I admit it, I'm a hotel snob. It's not that I can't or haven't stayed in tiny, cramped hotels in seamy parts of town, it's that I tend to choose not to. So, after asking around, and getting plenty of recommendations, Carol and I decided to stay at the W …

Last night Carol and I went to see United 93, the new film about the United flight that was taken down by passengers on 9/11 outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. There's been a lot of talk about this movie, discussing it's relative accuracy, the timing of its release, and whether …

An article from the Chicago Sun-Times tells of the Drake Hotel in Chicago (a landmark hotel built in the 1920's) deciding to give a Cicero couple a special anniversary gift: the same price they paid when they honeymooned at the hotel in 1946. According the the paper, "Amazed by the …

OK, after a couple of weeks out, Carol and I are back in the country and had a great time in Scotland (although the next trip out of the country will likely not include driving 1973 miles on the wrong side of the road in a country that believes in …

According to an article from Wired, the list of people complaining about the State Department's plans to embed RFID tags into US Passports is on the rise. Most recently, the Business Travel Coalition and the Association of Corporate Travel Executives have announced their opposition to the plan. At issue is …

The article in the Post Gazette (of Pennsylvania, John Gilmore's home state) provides a pretty good overview of Mr. Gilmore's basic background and privacy concerns. Ignoring for the moment the somewhat aberrant UNIX commentary, it does a nice job of explaining Gilmore's concerns and the EFF's position on privacy and …

Not exactly travel, but I'm not sure where to put this. On Saturday night, Carol and I went to Celtic Christmas, a concert held at Dumbarton United Methodist Church in Georgetown. The concert was good, but the meal ahead of time was spectacular! Red Ginger of Georgetown (located at 1564 …

For those unfamiliar with the term, phishing is using web sites or spam to elicit credit card numbers (or other similarly interesting, mostly financial data) from people. It has been around for a while, but a recent article from InfoWorld does a good job of explaining why this new breed …

CNN will have live coverage starting some time before the 0630 PDT launch of the Scaled Composites Space Ship One commercial spacecraft. If you can, keep your eyes on this one. Burt Rutan's engineering funded by Paul Allen's money.

Those who are completely dependent upon spelling checkers for making their documents correct should take heed. This story from the Scotsman tells of the problems and consequences of depending too much on your spelling checker. The article recounts the story of the Scottish National Party and their recent mistake of …

Date: 20.11.2003 Start Location: Kaiteriteri S: 41° 02.176' E: 173° 01.052' End Location: PictonS: 43° 54.179' E: 172° 11.663' Distance Driven 211km (5217km) Summary: Time: 09:00 Location: Kaiteriteri S: 41° 02.176' E: 173° 01.052' Name: Depart for Coastal Track Description …

Date: 19.11.2003 Start Location: Kaiteriteri S: 41° 02.176' E: 173° 01.052' End Location: Kaiteriteri S: 41° 02.176' E: 173° 01.052' Distance Driven 296km (5006km) Summary: Time: 10:01 Location: Marahao - Park Café S: 40° 49.799' E: 173°0.288' Name: Breakfast at Abel …

Date: 18.11.2003 Start Location: Murchison S: 41°47.764' E: 172°16.426' End Location: Kaiteriteri S: 41° 02.176' E: 173° 01.052' Distance Driven 674km (4710km) Summary: Time: 06:30 Location: Murchison Name: Early Photos Description: It was a beautiful, crisp, clear morning in Murchison today …

Date: 17.11.2003 Start Location: Westport Top 10 Holiday Park S: 41° 45.097' E: 171° 36.742' End Location: Murchison S: 41°47.764' E: 172°16.426' Distance Driven 345km (4036km) Summary: Time: 11:00 Location: Westport Top 10 Holiday Park S: 41° 45.097' E: 171 …

Date: 16.11.2003 Start Location: Hanmer Springs Top 10 Mountain View S: 42° 31.674' E: 172° 49.885' End Location: Westport Top 10 Holiday Park S: 41° 45.097' E: 171° 36.742' Distance Driven 313km (3691km) Summary: Time: 11:08 Location: Hanmer Springs Top 10 Mountain View …

Date: 15.11.2003 Start Location: Arthur's Pass Public Shelter S: E: End Location: Hanmer Springs Top 10 Mountain View S: 42° 31.674' E: 172° 49.885' Distance Driven 296km (3378km) Summary: Time: 09:24 Location: Arthur's Pass Public Shelter Name: Move Out Description: Contrary to the weather predictions …

Date: 14.11.2003 Start Location: Franz Josef Glacier Rainforest Motor Park S: 43° 23.191' E: 170° 11.104' End Location: Arthur's Pass Public Shelter S: E: Distance Driven 245km (3086km) Summary: Time: 09:04 Location: Franz Josef Glacier S: 43° 25.409' E: 170° 10.115' Name: Hike …

Date: 13.11.2003 Start Location: Fox Glacier Lodge & Motor Park S: 43° 28.026' E: 170° 01.087' End Location: Franz Josef Glacier Rainforest Motor Park S: 43° 54.179' E: 172° 11.663' Distance Driven 89km (2841km) Summary: Time: 09:10 Location: Fox Glacier S: 43° 29.747' …

Date: 12.11.2003 Start Location: Aspiring Campervan Park, Wanaka S: 44° 42.331' E: 169° 5.418' End Location: Fox Glacier Lodge & Motor Park S: 43° 28.026' E: 170° 01.087' Distance Driven 271km (2752km) Summary: Time: 10:20 Location: Aspiring Campervan Park, Wanaka S: 44° 42.331' …

Date: 11.11.2003 Start Location: Aspiring Campervan Park, Wanaka S: 4° 42.331' E: 169° 5.418' End Location: Aspiring Campervan Park, Wanaka S: 4° 42.331' E: 169° 5.418' Distance Driven 109 (2481km) Summary: Time: 8:50 Location: Aspiring Campervan Park, Wanaka S: 4° 42.331' E …