that the New York Public Library harbored 10 million cards

With all these cards in libraries, perhaps it was only a matter of time before they segued into general use. Thrifty librarians primed the pump by setting out discarded cards for patrons to use for notes. Seeing the cards’ usefulness, stationers began offering blank cards for sale. Business and professional people, writers and students adopted the cards as standard tools for researching, filing and organizing information.

And then, of course, computers struck. Card cabinets in libraries were dismantled and the cards discarded. There simply wasn’t enough room anymore to capture all our knowledge on a 3" x 5" descendant of papyrus. The once ubiquitous little cards, whose origins are so closely linked to cataloging knowledge, teetered on the brink of extinction

The index card is still a handy palimpsest, the screen on which one can quickly capture first ideas, reminder notes, titles of books friends recommend, your grandmother’s recipe for pumpkin pie. Index cards, with their scratch-outs, imperfect erasures and caret insertions, jog our memory as only the tactile can

By contrast, electronic systems live a perilously finite existence. Better operating systems, application software and search engines will come along and the current hero will be banished, forgotten, trashed.

Get your digit out, the English are fond of saying—meaning, get cracking. Get your digit out—and your pen—and jot a note on an index card. It still has a place in the digital world.

“A key tip: try to limit what you write on cards to a single topic or subject, such as a grocery list on one card, a hardware list on another. For work, keep cards for different people or areas of responsibility.”

“I use a very fine-point pen to get lots of information on one card and I write neatly—most of the time.”

“I almost never write on the backs, and this saves me from always having to turn cards around to see if there is writing on the back. Occasionally, when I’m taking a bunch of notes on one topic, like during a speech, then I’ll write on the backs. But I number each card side, 1, 2, 3, which is my cue to look at the backs.”

How to thrive with the power of 3 x 5

They have been around for a century, they’re as low-tech as they come, but 3 x 5 cards can fill an exalted role among twenty-first-century thinkers. Within the realm of capturing ideas and acting on them, they fill a niche that notebooks and electronics can’t. What could be...

• simpler to use
• easier to shuffle around
• handier to keep and pull from a pocket
• more disposable—or lasting—than a simple index card?

What America's Agenda Should Be!

A cousin sent me a request to support a group... I didn't actually like their platform, but... it did make me think about what I do support.

So here is my list of what America's agenda should be.

obama? Are you listening?

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This is what I believe we should be working for.

• Say NO to bailouts
• Say yes to more coal
• Say yes to solar
• Say yes to nuclear
• Say yes to more drilling
• Say yes to natural gas
  
• Say yes to micro-power
• Say yes to wind power
• Say yes to more tar sands
• Say yes to more R&D Spending
• Say NO to welfare without work
• Say yes to a strong military
• Say yes to PEACE
• Say NO to Abortion
• Say NO to Gay Marriage
• Say yes to Line Item Veto
• Say NO to pork barrel spending
• Say NO to entitlements
• Say NO to teacher's unions
• Say NO to all unions
  
• Say yes to better education
• Say yes to closing the borders
• Say yes to controlled immigration
• Say NO to illegal immigrants
  
• Say NO to appeasing Europe
• Say yes to keep the Bush tax cuts
• Say yes to a flat tax
• Say yes to an English Only policy
• Say yes to free English training for anyone
  
• Say NO to the religion of Global Warming
• Say yes to self-sufficiency
• Say NO to more government
• Say NO to professional politicians
• Say yes to term limits
• Say NO to farm subsidies
• Say NO to paying peoples mortgages with our money
• Say yes to first family, then church, then community for help
• Say yes to 'faith-based' activities
• Say NO to community organizations
• Say yes to Israel
• Say NO to supporting terrorist countries

Keith Parsons

Congratulations to obama followers

Congtrats to you on your guy winning.

I know you are both intelligent and thoughtful - and I still don't understand how you could be so mislead.

I'll gladly retract all my statements about the obama phenomenon - if... if he proves me wrong and your belief in him proves correct.

The larger part of me actually hopes to be wrong - I care about this country and the hard-working people in it - it's not worth the pain and loss of progress the country will go through just to prove me correct.

Now we'll just have to wait and see, the "proof is in the pudding"

Again, congratulations on your candidate's win tonight.

(From my comment on my niece Laura's Blog)

Aaaarrggghh!

Ok... its now pretty much over... obama has been elected our next president.

I really don't think all those folks who voted really understand what they just did. The first arab-american president of the United States just pulled the wool over everyone's eyes.

Not that I was ever enamored with McCain... but though the electoral votes easily put obama on top, it is still very telling that only 3-4% of the population differ between the candidates. Especially when you think of how over-the-top biased the media was towards their 'glamor boy' - He should have had must more support.

So... what are we to do now. I know not what I can do/or have done to make any sort of change in this situation. It's hard to be positive about the situation as our country quickly slips towards socialism. obama and his trainers have slipped one over on the American public.

Part of me wants to just sit back and watch as those who voted for this "man" have to end up living with his results. The quote comes to mind... "by their fruits ye shall know they are mine" - lets see just who's man this mr. obama is and what he really represents.

You can't tell me this wasn't a racially motivated election... over 95% of blacks voted for him... that's NOT racially motivated? Come on...

Others have been much more eloquent online with their statements about obama and his lack of experience and the many many ways he is wrong for America...so I won't waste any time reiteratting those.

But I can see how it would be difficult to vote for McCain as well... if the only reason to vote for McCain is that he ISN'T obama... it's just what the media wanted. obama is our new president it the most part to the liberal media, but also a great big kudos to Huckabee, obama should give him a great big part in his new government for being the one who in great part put him in the white house.

Another part of me just wants to remember Senator Orrin Hatch's prediction today that because of this obama election the "Consitution would hang by a thread"

Sad, sad, sad.

What's in Your Backpack?

I’ve been a ‘bag’ kind of guy since I was just a little kid. Any bag Dad would bring home from work…

Then in my own business I’ve been through literally 50+ bags that have been ‘mine’. But now I’ve used the same backpack for over three years now… a World’s Record!

I had some time this evening (in Detroit) and I thought I’d document up what is in my Backpack.

I have had many years of travel experience and have honed my packing skills to bring along just the right set of equipment and supplies to support me wherever I might be. I can work, be entertained, read, relax, and generally take pretty good care of myself with just what is in my backpack.

Every item on this list has a specific purpose and reason for being included. This backpack has to fit in the overhead compartments of even the smallest of Regional Jets, or under the airline seat. And… I have to carry it with me and send it through TSA security checkpoints over 100+ times per year!

This combination of equipment is the culmination of thousands of hours of travel and on-the-road work. Work in Hotel rooms, Crown Rooms, Airports, client offices, backs of bouncing pickup trucks, subways, and even at my home and work offices…

Everything can be recharged via USB 5v systems – and I carry two spare 5v batteries and three USB Charging stations so I’m never without power for these devices. Everything is also 110v/220v so I can travel internationally. Depending on the country, I just have to add a small bag of adapters and I’m ready to go.

So here it goes…

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Keith Parsons - Backpack Contents

Backpack
- Brenthaven Expandable Trek Backpack

In Bottom of Front Pocket
- Main Unit – Small case I can pull out and easily setup on a desk
32GB USB Drive - Corsair - Backup and All my install files
USB SD Card Reader
USB Charging Battery - Lennar
USB Charger Cable for iPhone
8GB USB Drive - Temporary Files
16GB USB Drive - Instructor Master
8GB USB Drive - Aruba PTT Course
Flashlight - Surefire Executive Defender
Mini Cable to VGA for MacBook
Red Pen - Bic 5mm
Black Pen - Sharpie Mini
20GB Firefly USB powered Hard Drive
CarryAll - NiteIze Mobile Accessories
- USB Charger w/Dual adapter iPhone and Mini USB
- Apple AirPort Express Extreme - set to WPA to share Wired
- 60Watt Apple Macbook Power Suppy
- Allsop Mouse Beanbag
- Apple Bluetooth 'Mighty Mouse'
- Canon Sureshot Digital Camera

Charging Unit
Tums EX
Toothpick
Tube of Tylenol Extra Strength
Cherry Chapstick
Ceramic Paper Cutter
Fingernail Clippers - A.G. Russell
Fingernail File
Twezzers - L.A. Cross
USB Charger Cable for Kindle
USB Charger Cable for Mini USB
USB Charger Cable for iPhone
USB 4-port Hub - APC
USB AC Charger - Lennar
USB Charging Battery - Lennar
USB Male to Mini USB Cable - Zio Shorty
USB AC Charger - Apple
CarryAll - NiteIze Mobile Accessories

Network Unit
RJ-45 to DB-9 Console Cable Adapter - Aruba
USB to DB-9 Serial Adapter -
USB to Serial Converter w/cord
USB to Serial Drivers Mini CD
RJ-45 Cross Over Adapter
3' Cat-5 Cable
6' Cat-5 Cable - Retractable
4-port USB Hub with Octopus Cable
AirMagnet abgn Wireless LAN Adapter w/AirMagnet Licenses
Ubiquiti abg Wireless LAN Adapter w/2dBi Antenna w/AirMagnet Licenses
CarryAll - NiteIze Mobile Accessories

Back Main Section
Spare Bifocal Glasses in Protective Case
Spare Computer Glasses in Protective Case
Sunglasses in Protective Case
Package of M&Ms
Package of Salted Peanuts
Monster 'Dr. Dre' Noise Cancelling Headphones
Amazon Kindle in Leather Case
Apple Macbook 13" - Aluminum Unibody 2.4GHz w/320GB HD
Monster Cable - 4-port Portable Power Strip
Passport in Mesh Liner
Wallet 'spare' ID and Credit Cards in Mesh Liner
Cash - $300 in $20s

Right Side Pocket
Garmin Nuvi 250 Portable GPS
w/Suction Mount & USB Charging port
Outside Mesh used for loose change
Ball Speaker - USB Powered

Left Side Pocket
IO Scribe Digital Pen
Portable Microphone
Earbuds w/Airline Adapter
Variety of Medicines in Single Serving Packets

Front Left Zipper Pocket
Car Keys
Ninja' Remote
Eyeglass Cleaner Pads
Pre-moistened Lens Cleaning Tissues

Front Right Zipper Pocket
Tide Stain Remover Pen
Fingernail Buffer Tool
Large Pre-Moisten LCD Cleaning Tissues

Front Zipper Pocket
Spare Mont Blanc Rollerball Pen
Spare Mont Blanc Rollerball Refill
Airline Coupons and Pre-Paid Vouchers
Spare Red Pens and Sharpies
Sleeping Eyemask and Earplugs
First Aid Kit

Front of Backpack
S-Biner Snap-On Caribiners - 10Lb Versions
Altoids Sugar-Free Wintergreen Smalls
Delta Skymiles Platinum Medalion Tag

Top Front Pocket
V-Mode High-Quality Earbuds
Airline Adapter for Headphones
Motorola Bluetooth Earpiece w/USB Charging Port
Spare AAA Batteries
USB Charging Cable for Ailph Jawbone Bluetooth
Aliph Jawbone Slim Bluetooth Adapter
2GB SD Card
Business Cards
3x5 Cards PrePrinted with my Information and Grid Patter
Small Narrow Notepad
2"x2" Yellow Post-It Notes
Spare Mont Blanc Rollerball Refill
Microfiber Cloth
2GB 'Temp' USB Drive
4GB 'Master' WLAN Student USB Drive
Crown Room Card
Delta Airlines Platinum Status Card
United Airlines Gold Premier Status Card
United Red Carpet Lounge Passes
Small Leather Case to Protect Jawbone Bluetooth Adapter

3-days in Atlanta... and didn't leave the hotel

Monday afternoon I had a bit of a rush traveling to the airport. Waiting for a AAA tow truck to come and help get Alysha's car into the shop... I thought he would tow the car for me, but instead he gave a very temporary fix by hammering the fuel pump into submission... thus Dad couldn't take me to the airport and I had to drive myself. (Not that I mind driving myself, but Alysha wanted to use my car while her's was getting fixed)

Since Atlanta is a Delta Hub (as is Salt Lake City) the cost to fly Delta was horrendous. So I ended up flying on Frontier Airlines. Not bad, they fly Airbus A320s - with TV's in the seat backs.But the flight out of Denver on the way down to Atlanta was delayed - so I didn't get in until 1:00am... Then taught three days of AirMagnet WLAN Design training. Didn't get rental car, and so stayed in the hotel for three days straight. (Good thing they had a fairly decent restaurant) The flight home was again a bit of a nightmare. I was done with class early enough to catch an earlier flight home. But NOOOOOO... Frontier wouldn't have any of that! They tried to charge $270 MORE for switching out to an earlier flight... that had over 20 empty seats. So instead I went to the Delta Crown room and watched the last of the Sharpe series movies on my laptop.

Then the flight was delayed coming into Atlanta, thus we were late back to Denver, and they had to hold the Salt Lake City flight 30 mintues to get all of us on that flight... so I ended up getting home 5 hours later than if they had just let me do a standby on the earlier flight.

I really like flying on an airline where I have a bit of 'clout' and can get a little respect from the staff. (Platinum on Delta and Gold on United seem to help a bit eh?)

It was nice this week to have a couple of days back in Utah to catch up on work, clean up the office a bit and spend at least a little more time with my family.

Goodbye MacBookAir... Easy move to MacBook

Last week Apple announced a new set of laptop computers. A new MacBook and a MacBookPro. I've been using a MacBookAir as my main machine for almost three months now. And I'm loving the Macintosh platform.

I had some time last week in Seattle after visiting the Temple and headed over to Bellevue Square shopping area to the Apple Store there so I could 'check out' the new lappies. Since there was also free WiFi in the area I took along my MacBookAir to catch up on some e-mails and work. I compared my MacBookAir side-by-side to the new MacBook... they were almost the same height when closed. .95" vs .76" - only .2" difference between the two. The MacBook was also 1.5Lbs heavier... but the other dimensions were the same. Same screen, same keyboard, etc. But the deciding factor was the Hard Drive capacity. The MacBookAir only had an 80GB HD - and so I couldn't have my iTunes and iPhoto with me (thus I wasn't able to sync to my iPhone while on the road)So I went out of the store, went online and purchased a new MacBook right then. No hesitation. I use my laptop as a very large part of my business and anything to be more efficient. (the MacBook also has a built-in Ethernet port, internal DVD super-drive, and a massive 320GB drive to go along with the much faster CPU) - Plus it is way cool that the new MacBook is 'carved' from a single block of solid aluminum - it makes for a stiff, light, strong platform.But I was in San Diego over the weekend, and in Sunnyvale during the week and so I wasn't home to pickup the new computer.

Friday night after arriving home from the Airport I had a chance to start up the new MacBook and then start the 'magical' process of moving all the applications, settings, files, etc. between to Macintosh's. Then on Saturday morning I woke up and 'My' computer was now the MacBook. Everything exactly in the same place and working just like it was on my MacBookAir... but now on the new machine with loads of extra hard drive space.

Then a quick copy of the iTunes folders from the larger MacBookPro that has been my iPhone Sync machine and I was in business!

So to recap... I love the Apple Macintosh Operating System. That same process listed above would have taken me at least 6 solid hours working on two windows machines and I would have never got it 'just right'. This Apple process took my attention for only about a total of 20 minutes and now I'm up and running on a new machine and also have it fully backed up on a local USB Drive as well as an online backup service. Peace of Mind... aahhhh....

Thanks to Ryan, who sold my MacBookAir to a friend of his - I had a replacement buyer and had a very low net transfer cost to move to the new machine. I restored the MacBookAir back to factory default and Taylor came and picked up his MacBookAir last night. I'm sure I'll miss the lighter, thinner laptop - but having a huge HD and quicker response is appreciated!

Goodbye MacBookAir...

Week in Sunnyvale

This was a little 'weird' week - after last week in Seattle, weekend in San Diego with family, then another 'back to back' week coming up the coast to Sunnyvale.

I stayed the week at a wonderful hotel (read cheap) in Sunnyvale - the high quality 'Sundowner'. But at least it was not only in-expensive, but had lots of hard pillows! (I like soft pillows) I've started traveling with my C-PAP machine... and with that sleep machine going, I can sleep on just about any bed!I spent Monday over at AirMagnet headquarters, working on projects and helping the Survey team on how to best teach folks to use the product to achieve the best most accurate and stable results.

Then for the last four days of the week teaching an Partner Technical Training course at Aruba's headquarters.

I had some time each day after class to do a variety of things to entertain myself.

One day I went to the 'City of Ember' movie. It had Bill Murray - and I think he's pretty funny. But the movie was really about two teenagers trying to save their city from imminent destruction. Inconsistent cinematography, hokey story line, and childish dialog left me wanting more. It would have been a fairly decent ABC Afternoon Special - but not worth spending your money on.
Another afternoon I went over to the Apple Corporate headquarters at 'One Infinite Loop' to take some pictures and visit the employee's Company Store. I found a new cover for my iPhone 3G, and a serial port adapter so I can use the Mac to configure switches and routers (and specifically Aruba controllers and AirMagnet sensors) - I've wanted to visit there for years, over 20 since I purchased my first Macintosh in 1984!
Another late afternoon I went to the movie theater... not knowing what to watch and the only PG-13 movie was this... 'Secret Life of Bees' - I knew little about it, but I'd seen something on TV and it sounded non-useless... so I went.
This was a great movie! I cried, I laughed, I enjoyed a nicely done story. It reminded me a bit of To Kill a Mockingbird kind of story. Set in South Carolina, in the early sixties, mixing between Blacks and Whites. I wasn't expecting very much, but ended up very impressed. I can highly recommend this movie - not for kids mind you, there are a couple of disturbing scenes of family violence and KKK kind of violence - but the story line is compelling and unexpected. Great performances by the cast of actresses.
We also received some photos from Brent's first companion in Brazil - you can see them all over at the brentinbrazil.blogspot.com website.
I also received a new GPS - a smaller Garmin Nuvi - and I love it! It charges off of a USB charger... so all my devices charge the same way. Cuts down a lot on what I have to carry. I normally leave my bigger GPS at home. Now I'll have this with me wherever I go. I've tried it with the suction cup mount on the windshield... but it also works just as well down in the cup-holder of the rental car just fine.GPS - the only way to travel! (right Joe?)

Another project for the week was to get a Serial Connection to a Terminal service running from my Macintosh MacBookAir. Many people online had tried - and I've failed a couple of other evenings to get it to work right. This is the technique used to connect and configure a laptop computer to a Switch/Router/Controller that only has a 9-pin serial console connection.

One of the reasons I've always used Dell Laptops is they have a 'standard' Serial DB-9 connector and this is very simple to do on a Dell.

But since I've been trying to move over to the Macintosh platform, this was one if the more difficult things to do. Well, I've now completed it. Actually have two different USB to Serial adapters working! Yea! (Send me an e-mail is you want the specifics)


One final note on this long blog post. I've been a user and evangilist for the Amazon 'Kindle' e-book reader. It has made my book reading so much better. It allows me to easily carry 40-50 books with me as I travel as well as being much easier to read than a real book. Now Oprah has also 'found the light'
Now I get to go home for a weekend! Yea!

Brandon Sanderson's 'Mistborn' Trilogy

I just finished last night the final book in the 'Mistborn' Trilogy. I was turned onto these books and this author from my nephew Todd Rife. Thanks Todd!

These were great. Usually if I'm going to be reading fiction... I like historical fiction, like Bernard Cornwell, or mysteries like PD James or Patricia Cornwell... but this Fantasy stuff is pretty cool as well.

Brandon Sanderson is an amazing author. Making a very believable world with some very unique 'magic' like attributes, power and abuse of power, political intrigue, and great characters to go along with a story line that just brings the reader along.

The series was both entertaining, and thought provoking. Making me think about the 'technology' and 'magic' and how it might work together. And like all great authors made me want to be IN the story!

I was so very pleasantly surprised by the ending to this trilogy. I was half-way through the book and though I would be able to predict the end... no way! A far better ending that I could have even hoped for the trilogy. Well done Brandon!

So if you are looking for a good read - look no further than the following Brandon Sanderson books.
By the way his first book published... Elantris was also wonderful and I can highly recommend it as well.