JT's Blog

Recently, I’ve been flying a lot on JetBlue and Southwest.  This month, I’ve booked two trips with JB. That’s right, I’m turning my back on Priority Status with AA because JetBlue schedules are better, fares are lower, and their seats are more comfortable.

Over all, I’ve been very happy with JB. Then, on June 19th, 2016, this happened: I was greeted by a Jet Blue pilot who was commuting home (on this very same flight, a month ago). He recognized me (probably because I talked his ears off last time) and he wished me a happy Father’s Day.  Hey, I know that’s no big deal, but I’m like a kid in a candy store when I get to chit chat with professional pilots about airplanes and about their jobs. So for this guy to acknowledge me made my day.

After we arrived, like a knucklehead, I’m the guy who left my phone in the seat-back pocket. Of course I was in a hurry to exit because I had to pee for about 2 states!  And I didn’t realize I had left my phone until I exited the secure area at Dulles airport.  No way to double back to the gate!  UGH!  So I went to the check-in counter and asked the agent for help.  He made a call and asked me to take a seat. 2 minutes later, he came over and told me they found the phone and to go to the office by baggage claim to retrieve it. By the time I got there, the phone was waiting for me.

Dear Jet Blue, you’re doing it right!

So I just upgraded the hard drive in my generation-1 MacBookPro, from the 160GB that it came with to a groovy new 500GB drive.  I took advantage of the opportunity to do a clean install of SnowLeopard; I figured that enough people have probably struggled through getting their old apps to work on the new OS that I could probably quickly Google whatever didn’t just work for me right from the get go.  Well, I needed to install new versions of most apps for them to work right.

An unfortunate and secondary effect walking around with a pristine and clean new install was that all the previously memorized WiFi networks (and encryption keys) were all lost.  Fortunately, I still have my original 160GB drive as an external USB.  It turns out that all the previously “remembered” WiFi networks are basically in an XML format in the following .plist file:

/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist

Simply recover that file, drop it in the correct path (you’ll have to use sudo if you’re a command-line jockey) and *bang*… it works.  Unfortunately, you can’t simply extract the WEP or WPA credentials, they’re stored in some <key> format.  *sigh*

Still, this saved me a lot of time and headache!

This is my second time working in Montreal, and unlike the last time I was here, the weather is bearable. I thought I could handle the cold after spending a few years in upstate New York, but the winters here are hardcore!

I finally ventured out around town after work and got to explore the subway. The trains here run on tires, are clean and quiet. It’s a big difference from what I’m used to in NYC. Also noteworthy, a train ride costs $2.75 – 37% more than in New York City. Interesting.

I was most impressed by the extent to which you can get around town underground. From hotel to shopping complex to subway – it seems like there are intricate tunnels connecting many buildings.  I suppose this is out of necessity, given how cold it gets here in the winter. It’s a nice city with a real European flair. I can’t wait to explore some more.

Spent a week working in San Francisco. Considering it was the middle of January, it was quite pleasant at a balmy 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I didn’t take as many photos as I would have liked, but I did manage to catch a video of the Market / Powell cable car doing a turnaround.