:: csn esoterica ::
I'm glad to see Hillary making headway in Asia. The Port of Portland is definitely facing in that direction, looking North along the armpit of North America (Alaska), out across to Tokyo Bay, Kyoto, Hiroshima and those. Not forgetting about Korea or my Korean sweetie in high school, later college (she went to Bryn Mawr, had a blast).
I'm basically an out of the closet Asian, as you know, which doesn't mean I can't follow football, or read the ingredients on a Snickers bar. I know what spam is, thanks to Wawa and friends. Nor am I biased against non-Asians -- those would be a lot of my best friends, we grew up together.
When Don and I ventured into Backspace between Livio talks, CSO yakking outside on cell, he asked if they'd all stand up and clap now that Mr. Esozone had arrived. I said it wasn't like that, but we do wish to support Japanese business executives wishing back office, high bandwidth access to companies in other time zones, closer to home.
Portland is a great place to visit, Todai a fine restaurant, but there's no place like Kansas at the end of the day (however that translates). We played some chess, didn't finish the game, made it to Powell's Technical for 2 of 2.
Whether Backspace is yet equipped at that level is a micromanagement concern, not CSN business. Like, I carry Visa, but that doesn't mean I get to sweep Visa's floors.
The USA's rail system is a natural wonder, a source of tourism revenues if the xenophobia ever abates.
USAers are great about providing medical assistance overseas, but are loathe to accept therapy in state ever since the Bhagwan Chapter, or at least in Oregon that backfired (talking about Rajneesh Puram, a long story, and no I wasn't there -- was retiring in Florida at the time, had a gig with McGraw-Hill before that, didn't return to Portland until 1985, from Bangladesh).
Ranchers might accept foreign exchange students wanting to learn about horses, but not if they have to paint themselves blue and pray to elephant heads in their closets, not that I'm being disparaging, having a soft spot for elephants myself (Packy and I are about the same age). But there's only so much change people can handle. Future shock in measured doses: is that too much to ask? Just asking.
Anyway, you need that wifi to work on your Amtrak trains, and how about a DVD in every chair like on Airbus, with documentaries about the scenery, Google Earth, not just mindless lies about hackers or snakes on a plane -- topics Hollywood knows next to nothing about. Or make up new kinds of media car? Like a bizmo, but part of a circus train, like the caboose used to be? Surely we haven't exhausted the science of train car design. The USA used to have a reputation to protect in that area i.e. dome cars and like that. Any pride still?
Speaking of Japan, this new product from SONY is creating a stir, netting a few chuckles in business meeting (um, sorry, my bad).
:: CSN esoterica, 2008:soundtrack by Jimmy Lott ::
