Moonwatcher

Nerd Bird 1K

I love that the midday American Airlines flight from San Jose to Austin, lovingly referred to as the Nerd Bird, is flight 1024.

56 Days Until My First Macworld Expo!

I've been a Mac enthusiast since 1984 when a friend of mine saw the first issue Macworld magazine (shown here) on sale at the grocery store and bought it for me. I soon talked my parents into buying me one of the $2,500 128K wonders (I have no idea how) and in no time was sleeping with Inside Macintosh Vol I & II under my pillow. Literally.

So why after 23 years (that can't be right) am I finally attending my first Macworld Expo? I suppose it's because I can finally not only afford it but also write it off as a business trip. But I'm also more involved and impressed with the Mac—and with Apple—than I've ever been.

So I'm planning on making the pilgrimage to San Francisco, where I once lived, and Moscone Center, where I've attended numerous conferences, to experience Apple in person. And I want it all. I want a seat—a really good seat—for the Stevenote. I want to hang out with the developers of the products I use every day. I want to order a MacBook Thin as soon as the Online Store goes back online. And I want you to help me make it happen.

I know I can buy a Vorpal Platinum Multipass for the show, but that's a bit spendy and doesn't get me the all-access experience I want. I want Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive to autograph my MacBook Pro. I want John Gruber to sign my Daring Fireball t-shirt. I want to meet Leo Laporte, Chuck Joiner, Jason Snell, David Chartier, Jason O'Grady, and everyone else who's ever said anything nice about Spanning Sync. I want to shake the hand of everyone who works at Apple and tell them what total badasses I think they are. I want it all.

So I ask you—do you want to help? If you know of any meetups, have a line on a VIP pass to the keynote, or hang out with Steve Jobs' technical assistant, drop me a line. I promise to post photos and videos from the whole affair.

See you at MWSF!

Nickeled and Dimed by the San Francisco Airport Westin

Due to an apparent run on peninsula hotel rooms, I wound up last night at the Westin in Millbrae. The hotel is OK if a little run down, but the pricing policies are just offensive. My company is paying $350 a night for the room. Fine. Even the additional $12 for Internet access is acceptable if unpleasant. But taking the free coffee out of the lobby at 6:00am when the gift shop and its $2 coffee opens is just rude. Now I know.

An Extra Hour When I Need It Most

Tonight, thanks to the magic of Daylight Saving Time, we get an extra hour. I'm usually mildly put out by crossing DST boundaries—the whole idea is incredibly anachronistic—but this weekend I can really use that extra hour.

Hey, Listen! This One'll Kill Ya!

Even Dick Cavett, now blogging for the New York Times, works himself into an awkward position sometimes, this time with Richard Nixon:

There is a specially constructed booth or chamber in a lab at Harvard that is designed to be the most silent place on earth, so acoustically muffled that the occupant is often spooked by the sound of his own blood circulating.

That day, at that moment, I knew how that occupant might have felt.

I have an knack for doing exactly this when I meet famous people. For some reason I can't deal with them. I'd rather watch them on TV than talk to them in person, so apparently my subconscious decides to sabotage the conversation to drive them away. If you're famous and you see me, please don't talk to me. Or if you do, expect me to be a jackass. Normal people less so.