Colin Charles Agenda

So, I’m leaving on a jet plane, to head to the MySQL Conference & Expo 2008. Normally, this is a flight I make via Auckland or Sydney, but this time its via Singapore.

Singapore is a hub in Asia, so let me share a few tips:

• The airport is huge. Terminal 3 reminds me of being in one of Heathrow’s terminals. Leave plenty of time to walk from gate to gate (up to 20 minutes).
• US flights probably always leave from Terminal 3, around gates A16-A20. The gates are speculation, mainly because of the extra security available out there. (A18, for Los Angeles, A16 for San Francisco, I’m pretty sure I’m right).
• Within A16-A20, you’ll not notice any power sockets available for your laptop. Clearly, very negative for the business traveller.
• You can get free wireless, via the Wireless@SG access point. Just get your mobile phone to roam to SingTel, and enter *186. You’ll be sent an SMS back, with a username and password. Happy surfing (IMAPS/SMTPS/HTTP/HTTPS/SSH all work).

Well, that’s about it. If you have more tips about flying via Singapore, don’t hesitate to share them.

Saw two people meet up, who were thrilled to talk about their travel/flight schedules. Turns out that they don’t travel too much, but chose to focus on “outdoing” one another, in terms of where they’ve been and where they’re going to. I smiled to myself, and chose to move on.

Singapore has a new Terminal 3 airport. I presume that for flights to the US, they’ve reserved A16-A20. Why the presumption? The additional security available there, as they do the scanning.

Everytime I go through security, I always have the pleasure of explaining to the scanners what network cable actually is. I have this really nice network cable, with some kind of holder, that retracts, that I got at one of the LCAs that I have in my backpack all the time. It always, seems to interest security officers (once in Melbourne, they asked me if I had rope to tie folk on the plane up - I candidly replied that I could provide death by network cable ;) )

Today was no different, but explaining it to the two Singaporean officers, was what annoyed me. They’d clearly not known what networking was. And then the male, proceeded to remove my two power supplies, as well as my APC battery, because they were unsure what was “metallic” and turning up on their scanners.

Slowly but surely, he proceeded to look at the “racks” inside my Targus RakGear. Unsatisfied with the network cable explanation, they took it out, and popped it back through the scanner. Miraculously, all was well.

Me: “You’re very clever to take things out, but not so smart in putting them back in, eh?”
Him: “Sorry Sir”

Needless to say, I’ll have to make a note to remove that from my backpack. I’ve had enough “issues” with it from “smart” folk.