On Connectivity and Missed Connections

I find myself this morning sitting in Concourse A at Cincinnati / N Kentucky International Airport awaiting my flight home. There was a bit of weather here yesterday afternoon, causing my Delta Airlines flight from New York, NY to divert to Louisville, KY. By the time the weather cleared and we arrived in Cincy, my flight had departed and there were no other flights to get me home last night. Thus an already long trip home from Jo’burg was extended by another 16 hours or so. Such is life in the country with the most advanced transportation and technology infrastructure in the world. Or is that a fallacy?

Case in point: WiFi connectivity at JFK International Airport. This is one of the busiest airports in America with 47.8m passengers passing through in 2007 alone and the 8th busiest in the world in 2007. Yet, only 1 of its 8 terminals (Terminal 4… the International terminal) has WiFi connectivity available. Surprising, eh? Since I wasn’t in that terminal, I tried to use my T-Mobile SIM to connect to the Internet. For my effort, I received a measly 115k connection that eventually quit working. When I’m in South Africa, I almost always have a 3G network connection that’s 3 to 4x that speed. And it works: I use it all day long when I’m there.

Further, in terms of air transportation, I have traveled to South Africa 3 times this year via South African Airways. I have flown via London Heathrow, Washington Dulles and New York JFK. Each time, my flight has departed and arrived (coming and going) within 5 to 10 minutes of schedule, making me a very satisfied SAA customer.

So, what’s the punchline here? Not sure other than my personal experience of late is that America’s infrastructure superiority isn’t what it used to be. It’s still extremely good, don’t get me wrong, but there are a few holes. I wonder what’s causing this? Any ideas out there?

BTW… If you find yourself stuck in Cincy, I can recommend the Cincinnati Airport Marriott. Reasonable rates, nice decor, decent restaurant and a 5 minute shuttle ride from the airport.

Day 8: The Long Ride Home

On Sat morning after our usual crack o’ dawn departure (9.00am), TomTom guided us east from Sahuarita to catch I-10 southeast of Tucson. 13hrs20min later after traversing 908mi, we finally arrived at home. Weather was good; roads were fast. Along the way, we made two gas-only stops and two gas / chow combo stops including one in Hatch, NM where we scored some pretty good burritos for the road.

This long drive made me recall a story my grandpa Fred told us the other day about how his parents once drove from western Pennsylvania to Florida during the Great Depression to find work as roofers. At the time, it was gravel roads the whole way and took several days: 100mi in a single day was “making good time” and only possible if one was lucky enough to not get a flat tire that day.

I once drove 1,670mi non-stop, by myself, from Bismarck, ND to San Jose, CA. Another time I drove 1,450mi, again non-stop and solo, from Bakersfield, CA to Dallas, TX. Just 70 years ago, these car trips would be epic adventures rather than simply getting from A to Z. They’d require a great deal of planning and provisioning because you’d have to find fuel, bring spare parts, pack food and water for several days of travel in the countryside. Today, I could get in my car with no more planning than the clothes on my back and a credit card in my pocket, and drive from Denver to any point in the Lower 48 in no more than 2 days:

• 1,330mi to Seattle
• 1,080mi to San Diego
• 2,066mi to Miami
• 1,970mi to Boston

Even Fairbanks which is 3,098mi away could probably be managed in 3 days. The speed of cars and roads along with the supporting infrastructure of gas stations, restaurants and hotels makes it pretty easy. Further, if you think about it, most of this infrastructure was put in place starting in the late 1950s during the post-WWII construction boom which was partially fueled by Cold War concerns. It must have been truly mind boggling for my great grandparents to see such change over the 40 year period from the mid 1930s to the mid 1970s by which time the majority of the Interstate Highway System was completed. I can’t imagine what they thought of traveling by air…

Well, that’s the end of vacation. Thanks for riding along.

Oh… as for TomTom? Superb gadget. If you’re in the market for a portable GPS nav device that won’t dominate your dash and does a great job getting you where you need to go without too many extraneous features, I recommend the TomTom ONE 3rd Edition.

Days 4-7: Sights of Southeast AZ

Most of the week we spent hanging around my parent’s place visiting with them and my grand parents who drove over from Silver City, NM. But we did venture out to see a few things:

Tue: Tucson Children’s Museum – Nice little museum in a historic old library in downtown Tucson. Some fun activities for the kids.

Wed Pt 1: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum – By far the best thing we did this trip. A mix of zoo and desert botanical garden, they have some great animal exhibits including mountain lions, coyotes and a really cool hummingbird pavilion. And the restaurant wasn’t bad.

Wed Pt 2: San Xavier del Bac Mission – This is an interesting place. The interior is more rustic than you see in many old churches in Europe, but is nonetheless remarkable. Built from 1783-1797 by Franciscan missionaries, I’ve been told this is the oldest continually operating church in America, but I think that’s probably incorrect as I suspect there are churches all over New England that are at least this old. However, the “mission” as a religious effort trying to convert the local population to Christianity has been in the area since 1692, first operating out of a site a couple miles from where San Xavier stands today, then later at the current location. Be sure to check it out, but don’t come on Sunday unless you want to join Mass as the church continues to serve an active Catholic congregation.

Thu: Nogales, SO, Mexico – This is the nicest Mexican border town I’ve visited.

Fri Pt 1: Colossal Cave Mountain Park – Fun, but not awe inspiring. I think the history of the site, including its role as a Franklin Roosevelt-era New Deal / WPA project, is pretty interesting though.

Fri Pt 2: We carried forward another Fuller tradition with a Scorpio Birthday Party (SBP): my father, grandpa Fred and myself are all Scorpios. I think this tradition started before I was born because my great grandma Loma was a Scorpio as well. The first SBP I remember included the four generations (Loma, Fred, Dad and me). Loma passed a few years ago, but with the birth of my youngest daughter Erin in 2002, we were back up to four generation strength as she just made the cut with her Oct 23rd birthday. Next up? A really long day in the car.

Milestone of Note: Grandpa Fred turned 80 this year. We had a great discussion over dinner one evening about how much the world has changed in his 80 years vs my nearly 40 years. I may blog about that conversation at some point, but he and I agreed to revisit my opinions in another 40 years .

Sidebar: Top 5 US Highways Best Driven at Night

Inspired by my drive through Southeast Utah, these five routes are the opposite of Day 3: Moab, Sahuarita and the “Desolation” in Between. You should drive at night or fly over these areas because driving them in the day time is simply a waste of daylight. If you do need to use these roads, bring the nicotine and / or caffeine delivery mechanism of your choice as you will need rock solid chemistry to remain awake. In no particular order, they are:

1. Wyoming: The only thing mildly entertaining about this 114mi drive is dodging antelope and watching coal trains. WY-59 from Douglas, WY to Gillette, WY.
2. Texas: This is a doozie…298mi of nada. US-287 from Amarillo, TX to Decatur, TX.
3. Colorado: For a state renowned for it’s beauty, there are a few snoozer rides. The 193mi on I-76 from Ogallala, NE to Brighton, CO is one.
4. New Mexico: 110mi of flat and straight followed by some straight and flat. Luckily, it’s preceded by some really great driving from Santa Fe down into Las Vegas. Las Vegas, NM to Raton, NM.
5. Indiana: The sole representative east of the Mississippi River, I-65 from Crown Point, IN to Indianapolis, IN is remarkable in it’s 139mi of nothingness except for a little respite around Lafayette, IN. I grew up in North Dakota and that’s really saying something.

Special Mention: In the cross-country category (literally), we have 1,876mi on US-83 from Westhope, ND to Brownsville, TX. While I haven’t driven this end2end, I have consulted with a number of folks and together we’ve traveled most of this route. Easy pick as it runs the full north-south axis of the Great Plains. Further, I suspect you could carry on north for a few more miles to the Canadian border then another 245mi on PTH-83 to Swan River, MB with a similar visual experience.

Day 3: Moab, Sahuarita and the “Desolation” in Between

If you put “from: Moab, UT” and “to: Sahuarita, AZ” into Google Maps, it spits out a route that’s 594mi long. Along the way, you’ll pass through Monticello, UT Pop 1,928 (not to be confused with Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Virginia); Blanding, UT Pop 3,162; Bluff, UT Pop 320; Greater Mexican Hat / Halchita, UT Pop 358; Kayenta, AZ Pop 4,922 (nice city website); and Tuba City, AZ Pop 8,225 before finally arriving in Flagstaff, AZ. Flagstaff is just a bit beyond the halfway point on this segment and a welcome return to civilization.

Along the way are some of the most scenic landscapes I’ve encountered in the US. There are a lot of areas in the America West best driven in the night. This is not one of them. The first section, Moab to Mexican Hat, is a nice ride through canyons and amongst low buttes. But as you cross the San Juan River at Mexican Hat, the bar is raised. The 43mi to Kayenta are simply spectacular. Cresting each hill, yet another amazing panorama is revealed. Pictures and words don’t do justice; you’ll just have to go there. This stretch of US-163 includes the eastern edge of Valley of the Gods and runs right through the middle of Monument Valley. All of this gorgeous landscape falls within the bounds of the Navajo Nation.

From Kayenta, the terrain takes a break and at moments is pretty sparse in vistas (especially around Tuba City), but picks up again as you near Flagstaff. Beyond Flagstaff, the drive on I-17 is fast and pretty all the way to Phoenix including the dip down into the Sedona Valley.

TomTom once again did very well. We did experience an aberration near Blanding where TomTom seemed to think we were driving in some trees and brush a couple hundreds yards off the road, but we were soon re-calibrated.

Still, like Day 2 in Arches NP, I enjoyed the views more than anyone: Julie mostly read and the kids watched DVDs. For them, the highlight was a pit stop at Ikea in Tempe, AZ. We arrived at Sahuarita and my parents’ place around 7.00pm, 11hrs after leaving Moab. We actually made very good time if you subtract the Ikea spree. Next up? The sights of Southeast Arizona.

Day 2: Arches National Park

After a great night’s sleep (I shared a bed with my 5 year old who kicked me in the face no fewer than 17 times), we stumbled out of the hotel about 7.30am to head to breakfast. Walking down Main St Moab, we arrived at the unlikely named Pancake Haus next to the Moab Ramada Inn. This is not a hearty, Bavarian-style eatery. Rather, it’s one notch below an IHOP.

Anyway, we made our way north of town to Arches National Park and began our tour at Park Ave, then worked north to Balanced Rock, North Delicate Arch Viewpoint, Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch before backtracking and checking out The Windows area. While Arches is not what one could call exciting, there are some jaw dropping views including natural sandstone arches galore. I think I enjoyed it more than anyone as the scenery is remarkable. Aside from that, the only other happening was my oldest daughter losing a sterling silver and turquoise ring she had bought the night before in Moab. $50 is a ton o’ cash for a 7 year old and it was a tramatic loss. But we’ve moved on.

After a walk around town and some Razor scooter action on the path that runs alongside Mill Creek flowing through town, we headed out for dinner at Moab Brewery, which turned out to be a pretty good place with some decent on-site microbrews. Next up? A long day in the car.

BTW… Right after the picture below was taken, we realized we had locked our keys in the car.  Aargh!  But wait… what’s that?  OnStar you say!  Rock on, you maestros of remote unlocking!

Day 1: Denver to Moab

So far, so good. TomTom did his job and got us to Moab, UT with nary a wrong turn. The section on I-70 between the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel and Edwards, CO was gray, drizzly. Winter be coming in the high country. The roads were clean and fast the rest of the way to Moab. The finest vista so far? The view of the La Sal Mountains south from I-70 right around the Cisco, UT exit. Fantastic. We did see an unusual road sign on I-70 just inside the UT border indicating “Eagles on Road”. Unfortunately, there were none around.

Pulling into Moab around sunset, we checked in at the Best Western Canyonlands Inn, hit the local rock shop, then had dinner at Miguel’s Baja Grill. The hotel is basic, but clean and well kept with a heated pool covered by a plastic shed / tent in the winter. Kids are happy, Julie’s happy. By default, I’m happy. And our 2008 Saturn Outlook XR is getting 20mpg at elevation.

We interrogated our server at dinner about the road ahead. Dave indicated the 320mi route to Flagstaff was rather busy since it’s along the straightest line from Nogales, SO, Mexico to Calgary, AB and Edmonton, AB in Canada. Thank you, NAFTA! He further warned us to take it easy on the 150mi stretch between Mexican Hat, UT and Gray Mountain, AZ that lies within the Navajo Nation. American Indian Reservations are federal land, but essentially sovereign nations run by local tribal governments. Including law enforcement on highways. Got it.

Boring post? Surely. Not every day of every vacation is meant to be exciting. Next up? Arches National Park.

Road Trip! Prologue

After nearly 5 straight weeks away from home due to work, I finally have a week in Denver, some of which I’m consuming preparing to leave again. We’re heading to Tucson, AZ to spend Thanksgiving with my parents and grandparents. Julie and I thought: “Hey… we haven’t spent nearly an eternity in the car with our kids lately… why don’t we drive? And as long as we’re at it, let’s take the long way through Moab. But check the dog into the kennel. That would just be silly to bring him as well.”

We’ve never been to Moab, UT or southeast Utah, so it seemed the natural choice. I fully anticipate we’ll regret our decision at some point. On the plus side, I’ve used this trip as justification to buy a new gadget: a TomTom ONE 3rd Edition portable GPS navigation system. According to Amazon.com where I ordered mine, it’s “The world’s best-selling portable navigation device.” The company is based in Amsterdam and started out in 1991 making software for Palm devices, then switched to navigation software about 6 years ago. Since Europe is a pretty tricky place to navigate, I’m guessing their stuff is solid, but if we get lost in the high desert, TomTom will be getting a nasty-gram from yours truly. I’ll probably send it to their head of Investor Relations who happens to be named Taco.

This introduction made, I think the next few entries will attempt to document our, ummm, adventure including mishaps, feats of derring-do, thoughts on the TomTom ONE and places we’re reviewing in yelp. Stay tuned.

North Dallas Running

I’ve been working this week on a project for a client based in Dallas. Or maybe it’s Farmers Branch. Or perhaps Addison. It’s really hard to tell because the city boundaries are really muddled up in the area. Anyway, I’ve been staying at the La Quinta up the street (which is in Addison… I guess). The area is very built up with mid-rise office buildings, restaurants, strip malls and major highways / streets, so it’s rather tricky finding a place to run that isn’t always swarming with cars and diesel fumes. But I found it. What I have dubbed the SOUTHEAST ADDISON LOOP has about 1/2 of its length contained in a high end neighborhood that includes a concrete path running along White Rock Creek. If you find yourself in this particular area (DNT & Belt Line Rd), I recommend this little jaunt. I’d also forgotten how fast I build up a sweat in the humidity and warm 80°F mornings.

I case you were wondering, La Quinta is the NaviGo Global preferred hotel. It’s like visiting a country estate in the city! Right.

And, yes, this post generally sucks. But it’s still better than the one YOU didn’t write today. I’m also doing this partially because I’m killing time sitting in a bar at DFW that has T-Mobile Hotspot coverage indulging my Shiner weakness. There are also a large number of business-type babes hanging around and I think typing away makes me look very industrious, very cool. Or maybe I just look like a workaholic dork with no friends. A fine line. A very fine line.

von Spring 2007 – San Jose

von Spring 2007. My first tradeshow since going to the ESRI User Conference back in 1999 (?). It’s Day 2 and the trip has been interesting so far. Paul and I are here to listen, learn, network and even do a little selling. The presentations range from overt sales pitches to actual, useful content. I’ve heard Jeff Pulver, Vinod Khosla and Niklas Zennstrom speak. I’ve seen a couple debates over what FMC really means and WiFi vs WiMAX as a carrier grade infrastructure. I’ve seen some amazing stats:

• Global spend on telecom gear and services is about $1T (not B, T!)
• Nokia sells 1M hand-sets per day
• SMS messaging is a $50B annual business and if you figure out it’s cost to users on a per MB basis, it’s about $750 (ouch!) or roughly 20-25x current wholesale IP prices
• Skype has been downloaded 0.5B times since 2003 by 171M registered users (end ‘06) and they regularly see 9M peak simultaneous users (at Level 3, we threw a party when we got to 1M peak simultaneous users on the managed modem platform… and growth has essentially been flat since then)

I’ve walked the expo floor and talked to a few different exhibitors. We’re here for 4 days and I think that’s going to end up being 1 day longer than really necessary, but nonetheless, a pretty good experience thus far. I have also re-connected with a number of former colleagues from Level 3; some still there, others having moved on to other places like Intrado, Cisco, VoEX, Bandwidth.com, Ditech Networks, Synchronoss, LignUp, PacketExchange, SIPeerior, NGT and Acme Packet.

On my way home from dinner at Il Fornaio with Paul and a current Level 3 exec that will remain unnamed, I bumped into Andy Abramson in the elevator at the Fairmont. I re-introduced myself from a time we met a couple years back when I gave him a NOC tour. I sort of blew my elevator pitch on what I’m up to lately, but in my defense, the elevators are freaking fast at the Fairmont and I only had about 10 seconds.

Anyway, pretty good so far.