A warning to anyone reading this column: it’s a stream of impressions, opinions, and comments from the perspective of the writer (Yours Truly). It’s designed to offer the feel and spirit of this week’s NECC expo and San Antonio (at least my impressions of them). It’s not designed to be a news article. If that’s what you’re looking for, check out the bazillion other news articles on MacCentral. For those of you who looking for something different, and casual, read on.
Alas, I’m still living on room service and pressroom food as I go what feels like 24/7 covering this week’s annual National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in San Antonio, TX. Meanwhile, I can hear all the local Tex-Mex and barbeque calling me. Oh well, maybe later today.
Meanwhile, at the convention center, I’m amazed at how many iBooks I see. They’re everywhere. Mostly I see the 14-inch iBooks, but the 12-inch models are also in abundance. There are also more Titanium PowerBooks floating around than I expected to see at an educational show. Not that I’m complaining, it’s good to see Apple systems vastly outnumbering Wintel systems.
I also have to commend Apple for the fantastic AirPort wireless service. It makes getting online a breeze. That’s something I really appreciate as I’m still having major problems maintaining a regular modem connection.
Though I haven’t had time to roam up and down the famed Riverwalk very much, I have walked to and from the convention center a couple of times to get the lay of the land. In many ways San Antonio reminds me of my Nashville stomping grounds. The climate is similar and the people are friendly.
On the other hand, it almost seems like two towns in one. The area around the convention center and what little I’ve seen of the Riverwalk seems to be thriving. And there’s certainly no shortage of hotels and restaurants. These areas are very busy, though the environment isn’t nearly as frantic as, say, San Francisco and New York during my trips to those cities for Macworld expos.
Meanwhile, I thank all the MacCentral readers who wrote me with suggestions on how to overcome the fact that I awoke Monday morning to find that I’d forgotten my shaving cream. Suggestions have ranged from Noxzema to Vaseline to the body lotion supplied in my hotel room. Actually, I just walked to a nearby drug store and bought some shaving cream, but I’ll certainly keep those recommendations in mind if (or is that when?) I do it again.
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