This promises to be less hectic than last year's Expo. Last July I
put in a half-day of work and then had my wife drive me to Detroit.
From there I flew to La Guardia. This year I flew from Grand Rapids to
Detroit and then to La Guardia, and for about the same cost, thanks to
Hotwire.com.
Both outbound legs were on DC-9s, and fitting a TiBook on the seat tray is a
pretty tight fit. I'm typing this while flying and feel like I'm
wearing the laptop. I think the smaller iBook would be a better choice
here - but anywhere else, give me the big screen.
I've used the PowerBook G4 to play Risk and Shanghai in the airport.
I thought about SimCity 2000, but the game never ends. I've also packed
a few DVDs and Video CDs to watch if time permits.
I'm giving the Willow NL11 case its first real field test. I've used
it at the park a few times, discovered that it works 
well on the lap, but prefer to use a picnic table
when I can find one. That said, if you have to work with your PowerBook
on your lap, the Willow case is perfect.
Flights were on time, but that meant getting to New York during
"rush hour" - and a one hour ride from La Guardia to the Empire Hotel,
which is located kitty-corner from the Lincoln Center. (I'll try to add
a photo later.)
The hotel room is small and has a minimum number of electrical
outlets, along with several extension cords and splitters so I can
recharge my TiBook battery, digital camera battery, and Sprint PCS
phone.
Speaking of Sprint PCS, which I chose as my business phone because
of nationwide long distance at no extra charge, I discovered that they
don't have any way to connect to my TiBook - or any computer without a
PC serial port - for Net access. That's disappointing; I never would
have guessed that there'd be no USB support.
Because of this trip I'm using my modem for the first time since I
bought the TiBook in January.
Wednesday is the keynote. If I can get my press pass, I'll post a
report shortly after it's done. I was hoping to be able to use the
digital phone and do live reports from the keynote, but I'm sure some
of the other Mac sites will be doing that.
Field Trip Supplies
What does the Mac-toting writer take on a field trip?
- My computer. Last summer it was my wife's WallStreet. In San
Francisco, I borrowed her indigo iBook. This time I
have my own, a PowerBook G4.
- The power supply, a key component we forgot to pack in
January.
- A modem cable. Took a bit of digging to find one, since this is the
first time I've used the modem.
- A mouse - the Contour MiniPro.
It's small, optical, and even comes with a nice case to protect the
mouse and cord in transit. I vastly prefer a mouse to a trackpad, even
one as nice as the TiBook has.
- A mousepad - the Contour
UniTray. Fortunately the Willow case has some large pockets up
front.
- The Podium CoolPad, because the TiBook needs the air circulation,
and I don't type as well when the keyboard is flat.
- A digital camera and CompactFlash reader for the PC Card slot.
- Some DVDs and Video CDs just in case.
- A case to carry everything. I've been using the Willow NL11 since
it first shipped. The CoolPad and UniTray go in pockets on the lid,
while the other items fit beneath the tray that holds the TiBook. I'm
very impressed with this case.
