It’s easy to forget how good we have it now, it between messing with cables and wireless mics. But if you need a refresher, check out this post on A Wider Net, which includes a download of a vintage brochure that will remind you just how not-so-great the good old days really were.

Rob had another great post over at A Wider Net that I’d also like to point out: If your brand were a ballpoint pen. Here’s a snip:

if you had to ask your company “What kind of pen are we?” what would you expect for an answer?

Would your company be a cheap bic, a neon roller, a fake designer, an ergo, a space pen, a genuine Mont Blanc, or a fountain pen with platinum nib and radioactive carcinogenic rhodamine ink?

And he goes on to provide links to some wild pens, some of which I wish reflected our brand!

I had a hard time believing this when I read it, but it appears that security for the 2012 Olympics can only go to a sponsor. From the ITPRO blog:

Giving an otherwise rather dull and predictable keynote speech at Infosecurity Europe about the IT security demands of running the London Olympics, Derek Wyatt MP has let it slip that UK Government hands are tied when it comes to security technology…Wyatt sound quite upbeat about the possibility of using the London ‘Oyster’ card, used for public transport travel, which could be upgraded fairly easily to incorporate biometric data and turned into a mini-ID card. He also sounded quite impressed with the idea of using the Nokia based authentication system for mobile phones. Upbeat and impressed, and then he dropped the bombshell, which I hope will not be a bad choice of words for the future, when he casually revealed that because neither of these companies was a ‘major sponsor’ of the Olympics their technology could not be used.

Yes, you read that right, as far as the technology behind the security of the London Olympic Games is concerned best of breed and suitability for purpose do not come into, paying a large amount of money to the International Olympic Committee does.

Someone please tell me that this is not a common occurence! (Via Slashdot.)

According to the New Zealand Herald, the U.S. is losing market share as an international tourist destination (and, one could extrapolate, internationals meetings destination as well). From the article:

In a recent poll of international travellers, commissioned by Discover America Partnership, a coalition of US tourist organisations, 70 per cent of respondents said they feared US officials more than terrorists or criminals. Another 66 per cent worried they would be detained for some minor blunder, such as wrongly filling out an official form or being mistaken for a terrorist, while 55 per cent say officials are “rude.”

It also found the U.S. to be the world’s “most unfriendly” destination for foreign travelers by a 2:1 margin. Ouch.

Interestingly, the poll suggested US foreign policy was not “a significant factor” in global dissatisfaction with the US, but that US entry policies were. It is slowly dawning in Washington that, unless visitors are treated better upon arrival, the US will continue to lose hearts and minds.

There are efforts under way to make the process less onerous and a little more friendly (the Travel Industry Association of America has been working tirelessly on it, for one), but the focus of the government remains on safety, not being user-friendly, so I wouldn’t expect too many changes in the near future, except maybe in the marketing of America. I guess we’ll have to wait and see…

According to Hotel Chatter, hotels with the best WiFi service are (drumroll, please):

Residence Inn, Courtyard, Springhill Suites by Marriott
Marriott is so close to doing WiFi right. Residence Inns, SpringHill Suites, and Courtyard all have strong, free, fast, working wireless in the rooms and the lobbies.

Furthermore, the rooms at the above hotel brands will give you an ethernet cable, and a free tethered connection if the WiFi in your room is spotty or not preferred.

The lobbies at the above mentioned Marriott’s are also perfectly outfitted for meetings–meaning they offer plenty of power outlets and places to sit down and log on. The above video was shot at a Residence Inn and it shows you the mood and situation that is featured in most Residence Inn lobbies.

Finally, in our WiFi hotel testing, we have noticed that newer construction hotels, and low lying hotels, are much more apt to have strong wireless signals. Those old, multi-story buildings can be hard to optimally configure for wireless access.

What does all this mean? Marriott, you are so close. Just offer free wireless access at every Marriott property and you will be the first and only hotel brand to have a consistent free wireless policy.

And here are their picks for worst WiFi hotels.