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 |  I travel the country on business, sometimes the world. Come see where I've been. |
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Talk about perks, my job has one of the best ones I can think of! I travel in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I am a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and teach classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2 way radio communications. I'm qualified to deliver approximately 30 different classes, but about half of those are 'Legacy' classes, and are not in demand anymore. My students are technicians, those who maintain, program, calibrate, and repair large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I get to travel, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where am I this week? This probably won't have daily entries, but I will make entries when I get to go somewhere, and keep an updated list of coming trips. My schedule changes faster than the weather, so don't be too surprised to see me list an upcoming class, only to remark later on that it is cancelled, or delayed. Delays are fine of course, but a later date might mean that someone else gets to go instead of me,,, Well, here we go with this, let's see where it takes us.  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
| Locale: Los Angeles, California Week of: 3/6/2023 After a very nice two week vacation I was back in Los Angeles once again, delivering the same class I delivered in January. This class went a bit better, mainly because I solved the one sticking point I had in the previous delivery. I will explain a bit more when I discuss the class. I decided to stay at a Marriott Hotel this time, just because I wanted to build up my Marriott point balance a little more. The big difference in this hotel room and others, was it had a Bidet. I've never used a Bidet before, and am still unsure about them. Why? Because to me, water is a precious resource, and I see that as a 'waste' of a resource we can't live without. Yes, I realize that toilet tissue is also a usage (waste?) of a precious resource since the manufacturers of that product will not use recycled paper. We all know paper comes from trees, so yep, another resource being used, another resource we can't live without. It's a no-win situation there if you ask me. Let's just say I'm not comfortable using a Bidet and leave it at that. On a side note, I did try it once, which led to my feelings about it being a waste of a precious resource. I'm sure anyone who has used one will tell me differently. One of the hands-on activities in this class is to copy a configuration file for a router from a USB drive. This is a new (new to Motorola Solutions) router, it is a bit (some say a lot) more complex than the router we've configured for years now. It's change, we either embrace it and improve ourselves, or we are left behind. I'm very lucky in that I will deliver this new version of the class several times this year. Several? Yep, 6-7 times, maybe more. Anyway, in the hands-on activities, the students copy a configuration file to the router from a USB device that they plug into the router. In my previous classes, this has been a 50-50 type of activity. Some students were successful ,some were not, and I wasn't sure why. In this class, I formatted the USB drives using FAT (File Allocation Table), which was originally used on DOS computers. Everyone of the students was successful, so I asked myself why. I realized a couple of things. First, FAT was usaed on DOS computers, the router has a UNIX Operating System. While vastly different from DOS, I realized it (UNIX) has been around about as long as DOS, maybe longer. The other option in formatting a disk drive, is to use NTFS (New Technology File System). That format is intended to be used on computers using Windows, or Apple Computers. Sure enough, a USB drive formatted with NTFS does not allow completion of the lab. The sticking point during the lab, is that once the USB drive is connected, it is mounted with a command and files on the drive are then visible to the technician. One of the files is the configuration file for the router, which is then copied to the router. I flew home Saturday morning, arriving at about 2:45 pm. I had a whopping 14 hours there (would have been 15 if not for Daylight Savings Time), then flew to Jacksonville, Florida and drove to Savannah Georgia for this week's class. So where did I dine in Los Angeles? Noteworthy Restaurants: Canoe House http://www.canoehouserestaurant.com/menus/dinner-menu.html A Hawaiian Themed restaurant, with very good food,. My appetizer was Spicy Tuna On Crispy Rice with chipotle aioli & scallions. This looked more like a Sushi roll than anything, with Jalapeno slices on top, Dinner was Breaded Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans. Both were good, and since I'll return to LA three more times this year, I'll definitely return. Baja Cali Fish & Taco's https://www.bajacali.com/menu This is a small hole in the wall place with excellent taco's and more. A Shrimp Ceviche Tostada, Crispy Shrimp Taco, and a Chile Relleno Burrito hit the spot, and told me I need to come here again too. Aloha Food Factorey }https://www.alohafoodfactory.com/order Another Hol-In-The-Wall place with excellent food. Having spent nine years in the islands, I learned to love Hawaiian Home Cooking. This place didn't disappoint. The only thing i ordered was their Fried Rice. I wanted to also have their Saimin Won Ton Soup, but knew it would be impossibly huge together, so settled for just the rice. I left stuffed, and pretty sure I'll return. All three restaurants are worth another visit should I have the chance to return., for business or pleasure. In Closing Next week will find me in Savannah Georgia. We'll see how that trip goes. Until next time, be good to those you love, spoil them, and write!/size} Jim Dorrell |
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