Gavin’s Digital Diner

It’s a long, uphill slog from the BART station on Market Street to San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral at the tip-top of Nob Hill. I was winded and red-faced when I reached the top and slipped into the nave looking for a seat. The place was packed, but I managed to plop into an empty space, [...]

I think I was eight when I read my first “real” book — of course, that’s not counting comics, Willy Waddle, or books designed to be chewed. The book was Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons, a proper book; a marvelous story for a boy who spent his days poking at squiggly-wiggly things in the tide [...]

Her name was Jane. We met, quite unexpectedly, at Zaventem Airport in Brussels. At the Avis counter. It was such a random thing, but when I saw her I knew — no hesitation — whatever the cost, I just knew. Some things are just meant to be. With Jane, it was meant to be. Jane. I [...]

I was recently asked to dream up all the ways these new fangled information and communications technologies can save us from the carbon-based perils of flying. Flying dumps tons of carbon into the atmosphere. Not good, that. Technology, of course, that’s the answer, or so they say (who ever they are).
The litany goes something like [...]

It was perfect, the perfect cup of coffee. I’m not even that fond of coffee, but for that moment, it was eight ounces of heaven in a cup.
Not only was it heaven, it was the last thing I expected. I was not in a terrific mood; unhappy with the world in general, little sleep, and [...]

Just a couple of updates to my original Blackberry Modem Mash:

After a few experiments on a few different machines, it does appear that you need both the Blackberry Device Manager and the Blackberry Desktop, and they both have to be running.
In a field test (I was in a hotel), it took both. It [...]

Despite their “American” name, French fries are not French.  Most people attribute their origin to Belgium.  However, there is a bit of a controversy. 
Some think that the “French” in French fries actually comes from the verb “frenched” — meaning to cut into thin strips.  Why do I care — well, I like French fries, I [...]

Full disclosure: I’ve been using a Blackberry since … well, since I can’t remember not having one. I love it. I’ve traveled with it all over the world, and it’s worked just about everywhere.
Also I have to add that we have the Blackberry Enterprise Server (known affectionately as Bessie). So this is not a [...]