In the last couple of years I've had the good fortune of staying in some beautifully renovated hotels. One was the Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin, another was the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg and the last and most recent one was the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai. The following is some of my thoughts on both the restoration work performed and the quality of the experience with 10 being excellent and 1 being poor.
Hotel Adlon Kempinski:
- Restoration: 10. The room was spectular. Very modern and spacious. The hotel was beautiful inside and out.
- Service: 10. Impeccable. German efficiency at its best. The staff was friendly and helpful.
- Price: 9. For the service and amenities, the Adlon is hard to beat. Just be prepared to pay for it.
- Overall, this hotel ranks as one of the best I've ever stayed in. I often compare other hotel's amenities and service to the Adlon. Their location next to the Brandenburg Gate, Tier Garten and other historical sights is fantastic.
Fairmont Hotel Jahr Viereszeiten:
- Restoration: 9.5. There was still restoration work being performed, but overall they have done a great job.
- Service: 9. There was a slight communication error about whether or not the breakfast was included in the price. The staff graciously removed other charges from the bill to compensate.
- Price: 9. An excellent hotel in a great location, but is a good value for the money.
- Overall, this is a wonderful property right on the Binnenalster. One warning though, when I stayed earlier in 2010, Germans were still permitted to smoke in the hotel rooms. I used one of my upgrade vouchers for a suite and was shown to what had to be the largest and most beautiful suite I had ever seen. Unfortunately, the smell of cigarette smoke was too much for me and I had to downgrade to a smaller suite.
Fairmont Peace Hotel:
- Restoration: 10.5. They set a new standard for restoration work with this hotel. The room was wonderfully appointed. The fitness room is very up-to-date and the pool is beautiful. An excellent example of Art Deco architecture with most of the glass and chandeliers being originals.
- Service: 8. The Fairmont re-opened this property in July of 2010, and while Fairmont is typically known for impeccable service, the staff at the Peace Hotel has room for improvement. Be forewarned, the Chinese culture is not one known for "service" and you will find that the staff at the Peace Hotel definitely outperform compared to other local establishments. Most of the issues were minor and easily fixable, but they are noticeable to those used to staying in Western and European hotels.
- Price: 8. The price for the room is comparable to other hotels in the area and on its own would get a 10. The price for dining is very steep and for the service received, I'd have to give it a 6. Even if the service was impeccable, the price for dining would only get an 8.
- Overall, this is a beautiful property on the Bund in a wonderfully restored Art Deco building right on the Nanjing Road. There is a bit of a culture shock that occurs here because inside the hotel it feels like you could be in any of the wonderful Fairmonts through the world, but as you step out of the hotel you are hounded by locals selling watches, bags, etc. The. The service can use some fine tuning to adjust to be more attentive and responsive. If you are heading to Shanghai, this is definitely THE place to stay.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Sustainability: Learnings while traveling Central America
Calypso Beach Retreat, Long Cay, Lighthouse Reef, Belize
Thankfully the trip to the Long Cay on Lighthouse Reef (50 miles east of Belize City) was only scheduled to be two hours. As the seas started getting rough, my mind drifted back to the Gilligan's Island theme song. Other than scooting past the Carnival Legend cruise ship, it was just some rough water and squalls.
We were hoping for good weather the next day to be able to snorkeling. Alas, it was not to be, Tropical Storm Alex decided to pay a visit.
A tropical storm when you're on a little island on a reef doesn't sound good, especially when you find out the island just to east was evacuated by helicopter. The positive side was that it led to some very interesting learnings. Calypso Beach Retreat is set up to be self-sustaining in the aspect of water collection and solar power generation.
Learning #1: What is good for one, may not be for another.
Tropical storms or extended periods of rain are great for water collection, but not for solar power generation. Calypso only has 4000 gallons of cistern capacity, which compared to the 20,000 gallons I have in Austin, seems like it would be insufficient for a place capable of lodging up to 18 people. The key is how often there are rains. Where Austin can be subject to long spells of drought, Calypso gets frequent tropical storms that help refill the cisterns - they call them vats.
What creates full vats, also creates havoc. Tropical storms that last multiple days impact the ability to recharge the batteries. The solar power system was selected over a wind generator due the space required and noise generated by wind systems. Calypso uses electricty for refridgeration, fans (no A/C), lights and all the electronics tourists cannot do without. One other aspect is that rain is not friendly with electronics. While construction is pretty decent, water has the ability to flow or be blown to where you don't want it. Too much humidity or water in the wrong spot, and you've created a short circuit and pop goes the circuit breakers.
Learning #2: Have a backup.
Calypso is in the Caribbean. It's warm in the Caribbean. If you rely on electricity for your fridge, then you either need to have a large capacity for power storage, or you require another means of generating power. When I grew up in Northern Canada, my family's cabin did not have electricity. Solar was non-existent and generators were expensive. Propane was the fuel of choice. We had propane lights, cooktop and fridge. Today, you can purchase fridges that are duel fuel - propane and electricity. Granted, these are primarily use in campers and RVs, but the principle is the same - have a backup. In the case of Calypso, we did have power issues, and they used a gas powered generator. I found that interesting because they use propane for cooking; therefore, either a propane generator or a duel-fuel fridge would have seemed a better choice. BUT, do they make duel-fuel fridges that large? Propane generators exist, but transporting the fuel is a lot more cumbersome. It's not like a propane barge pulls up to the island and recharges your tanks. They have to physically haul them on to a boat and transport them through open water to town to have them recharged. This seriously limits the tank size, which makes the trade-off for solar with a gas powered generator a wise choice. Another alternative would be to have a single diesel power plant as backup for Calypso and the neighboring properties.
Learning #3: How Eco is it?
I give Calypso and its surrounding community high marks. Lighthouse Reef is the last reef before you hit the open waters of the Caribbean Sea. If you keep going east, the next place you land is in Jamaica. Float planes are very suspicious in the region due to the drug trade; therefore, everything has to be brought in by boat. The communities are small, so they have to be self-sufficient. Solar is an excellent choice due to the abundance of sunshine, but backup systems are very important. Since there are some big in-roads being made in the Eco market, I do wonder if something like a methane generator - using human waste - may become a viable option as another source of fuel. I would have thought wind might be viable, but most wind turbines require a consistent wind speed. Could a turbine handle tropical storm or hurricane force winds? What about the space requirement or the noise generation? We see big wind turbine farms in Europe, Texas and California, but is there a means to generate power quietly and efficiently without a "farm?"
Tikal, Guatemala
A lot of people talk about how advanced the Mayan civilization was. And it is very impressive the structures they built. There were three things that really impressed me though. First, they had to figure out a water retention system; second, their building were designed to handle the heat; and third, recycling.
Building to handle the heat was probable the easiest one to understand. They built their structures with thick walls, small windows and doors, and high ceilings. The thick walls helped prevent the heat from penetrating so easily into the structure. The small opens afforded some airflow without too much exposure to heat. And the high ceilings permitted the warmer air to rise. They also picked orientations that gave less exposure to the sun. Many of these practices were used before A/C came into existence. Using them today, even with A/C, could certainly help with the summer energy bill.
The water retention was a tough problem for them to resolve. Water was critical to their existence and especially for these large cities to exist. The ground is very porous and digging a hole to retain water doesn't work. Digging a well doesn't work either for the same reason. What they had to build was water reservoirs and line them with a substance that would help retain the water. The one thing they did have in abundance was limestone. Using the limestone to create a crude concrete, they would seal these massive lagoons to help retain the water. In some cases, they would also build shade covers for the lagoons to help minimize evaporation.
The Mayans were actually very proficient at recycling on a grand scale. While some structures were built new, many of the buildings were built right on top of a previous structure. The reconstruction was an essential part of maintaining their limestone buildings. This also permitted the new structure to be built bigger than its predecessor, but with a greatly reduced amount of material. This also had another nice feature of preserving a number of great artifacts that adorned the previous structures.
Roatan, Honduras
Here's a beautiful little island in the Caribbean that is catching the eye of tourists and those looking for a piece of tropical paradise. We stayed in the little town of West End, and I was quite surprised to see that their "main" street is basically the beach. If this wasn't scary enough, the taxis and collectives drive up and down this road continuously looking for business. We took a walk down to West Bay to do some snorkeling and discovered that is where many of the resorts are being built. There, just a few hundred yards away from the resort, is one of the most beautiful coral reefs.
The saddest part of being there was watching people in sea kayaks running aground on the reef and watching other snorkelers paddling their way through sections of the reef as their fins hit everything in sight. Roatan is trying to position itself as an eco-friendly destination. Unfortunately, with the lack of eco-friendly humans and the need for the almighty dollar, all I can say is "go now" because it's not going to be the same in a few years.
Summary
I learned a lot from his trip. I had been under the impression that large banks of batteries would have been required for power storage. Calypso is a lodge capable of hold 18 people, and it did the week prior to us - school kids from the USA no less. The bank of batteries looked like a large bench you could sit on. A/C, incandescent lights, and electronic gadgets from microwaves to computers and iPods all increase your electrical requirements. There are so many electronic appliances in a typical US home that draw power for no reason other than to tell us the time when they're not in use. Do both my microwave and oven - which sit one over the other - have to tell me the time? Is there a simpler way that when we leave our homes, we could pull out the card - like in many foreign hotels - and shut off the power to non-critical devices?
No matter where you go, water is pretty important. And potable water is king. Many countries are learning that a simple rainwater collection system can solve most of their water needs. If you get a lot a rainfall in a year, the cistern doesn't have to be as large. The longer the dry period, the greater the need for a covered cistern and greater capacity.
Solar power is definitely viable, but the retention system (batteries) or backup system need to be ready to operate when there are extended periods of darkness or when there is greater demand than there is supply. I like that my new appliances (dishwasher, washer and dryer) come with an actual power switch or on/off button.All this has given me some food for thought. Part of me would like to go off-the-grid, but it's not a requirement for living in Austin, so maybe there's a better way to do this whole energy generation/conservation/usage thing. I just bought a book "Living Off the Grid" by Dave Black. I'm looking forward to seeing how enlightening it might be.
Thankfully the trip to the Long Cay on Lighthouse Reef (50 miles east of Belize City) was only scheduled to be two hours. As the seas started getting rough, my mind drifted back to the Gilligan's Island theme song. Other than scooting past the Carnival Legend cruise ship, it was just some rough water and squalls.
Shot with wide angle, not zoom.
We were hoping for good weather the next day to be able to snorkeling. Alas, it was not to be, Tropical Storm Alex decided to pay a visit.
A tropical storm when you're on a little island on a reef doesn't sound good, especially when you find out the island just to east was evacuated by helicopter. The positive side was that it led to some very interesting learnings. Calypso Beach Retreat is set up to be self-sustaining in the aspect of water collection and solar power generation.
Learning #1: What is good for one, may not be for another.
Tropical storms or extended periods of rain are great for water collection, but not for solar power generation. Calypso only has 4000 gallons of cistern capacity, which compared to the 20,000 gallons I have in Austin, seems like it would be insufficient for a place capable of lodging up to 18 people. The key is how often there are rains. Where Austin can be subject to long spells of drought, Calypso gets frequent tropical storms that help refill the cisterns - they call them vats.
Three of the eight vats
What creates full vats, also creates havoc. Tropical storms that last multiple days impact the ability to recharge the batteries. The solar power system was selected over a wind generator due the space required and noise generated by wind systems. Calypso uses electricty for refridgeration, fans (no A/C), lights and all the electronics tourists cannot do without. One other aspect is that rain is not friendly with electronics. While construction is pretty decent, water has the ability to flow or be blown to where you don't want it. Too much humidity or water in the wrong spot, and you've created a short circuit and pop goes the circuit breakers.
Power control system
Solar panels
Learning #2: Have a backup.
Calypso is in the Caribbean. It's warm in the Caribbean. If you rely on electricity for your fridge, then you either need to have a large capacity for power storage, or you require another means of generating power. When I grew up in Northern Canada, my family's cabin did not have electricity. Solar was non-existent and generators were expensive. Propane was the fuel of choice. We had propane lights, cooktop and fridge. Today, you can purchase fridges that are duel fuel - propane and electricity. Granted, these are primarily use in campers and RVs, but the principle is the same - have a backup. In the case of Calypso, we did have power issues, and they used a gas powered generator. I found that interesting because they use propane for cooking; therefore, either a propane generator or a duel-fuel fridge would have seemed a better choice. BUT, do they make duel-fuel fridges that large? Propane generators exist, but transporting the fuel is a lot more cumbersome. It's not like a propane barge pulls up to the island and recharges your tanks. They have to physically haul them on to a boat and transport them through open water to town to have them recharged. This seriously limits the tank size, which makes the trade-off for solar with a gas powered generator a wise choice. Another alternative would be to have a single diesel power plant as backup for Calypso and the neighboring properties.
Learning #3: How Eco is it?
I give Calypso and its surrounding community high marks. Lighthouse Reef is the last reef before you hit the open waters of the Caribbean Sea. If you keep going east, the next place you land is in Jamaica. Float planes are very suspicious in the region due to the drug trade; therefore, everything has to be brought in by boat. The communities are small, so they have to be self-sufficient. Solar is an excellent choice due to the abundance of sunshine, but backup systems are very important. Since there are some big in-roads being made in the Eco market, I do wonder if something like a methane generator - using human waste - may become a viable option as another source of fuel. I would have thought wind might be viable, but most wind turbines require a consistent wind speed. Could a turbine handle tropical storm or hurricane force winds? What about the space requirement or the noise generation? We see big wind turbine farms in Europe, Texas and California, but is there a means to generate power quietly and efficiently without a "farm?"
Tikal, Guatemala
A lot of people talk about how advanced the Mayan civilization was. And it is very impressive the structures they built. There were three things that really impressed me though. First, they had to figure out a water retention system; second, their building were designed to handle the heat; and third, recycling.
Building to handle the heat was probable the easiest one to understand. They built their structures with thick walls, small windows and doors, and high ceilings. The thick walls helped prevent the heat from penetrating so easily into the structure. The small opens afforded some airflow without too much exposure to heat. And the high ceilings permitted the warmer air to rise. They also picked orientations that gave less exposure to the sun. Many of these practices were used before A/C came into existence. Using them today, even with A/C, could certainly help with the summer energy bill.
Cross-section of a palace room
The water retention was a tough problem for them to resolve. Water was critical to their existence and especially for these large cities to exist. The ground is very porous and digging a hole to retain water doesn't work. Digging a well doesn't work either for the same reason. What they had to build was water reservoirs and line them with a substance that would help retain the water. The one thing they did have in abundance was limestone. Using the limestone to create a crude concrete, they would seal these massive lagoons to help retain the water. In some cases, they would also build shade covers for the lagoons to help minimize evaporation.
Crocodile in one of the remaining lagoons
Rain god face preserved
Roatan, Honduras
Here's a beautiful little island in the Caribbean that is catching the eye of tourists and those looking for a piece of tropical paradise. We stayed in the little town of West End, and I was quite surprised to see that their "main" street is basically the beach. If this wasn't scary enough, the taxis and collectives drive up and down this road continuously looking for business. We took a walk down to West Bay to do some snorkeling and discovered that is where many of the resorts are being built. There, just a few hundred yards away from the resort, is one of the most beautiful coral reefs.
School of fish swimming along the reef
The saddest part of being there was watching people in sea kayaks running aground on the reef and watching other snorkelers paddling their way through sections of the reef as their fins hit everything in sight. Roatan is trying to position itself as an eco-friendly destination. Unfortunately, with the lack of eco-friendly humans and the need for the almighty dollar, all I can say is "go now" because it's not going to be the same in a few years.
Summary
I learned a lot from his trip. I had been under the impression that large banks of batteries would have been required for power storage. Calypso is a lodge capable of hold 18 people, and it did the week prior to us - school kids from the USA no less. The bank of batteries looked like a large bench you could sit on. A/C, incandescent lights, and electronic gadgets from microwaves to computers and iPods all increase your electrical requirements. There are so many electronic appliances in a typical US home that draw power for no reason other than to tell us the time when they're not in use. Do both my microwave and oven - which sit one over the other - have to tell me the time? Is there a simpler way that when we leave our homes, we could pull out the card - like in many foreign hotels - and shut off the power to non-critical devices?
No matter where you go, water is pretty important. And potable water is king. Many countries are learning that a simple rainwater collection system can solve most of their water needs. If you get a lot a rainfall in a year, the cistern doesn't have to be as large. The longer the dry period, the greater the need for a covered cistern and greater capacity.
Solar power is definitely viable, but the retention system (batteries) or backup system need to be ready to operate when there are extended periods of darkness or when there is greater demand than there is supply. I like that my new appliances (dishwasher, washer and dryer) come with an actual power switch or on/off button.All this has given me some food for thought. Part of me would like to go off-the-grid, but it's not a requirement for living in Austin, so maybe there's a better way to do this whole energy generation/conservation/usage thing. I just bought a book "Living Off the Grid" by Dave Black. I'm looking forward to seeing how enlightening it might be.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
New age in Ethernet port naming
In less than a month, the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Review Committee (aka RevCom) will offer a recommendation to the IEEE-SA Standards Board on the approval of IEEE P802.3ba which is the draft standard for 40 Gigabit and 100 Gigabit Ethernet. Given that approval is pretty much a slam dunk, the resulting standard IEEE Std 802.3ba-2010 will usher in a new age of Ethernet port naming.
When Ethernet first considered doing fiber optic links back in the 10M and 100M days, they used to just an F to indicate that the medium to use was fiber optic cabling. Over time, Ethernet speeds have increased, laser technology has improved, and fiber optic cabling has advanced.
When Gigabit Ethernet came into being in 1998, the Ethernet industry hailed in the concept instead of just calling it F for fiber optics that stating the wavelength to be used would help the end user. 1000BASE-SX was a Gigabit Ethernet port that would transmit 8B/10B encoded data using the 850 nm wavelength (short wavelength) on multimode fiber. The X implied an externally sourced coding scheme (8B/10B came from Fibre Channel), and the S implied short wavelength. 1000BASE-LX would transmit the same data using the 1310 nm wavelength (long wavelength) on either multimode (using a mode conditioning patch cord) or single-mode fiber.
When 10 Gigabit Ethernet came into being in 2002, the Ethernet industry continued the support of that concept. 10GBASE-SR was a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port that would transmit 64B/66B encoded data - the R was used to give credit to the inventors of 64B/66B: Rich Dugan and Rick Walker - using short wavelength optics. 10GBASE-LR would use the long wavelength, but the mode conditioning patch cord was such a pain that it was decided to only use LR with single-mode fiber. 10GBASE-ER would transmit the same data using a new "extra long wavelength": 1550 nm. Later, in 2006, a new port type would be created: 10GBASE-LRM. Applying the principles previously used, this was 10GBASE-LR device, but with a unique feature; it was tuned to operate directly over multimode fiber, hence the M at the end of the name.
What was interesting is that the marketing types at some of the big switch companies could not understand these tough technical names, so they invented their own. SR became "short reach", LR became "long reach", ER became "extended reach" and LRM became "long reach multimode".
Sounds like a great translation, doesn't it? It would work if it was true. SR can achieve 300 m on OM3 multimode fiber; whereas, LRM can only achieve 220 m.
Guess what, the marketing types won!
With 40 Gigabit and 100 Gigabit Ethernet, SR, LR and ER mean reach, not wavelength. SR will do 100 m on OM3 with the 850 nm wavelength, LR will do 10 km on single-mode fiber with the 1310 nm wavelength, and ER will do 40 km on single-mode fiber with the 1310 nm wavelength. In 10 Gigabit Ethernet, an LR and an ER port type could never communicate with each other. The names were different, the wavelengths were different; therefore, there was no information exchange. At 100 Gigabit Ethernet, an LR port can talk to an ER port if they are within 10 km of each other.
So, the time has come to unlearn the "technical" terms for Ethernet port name and time to embrace the "marketing" hype. Heaven knows, it will get interesting if new port types need to be created.
When Ethernet first considered doing fiber optic links back in the 10M and 100M days, they used to just an F to indicate that the medium to use was fiber optic cabling. Over time, Ethernet speeds have increased, laser technology has improved, and fiber optic cabling has advanced.
When Gigabit Ethernet came into being in 1998, the Ethernet industry hailed in the concept instead of just calling it F for fiber optics that stating the wavelength to be used would help the end user. 1000BASE-SX was a Gigabit Ethernet port that would transmit 8B/10B encoded data using the 850 nm wavelength (short wavelength) on multimode fiber. The X implied an externally sourced coding scheme (8B/10B came from Fibre Channel), and the S implied short wavelength. 1000BASE-LX would transmit the same data using the 1310 nm wavelength (long wavelength) on either multimode (using a mode conditioning patch cord) or single-mode fiber.
When 10 Gigabit Ethernet came into being in 2002, the Ethernet industry continued the support of that concept. 10GBASE-SR was a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port that would transmit 64B/66B encoded data - the R was used to give credit to the inventors of 64B/66B: Rich Dugan and Rick Walker - using short wavelength optics. 10GBASE-LR would use the long wavelength, but the mode conditioning patch cord was such a pain that it was decided to only use LR with single-mode fiber. 10GBASE-ER would transmit the same data using a new "extra long wavelength": 1550 nm. Later, in 2006, a new port type would be created: 10GBASE-LRM. Applying the principles previously used, this was 10GBASE-LR device, but with a unique feature; it was tuned to operate directly over multimode fiber, hence the M at the end of the name.
What was interesting is that the marketing types at some of the big switch companies could not understand these tough technical names, so they invented their own. SR became "short reach", LR became "long reach", ER became "extended reach" and LRM became "long reach multimode".
Sounds like a great translation, doesn't it? It would work if it was true. SR can achieve 300 m on OM3 multimode fiber; whereas, LRM can only achieve 220 m.
Guess what, the marketing types won!
With 40 Gigabit and 100 Gigabit Ethernet, SR, LR and ER mean reach, not wavelength. SR will do 100 m on OM3 with the 850 nm wavelength, LR will do 10 km on single-mode fiber with the 1310 nm wavelength, and ER will do 40 km on single-mode fiber with the 1310 nm wavelength. In 10 Gigabit Ethernet, an LR and an ER port type could never communicate with each other. The names were different, the wavelengths were different; therefore, there was no information exchange. At 100 Gigabit Ethernet, an LR port can talk to an ER port if they are within 10 km of each other.
So, the time has come to unlearn the "technical" terms for Ethernet port name and time to embrace the "marketing" hype. Heaven knows, it will get interesting if new port types need to be created.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Eco-retreat
One more month and I'll be getting a chance to check out an eco-friendly beach resort in Belize - Calypso Beach Retreat. While it would be possible to say that I'm staying to because I want to be an eco-tourist, that would not be completely true. I'm going to stay there because it is close to the Great Blue Hole. I've only seen photos of the Great Blue Hole, and it is one of things on my list to see.
That being said, I'm really looking forward to also having an opportunity to check out the resort because of it's eco-design. For those that may not be aware, I live 100% on a rainwater harvesting (or catchment) system, and I've learned a lot about rainwater harvesting. I bought a house 3 years ago with my first-ever rainwater system. Since that time, I've doubled the collection area, increased my storage capacity from 10,000 gallons to 20,000 gallons, and even built my own 300 gallon catchment system for the livestock.
The Calypso Beach Retreat has rainwater catchment, composting toilets and solar hot water and power. That last part really intrigues me. I've seen solar hot water systems, and even have a few friends that have had them installed in their homes. I'm considering one. It's a trade-off. I have a tankless in one half of my home, and a tank in the other. Do I upgrade the tank to solar or go tankless? Either way is an expense with a resulting cost saving, but I need to analyze the trade-offs. I'll let you know what I find out.
What really interests me is the 24 hour AC using solar. I've set up a small scale system at home to charge a battery that powers the lights and pumps in the goat shed. Calypso is a retreat though. There are 4 rooms, kitchen, wireless network, etc. While I understand it is possible to go off-the-grid - and this place is a long, long way from any "grid" - I'm intrigued what amount of storage capacity is required for a resort. I'm hoping that they will let me take a look at their system. If so, I'll defintely try to get some pics for here.
It's great to look forward to getting away to a beach retreat. It's even better when you get the chance to learn more about eco options that you can bring home.
That being said, I'm really looking forward to also having an opportunity to check out the resort because of it's eco-design. For those that may not be aware, I live 100% on a rainwater harvesting (or catchment) system, and I've learned a lot about rainwater harvesting. I bought a house 3 years ago with my first-ever rainwater system. Since that time, I've doubled the collection area, increased my storage capacity from 10,000 gallons to 20,000 gallons, and even built my own 300 gallon catchment system for the livestock.
The Calypso Beach Retreat has rainwater catchment, composting toilets and solar hot water and power. That last part really intrigues me. I've seen solar hot water systems, and even have a few friends that have had them installed in their homes. I'm considering one. It's a trade-off. I have a tankless in one half of my home, and a tank in the other. Do I upgrade the tank to solar or go tankless? Either way is an expense with a resulting cost saving, but I need to analyze the trade-offs. I'll let you know what I find out.
What really interests me is the 24 hour AC using solar. I've set up a small scale system at home to charge a battery that powers the lights and pumps in the goat shed. Calypso is a retreat though. There are 4 rooms, kitchen, wireless network, etc. While I understand it is possible to go off-the-grid - and this place is a long, long way from any "grid" - I'm intrigued what amount of storage capacity is required for a resort. I'm hoping that they will let me take a look at their system. If so, I'll defintely try to get some pics for here.
It's great to look forward to getting away to a beach retreat. It's even better when you get the chance to learn more about eco options that you can bring home.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Revenge of the nerd-bird
American Airlines recently announced the cancellation of the "nerd-bird" that has been flying twice daily between Austin and San Jose. Earlier this year, there were three flights a day.
What is interesting is that American Airlines states that it cannot make a profit on this route. Gee, shortly after announcing the termination of the nerd-bird, Alaska Airlines jumped in to offer a daily flight. Obviously, American's business model must suck compared to Alaska's if the latter believes that it can make a profit on the route.
So, just for the heck of it, I pulled some numbers from American's own website, aa.com. If I was to book a ticket today for travel to San Jose from Austin and return on July 13 and 17, respectively, the direct flight would cost me $424. If I was to fly through DFW, the cost would be $500. Seems pretty reasonable.
Next, I looked at the same routings but with a July 14 departure and July 16 return. The direct flight is $320, and the one through DFW is $555. Bingo!!!
American Airlines in its letter to me stated that they lose money on the flight because they offer discounted leisure rates when the flights aren't full. This often causes the flights to fill up, but they still lose money.
This is an interested point... this is the "nerd-bird". It's not called that because it is full of vacationers. These are business people. They don't book their travel months in advance. They book flights at the last minute. They don't purchase business class on this route because their companies will not approve it, so if you fill the flight with discounted leisure travelers, then the last minute business travelers will book a different routing.
American Airlines was using the logo "We know why you fly." Hmmm, it appears that they don't. I fly for business. The critical route for me is San Jose to Austin. I stayed with American because they offered it as a direct route, saving time and effort. For that, I rewarded them with all my other domestic and international travel, to the total of over 150,000 miles last year and a lifetime total of almost 2,000,000 miles.
In talking with other "nerds" on the bird this past week, the impression I got is that most feel that American doesn't understand this route and hence cannot make money at it. Everyone business person would gladly pay more for a direct route than going through DFW. Travel for the business person is not a leisure activity, it is a business necessity. American doesn't understand the nerd-bird; therefore, it is probably good they terminate this route so we - the nerds - can go find an airline that does understand why we fly.
What is interesting is that American Airlines states that it cannot make a profit on this route. Gee, shortly after announcing the termination of the nerd-bird, Alaska Airlines jumped in to offer a daily flight. Obviously, American's business model must suck compared to Alaska's if the latter believes that it can make a profit on the route.
So, just for the heck of it, I pulled some numbers from American's own website, aa.com. If I was to book a ticket today for travel to San Jose from Austin and return on July 13 and 17, respectively, the direct flight would cost me $424. If I was to fly through DFW, the cost would be $500. Seems pretty reasonable.
Next, I looked at the same routings but with a July 14 departure and July 16 return. The direct flight is $320, and the one through DFW is $555. Bingo!!!
American Airlines in its letter to me stated that they lose money on the flight because they offer discounted leisure rates when the flights aren't full. This often causes the flights to fill up, but they still lose money.
This is an interested point... this is the "nerd-bird". It's not called that because it is full of vacationers. These are business people. They don't book their travel months in advance. They book flights at the last minute. They don't purchase business class on this route because their companies will not approve it, so if you fill the flight with discounted leisure travelers, then the last minute business travelers will book a different routing.
American Airlines was using the logo "We know why you fly." Hmmm, it appears that they don't. I fly for business. The critical route for me is San Jose to Austin. I stayed with American because they offered it as a direct route, saving time and effort. For that, I rewarded them with all my other domestic and international travel, to the total of over 150,000 miles last year and a lifetime total of almost 2,000,000 miles.
In talking with other "nerds" on the bird this past week, the impression I got is that most feel that American doesn't understand this route and hence cannot make money at it. Everyone business person would gladly pay more for a direct route than going through DFW. Travel for the business person is not a leisure activity, it is a business necessity. American doesn't understand the nerd-bird; therefore, it is probably good they terminate this route so we - the nerds - can go find an airline that does understand why we fly.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Is watching pennies costing more?
I'm in an IEEE 802.3 meeting this week working on reviewing the next generation of Ethernet standards. My employer, AMCC, graciously hosted the meeting in New Orleans. The attendance is down at this meeting, but thankfully we saw that writing on the wall far enough in advance to not take a big hit.
What is interesting though is the number of people that have shown up to the meeting at the last minute. I've been talking to people from Fortune 100 companies that have had to wait for approval from a VP for them to attend the meeting. The delay in approval had them buying airline tickets at the last minute resulting in increased travel costs.
If the goal is for corporations to save money during these tough economic times, are they really being fiscally responsible by not taking timely action? What about the cost and impact of having a VP spending their time on reviewing the travel requests? Are companies spending dollars to save pennies?
Is anyone else seeing the same thing?
What is interesting though is the number of people that have shown up to the meeting at the last minute. I've been talking to people from Fortune 100 companies that have had to wait for approval from a VP for them to attend the meeting. The delay in approval had them buying airline tickets at the last minute resulting in increased travel costs.
If the goal is for corporations to save money during these tough economic times, are they really being fiscally responsible by not taking timely action? What about the cost and impact of having a VP spending their time on reviewing the travel requests? Are companies spending dollars to save pennies?
Is anyone else seeing the same thing?
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Customer Service Gone Awry
Have you ever had one of those days where you start to wonder if you should just go home and go back to bed?
It especially sucks when you try to be in a good mood but someone else that you depend on, someone who is providing you a service, continually makes it more difficult for you to get on the right track.
That happened to me today which is why I’m telling you about it. Let’s start at the beginning…
I fly American Airlines. A lot. In 2008, I had about 150,000 miles towards my elite status. Executive Platinum again for 2009 and a free Admiral’s club pass. Overall, I’ve been a pretty happy client. I get fairly regular upgrades to business, even on my international trips. And late last year, American announced PriorityAAccess to permit clients like me to check-in faster, get through security faster and bypass general boarding. It all sounded great.
Obviously, it was too good to be true.
Only a few months after announcing this “better” service for those that spend so much time – and money – traveling with them, I was shocked back into reality that marketing or advertising customer service is not the same as receiving it.
Fast forward to day, January 11, 2009. I’m running a bit later than normal, but get to the terminal 45 minutes before my flight departs. As I walk into the terminal, I see that there is nobody in the PriorityAAccess line. “Score,” I’m thinking. The lady at the counter is helping a family that is obviously having some issues with their travel plans. I have no idea what it is – maybe that new “pay for baggage” policy. The ladies at the other counters – one tagging bags and the other handling booking – ignore the PriorityAAccess line so I stand and wait.
Ten minutes later, the PriorityAAccess lady is still working with the family. I step up to ask how far in advance of the flight do I need to check my bag. I’m told 30 minutes. The father of the family apologizes telling me that they don’t know why they were flagged over from the general boarding line. I reply that they will often do that when there is no one in the PriorityAAccess line. “Too bad they don’t reciprocate when there is someone in that line,” I ponder.
Finally, the lady handling booking is open. I decide to dash down to her to see if I can get my bag checked. Nope. Too late. By her watch, I missed it by a minute or two. Does she care? Nope. Her suggestion is for me to check the bag for arrival in New Orleans about 6:30pm or to do carry-on. I’m thinking, “Why? I was here in time in the priority line.” Now the flight is boarding, so I have no choice, I need to do carry-on. Crap!
Thankfully, being a guy, I don’t have a lot of liquids. I don’t like carry-on, but obviously I have no choice unless I want to wait another three hours at my destination for my bag to arrive. I get through security, which was thankfully very light, and head to my gate.
Imagine my surprise to arrive at the gate, Gate 14, to discover that general boarding is not being done via the general boarding line, but instead through the PriorityAAccess line. Great! Can we call this adding insult to injury. Not wanting to be a jerk, I queue up to board. Of course, now I’m thinking, “I flew so much with these guys last year to earn their elite status and they said I’d get priority service, but this is strike two… or is it three?”
Finally, I’m on the plane and seated in first class on the MD-80 for the short hop to DFW. Alas, all the overhead bins in first are full. My bag, the one that I wanted to check-in, is now resting in economy. For anyone that has flown, you know that if your bag is behind where you’re sitting, you’re going to have to wait for people to clear out before you can get it. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. I knew when I stepped on the plane that it was one of those days I needed to go home and back to bed. I knew before I even turned the corner by the galley that my bag and I would be separated. It was fate and there was nothing I could do about it.
Well, nothing except to write a blog entry and hope that others have better luck. The next time you get in a priority line, just remember that you’re only as special as the customer service representative permits you to be. That bag of honor you worked and paid for is worth about as much as the plastic it’s printed on.
It especially sucks when you try to be in a good mood but someone else that you depend on, someone who is providing you a service, continually makes it more difficult for you to get on the right track.
That happened to me today which is why I’m telling you about it. Let’s start at the beginning…
I fly American Airlines. A lot. In 2008, I had about 150,000 miles towards my elite status. Executive Platinum again for 2009 and a free Admiral’s club pass. Overall, I’ve been a pretty happy client. I get fairly regular upgrades to business, even on my international trips. And late last year, American announced PriorityAAccess to permit clients like me to check-in faster, get through security faster and bypass general boarding. It all sounded great.
Obviously, it was too good to be true.
Only a few months after announcing this “better” service for those that spend so much time – and money – traveling with them, I was shocked back into reality that marketing or advertising customer service is not the same as receiving it.
Fast forward to day, January 11, 2009. I’m running a bit later than normal, but get to the terminal 45 minutes before my flight departs. As I walk into the terminal, I see that there is nobody in the PriorityAAccess line. “Score,” I’m thinking. The lady at the counter is helping a family that is obviously having some issues with their travel plans. I have no idea what it is – maybe that new “pay for baggage” policy. The ladies at the other counters – one tagging bags and the other handling booking – ignore the PriorityAAccess line so I stand and wait.
Ten minutes later, the PriorityAAccess lady is still working with the family. I step up to ask how far in advance of the flight do I need to check my bag. I’m told 30 minutes. The father of the family apologizes telling me that they don’t know why they were flagged over from the general boarding line. I reply that they will often do that when there is no one in the PriorityAAccess line. “Too bad they don’t reciprocate when there is someone in that line,” I ponder.
Finally, the lady handling booking is open. I decide to dash down to her to see if I can get my bag checked. Nope. Too late. By her watch, I missed it by a minute or two. Does she care? Nope. Her suggestion is for me to check the bag for arrival in New Orleans about 6:30pm or to do carry-on. I’m thinking, “Why? I was here in time in the priority line.” Now the flight is boarding, so I have no choice, I need to do carry-on. Crap!
Thankfully, being a guy, I don’t have a lot of liquids. I don’t like carry-on, but obviously I have no choice unless I want to wait another three hours at my destination for my bag to arrive. I get through security, which was thankfully very light, and head to my gate.
Imagine my surprise to arrive at the gate, Gate 14, to discover that general boarding is not being done via the general boarding line, but instead through the PriorityAAccess line. Great! Can we call this adding insult to injury. Not wanting to be a jerk, I queue up to board. Of course, now I’m thinking, “I flew so much with these guys last year to earn their elite status and they said I’d get priority service, but this is strike two… or is it three?”
Finally, I’m on the plane and seated in first class on the MD-80 for the short hop to DFW. Alas, all the overhead bins in first are full. My bag, the one that I wanted to check-in, is now resting in economy. For anyone that has flown, you know that if your bag is behind where you’re sitting, you’re going to have to wait for people to clear out before you can get it. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. I knew when I stepped on the plane that it was one of those days I needed to go home and back to bed. I knew before I even turned the corner by the galley that my bag and I would be separated. It was fate and there was nothing I could do about it.
Well, nothing except to write a blog entry and hope that others have better luck. The next time you get in a priority line, just remember that you’re only as special as the customer service representative permits you to be. That bag of honor you worked and paid for is worth about as much as the plastic it’s printed on.
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