Saturday, November 28, 1998

1st time coverage of new media scene in Vancouver & CJP's un-wired trip to the BVI's


News Flash! Special first-time coverage of the New Media scene in Vancouver!

Highlights of this week's column:
* The British Virgin Islands--sailing around the Caribbean, not surfing the Web
* MOUSE Holiday Benefit
* New Media BC--the scene in Vancouver

It's a rare opportunity when a person has the opportunity to travel from one corner of the United States to the other within a week. Seeing palm trees and sailing around the US and British Virgin Islands over Thanksgiving week to seeing the Rocky Mountains in Vancouver this week has been a unique experience and one that spans the range of digital connectivity on many levels.

You may have noticed my column did not arrive in your In-box last week. For once, instead of attending several new media events a week, I had the delicious experience of sailing from tiny island to tiny island between the USVI and the BVI, snorkeling and lazing around. Eating fresh Caribbean lobster on Jost Van Dyke--an island of 150 people, was something I'd never done before and relished every bit. As our lives get more connected and people become more "wired"--cell phones, Palm IIIs, laptops, voice mail--the chance to escape it all seems harder to do but more important than ever. Sure there were signs of Internet filtration: advertisements for the resorts', diving schools', charter boats', and other tourist companies' Web sites; but checking them out online was nowhere near my itinerary. This was one trip I'd do totally un-wired.