An unassuming meadow on a sunny day in October 2014. I had gone out of my way to walk across this field. Earlier that day I had traveled to the town of Staines, a short distance from London’s Heathrow Airport. Next morning I would catch a flight to Athens, Greece, the cradle of democracy. After…… Continue reading A Field by the River Thames
Author: Tom Wilson
Urban Bike: Car-Free Minneapolis Bridges
Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge. Below me sixteen lanes of traffic roar. I’m standing on the Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge, one of many Minneapolis bridges I cannot cross in a car. The bridge takes me between two parks: Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Loring Park. Loring Park. In Loring Park, the zig-zag approach to this old bridge tells…… Continue reading Urban Bike: Car-Free Minneapolis Bridges
Freakin’ Cheap: Free Telecom
The typical household pays north of $20,000 over ten years in landline, long distance, and mobile phone fees. In our household, we pay almost nothing for these services. There is a long history behind free telephone service. In the 1960’s and 70’s, phreaking was the art of hacking the public phone system using tone generators called blue…… Continue reading Freakin’ Cheap: Free Telecom
The “Worthy” Poor
I was helping “Maria” to apply online for a job.She had a good job history, she was eager and presentable. Maria was just the kind of person I would want to serve me in the low-wage position she was seeking.There were just a couple problems that prevented her from completing the form: she didn’t have…… Continue reading The “Worthy” Poor
My Kagoshima: Arriving
My 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 journeys to Kagoshima Prefecture, southern Japan. I’ve arrived in Kagoshima Prefecture on some of the newest transportation on the planet. Arrrive… Benefit: A Good Place to Stay: …by Boeing 787 Dreamliner Quick A hotel on the edge of Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park. (Hourly direct buses from the airport.) This is…… Continue reading My Kagoshima: Arriving
Scenes from a Day in 2010
The deep sleep during the overnight long-haul across the ocean.The pause between flights when I photograph a Heineken. I email the picture to a friend who is in a different place, a different time. I remind him of this place, this time of day, this beer, three years earlier when he and I were on…… Continue reading Scenes from a Day in 2010
Zen and the Art of Casserole Assembly
Oh, the things I wish I’d known when I was young. Take the ingredients for a basic bake pictured at the top of this post. They look simple enough but for me they represent small lessons learned over decades. Mise en Place I enjoy the calmness of preparing and laying out all the ingredients for…… Continue reading Zen and the Art of Casserole Assembly
My Kagoshima: Chunking the Map
I’m filled with questions when I look at a map of a place I have never visited. How do I chunk up a manageable journey through this place? How do I get there? Which areas do I visit? Where are the hiking trails? Where are the trailheads? How do I get around? How do I…… Continue reading My Kagoshima: Chunking the Map
Streamlining Flying
Earlier this month, I found myself airside at Japan’s Fukuoka Airport. 13 minutes earlier I was boarding the subway downtown. In those 13 minutes I rode the train two stations to the airport, walked up two levels to Departures, and cleared Security. I had almost an hour before boarding the plane, plenty time for a…… Continue reading Streamlining Flying
Travel Gear: Buying the Wrong GPS
Whether it’s investments or stuff, I’m a buy-and-hold kind of person. I’d had my handheld GPS (a Garmin, function-key-driven GPSMAP 6OCSx) 8 years when I lost it on a trip in January 2015. I was not ready to replace it because it still performed well relative to current units. But now I had no GPS. I…… Continue reading Travel Gear: Buying the Wrong GPS