Got to the airport at 10.30am, dropped off the car, had a ciggie, met my friend Eamon L. who dropped out to see me off and had a nice big (expensive) breakfast before going through security. Had 3 jumbo sausages, 2 rashers, 2 slices of thick toast, 1 egg, 1 hash brown, 1/2 a fried tomato, and numerous backed beans.:) A good end to a long drive, and a nice fill-up before a long flight.

On the plane I got 2 seats to meself and dosed off for about 2 hours or more after they served “dinner”. Woke up somewhere over the Canadian north and got to watch the lame ending to the last Harry Blouter film.

At Logan (Boston’s airport), I got through everything quickly, and didn’t have to wait too long for a shuttle bus to the blue line on the subway. And it wasn’t too busy considering it was rush hour. I guess most of the commuters were heading the other way. I changed Gov Center for the Green Line that goes near the house, and lucky enough I got a local train going to Kenmore (never seen one of those before) which was nice and quiet and not full of rush-hour nasties. And got home in time to see the sunset.

So now I’m pooped, as it’s 11:45pm Irish Time, and I need dinner … pics will appear on Flickr at some point.

Update: Here’s one!
More via this Flickr search.

On Debian and Ubuntu you can install the dontzap command which will allow you to kill X:

sudo apt-get install dontzap

Then run dontzap:

sudo dontzap -d

Or you can the following section to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file (which is what the dontxzap command does):

Section "ServerFlags"
        Option  "DontZap"       "False"
EndSection

See Alberto Milone’s blog for more info:
http://albertomilone.com/wordpress/?p=335

It’s not a big airport, but it’s a lot bigger than Dublin Airport.  There’s 5 terminals; A, B, C, D, and E. It might seem confusing how to get one from one to another, and how to get to Downtown Boston (the city center) if you don’t know where to go! But, it’s really very very simple, as they have free shuttle buses connecting all the terminals.

You will arrive at Terminal E (used for most of international arrivals/departures).
US Airways is at Terminal B.

Exit terminal E, and look for the signs for the Airport Shuttle Bus (they’re across the street in  this sorta big traffic island thingy).

They have at least 3 different routes for the shuttle bus, they have signs that say what bus goes to what terminal.
Catch the bus that goes to Terminal B:
http://www.massport.com/logan/insid_termi_b.html

If you’ve a lot of bags, don’t get on at the front door, get on at the middle door. Waiting for the bus and getting to the terminal will take about 10 minutes. So relax and have a smoke while you wait, in Massachusetts you cannot smoke anywhere indoors.

There’s a good variety of restaurants at Terminal B, I suggest stopping at Bonfire for a steak if you’ve time, if you don’t have time get a sandwich from “Au Bon Pain“.

So, in summary, catch the shuttle bus from terminal E to terminal B.

If your arriving at any other terminal and need to get to another terminal at the airport it’s basically the same procedure. All you need to know is what terminal you need to get to, if you don’t know ask any of the Airport staff, or at an Information Desk, or alternatively ask the Shuttle Bus drivers which Terminal your airline is at. Also, the Airport’s Shuttle Buses are free, the Silver Line (which is part of the public transit system is not free and will take you to South Station, one of Boston’s major train stations).

If your delayed at the airport and have a lot of time to kill, I’d suggest going to the Hyatt Hotel at the airport. It’s connected to the garage, which I think is called Central Parking. It’s a good spot to spend a few hours, has a nice view, and the food ain’t bad and it’s a nice place to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the Airport terminals. Alternatively go to Terminal B which seems to have a pretty decent collection of restaurants.

If you’ve more that 4 hours to kill, it’s also very easy to get into the city. What I’d suggest for tourists to do is to catch the shuttle bus to the Subway line (the Blue Line). Catch this inbound to Government Center, which is less than a 10 minute subway ride. Fanueil Hall which is about 5 minutes walk from there has plenty of stores (shops for all you Irish and Brits) and restuarants and pubs. I quite like Durgin Park and their Yankee Roast followed by their traditional style Strawberry Shortcake for desert.

It’s also less than 10 minutes walk from both the State House, Boston Common, and 2 minutes walk from the Old State House (the seat of British rule during colonial times).

I’ll try and update this posting with relevant information.

http://timony.com/mickzblog/2008/12/15/getting-from-one-terminal-to-another-at-bostons-logan-airport

You walk around the base of the memorial, towards the water.

Go through a short tunnel, which has speakers playing the voices of people talking about the famine (including Bono).

And your in a ruined house.

You walk out the front door of the house, and follow the path up the hill, past a grave, and a what to me looks like a fallow potato field (because of the mounds or ridges or riggs in the field).

Here’s a view from above, which should give you a better view of how it’s laid out.

There’s even an overgrown garden out the back of the cottage.

Really a very impressive memorial, hey was that’s Bono’s voice coming out the speakers. Sheesh, he’s on everything these days.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2007/11/24_hours_of_air_traffic_never_1.html

http://www.canadianliving.com

By Helen Racanelli and Mick Timony

Traveling to Boston for a vacation, either for business or with the kids? From Montreal it’s about a six hour drive, from Toronto, about 9 hours. Here are some ideas of what to do, where to go, and where to stay in Boston.

1. Boston’s museums are top-notch
What’s a vacation without a little culture-vulture action? Boston’s museums are among the finest in the United States. If you can only check out two, try the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), and the Children’s Museum. Here’s how to get there: From South Station, where Amtrak has a big station, and the Red Line on the T (Boston’s subway) has a stop, you can walk about two blocks to the Children’s Museum where you can also have an ice cream cone.

From there, the adults can go to the ICA (Institute for Contemporary Art), which just moved to a really cool building that overlooks the waterfront. Depending on their age, kids might enjoy it too.

2. Boston’s neighbourhoods are colourful
Boston is an excellent walking city, with many of its ethnic neighbourhoods intact. Bring your walking shoes! Boston has a small but active Chinatown, which is near Boston Theater district. On a side note, oftentimes the Theater District, which is a short walk from Boston Common, (the oldest park in the United States), will have plays before they get to Broadway, but usually it gets them after Broadway. There is an Italian neighbourhood, the North End, which has many Italian cafes and restaurants, and the beautiful Old North Church.

3. It’s easy to get around
You can walk, or “T” (short for MBTA: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) to almost all the things you’ll want to see. Taxis are expensive in Boston. For the MBTA, ask the attendant for a “Charlie Card”, fares are cheaper with this credit-card-like T pass, versus the paper “Charlie Ticket”. Alternatively, ask about tourist passes if you’re in town more than a day or two.

4. There’s more to Boston than Fenway Park
There’s lots to explore whether or not you’re a Red Sox fan. (Though if you are a baseball fan, could anything beat seeing a game at Fenway Park?) Love the bustle of a food market? Sample gourmet fast food at Quincy Market, a can’t-miss indoor market in the city centre. It’s touristy, but not tacky. Into shopping? Check out the one-off boutiques on Newbury Street. Near Newbury street is Boylston street, that’s where the shopping really heats up with shops we don’t have in Canada, such as Anthropologie, Crate Barrel, and Filene’s Basement to name but a few.

5. Harvard is nearby

If you’ve always secretly harboured Ivy League dreams for yourself or your kids, you’re probably aware that Cambridge, Massachusetts is where the famed Harvard campus resides. It’s very near Boston: you can get to Cambridge by the T (subway) with no extra toll, and it takes only about a half-hour to get there. Stroll around the historic campus, take in the beautiful buildings, and enjoy the town where you’ll find lots of pubs, a smattering of shopping (and another Crate & Barrel) and cheap student-thronged restaurants.

6. There are lots of free events in Boston

Similar to Toronto’s Shakespeare in the Park, is Boston’s Shakespeare on the Common, during the summertime, in Boston Common. The MIT Museusm is free the 3rd Sunday of every month. The Harvard Museum of Natural History is free on Sunday Mornings to Massachusetts residents (so don’t look like a tourist, hint, hint). The Freedom Trail is also free: it takes you around all the major tourist and historical sights in Boston.

7. Hotels range from affordable to fancy

Whatever your price range, you’re likely to find something suitable in a good neighbourhood of Boston. For a special trip, like an anniversary or perhaps a honeymoon, Boston’s Kimpton Hotels, The Nine Zero and the Onyx are both the epitome of chic, friendly, comfy boutique hotels with a splash of luxury.

The new Westin at the waterfront can have some amazing deals on rooms when there are no conventions on at the neighbouring convention centre. For those with kiddies in tow or on a tighter budget, La Capella Suites are family friendly with washer/dryers, fridges, microwaves and a self-serve breakfast included in the rate.

All of the photographs shown here (and not in the original article) were taken by myself.

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2007/08/google-earth-easter-egg-flight.html

How to see this feature. Make sure you have Google Earth 4.2. Open the application, click on the globe and then press Ctrl+Alt+A.

Works on Google Earth for Linux too.

It was pretty cool!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4219452.html

13206

http://www.nytimes.com

… authorities have decided to stop enforcing a two-year-old rule against taking cigarette lighters on airplanes, concluding that it was a waste of time to search for them before passengers boarded.

The ban was imposed at the insistence of Congress after a passenger, Richard Reed, tried to ignite a bomb in his shoe in 2001 on a flight from Paris to Miami.

Lawmakers said that if Mr. Reid had used a lighter, instead of matches, he might have been able to ignite the bomb, but Kip Hawley, assistant secretary for the Transportation Security Administration, said in an interview on Thursday that the ban had done little to improve aviation security because small batteries could be used to set off a bomb.

Matches have never been prohibited on flights.

“Taking lighters away is security theater,” Mr. Hawley said. “It trivializes the security process.”

The policy change, which is to go into effect on Aug. 4, applies to disposable butane lighters, like Bics, and refillable lighters, like Zippos. Torch lighters, which have thin, hotter flames, will continue to be banned.

The emphasis above is mine, I ownder if politicans did any research on if lighters were a threat or not or just acted irrationally. As Bruce Schneier keeps calling most of the security at US airports, “security theatre”!