No Shit, Sherlock
My body clock doesn’t know what day it is. I am back in Europe as of this “morning”, after a trip that has taken me from California to London, Paris, back to New York (I know, what was I thinking), and now to Munich.
I had a great time in New York with my partner in crime, Ben. It was interesting to be at Web 2.0 Expo NYC, which had a very different vibe from the west coast one (less “Web 2.0″, more “agency”). The browser panel with Brendan Eich, Chris Wilson, and Ojan (of Chrome) was fun, and then our state of Ajax talk was a good time as always. We then got to go to glamorous places such as Jersey and Westchester, before getting dessert in Little Italy, which had a party going on in the streets.
On Saturday I got to go on a four mile walk around Manhattan, taking it in, and picking up a replacement presentation pointer at Circuit City. Then I got to head to JFK (didn’t take the new public transport option like Dave Winer did…. should have given that a try) and many hours passed before I landed in Munich.
Murphy’s law kicked in, and the hotel didn’t have a room available until 2pm (I got to Munich at 7am) so I tried to stay away by walking around the city, and then taking a nap right in the freaking lobby. It was a strange day. I spent it with Sherlock Holmes, which I have been reading thanks to Stanza. This is the first time that I have read about Sherlock’s reasoning and exploits since a kid. I wonder what I thought about the cocaine and smoking rituals back then?
Being a loner today, I felt a new connection to Mr. Holmes, and I took on my own mission to find a good restaurant nearby. I didn’t look online, I just stepped out of the hotel and tried to hunt down a nice area, and after quite some time, I ended up at a table, with good food, and a new Sherlock adventure on my phone. Holmes lived in a London that is no longer, and in some ways his character feels closer to German than British these days. He is the Commander Data of his time (do you remember that Star Trek episode when Data becomes Holmes via the holideck… I love how if the writers were desperate for an episode, they could use that plot device to jump to anything “crap! it is broken! we can’t get out!”).
All I need is to find a pipe, and my quiet day of introspection and observation would be complete. Tomorrow? Time to go into the Google office and get ready for Tuesdays Google Developer Day, and then on to Madrid for another!
September 21st, 2008 at 5:37 pm
You travel too much. ;-)
September 21st, 2008 at 5:38 pm
True mate. I really want to get over to your neck of the woods though!
September 24th, 2008 at 6:43 am
Next time you arrive in Munich early in the morning just try one of the two King’s Hotels near the main station – you can even find books – if you don’t prefer a coffee and charming Bavarians dressed for the Oktoberfest