Night flight to Singapore
I'm in SFO, waiting for Singapore Air 001, my flight to Singapore. I've found a nice patch of airport with a power plug and space to stretch out my legs, on the assumption that neither one will be available to me for the next 18 hours or so.
I'm going to Singapore mainly to give a talk about the future of RFID, but I've also got a lot of meetings with various people who do technology and science policy in Singapore. I'd like to do a workshop in Singapore later this year on the future of science and technology, and do a little fieldwork at Biopolis and other places. So this'll be like an exploratory visit.
And, of course, it's a chance to see Singapore, a place I've long regarded with a measure of fascination, but have never been to. I know a lot of people who spend time there, though: my dad goes several times a year, so he saw this as the perfect chance to tell me where all the interesting cheap places to eat are, how to get from the airport to the hotel (surprise: take a taxi!), deliver a briefing on meeting etiquette, etc..
The flight leaves at 1:20, which means I've got a solid two hours before wheels up. However, I didn't have a seat assignment, and so I felt an extra need to get to the airport early. When I got to the counter, I noticed something fascinating: the plane seems full of large families with small children; businessmen (many of whom were puffing themselves up to try to get an exit row seat or an upgrade to business class); and surfers. Quite the mix.
I managed to get a window seat. Normally I prefer an aisle, but for a long flight like this, the window is another place to put your head.
We stop in Hong Kong, but we're just there for about 90 minutes, and I'm not even sure we'll be able to get off the plane. Seeing any of the city, as I did when I went through Sydney on my way from Perth back to the States, is clearly out.
I've heard good things about Singapore Air, so we'll see if they're true.
The one downer is that I seem to have misplaced my really nice Bang & Olufsen headphones. I do this on a regular basis with fairly valuable things-- my Mont Blanc fountain pen is also AWOL-- and they almost always turn up after several weeks. Of course I've got other headphones, but I really like to use those, especially since they were a gift during a trip. I've got to score a talk at B&O some day, and get paid entirely in electronics.
[To the tune of Röyksopp, "Eple," from the album "Melody A.M. [US Bonus Disc] (1 of 2)".]
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