Insertion of a wrong power adapter disabled our camcorder the day of our flight. I have complained about the thing for years so the error may have been subliminally intentional. Prior to departure, a lunchtime purchase of a solid state (no tape) Samsung SC-X210L turned out to be a good decision. Experiance with most digital cameras has been frustrating due to poor user interface design but this camcorder just works and is the size of a cigarette package.
Observations
- Fuel (Gas or Diesel) costs about $5.25 per gallon (1 pound per liter) so don’t complain of $3/gal
- A mid-sized Citroen Picasso diesel w/ manual transmission got about 50 miles per gallon so why aren’t there more diesels in the USA? Where is a diesel hybrid?
- Traffic circles are scary at first but keep the traffic moving. Downside is the do take up more land but there are no traffic lights and fewer stops.
- There is now space before a question mark and there is a space between … and a period.
- When a change is required due to construction on a road or subway, the British put a lot more effort into providing explcit signs and people to assist with directions.
- British roadsigns are confusing as they rely on you knowing the towns in between of where you are going. Despite owning 0 longitude, they never use N-S-E or W on a road sign.
- Always keep an international calling card with you.
- A digital photo of Google maps directions can help in a pinch.
- Pack less clothes and wash some if you are in one place more than a day.
- Write down the TV shows you discover (Sugar Rush, Little Britain) then struggle the rest of your life to get them legally in the US.
- Buy the best map you can get. Take guidebooks from the libary.
Here are all of the digital photos. A smaller camera with lower resolution is better for travel than a bulky camera. Someday there could be a digital SLR with good manual control but it’s not here yet.
