Limited Communication

[kevin_standlee]

When we got to our hotel this evening in Leadville, I fired up my computer, as is my wont, to give it time to "warm up." It wouldn't boot. It powered up, but would do anything after the initial power-up screen. Later in the evening, I brought in the other computer -- the one that usually powers Match Game SF. It booted okay. I then swapped hard drives, and reproduced the problem -- there's something wrong with the hard drive on my primary laptop.

This is annoying, but not a complete disaster. It's possible there may be a way to get at the data on the drive, but I won't know until I get back home where I have more things I can try. For now, I can use the spare machine for basic connectivity.

Speaking of basic connectivity, while I could get my machine to see the hotel's free wi-fi network, the network refused to issue an IP address, and thus I couldn't access the internet. I don't think that's anything I can fix. Lisa suggested that I take the computer to downtown Leadville, which proudly boasts on a sign outside the city that they have free wi-fi downtown. I did so, and it worked. And thus I am sitting in a nearly-deserted downtown at 11:15 at night with a county sheriff coming up to ask me if anything is wrong. And I'm not joking. I just explained to the deputy what I said above, told him where I was staying, and that it didn't seem worth waking up the hotel office people, and that seemed to make him happy enough.

I'm not sure I'll necessarily get back online again until the day after tomorrow, where we currently plan to stop at Grand Junction. It's a pity, really, because we had a lovely day at the Georgetown Loop, and have a number of pictures we might want to post, but I'm less willing to do so if it requires me lugging the computer back and forth like this.

We did spot a laundromat in town, so we'll have a chance to do laundry tomorrow night. And since we are staying here two nights, we can sleep in and catch the 2:30 train rather than having to rush to catch the 10:00 train.

Comments

Business meeting query

[lesliet-ma.livejournal.com]

Hi Kevin, When you get a chance, you might take a look at the questions on Kathryn Cramer's blog about the elimination of the Best Semiprozine Hugo. She specifically asks if there is a recording or transcript of the business meeting proceedings. See http://www.kathryncramer.com/kathryn_cramer/2008/08/semiprozine-rul.html.

I visited Leadville last summer when I was visiting Nancy A. so I have a picture in my mind of that downtown main street and am trying to add to it an image of you sitting out there with your laptop. It doesn't quite compute. I myself spent the night in Nederland, an old mining in the mountains above Boulder, and will be going on to Estes Park today. We went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant about a half-mile from our hotel and walked back in the dark, accompanied by barking dogs announcing our presence wherever we went. Should have brought a flashlight.

Have a good trip home!

Re: Business meeting query

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

I have replied there. Short version: What she wants exists, but it will be a while before it can be put into a form where anyone can see it.

My hard drive failure doesn't help, but the biggest problem is that the files are huge, fill up five DVDs.