The Absent Network

In a moment of deep irony at Web 2.0, I’m listening to the Corporate VP of Global Foundation Services at Microsoft preach that it’s all about the infrastructure, and at the same time struggling with the sponsored WiFi network, which has been crapping out all morning. I’ve got draft posts on Google Docs — and I can’t access them! So here I am opening up MS Word.

Flying out here from the East Cost, I was painfully aware of the absent network, and all the things I couldn’t do.

Yes, the network will catch up — it will eventually be as reliable and ubiquitous as electricity, but until we get there, we need to keep our eye on the brick wall.

One of the most interesting comments from Google’s Eric Schmidt yesterday was his reference to the strategic problem of running out of electricity — John Battelle just quipped about the Microsoft and Google competing for union electricians in Washington State.

If you’re reading this post, it’s because I won the wack-a-mole game with the WiFi network.