Archive for April 2003

11 April 2003

Back in Boston, where Spring still hasn’t broken.

No more airports, please.

8 April 2003

It’s been a long trip in Europe. I’m in Paris today (Munich yesterday, or Munchen as it’s sometimes called, where it was snowing). After my meetings ended, I set out to find an internet uplink. I was getting sick of dialing up to slow local POPs over crappy European copper lines at hotel phone rates, so I thought I’d try to find a free wireless link somewhere.

The Luxembourg gardens.

I wrote a ten line script that makes my computer beep like a geiger counter when I get near a WAP, plugged in some headphones, stuffed it all in my backpack, and walked around for about 25 minutes, the new radiohead album playing in the background, till I found a cafe in the Latin Quarter with an open network. I think the hub is in one of the apartment buildings across the street, because everytime the stoplight turns green and the buses pass in front of me, my connection dies.

In the Musée d’Orsay.

At one point I moved from a table in the center of the restaurant to one at the window, and a lady at the bar asked: “Il y a moins de bruit par la fenêtre?” When I answered, “Non, il y a plus d’internet,” it caused a little stir among the college students here. I think one guy ran off just now to get his laptop.

Spring skiing in front of Sacre Coeur.

A lot of the workers at Charles de Gaulle are wearing the 3M germ-blocking facemasks. Lots of SARS scare here.

Something that has been plaguing me today: Does the pope have a passport? And does he have diplomatic immunity? What about Kofi Annan, the secular pope?

I’m guessing le pape catholique has an old Polish passport sitting in a drawer somewhere.

3 April 2003

In Hannover today, giving some talks.

My blurry audience.