Everything SKO...

L'Etape du Tour

I'm in Argeles-Gazost in the foothills of the Pyranees at the moment.

I'm doing this on Sunday: http://www.rapha.cc/index.php?page=490

I'm actually feeling good. They'll be 8,500 other riders on the day. It could get messy.

T-Mobile... Get a bloody grip will ya!

I'm a T-Mobile US hotspot customer. It was useful when they had the Starbucks deal. They've since lost it to AT&T but I paid a year in advance for a cheaper deal so I've still got it.

I would say that T-Mobile lost it in more ways than one. They own their own public Wi-Fi network and they own one in the UK too. Yet here I am in London and they want me to pay $0.18 per minute ($10.80 per hour) to "roam". Give me a bloody break will you.

That's why I recommend everyone gets a 3G dongle (try 3 in the UK & Ireland) and tell these guys to take a hike. Bunch of out-of-touch fools.

Other inappropriate places to use your mobile

Extending on the previous post.

I was in San Francisco airport yesterday -- and this particular story isn't specific to SFO, this happens everywhere. Anyway I go into the toilet for a pee and while I'm standing there at the urinal a guy comes up to the urinal on my left followed by another guy to my right. And guess what...

Yes! They are both on their mobiles chatting away (one of them was blaring actually), phone tucked beneath the chin while they do their business.

But it gets worse...

Then I hear a mobile go off in a cubicle and some bloke goes ahead and answers it and enters into a business discussion. Give me a bloody break.

If I'm calling you and you're on the toilet you know what? I'm not that important. I can wait. Really!

Yes, yes, yes...

What an absolutely fantastic argument against mobile phone use on aircraft by Ben Harvey over at SMSTextNews.

Travel tip #something or other

I was on one of my many business trips recently and the airline I was flying with lost my bags. No particular rant about the airline or the situation. They were courteous, efficient, they got it back and basically, shit happens.

However, I wasn't really prepared very well. Actually in all the many, many years that I have been flying I have been very lucky. This was the first time an airline had ever lost my bag.

As I was describing the bag to the lady she had me look at a chart of all the different bag types so she would have a better chance of identifying it.

It got me thinking. Nearly every modern mobile has a camera. So before you head out on a trip take some photos of the inside of your bag -- all your stuff -- and take a few pictures of the bag itself. So when the person asks you to describe it you can flash it up on the mobile and show them. Even better you could bluetooth the picture across to them... maybe even an MMS. Finally, a real application for MMS!

Oregon

What a place. I just spent eight glorious days wandering around Oregon. Forget California or Florida, go to Oregon for your next vacation. Fantastic beaches, Shakespeare, natural wonders, fly-fishing, windsurfing and the best bookshop on planet earth and to top it all off some of the best wine I have tasted.

I can't wait to go back.

Goodbye France

A fantastic piece by the BBC's departing French correspondent Caroline Wyatt...

More travel tips...

Just back from London and a few more ideas on how to save a few quid if you find yourself in that great city that nobody can afford to live in.

(1) When you go to a coffee shop such as Cafe Nerro, Cafe Costa or Starbucks and order a coffee they will ask you if it is to "drink in" or "take away". Always tell them it's a "take away". that way you save on the tax (17.5%). grab your coffee and sit outside at one of their tables if it's a sunny day. it's rare that the staff will hassle you.

(2) Forget dinner in a restaurant. if you're on a budget get yourself to an M&S food store -- they are in most stations. You can get a three course meal plus a half bottle of wine for £12.00. The quality is fantastic and there is lots of choice. If it's a sunny day just go and enjoy it in the park.

(3) The tube is now £4 for a single journey ticket in Zone 1. Bloody hell! Two suggestions here: (a) If you are going to be in London for a while pay the £3 and get an Oyster card. It's a stored value RFID card that allows you to just walk through the turnstiles. More importantly single journey costs in Zone 1 are only £1.50. (b) Alternatively, only buy day passes. At £5.10 they are suddenly very good value.

Jetlag

A post by Pat over at Roam4Free got me thinking about cures for jetlag. I'm just on my way to London and I've been traveling back and forth across the Atlantic regularly for the past 10 years along with lots of other places that give me jetlag.

Of course there is no *cure* for jetlag but I have a solution that works for me although I have no idea if this will work for anyone else.

Going East: On the flight eat the vegetarian food and avoid alcohol. You should avoid coffee as well. It's pretty easy on most flights as it's absolute crap anyway. If you arrive around lunchtime and if your schedule allows then take a short nap between 4pm and 6pm. This is the most important part. Under no circumstances let yourself sleep through. If you do you are toast for the next 4-5 days. Get up after 90 minutes or so and have a shower then leave the hotel and go and have dinner. Back to the room, cup of herb tea some melatonin and you'll get 6 hours of good sleep. From here it's a matter of getting through your days and progressively going to bed later and later but go to bed no earlier than 8pm.

Going West: I find this a lot easier. As before, eat the vegetarian food and avoid alcohol. You usually arrive on the West Coast of North America in the late afternoon. By the time you get to your room and have a shower and dinner it's about 8pm. More herb tea with some melatonin should knock you out until about 4am. Then it's as before. Stick with it.

An important point. If you wake up in the night *do not* put the light on and watch the TV or work on your laptop. That's a disaster. Just lay there and relax. You'll be awake and annoyed that you can't sleep and you'll drop off for a few minutes here and there but it's worth it.

Startup tools: Accomodation

I've done enough self-funded startups to know that it's really important to save money wherever you can. Many startups will get funding from VC's but you probably are scrimping and saving and maxing out your credit card to get your gig started.

So I thought I would write an occasional entry about tips that I've learned to help save money.

My first one is on accommodation. It's expensive to stay in hotels when you travel so you either sleep on a friends sofa -- if you have a friend where you are going -- or look for alternatives.

A great way to save money is to use hostels rather than hotels. If you want to give it a go try Hostel World, it's excellent. A great advantage of hostels is that they tend to be more sociable than hotels so if you find yourself alone in a new city you can usually find a few people to go for a beer with.

Another accommodation tip if you have to go down to the Bay Area on business, or to raise a little cash on Sand Hill Road, is to stay at The Cardinal in the heart of Palo Alto. It's a fantastic hotel and if you get a room with a shared bathroom (european style) you can stay for $65 per night.

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Money, Palo Alto, Accomodation