The traveling shoes are on. I’m at the Phoenix airport, as always bowing my thanks towards the city mayor for sponsoring this lovely and free wireless access at Sky Harbor Airport. I’m off to San Francisco for 2 days, one an NMC staff meeting and Friday is one of our quarterly NMC Board meetings.
For the latter we get to meet at Adobe, where I fondly remember the fun days on the mid 1990s visiting the company formerly known as Macromedia, the coincidental trip when almost by chance I got in the fron door for the beta version of Shockwave. I wonder if they still have the big yellow sliding board?
I went through one of those air puff machines for the first time at the TSA security. There is that really awkward moment standing in the chamber, being told to wait for the green light (when the doors open)… and nothing happens! (I passed). And those dangerous lotions! I actually snuck a 4oz tube of hair goop (1 oz over limit) through in my plastic baggie. Please do not report me.
Next, I hacked my drink at Starbucks. A number of years ago, I got to like those iced lattes, especially since they have sugar free vanilla syrup (I am diabetic). But a big one tops off at more than five bucks for old coffee in a cup of ice! I’ve halved the cost by ordering a plain iced coffee, walking to the end of the counter, and adding the free milk. No syrup, but still tasty.
While standing there hacking my coffee, these flashing lights start up and an piercing alarm sound goes off. No one behind the counter, or really at all in the termnal flicnhes. “Oh it is nothing,” says the Startbucks Lady. “It goes off all the time. We just keep on working. Just some security thing.”
Now that’s reassuring. But here is the ambient sounds, captured on my laptop:
http://cogdogblog.com/wp-content/airport.mp3
Hoiw fun, eh?
After our staff meeting today, we are having a dinner with a rather distinguished computer visionary from the early days. No hints, but I’ll spill the beans later.
Off to the City!
