On every road trip I go on, the “technology bar” seems to get raised. In the early 90’s when Susan and I took our first trip together to Chicago, the only gadgets we had with us were a CB radio and a radar detector.
In the mid-90’s, I got my first laptop (a black and white 386 sx/16) that I began taking on the road with me. In 1998, Susan and I got our first cell phones — that replaced the handfull of quarters we used to keep with us for “payphone emergencies.” Likewise, the “change baggie” we always brought with us for Oklahoma’s turnpikes was eventually replaced by an electronic Pikepass. In 2003, a GPS was added to our trip bag — the oversized, paper-based Rand McNally atlas was officially retired.
As my laptops have grown and advanced, wireless Internet was added a few years ago. For the first time, I was able to take my e-mail on the road with me. I had to rely on rest stops, coffee houses and (for the most part) unprotected wi-fi signnals for access, but it worked.
Last year for the first time I had a cell phone with Internet access. The week I was in Chicago, I forwarded my e-mail addresses to my phone. Typing out responses was slow and tedious, but again, it worked.
This year for the trip, Susan checked out a Sprint Air Card from work. It’s a network card that uses the cell phone network for high speed Internet access. With it, you can access the Internet virtually anywhere; including from the passenger seat of your car, where I am typing and posting this from right now. While my wife navigates the Illinois highway system, I’m checking mail, reading forums and updating my blog.
It all seems pretty cutting edge to me at the moment; of course, so did regular wireless Internet, my Palm Treo, and even that black and white laptop just a few years ago. I wonder what I will think of this experience when I look back a few years from now; will I be impressed at what I was able to do with technology, or will I laugh at how archaic it seems compared to whatever’s available then.