After weeks and months of not using my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, I picked it up over the past weekend and started using it for a bit of reading before bed. My preferred reading format is real paper but it has its limitations. As I had a lot of airplane time over the past several weeks, I carried James Mitchner's first novel, Tales of the South Pacific, with me. Anyone who has seen the musical South Pacific is familiar with some of the stories found in the book as that is where they come from.
I am inspired by a good historical novel and enjoy reading Mitchner for this reason. Tales of the South Pacific is about the Pacific theater of World War II. When I finished the novel, I couldn't help but wonder how much of it was based on actual events. It seems that my history classes in high school spent all of their time on the birth of the nation and lacked much depth to anything after the Revolutionary War. Most of my knowledge of World War II comes from living in France and watching various movies like Pearl Harbor, Midway, Unbroken, and The Monuments Men.
In an effort to learn more about the Pacific theater of World War II, I pulled out my Samsung tablet and have been using it to look up timelines and various historical facts. It has proven rather insightful and interesting. I have enjoyed not having a laptop on my chest while trying to read in bed and have rediscovered that tablet computers do have something to offer even an old dinosaur like me.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Tomorrowland and Imagination
Last night I went and saw the new Disney movie Tomorrowland. The previews reminded me of my first trip to Disneyland when I was very young. Back then, Tomorrowland was much different than it is today. Now it is an area used to house a few futuristic rides but when I was a kid, it was a glimpse into what life in the future might be like. It was fun and exciting to a young boy and I remember getting excited about growing up and seeing changes for a better world.
It is interesting to look back at those predictions and see how far off we were. We still don't have flying cars nor do we have super-sonic planes for the general public. We had them for a while with the Concorde, but then they started falling out of the sky and the fleet was retired. However there are things we have today that we didn't even imagine back then. Think about home computers, mobile phones, electronic books, and large flat-screen televisions. I also think we got a few things right. One thing that comes to mind is electric cars.
I came out of the movie remembering my early trips to Disneyland and wondering what life in the future will be like for my grandchildren. Will we colonize the moon or Mars? That was one thing talked about when I was a child and then forgotten. Now it is a topic that seems to be gaining traction again. What about solar electricity? Photovoltaic cells have been around for a very long time but are just now being used effectively to generate electricity. What advances will we see there? How about life in the ocean? There seem to be a wealth of possibilities underwater.
I think our future is only limited by our imagination. We have a quote on the wall at my office from Albert Einstein that says, "Knowledge will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." I agree.
It is interesting to look back at those predictions and see how far off we were. We still don't have flying cars nor do we have super-sonic planes for the general public. We had them for a while with the Concorde, but then they started falling out of the sky and the fleet was retired. However there are things we have today that we didn't even imagine back then. Think about home computers, mobile phones, electronic books, and large flat-screen televisions. I also think we got a few things right. One thing that comes to mind is electric cars.
I came out of the movie remembering my early trips to Disneyland and wondering what life in the future will be like for my grandchildren. Will we colonize the moon or Mars? That was one thing talked about when I was a child and then forgotten. Now it is a topic that seems to be gaining traction again. What about solar electricity? Photovoltaic cells have been around for a very long time but are just now being used effectively to generate electricity. What advances will we see there? How about life in the ocean? There seem to be a wealth of possibilities underwater.
I think our future is only limited by our imagination. We have a quote on the wall at my office from Albert Einstein that says, "Knowledge will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." I agree.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
A Day Without E-mail
Yesterday I flew from London, England to San Francisco, California and spent a lot of the day in the air. I actually had a layover in Los Angeles but never bothered to check my e-mail. Last night when I got back to my boat I was so tired I didn't bother checking e-mail either. I just went to bed.
It was nice having a day off from e-mail. I don't suggest you do it every day, but every once and a while, it is nice to do something else. In addition to catching up on movies on the flight, I also finished reading James Mitchner's Tales of the South Pacific. What a pleasant day.
The only downside to reading e-mail for a day is that eventually you have to turn on the computer, tablet, or phone and get back to work. Today was not fun. At least I got caught up on e-mail though.
It was nice having a day off from e-mail. I don't suggest you do it every day, but every once and a while, it is nice to do something else. In addition to catching up on movies on the flight, I also finished reading James Mitchner's Tales of the South Pacific. What a pleasant day.
The only downside to reading e-mail for a day is that eventually you have to turn on the computer, tablet, or phone and get back to work. Today was not fun. At least I got caught up on e-mail though.
Monday, May 18, 2015
International Travel
For the first time in five years my job has taken me to Europe. I had meetings in London last week and more today. As I was here over the weekend, I decided to take the train down to Paris for a couple of days and get some good practice with my French. I used to live in France and spoke it fluently. One weekend was all it took for a nice language refresher. Once people found out I spoke French, they opened up to me were greatly relieved they didn't have to try and speak broken English. It opened quite a few doors.
In these past five years I have taken eleven trips to Japan and so it is sort of routine. Going to Europe required making some major adjustments in my international travel habits. In Japan, I use a Suica stored-value card for travel on the subway and Japanese rail system. In London I just needed to purchase an Oyster card. I did a bit of research before I flew out and knew that would help make my trips so much easier. I got to London and made sure to pick one up for myself as well as my wife who came with me on this trip.
My next trick was figuring out how to get from downtown London to Paris. A quick Internet search showed me that Eurostar runs the train line from London to Paris. I purchased my tickets online back in the States and even had seat assignments. When it came time to take the train, I just took the London tube to King's Cross station and walked over to the St. Pancras International train terminal. I could have taken a flight and it might even have been cheaper, however if you really want to see a country, take the train.
While in Paris I wanted to take my wife and show her the many sights that the city is so famous for. We started our trip by walking from the hotel to the Arc de Triomphe. It was a quick walk and formed the first leg for a great walking tour. Next we walked down to the Eiffel Tower. Along the way, we passed an open Street Market which turned out to be my wife's favorite part of the trip. When we got to the Eiffel Tower, I was tired of walking. The last time I was in Paris, I had my bike with me and it was really easy to get around the city. Walking made the city much larger than I remembered it. Big Bus was the answer to my tired legs. Basically they drive you around and make 10 stops throughout the city. If you get off, they leave you but another bus is only 10 minutes or so right behind you. You just show the new bus your ticket and you can get back on. I highly recommend them if you want to save your legs.
The trip from Paris back to London was very uneventful. I wanted to see how fast the train was going and so I pulled out one of my phones. Unfortunately I couldn't get a GPS lock as I had it in airplane mode and so I pulled out my company phone and tracked myself on Google Maps. Unfortunately I couldn't get my speed and so I just looked it up. I knew I was going fast as we were passing cars on the autoroute next to us and was pleased to see we were doing 186 miles per hour. It didn't feel that fast. When you take the tunnel under the English Channel, the train slows down to 100 miles per hour for safety reasons.
The last adjustment I had to make is with my electronic devices. Everything in Japan runs on 110 volts just like the United States. Furthermore there is no need to bring any plug converters because the outlets look exactly the same. Europe is different and more complicated. First they run on 220 volts and so you need a transformer for some of your electrical items. As most electronic products now convert AC power to DC, the transformers built into them will automatically convert the voltage for you. That means I don't need a transformer for my laptop or my USB outlet connectors. The real problem is that the power outlets don't look anything alike. England is different than France and they are both different than the US. So I have to carry a number of various wall outlet adapters. Fortunately most of Europe uses the same outlet format as France and so you can get around pretty well with just two adapters.
Tomorrow I head back to the United States and my European trip will be over. I have to say that the International travel has gotten a lot easier since my first trip many years ago. I know I am getting a bit more experienced as I voyage to various places around the world but I think the Internet is definitely helping to make the world a smaller place.
In these past five years I have taken eleven trips to Japan and so it is sort of routine. Going to Europe required making some major adjustments in my international travel habits. In Japan, I use a Suica stored-value card for travel on the subway and Japanese rail system. In London I just needed to purchase an Oyster card. I did a bit of research before I flew out and knew that would help make my trips so much easier. I got to London and made sure to pick one up for myself as well as my wife who came with me on this trip.
My next trick was figuring out how to get from downtown London to Paris. A quick Internet search showed me that Eurostar runs the train line from London to Paris. I purchased my tickets online back in the States and even had seat assignments. When it came time to take the train, I just took the London tube to King's Cross station and walked over to the St. Pancras International train terminal. I could have taken a flight and it might even have been cheaper, however if you really want to see a country, take the train.
While in Paris I wanted to take my wife and show her the many sights that the city is so famous for. We started our trip by walking from the hotel to the Arc de Triomphe. It was a quick walk and formed the first leg for a great walking tour. Next we walked down to the Eiffel Tower. Along the way, we passed an open Street Market which turned out to be my wife's favorite part of the trip. When we got to the Eiffel Tower, I was tired of walking. The last time I was in Paris, I had my bike with me and it was really easy to get around the city. Walking made the city much larger than I remembered it. Big Bus was the answer to my tired legs. Basically they drive you around and make 10 stops throughout the city. If you get off, they leave you but another bus is only 10 minutes or so right behind you. You just show the new bus your ticket and you can get back on. I highly recommend them if you want to save your legs.
The trip from Paris back to London was very uneventful. I wanted to see how fast the train was going and so I pulled out one of my phones. Unfortunately I couldn't get a GPS lock as I had it in airplane mode and so I pulled out my company phone and tracked myself on Google Maps. Unfortunately I couldn't get my speed and so I just looked it up. I knew I was going fast as we were passing cars on the autoroute next to us and was pleased to see we were doing 186 miles per hour. It didn't feel that fast. When you take the tunnel under the English Channel, the train slows down to 100 miles per hour for safety reasons.
The last adjustment I had to make is with my electronic devices. Everything in Japan runs on 110 volts just like the United States. Furthermore there is no need to bring any plug converters because the outlets look exactly the same. Europe is different and more complicated. First they run on 220 volts and so you need a transformer for some of your electrical items. As most electronic products now convert AC power to DC, the transformers built into them will automatically convert the voltage for you. That means I don't need a transformer for my laptop or my USB outlet connectors. The real problem is that the power outlets don't look anything alike. England is different than France and they are both different than the US. So I have to carry a number of various wall outlet adapters. Fortunately most of Europe uses the same outlet format as France and so you can get around pretty well with just two adapters.
Tomorrow I head back to the United States and my European trip will be over. I have to say that the International travel has gotten a lot easier since my first trip many years ago. I know I am getting a bit more experienced as I voyage to various places around the world but I think the Internet is definitely helping to make the world a smaller place.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Airport WiFi
Lately my WiFi has not been working on the boat and my new Android phone has a security policy that doesn't allow tethering or being turned into a Hotspot. That means if I want to use the Internet on the boat I have to use my phone. I'm not too upset as it won't be too long before one of them starts working again and I am enjoying the peace and quiet that a lack of the Internet provides.
I am at the San Francisco airport right now and discovered there is free WiFi. That discovery prompted me to pull out my laptop and start doing some things I have not been able to do on the boat, like write in this blog. I didn't think that I was going through Internet withdrawals during the week until I got to the airport. Now I am going crazy getting stuff done I haven't been able to take care of on the boat. You would think I would have taken care of all this while at the office where there is no lack of Internet connection.
The downside is that Airport WiFi is only good for about an hour. Then you have to watch another ad or click a terms-of-agreement button. Oh well, as long as I am not trying to stream a movie before my flight it is only a minor annoyance.
I am at the San Francisco airport right now and discovered there is free WiFi. That discovery prompted me to pull out my laptop and start doing some things I have not been able to do on the boat, like write in this blog. I didn't think that I was going through Internet withdrawals during the week until I got to the airport. Now I am going crazy getting stuff done I haven't been able to take care of on the boat. You would think I would have taken care of all this while at the office where there is no lack of Internet connection.
The downside is that Airport WiFi is only good for about an hour. Then you have to watch another ad or click a terms-of-agreement button. Oh well, as long as I am not trying to stream a movie before my flight it is only a minor annoyance.
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