My good friend Keith is getting married next week. We parlayed the short trip to Portland into a full blown vacation and take off tomorrow for San Francisco. We’ll spend a few days in the city and then have two days to work our way up the coast. I don’t think I have ever been so stoked for a vacation. Sarah is most excited to check out restaurants in SF and I keep thinking about driving through Nor Cal and then crossing into Oregon. Anyway, we’ll be back next Saturday. Have a great week…
June 18th, 2004
At first the “Free Wi-Fi” flyers could only be spotted in Austin coffee houses. 
Now hot spots are everywhere: Lovejoy’s Bar, Republic Square Park, Zen restaurants, libraries, City Hall, Chango’s (yet another reason to love this place), Alamo Drafthouse, Texas French Bread, Longhorn Collision Center, the airport, Driskill Hotel, Schlotzky’s, Book People, etc. Soon the entire city of Austin will be hot: Newsweek reports that with around 50 free hotspots, Austin has more free wireless access any than place on the planet.
This week’s Chron has the scoop on how Richard MacKinnon and the Wireless City Project are heating up Austin’s reputation as a tech leader.
Money quote: “… people driving by in their cars know that there’s a hot spot in Republic Square Park now and so what they’re doing is just pulling into a parking space over by the park ? or anywhere within range of that transmitter, or any other for that matter, checking their e-mail, and then take off. It’s pretty amazing.”
Out of curiosity, I checked to how other places stacked up. Here’s some approximations:
Chicago: 36 free hotspots
San Francisco: 33 free hotspots (doubtful)
Mississippi: 12 free hotspots
Atlanta: 44 free hotspots
Cincinnati: 4 free hotspots
Lexington: 4 free hotspots
Louisville: 12 free hotspots
Moscow, Idaho 11 free hotspots
Boston: 21 free hotspots
Portland: 40 free hotspots
Baton Rouge: 11 free hotspots
Austin Wi-Fi resources:
Austin Wireless City
Austin Free-Net
Austin Unleashed
June 14th, 2004
Mention Sixth Street to anyone in or outside of Austin and they will surely visualize the seven block entertainment district between Congress and I-35. What about the “other Sixth Street?” That would probably be West Sixth Street, home to trendy salons, bakeries, galleries, and home furnishings stores. Last on the list of Sixth Street images, is East Sixth Street–east of the interstate that is. It really is amazing how one interstate can make such a difference in the evolution of a stretch of road. After brunch at Cafe Mundi, I decided to explore East Sixth and take a few pictures. From the people hanging out in its bars on a Sunday morning, to the day-glo paint jobs on crumbling buildings, East Sixth Street is arguably more colorful than its more well-known section west of the interstate. Coming tomorrow soon: An eastside train ride. See signs of life on East Sixth…
Continue reading…
June 14th, 2004
It can be weird when a major leader dies and your memories of him or her are really fuzzy. At some point, you interpret the leader’s legacy from assorted posthumous articles and columns and pop culture ephemera. There is no personal connection from live speeches or televised events. When I think of the Reagan 80’s, my mind scans a predictable list of bad things that happened: Grenada, Iran Contra, defecits, response to AIDS, and Star Wars. But I also associate some good things with his legacy, like that whole winning of the Cold War thing and the fall of the Berlin Wall. And I’m told that he was optimistic and inspired ordinary people. It is also strange when you discuss such a leader with an older friend or family member who has a much deeper appreciation for the leader in question. They have vivid memories of the little things– facial expressions, rhetorical tricks and techniques, hints of courage, glimpses of ignorance, awkwardness, and all the quirks that make him human. In other words, they remember the leader, not just a laundry list of historical factoids weighed down by years of analysis and spin.
The week’s Reagan-related events will, obviously, throw into relief the different takes on the president. People who may not even follow politics will be sad because there was something about the leader that stirred them. Peggy Sheffey, an 85 year-old woman who had never seen Ronald Reagan, choked back tears and said, “He’s a wonderful man… He was so real, absolutely real. Down to earth. He didn’t just think of himself. He thought of everybody else.” This sort of emotion means nothing to Christopher Hitchens, a writer often capable of serious insight. Hitchens take on Reagan: “dumb as a stump.” Nuance will be in short supply athis week as the left resurrects Nicaragua and Ollie North and the right elevates him to a mythological hero incapable of doing harm.
June 9th, 2004
Barefoot, I was navigating the living room in the dark with a full glass of water in my hand. Suddenly the strangest sensation: my glass simply separates into two pieces with the bottom half free falling toward my right foot. I did a half splits and the slick, sharp glass landed beween my feet splashing water all over my legs. The glass was not warm–it had been in the cabinet since yesterday.
June 7th, 2004
