We're back from Indonesia, and I've finally renamed and commented on my photos. Yaty's a bit slower on her photos, but I'm sure they're coming.

It was a great trip, a bit too long to be away from "life", so much to catch up on with mail, and bills, etc. Way too short a trip to really enjoy. In three weeks I learned a ton of Bahasa Indonesia, I'd love another month or two to finish learning. It was a joy to get to know the family better, and Za really loved meeting everyone, but three weeks flies by so quickly, wish it was three months.

We are all now nursing sicknesses and injuries, traveling 1/2 way around the world really can take a toll on you, especially when you ignore the sores on your feet...

Haven't flown in a while, here's the skinny on the new regulations:

3-1-1 for carry-ons = 3 ounce bottle or less; 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger placed in screening bin. One-quart bag per person limits the total liquid volume each traveler can bring. 3 oz. container size is a security measure.

[ TSA : 3-1-1 on Air Travel ]

For the Hijabi Jet-Set there are new-new guidelines for head coverings:

All members of the traveling public are permitted to wear head coverings (whether religious or not) through the security checkpoints. The new standard procedures subject all persons wearing head coverings to the possibility of additional security screening, which may include a pat-down search of the head covering. Individuals may be referred for additional screening if the security officer cannot reasonably determine that the head area is free of a detectable threat item. If the issue cannot be resolved through a pat-down search, the individual will be offered the opportunity to remove the head covering in a private screening area.

[ TSA : Religious and Cultural Needs ]

And the TSA is kind and gentle with the kiddies:

We specially train our Security Officers and they understand your concern for your children.  They will approach your children gently and treat them with respect.  If your child becomes uncomfortable or upset, security officers will consult you about the best way to relieve your child's concern.

[ TSA : Traveling with Children ]

And the big thing I need to do? Psyche myself up for the hurry-up-and-wait, hurry-up-and-wait, hurry-up-and-wait that modern travel by airplane has become. But don't feel sorry for me, feel sorry for Yaty, she's got to put up with me.

My Aunt mentioned this today during our visit, and it looks like a blast:

The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad round trip excursion is an exciting mix of mountain scenery and rich transportation history. It’s an entertaining and educational experience riders of all ages and interests with interpretive history and lively Main Street Districts at both ends of the trip!

[ Western Maryland Scenic Railroad ]

The three and a half hour round trip includes 90 minutes in historic Frost burg and for $48 bucks you get a meal too. There is no menu page, it looks like menu might change, so I picked a day at random and this is what they're serving:

The following menu is available on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. If you purchase train tickets that include a meal, you will be asked to select your preference of one of the meals below:

• Roast Beef and Gravy on Texas Toast served with Mashed Potatoes and Summer Blend Vegetables.
• Turkey Club with Chips served with sides of Carrot and Celery Sticks and Macaroni Salad.
• Macaroni and Cheese served with a cup of fruit.
• Vegetable Lasagna served with a Salad
• Hot Dog on a bun served with chips and a cup of fruit.
• Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich served with applesauce and a cup of fruit.

Not exactly gourmet, but most likely tasty. After returning to Cumberland at 3pm, there is certainly a ton of history to see, and a good number of attractions and a few places to eat.

Now I just have to set a date, and get my tickets!

Headed out of town this weekend, and I wanted to make sure I had connectivity no matter where I go. I know that theoretically my phone could be used to provide access for a PC, but I had never looked into it. This article has all I needed to know, for the most part:

It is not the ambition of this article to answer all your questions regarding the use of a Pocket PC as a modem but rather to show how to configure HTC Wizard and other devices that you need to connect to the internet[sic] over it. If you possess the same devices and follow the instructions, you should soon succeed. Considered strong similarities between all Pocket PC devices from HTC, it is likely that the same procedure would apply to in other cases, too.

[ PDAgold.com :: Article :: HTC Wizard as a modem (USB, Bluetooth) ]

I discovered this article by googling and finding this thread on "HowardForums". Later in that thread "Berniemac23" points out that on T-Mobile the APN is "wap.voicestream.com" and not Internet. I successfully connected via Bluetooth and USB cable, I'm sure both will prove useful at some point.

Next up is trying to power the laptop, and therefore the phone too, from my Jetta, thus allowing me to work anywhere I get GPRS/EDGE coverage.

Forgot to update this after my last trip:

create your own visited countries map

And I'm so jealous of some people:

• Chilln' Travel
• Democratic Veteran

I'm sure there are more people to be jealous of, I just can't seem to find them. Perhaps they are too busy traveling to make up these maps...

386 to go.

Great Falls Park, a site that is part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, is an 800 acre park located along the Potomac River 14 miles upriver from Washington D.C. The park is known for two things, its scenic beauty at the head of Potomac River fall line and the historic Patowmack Canal.

[ Great Falls Park (National Park Service) ]

Harpers Ferry is a town located in Jefferson County, West Virginia, situated on the banks of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers where the U.S. states of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia meet. The town is surrounded by mountains and is at the bottom of a ravine created by the two rivers. The town is best known historically for John Brown's raid on the Armory in 1859. The town was in Virginia at the time of the raid; West Virginia was created in 1863. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 307.

[ Harpers Ferry, West Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ]

I love Harper's Ferry. I have always had very fond memories, and I think it is a lovely place to visit. Most of the town is a National Historic Park and is a great place to learn more about the Civil War, though there is more to the town than that. Harper's Ferry is located where West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland all meet. One of my favorite hikes is on the Maryland side in Maryland Heights. I'm not sure if I'm as healthy as I once was, and if I should attempt this hike in my current condition, but I hope to make this hike again if only for the stunning view. The view from Jefferson Rock is also quite nice, and that hike I am pretty sure I can make.

But yummy:

Smoked Chicken Chile Relleno– Poblano pepper stuffed with smoked chicken, chopped pecans, apricots, Jack cheese and raisins, with green chile mole, roasted tomato cream, Tejas rice and black beans. 9.95

[ Welcome to Z'tejas! ]

Headed to Texas next week, and still have some birthday money left over, so that means buy some entertainment:

  

So even though I'm away from family and home, I should at least not be so bored...

Spring in DC has arrived!

The 2006 festival marks the 94th celebration of the original gift of the 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, DC in 1912. Come and enjoy the spirit of the season.

[ Official Website of the National Cherry Blossom Festival - Washington, DC ]

This year I hope to see some of it.

Yes it is true, at the end of this week I should be headed to Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on a business trip. My first concern? What kind of coffee can I expect. Apparently I have no need to worry, as the Saskatchewanese are rather fond of coffee themselves.

Apparently there are no Caribou's outside of the US, but Starbucks has at least 1 location in Regina. More likely my coffee will have to be supplied by Tim Horton's, Second Cup, or one of the fine local Mom & Pop coffee shops around town.

John Dowdell has posted a bit of a rant about web interfaces and "his" data. He laments that every site has a different interface, different user flow, and different set of hurdles for him to work around:

Each of these sites had their own interface conventions, their own unique way they wanted to expose their range of services to the world. This site pushes links through JavaScript so I can't keep tabbed windows open. That site uses session IDs so I can only work in a single window. This third site wants me to choose a number of stops before I can see any offering. One requires a flight before you can see hotels. Some list hotels by which they'd like to sell most, others list them by distance, another lets you choose ranking. Each site had its own unique interface for me to come to grips with before I could use their service.

I will have to agree with the frustration. I would love interfaces to be more similar, and I would love to have my favorite bits from each site available on the others. However he then cries a rallying cry:

It's my data -- I want my record under my physical control as much as possible. I don't want to spend more time decrypting your interface than I do in determining what I want. The website/webapp paradigm failed me this week.

[ JD on MX: My data! My interfaces! ]

But, JD, don't you see that it is their data, and they have full control over their data. He is the one who wants that data. That puts them in full control. His interface solution would either require him to code 1/2 of the cool features that he wants (which the average person isn't going to do) or require the purchase of someone else's software (and then software assurance to keep up with changing web services). In addition, the other 1/2 of the cool features will then be available or not across dozens of web services that all work extremely different. This shift in paradigm hasn't relieved the inconsistency, only pushed it to a different layer.

And the data? The data about what a flight costs, the data about what deals are going around, the data about who's interested in what, all of this data is very important to the business that have them, and only on a need to know basis. Why not share all of the data for free? Because not only can JD share it, so can their competitors. I can set up a site where I ensure that my prices are always $5 cheaper than my competitors. I can then guarantee the lowest price. These are the sorts of things that businesses spend a lot of time determining, and have been long before computers, but why spend money to help your competition get the leg up on you? And at the same time ensure less to differentiate yourself from others? No matter what the technology, or how much people want their "web 2.0", business will drive those sorts of changes, and business has little to no incentive to deliver Mr. Dowdell his vision of the future.

PSA Courtesy Dari:

Don't miss the premiere of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Monday, July 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT!

[ Travel Channel :: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations ]

If you didn't see his FoodTV show, catch at least one episode. If you did see his FoodTV show, I'm guessing that you are TiVoing this right now...

We have a facility where we name servers after rivers. Apparently I keep finding rivers that no one has ever heard of. This time I was sure I picked one that everyone knew:

The Blue Nile is one of the two main courses of the river Nile. The Saharan part of the river is formed by the union at the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, of the White Nile coming from the lacustrine region in Eastern Africa, and the Blue Nile coming from the Ethiopian Highlands. Though with a shorter length, the Blue Nile course amounts to more than 60 % of total Nile water flow.

[ Blue Nile, IGAD Sudan Peace talks ]

Someone must have heard of the Blue Nile before reading it here, please!

Update: James Bruce had heard of the Blue Nile.

I've always been a bit fascinated with airplane food. I think most who know me would say I'm a bit preoccupied with food in general, but airplane food is particularly interesting, and I have no idea why. At least now I know that I am not alone:

Last update Fri.17 Dec. 15:35 CET
Next update: Saturday
10,681 images / 436 airlines

[ Airline Meals ]

And I'm sure that Yaty would want me to point out this from their FAQ:

Who serves the best meals?

Any airline with a BusinessClass / FirstClass has good stuff! Though (judging from the images and their comments I've seen on the website) I would say Asian airlines get the best results... Singapore Airlines, JAL Japan Airlnes[sic], Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways International, Emirates... they're all top notch.

I meant to do this a month ago

create your own visited country map or write about it on the open travel guide

I don't expect that I will have many blog entries for the next few weeks. Computers will be hard to come by as I take a small trip:

• Tokyo (Akihabara)
• Jakarta (US Embassy)
• Makassar (Getting married)
• Makassar (Hanging out with new wife)

And then back by mid September. See you then!

It was like the California tech superstore Fry's but it was denser. It was Fry's on meth.

[ Japan: Tokyo: Akihabara ]

And I might get to visit...

Helen Jane has me totally whipped for the US (but G$ only has me slightly beat):

But doesn't have the world, so I'm not sure how I stack up there:

[ create your own visited map or write about it on the open travel guide ]