Blogging On the Road … Or That Was the Plan!
Best laid plans eh? I figured I had this mobile blogging thing sussed. With my trusty MacBook and PDA combo I am good for network, wifi, bluetooth, 3G/GPRS/UMTS. I didn’t count on rural Manitoba.
Lesson learned, when someone tells you there will be internet access double and triple check. I couldn’t even get cell phone connection, let alone broadband. That was the longest break from the internet I have had in ten years, perhaps longer.
I can pretty much understand not getting online north of Winnipeg but I wasn’t prepared for having no access in Toronto. On the good side I did get to meet Jeremy, Gary and Mark from b5media while I was there.
Ah well, normal service will resume shortly after I get some sleep. I just arrived in my hotel in Calgary where thankfully the beds are soft, the breakfasts are huge and the internet connection is fast and free!
Posted on April 02nd, 2007 by Chris Garrett in News
Welcome to the big wide world! I live and work in rural Ontario northwest of Toronto, and have dial-up access, while cell phone service is intermittent — the big rocks of the Niagara Escarpment apparently disturb reception. Friends have had to drive to the country general store to check messages, because reception can be better there. Not everyone is hooked up to instant, constant connectivity, but we manage to dabble in the new cyberworld all the same!
And where -I gather- it has been cold and snowy! Alberta is usually a little nicer at this time of year.
Rural Manitoba I can totally understand, but no web access for you in the big T-dot? Good thing the social networking was there to compensate! Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men…
What brings you to Calgary? Hopefully you don’t have to drive anywhere today as I’m sure the roads here are still as horrific as they were last night. You missed the nice weather last week.
I must admit I didn’t try quite as hard in Toronto as in Manitoba, the problem in Toronto was mostly cell reception and the fact that the hotel did have wifi but my mac couldn’t see it.
We are on vacation and visiting family. I was born in calgary and have family in manitoba also. The toronto bit was just easy to fit in so I could see the b5 boys.
There will be a lot of driving so wish me luck
Jeremy as in Jeremy Wright? I knew him back when we both were on SitePoint all the time…
Well, good luck. It looks like it’s a lot better out right now than it was last night. I don’t drive (CTrain takes me almost everywhere I need to go) so I wasn’t affected by them closing off a bunch of highways last night.
How long are you in town for?
Have fun while you’re back here in Canada, Chris. When I move back to Toronto, maybe we’ll run into each other next time you’re there. I’ll even cook for you, if you like Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese or Italian food
@Mark - yup the same
@Stephen - tonight then Banff tomorrow, the CTrain is great but they do need to extend it to some of the outlying communities, I noticed a lot of the houses we looked at were not on a line?
@Raj - it’s a deal
Even though you were without internet and must of gone crazy for a little bit. It’s good to get away from of it for a little bit of time. I went 4 months with only checking my email a few times and hardly iming. It was difficult but I don’t regret it at all. Sorry to digress but have fun in Alberta with the free internet.
Pay back for leaving Canada for the UK.
it’s great to be on line every time we want. well im trying to used to it. cos in my place, in Jatinangor, Indonesia, I have to find a particular place to get on line;p