Status-Q

Well, I made it to Ithaca, but the Chamber of Commerce was closed when I got here. In the residential areas here the laptop was going ‘ping’ to indicate an open wireless connection about three times on every block, so, thanks to somebody, I was able to connect, get a map, and find the Inn on Columbia. Even better, they had a special on their rooms which meant I was able to afford to stay here.

I’m in the Gazebo:

Thanks to my borrowed net connections, I’ve also been able to download podcasts to listen to on the journey as I went along. Great fun…

I was in Detroit. I needed to go to Boston. And, unusually, I wasn’t in a hurry. So just for fun, I thought I would drive.

Yesterday I went from Detroit across the bridge into Ontario and drove to Niagara-on-the-Lake, which I knew and loved from a previous visit. Driving in North America, I’ve discovered, can be exceedingly dull unless you make a deliberate effort to get off the highway from time to time, at which point you can take some nice photographs:

When does a barn cease to be a barn and become part of the flora & fauna?

I was thinking I would have to stop and pay for wifi access at various places en route, but I discovered a better way. I have a car power adaptor for my laptop, so I just sat it on the passenger seat running MacStumbler and it went ‘ping’ whenever I passed an unencrypted network. If it was somewhere where I could pull over, I would do so.

Similarly, I have a window on Google maps, and whenever I need a bit more detail on where I am, I find a nice residential neighbourhood and drive around slowly until I find a connection. It’s a sort of Digital Hitchiking.

Another picture, this time from Port Bruce, Ontario:

Anyway, after a brief stop at Niagara Falls this morning, I’m now back in the US, and this posting comes to you from Geneva, NY. I’m heading for Ithaca tonight. Let’s see if I make it…