Some folks are complaining that beautiful San Antonio, TX, is a bit hot and humid for this week’s National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) 2002, but it doesn’t seem too bad to me. Of course, I’m used to June in Tennessee, the heat and humidity of which could kill a camel.
Of course, a good way to escape the humidity would be to stroll down the marvelous Riverwalk. But more on that (and all the fine foods that are available there) later. Right now I’m living on room service and Mrs. Fields’ cookies as I work day and night covering all the announcements being made this week. Speaking of which …
Comedian-actor Lily Tomlin gave an amusing keynote yesterday to kick off NECC 2002. She’s very good, but no Steve Jobs. I wasn’t even reaching for my credit card desperately wanting to buy something when she was finished. But that should change at next month’s Macworld New York.
When picking up my press credentials, I was given the usual bag of press goodies (pens, notebook, etc.). Unfortunately, it came in a carry bag that bore the NECC “Nexus in Texas” logo on one side and a Dell logo on the opposite. I had to leave the bag orphaned in the pressroom, because I simply couldn’t bear to be seen flaunting the Dell brand. A man’s gotta have his pride.
To my amazement, I’ve never seen such crappy Internet connections as I have on this trip. At both my hotel (the Holiday Inn Riverwalk) and the convention center, my EarthLink connection drops about every 10 seconds. And I practically hear the static crackling on the line. Just call it the Rice Krispies connection; there’s lots of snap, crackle, and pop. Very, very frustrating. Thank goodness Apple is offering wireless access.
Did you know that Head ‘n Shoulders shampoo lathers up into a passable shaving cream? That’s a good thing to know if, like me, you find out that you forgot to bring your travel size can of shaving gel with you.
Finally, regarding one item that’s news related, Fablevision has joined Apple and IBM as sponsors of this year’s NECC. The company, celebrating its sixth year in the children’s media world, has created an animated “Welcome to NECC” video, which is playing across the show. You can catch the preview online.
More random NECC thoughts and tidbits tomorrow.