ATL (1 comment)
I'm presently in Atlanta for the LISA conference. I found out two days ago that I'd need a laptop for the sessions I'm going to tomorrow and Monday. Fortunately, I was able to borrow one on short notice and I've got it working with the hotel's in-room networking. The next step is to set up some NAT functionality so that Mike and I can use the connection simultaneously. That part is tricky because I told the loaner of this laptop that I'd leave the hard disk alone and I'm doing all this from Knoppix and all of my work goes away when the system reboots.
We're staying at the Marriot Marquis. Jorie stayed here over the summer for a Libertarian conference, and she described it to me as an "Olympic graveyard." Her description is sadly accurate, not only to the hotel, but the airport and much of the rest of Atlanta as well. There are still decorations celebrating the 1996 Games and multicultural artwork that feels out of place. But besides that, downtown looks really nice.
Mike nearly missed the plane out of Champaign, having failed to note the difference between boarding time and departure time. He told me that he heard a flight attendant say "we've got two runners, but it looks like only one made it" as he climbed onto our plane. Beyond that, it was an easy trip. I got started reading the peace war by Vernor Vinge, and I'm thus far impressed. I might end up reading the whole thing before my flight home. Good thing I also brought the sequel.