Travel Thursday

I’m on the road and thinking too much about travel. At some point in my life I had this idea that travel would be easier as I got older. I could put my laptop in my backpack and put some clothes in a carry on and go forth into the world. I also imagined flying cars (not really, but ok), helpful robot assistants (that don’t cause existential angst), and supersonic, near orbit, airplanes that would connect us with Europe in a few hours. Today, in reality, I’d be happy to get through airport security in a few hours and my bag carrying stuff seems only to get bigger and heavier. This trip is a great example. One of the awkward results of trying to live in a little more analogue was is that the amount of stuff proliferates. In part, this is because I can’t correspond with my colleagues or students via telegram or mail (although the tradition of traveling faculty sending a postcard to the department is a nice one that should be revived), I do need to take a laptop. But now I also feel the…