Relevant History

Words for futurists to live by

Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer. (Rainer Maria Rilke)

[To the tune of Pablo Casals, "Adagio and Allegro in A-flat major, op. 70," from the album "Concert at the White House [Limited Edition] [Japan]".]

What I want for my birthday

This. In black. From a little leather company in Idaho.

Update: Though Paul says to get it in the original English Kip, without the dye.

[h/t to Paul Saffo]

Technorati Tags: media, moleskine

Who knew...

...that Alberto Gonzales was married to the actress who played Jimmy Smit's wife on The West Wing (and did a darned good job of it, I must add)?

[via TPM]

Must... rebuild... fiction-reality... firewall...

And for a lunch that took place during a visit in which AG is submitting his resignation to a supposedly reluctant president, don't they all look strangely jolly?

[To the tune of Gary Numan, "Are Friends Electric?," from the album "Scarred".]

The world conspires to distract me from work...

...what with Gonzales' resignation, and Sen. Larry Craig's bust for solicitation in a Minnesota men's restroom, but I'm being strong. Of course, it's not yet the end of the day.

Kudos to Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), who released a statement saying, in part, "Alberto Gonzales is the first Attorney General who thought the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth were three different things." That's not just cruel: that's Dorothy Parker-level brilliant.

[To the tune of The Doors, "The End," from the album "The Doors".]

Technorati Tags: politics

I'm back

Despite myself, I made it to California, and am happily back in my element.

Though I realized that one of the things I like about visiting DC is that it brings me back into contact with some of my Southern roots. For all my determination when I was young to get out of there, I find it's nice to go back now and then.

Granted, when you live in Virginia the cultural gulf between DC/NoVa and the rest of the state is at least as big as that between Northern California and Southern California, and having grown up in Richmond, I should but grudgingly consider DC part of the South. But from 2500 miles away, the gap doesn't seem so big.

[To the tune of The Doobie Brothers, "It Keeps You Runnin'," from the album "Best of the Doobies".]

Redundancy

I've switched on Minuteur to ring at 4 a.m., and have also put my beloved travel alarm clock in my shirt pocket, set to go off at the same time. Since I'm still on West Coast time, there's the chance I'll just stay up until I can go through security and get to the gate, but in case I'll fall asleep, I don't want to wake up too late to get to my flight. That would just be too painful.

Gotta make sure not to fall asleep to any Kenny G or Quincy Jones: I'll end up like Mack in Cars. Should switch over to Led Zepplin before too long.

[To the tune of Stevie Wonder, "Love Light In Flight," from the album "The Woman in Red (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)".]

Technorati Tags: airport, Dulles International Airport

It's definitely a DVD

We're now back to the episode I walked in on. I might have to find some other place to work.

[To the tune of The Police, "Voices Inside My Head," from the album "Message In A Box: The Complete Recordings (Disc 2)".]

Technorati Tags: airport, Dulles International Airport

So there seems to be a time limit on the wifi here

I'm installed in a little cafe that has wifi, and a marathon of Friends playing-- I'm beginning to suspect that it's a DVD, because it occurs to me that I haven't noticed any commercials. However, I seem have just been kicked off the network. Ah well. I'll just have to go back to reading things on paper.

Though Lisa Kudrow is strangely compelling.

[To the tune of The Blue Nile, "I Would Never," from the album "High".]

Technorati Tags: airport, Dulles International Airport

I'm the stupidest person in the world

I missed my flight home. I was taking the Metro out to West Falls Church, thence to the airport via the shuttle. But I fell asleep on the Metro-- a long day-- and woke up in Maryland. I turned around and headed back into the city, found a cab, but got to the airport too late.

Since I had the last flight back to Oakland, I'm stuck here until the morning, when I get a 6 a.m. to Denver, and connect through to Oakland.

The last time I missed a flight was 30 years ago-- I was connecting in Atlanta, and took the little train to the wrong terminal. So with luck I won't do this again until I'm in my early 70s.

Given how much I fly, I guess it was inevitable that I should miss some flight at some point. Still, I feel pretty stupid.

[To the tune of David Bowie, "Loving the Alien," from the album "Tonight".]

Technorati Tags: airport, Dulles International Airport

Washington Court Hotel

We've got an early start at the National Academies this morning-- I guess scientists like getting up early.

I spent the night in the Washington Court Hotel, which is just a few blocks from the Keck Center. It was perfectly fine, though there was no detectable wifi signal from my room. I didn't change hotels, but only because I was too tired.

The exciting view from my room, via flickr

There should be an effort to map the wifi signal strength within hotels. I'm sure it varies greatly from room to room.

Fortunately, Keck has an excellent public wifi network, so I can get my fix (and some coffee) before real work starts.

Technorati Tags: hotel, travel, washington DC