Tuesday, May 29, 2012

CWIT 2013 etc.

I'm the general chair of CWIT 2013, which will be held in Toronto next May. We just issued the first Call for Papers [PDF]; submission deadline is February 1.

CWIT is not just for Canadians - it's more of a "Canadian showcase" than a "Canadian club". And Toronto is lovely in May. So please give some thought to a submission.

Meanwhile, congrats to my old PhD supervisor, Frank Kschischang, for winning the 2012 Canadian Award for Telecommunicaitons Research.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Eckford's Rules of North American Air Travel

  1. Never connect through ORD. 
    • If you must violate this rule, allow at least 4 hours for your connection.
    • Add an additional 2 hours if you have to clear customs.
  2. If you're flying to a final destination that is less than a three hour drive from a major northeastern hub (e.g. IAD, EWR), forget trying to connect and just drive from the hub. 
    • Unless the driving route passes through a notorious traffic area.
  3. Never fly codeshare. If an airline offers you a codeshare flight, make the booking directly with the codeshare airline.
    • Avoid affiliate airlines (United Express, American Eagle) and fly on the mainline if possible.
I broke all three of these rules on a recent trip. Result: 14-hour overnight delay.