Stepping off the edge of the planet

I'm going to change things up for the next week or so because, um, I'm taking a little trip. An opportunity's come up for a quick visit to Shanghai, China to attend a tech conference, to write about it, to comment on it, and generally predict the future of technology and its impact on our lives. And since life is short I've decided to say what the heck and do it. My flight leaves tomorrow (Sunday) eve.

I know. I'm insane. Go ahead and say it. Because I know there's a good chance you're thinking it.

I've been there before*, and a return visit, however brief, will give me a chance to see things I might have missed the first time around. And as much as I hate being away from home and the folks who matter most to me, I think it'll be good for my soul to wander the planet for a few days before returning home to where I belong. It's been a challenging few months in Carmiland**, and a different perspective, however brief, will give my soul the tweak it needs to refine my direction over the next little bit.

If my last experience on the other side of the planet is any guide, my ability to administer the blog will be severely compromised. So I've advance-posted a bunch of stuff and, if time/tools/accesses permit, will weigh in from there, too. If you're a journalist hoping to do an interview, please know I've turned the BlackBerry off and will not be checking voicemail. I'll be reachable via email, and I'll be able to chat via Skype, Google Talk and FaceTime. Given the 12-hour time difference and the fact that I don't sleep when I'm away, I'll be eminently available for all sorts of live work, all from an exotic perch high above a big, smog-choked city. Sounds like fun, no?

The flight from here to there will see me skipping across 12 time zones on 4 flights, with a possible high-up peek at Santa, his village and perhaps his elves. I'll be back on Friday following a similar game of reverse-aviation-hopscotch. Somewhere in there (Tuesday the 8th) I'm supposed to have a birthday. I'm sure I'll lose stuff in crazy places and pick up a few more strands of grey hair along the way, but when life offers up opportunity, walking away is the last thing any of us should do.

I hope you'll check back in through the week - here, on Twitter, and on Facebook - to see what the heck I'm up to way over there. Safe week, everyone. 

Your turn: I'm taking requests for photos/ideas. Can't promise I'll get to all of 'em, as free time will be decidedly limited, but let's see if we can make this social media thing work to our photographic advantage regardless. Have at it in comments here.

--

* In 2007. Also over my birthday. Also for a conference. Also life-changing.

** Challenging doesn't mean bad. It simply means I have a huge amount on my plate, with lots of change swirling about, and lots of things demanding attention and, perhaps, decisions. A little distance sometimes helps me sort out the resulting melee of factors into something a little more manageable. It's how we survive and grow. Or so I've convinced myself to believe.