Finding the Rhythm

As I write this blog entry, I find myself at the Las Vegas airport, waiting for the airplane to arrive that’s scheduled to take me home. That airplane is roughly 90 minutes behind schedule, apparently due to weather. While they haven’t said so, I can see from online radar maps that there are storm cells dotting the southwestern US, both around Las Vegas, and my destination (Denver) where the plane originated from that’ll take me home. I’m trying to be patient; truth is, I have little choice but.

As I write this entry, I’m thankful for two things:

1. Mobile broadband from Sprint Nextel.
2. The Apple iPod.

My Internet access comes by way of a BlackBerry, tethered to my laptop via USB. Having speedy Internet access via Sprint’s EV-DO Rev. A network almost anyplace I have a Sprint signal is a bit of a luxury, but for both work and personal uses, it’s also had some real value during some tough spots when a WiFi connection or Ethernet jack is nowhere to be found (or in cases where they are available, but ridiculously expensive [like the $15.00 a day at my Las Vegas hotel; give me a break!]). For the technically curious, EV-DO Rev. A runs as fast as 3 Mbps downstream, and about 300 kbps upstream under ideal conditions. Usually, actual performance is about 1/2 that. So a cable modem it’s not, but it’s not too shabby.

As for the iPod, do I really have to explain this, and why I like having one? I didn’t really think so. Being a DJ or not, having “my” music nearby is just a necessity. All that’s changed since the debut of the iPod is that it’s a lot easier to do. While I personally predate CDs, I don’t remember having enough music or liking it enough to take it with me in the pre-CD era. Post-CD, yes, I can still remember schlepping a stack of CDs and a CD Walkman around on trips. Not exactly convenient. The iPod changed that, of course. Now I can take virtually every track of dance music in my collection with me everywhere I go (and I do). Along with all the dance music are some limited choices from rock, pop, and some other unmentionables I’m too embarrassed to talk about. (Can anyone say easy listening? Yeah, I thought you could. Please don’t do it again.)

Time for me to run along. Good news: The airplane just arrived. I can hardly wait to lay back in my airplane seat, stuff my Etymotics in my ears, and tune out the world while tuning in to some serious dance tunes. It’s been an exhausting day already; I need some R&R.

Crank-up the volume… Wes.

[CORRECTION: Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A technology is rated a 3.1 Mbps peak downstream, 450-800 kbps typical, and 1.8 Mbps peak upstream, 300-400 kbps typical. In my real-world experience, I nearly always achieve speeds at or higher than what they advertise as "typical." For me, I'm usually 1 Mbps or better downstream, with upstream speeds pretty much as stated (300-400 kbps or so). While this is no cable modem or DSL, it's quite serviceable, and sufficient for online media streams, and even playing Second Life at an "acceptable" performance level.  —Wes, August 3, 2007]