David Pogue Writes From The Alaskan Geek Cruise

by , 11:00 AM EDT, May 30th, 2002

David Pogue was literally phoning in his latest column for the New York Times, or e-mailing it in, as the case may be. Mr. Pogue is currently embarked on the Geek Cruise for Mac users, which right now is off the coast of Alaska. The Geek Cruise is officially a Mac conference that takes place on a cruise ship, and Mr. Pogue is among the conference presenters. From his New York Times column:

You know how the first thing anyone ever says on an airplane phone is, "Guess where I'm calling from?" Well, I've got the new-millennium version: Guess where I'm emailing this from? I'm in the middle of the ocean, off the coast of Alaska.

To be precise, I'm speaking at a computer conference run by an outfit called GeekCruises.com.

Now, Macintosh fans are already a special breed, exhibiting an almost religious loyalty to their computers -- but this is ridiculous. The hardy souls aboard this ship have paid at least $1,300 for the regular Holland America cruise, another $600 for the conference itself, plus airfare from home cities as far away as Austria and Switzerland. These people really love their Macs.

As at any computer conference, the most memorable moments take place during the off-hours, between seminars. That's when war stories and business cards are exchanged, problems are troubleshot, and bonds are formed. The only difference is that this week, it's all taking place aboard a floating hotel. In the coming days, we'll be treated to staggeringly beautiful glaciers, eagles and whales, and the ghosts of gold-rush towns -- if, that is, we can tear ourselves away from our Macs.

You can read the full column at the New York Times, and we recommend it as an entertaining read.

New York Times Column