b.cognosco

I leave Wednesday for a couple of days in Toronto. I had hoped to meet with Brent Ashley while there, but Canadian Thanksgiving and the holiday weekend mean we'll have to wait.

In the meantime, I've spent an entire day trying to get my eBeam portable white board capture unit working with my new laptop. I have been stricken with the tech gremlins of late, destroying everything from hard drives to scanners. So I wasn't surprised that the eBeam software I used for two years on my previous laptop -- which is identical to the current laptop in both hardware and software load -- wouldn't work. But finally, after numerous re-installs, downloading new drivers for my USB-to-Serial adapter, unplugging and plugging cables a jillion times, it all works.

It's a nice little unit and you just can't beat it for capturing impromptu meeting notes. I've found that capturing the board notes and putting them into my summaries really helps the clients understand what transpired.

I've not done quite as well on the rest of my mobility check list. I have neither working cell service nor a long distance calling card for Canada and I really should get one or the other. The North American cell phone situation is such a disaster, though. I think I'd be better off just to buy one of those Canada-to-US calling cards with about an hour or so of time and keep it with me.

I also won't have Internet access in Toronto. This really won't do if I'm to spend much time there at all. I used to have a global calling option with Earthlink, I even used it in Germany a year or so ago. But I have to install yet more software and I'm just not up for it. It's unbelievable that hotels in major cities still don't offer high-speed access.

Should be an interesting, if hectic, visit. And I'm planning on meeting with Brent when I'm back in November.