Ben Forta

I arrived in Cologne, Germany, last night (by way of Frankfurt), and checked in to my hotel to discover that their high-speed network is down.
Well, it is a good thing I have dial-up as a backup. Right? Nope, the modem in my notebook is dead, I tried to pick up a PCMCIA modem before I left the US but could not find one in any local store, and left it too late to order one online (apparently users are not buying that many modems nowadays, which is kind of understandable, actually).
But, I have a GPRS card, I’ll just use that. Right? Nope, it is a dual-band card, the wrong two (850 and 1900 which are usable in the US, instead of 900 or 1800 which are usable in the rest of the planet).
Last resort, a Bluetooth connection to my quad-band phone. Right? Nope, my ThinkPad does not have built in Bluetooth. I use a PCMCIA card, and just managed to bend another one. A replacement had been ordered, but it did not show up before I left.
There is a very naked feeling to not being able to get online at all. Which is kind of scary actually, both the feeling, and the fact that it exists.
Anyway, I am the venue for today’s events, and there is a wireless LAN here. Thank goodness.