Stourbridge Train Ride

Stepping onto the Stourbridge Line train takes you back into history. The train starts the ten mile ride in Honesdale, Pennsylvania which is the birthplace of the American railroad. On August 8, 1829 -- 175 years ago -- the Delaware & Hudson Railroad operated the first commercial locomotive on rails in the western hemisphere. The locomotive left from Honesdale and ran three miles to Seelyville and returned.

The ride today was longer -- but not much. The excursion traveled along the Lackawaxen River to Hawley, Pennsylvania, just ten miles away. During the trip there was a staged robbery and some authentic looking visitors to the train. See photogallery.

There is a lot of history in the area. Honesdale was originally the site of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company's boat basin. Millions of tons of anthracite coal were brought to the basin by the D&H's gravity railroad from Carbondale and the Lackawanna Valley - about 15 miles away. From there the coal was loaded onto barges and then made a 108-mile journey to the Hudson River and on to New York City. The Delaware and Hudson (D & H) Canal was the first canal in this nation built as a private enterprise.

Other patrickWeb stories

Travels August 29, 2004 10:26 PM

Little Falls Trail

The Little Falls Trail geocache was #10 for me and without a doubt the best yet. This is one great geocaching expereicne. Well hidden, dry, and protected with beautiful scenery, especially along the East Branch of Wallenpaupack Creek. The trail is just a foot or so from the falls and there are large rocks where you can sit and listen to the water. Some trails were very mushy due to the recent rains. In fact, the bridge over the creek was washed out completely and as a result some fancy footwork was needed to find an alternate path to get back on the trail.

In spite of having the Magellan SporTrak Color and a trail map, we made a wrong turn on the way back. We came to an intersection that was a bit confusing and the trail marker did not agree with the trail map. The GPS always point to the right place, of course, but the trails meander so much, it is not always obvious which way to go -- in some cases until you have hiked a long way. In this case a very long way. It was getting dark in the woods and we were really tired after hiking for miles. We came to a campsite with paved roads. It was just a half mile to where the Harley was parked. Unfortunately, it was a half mile across a lake! A car came by and offered us a ride. We must have looked hopeless. The car ride seemed like ten miles long. Had it not been for this kind soul, it would have been a very late evening. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

patrickWeb hiking log

Hiking August 28, 2004 10:58 AM

Kipp Island

Geocahce #9 was much shorter than any other but it was unique because it was located on an island. It was a short boat ride to get to Kipp Island. The Magellan SporTrak Color indicated we were just a mile from the cache but as we approached the island it became clear that the cache was on the opposite side of the part of the island that was accessible. After finding a place to beach the boat on the other side of the island, it turned out to be a very nice (albeit short) hike to find the cache. Enjoy the pictures.

patrickWeb hiking log

Hiking August 27, 2004 09:44 PM

Delaware River Ride

The day was still young after geocaching at Shohola Creek and the weather was perfect for a motorcycle ride. We headed up Route 507 from Greentown to pick up Route 6 through Hawley and then toward Honesdale where we picked up Route 652 and over the bridge to Narrowsburg, New York where we intercepted Route 97. Route 97 goes south to Port Jervis, New York where we crossed back over the Delaware River to Milford, Pennsylvania and back to the lake. The view along Route 97 is really great. As usual, my poor photographic skills don't do justice to the scenery, but here are a few pictures.

There were many rafters floating down the river. The Upper Delaware River is part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Over 35 million people live within a 150-mile radius of the Upper Delaware River, which includes 73 miles of the longest and one of the cleanest undammed rivers in the eastern United States. The river's watershed is a major source of drinking water for more than 10 percent of the United Sates population.

patrickWeb motorcycling page

Motorcycles August 27, 2004 08:56 PM

In The News

The In The News section of patrickWeb has been updated this morning.

Favorites August 26, 2004 09:39 AM

From Argentina

Around the time of ibm.com's tenth anniversary, I spoke with a number of reporters from Latin America. Leo González Pérez was very interested in some of the musical things I have done, hence the picture of me with a baton. I am an amateur to put it mildly. The concert was my first ever conducting experience. The following paragraphs contain the translated and Spanish versions of Leo's story. (read more)

Internet Technology August 26, 2004 09:35 AM

The Long and Winding Road

The day was made for geocaching and Shohola Creek was made for geocaching. The creek is part of the Shohola Falls Wildlllfe Management Area in the Pocono Mountain area of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It encompasses 11,772 acres of forest which is maraged for the benefit of wlldlife and public recreation. The geocache, labeled "The Long and Winding Road", is near route 6 north of Milford, Pennsylvania. The cache is a virtual cache because "critters tore the original cache apart several times", according to the owner. A virtual cache means that there is really nothing at the destination except the longitude and lattitude. This week it was even more virtual than normal because of all the rain. In fact, we got to within 100 feet of the destination and found it to be under water. Afterward we took a ride to see the beautiful Shohola Falls nearby. Hope you enjoy the pictures. This was geocache #8 for me.

patrickWeb hiking log

Hiking August 25, 2004 09:42 AM

Virtualization A La Shyam

Recently I wrote a short story about "virtualization". Feedback was that it made a really complicated subject a bit simpler to understand. One reader, Shyam Verma, a software specialist from South Carolina, offered a reflection about the subject that I thought it was relevant and well expressed. He put virtualization in a very broad context of what is going on in the world of information technology. With Shyam's permission, I am sharing his thoughts here.

"I try to understand the new world we live in where information integration is crucial to the success of business. We need a unified view of people, processes and technology. There is so much information and so little knowledge. The data that companies keep and use is constantly growing. The data can become useless or a liability if not used properly. It can consume valuable bandwidth and computing resources inadvertently. Universal connectivity, which is a good thing, can also become the ultimate source of discomfort because of security, privacy, identity, authenticity and accidental or malicious threats. Now we have new challenges to deal with. I see a secure virtualized computing environment as the next logical step. Reduce complexity by aggregating all computing resources and then manage them centrally. In essence we are going back in time and recreating a system 390 or an MVS operating system with one exception - it is open and standards based architecture where qualified improvements from any source can be incorporated and new values can be brought to industry, government, healthcare and businesses of all kinds. We can also create new solutions based on the technologies used for big businesses and tailor them to small and medium businesses".

Internet Technology August 21, 2004 05:45 PM

On Demand - Unless Past Noon

The FedEx driver stopped by this morning and dropped off a package. We had a nice chat about the weather, the roads, and motorcycles. The Express envelope that was delivered contained an Express envelope for some materials I had to return to the Washington Speakers Bureau. The driver told me he would be passing back through the area at the end of the day and could pick up the envelope -- as long as I called by noon.

I decided to use the web site instead of calling. The site insisted that I could not request a pickup unless I was a registered user, so I went through the registration process, filled out a page of personal information. After submitting it, the site asked for my FedEx account number. I don't have one. I entered the WSB account number on the envelope and the system then said it must be an error because the address for that account number does not match the address I had entered. I gave up on the web site and called the FedEx 800 number. The customer service agent was very nice but she couldn't help me because her PC was "frozen". After being on hold for quite a while I called again. This time the customer service agent said she could help but that it was past the pickup cutoff time for today. I explained that the driver had told me that he goes right past my location at the end of every day and that he said he could pick it up. "I am sure he could", she said, "but the system will not allow me to make the request. It is past the cutoff." (read more)

Things like this are what prompted me to write "Net Attitude". Is the situation I encountered caused by technical issues? I would argue not. Surely there are technical issues and policy issues but the bigger issue is to meet the rising expectations for On Demand services. If a customer can call and request a pickup without having an account number, why can't they go to the web site and request a pickup without a customer number? Could the "system" send a message to the driver and ask if he could pick up the envelope? Could the customer service process been to tell the customer that the cutoff has been reached but that a wireless message will be sent to the closest driver and if he is able to pick up the envelope he will, otherwise he will pick it up tomorrow? Could the system send me an email to let me know if it would be picked up today or not?

FedEx is a brilliant and innovative company with huge systems resources. It is amazing what they do everyday, and being in the hotly competitive business they are in, they continue to get better and better. At the same time, as we all experience new and better services via the Internet, our expectations increase. On Demand is a big job for businesses, governments, hospitals, and schools. It means that the customer can get what they want, when they want it, any time, anywhere, using whatever device they choose to connect to the Internet.

e-Business August 18, 2004 01:29 PM

IBM Happenings

There were a lot of interesting announcements from IBM this past week. Some of the headlines may be of interest. I was particularly interested personally in the story about what is going on at Mayo Clinic. Here is an index to the latest ...

IBM August 16, 2004 09:09 PM

Opt In - Opt Out

This morning I received the following SMS text message on my mobile phone:

AT&T Wireless: $25K sweeps, reply YES to enter! NO PURCH REQ. Odds dep on # entries. Ends 9/30. Rules@attwireless.com/usa 2 stop msgs go2 attwireless.com/privacy

Personally, I found the unwanted message highly unprofessional. The message made it very simple to enter the "sweeps" -- just reply and say YES. If you would rather not receive further messages, you have to visit attwireless.com/privacy No hot link was provided. Just as well because it would take a long time to download on a mobile phone. Upon visiting the Web page, I found a ten page 5,290 word document. A paragraph on the Web page said, "If you are an AT&T Wireless customer and wish to change your preferences on receiving these types of communications, you can click here and complete a form to tell us your preferences". Want to opt in? No problem. They already did that for you. Want to participate further? No problem. Hit reply and say YES. Want to stop the unsolicited messages? Not so easy. Visit a Web site, look for the relevant information, and if you find it, fill out a form.

What I find amazing about this example of unprofessional and unsolicited spam is not that I received it, but who I received it from. AT&T Wireless is a public company with significant financials and a market capitalization of nearly $40 billion. This is not a fly-by-night operator. Their Web site highlights the philosophy behind their corporate citizenship, and sites many examples of the good things they are doing. It truly is a fine company in most respects.

I wonder if their board of directors and CEO realize that their company is saying "Giving back to the community isn't an optional program at AT&T Wireless. It is both a responsibility and a privilege." and also saying "AT&T Wireless: $25K sweeps, reply YES to enter! NO PURCH REQ. Odds dep on # entries. Ends 9/30. Rules@attwireless.com/usa 2 stop msgs go2 attwireless.com/privacy".

Other patrickWeb stories about Privacy

Public Policy August 14, 2004 06:58 PM

Extreme Blue Grand Finale

Last month I took a ride up to Cambridge, Massachusetts and visited with the Extreme Blue interns -- top computer science and business students from some of the top universities in America. The Extreme Blue program, which began in 1999 at an IBM facility in Cambridge operates at more than ten IBM locations around the world and brings together a couple of hundred incredibly talented young people to work on projects for the summer. The students are split into teams of three or four computer science students and a business school student. Each of the projects has a sponsor from somewhere in IBM and a an IBM mentor who provides advice and support during the project.

The grand finale occurred in Armonk, New York, where IBM has it's worldwide headquarters. The EB students from around the United States spent a couple of days demonstrating the results of their summer projects to senior IBM software, services, and hardware staff and management and to the top executives of the company.

The projects are very real (see related links for more info about them), they result in significant contributions to the company and also to the development of the students. Extreme Blue interns almost always exceed everyone’s expectations. The thing about students is that they have no & baggage& . They don’t know all the things that may not have worked in the past or all the reasons why something can’t get done in a short period of time. No blinders. Totally uninhibited. They have the summer   all of twelve weeks or so. Whatever it takes, they will get the job done. The date for their grand finale is set at the beginning of the summer -- ten minutes on stage in front of an auditorium full of fellow interns as well as the IBM staff and management. Projects can't slip like they might in the "normal" world. Students are fearless and tireless. They learn a lot about IBM and from their mentors but I think IBM learns even more from the students. How they think and work together. Their attitudes about technology. The trends they see. Their view of the future. It is so uplifting and enriching to talk to the students and learn from them.

I finally tore myself away from the Extreme Blue dinner at 10:30 so I could get home for some sleep before an early train to NYC for a board meeting this morning and then on to San Francisco for WebSec 2004. WebSec is a conference offered by the MIS Training Institute and will be covering many important topics including Securing Web Transactions, Identity Theft and Digital Identities, Securing Internet Information Servers, Developing a Superior Web Security Architecture, and Penetration Testing for Financial Organizations. I will be kicking things off in the morning with my view of The Future of the Internet.

Extreme Blue posting from July 2004
Extreme Blue posting from April 2004

IBM August 10, 2004 02:55 PM

Customer Service

Each and every one of us could write stories about less than perfect Customer Service. Recently, I wrote about a venture to find a GSM Provider that I could use with the Sony Ericsson P900. AT&T Wireless turned out to be the best in terms of coverage and, in spite of their ratings, their customer service has been pretty good. Cingular is a different story. I can accept that every provider is not going to have great coverage where I live, but good customer service is something that every provider should have.

The sales person was very nice. She captured all my information - name and address, ssn, driver's license number, date of birth, etc. -- using an online application. I was impressed (except for them insisting on so much personal information). I thought we were ready to insert the chip card , but then out came the paperwork. I had to fill out an application form with all the same information that they had already captured in their system! Go figure. Unfortunately, as I previously reported, I got home and found there was no signal. I immediately called the store and they said they could open accounts but they can't close them. I would have to call 1-866-CINGULAR. (read more)

e-Business August 1, 2004 10:57 PM