Grand European Tour: Crummy News

Bad news folks, it looks like my hope of regular updates has been dashed. Something hinky is going on with both my iPad and iPhone that is preventing me from accessing wifi.
As a result I am unable to upload any photos or text of any length.
It is also preventing me from downloading the latest episode of Community, so the bad news just keeps coming.
Once we get back to the US I’ll restart the posts but until then check out Traveler Nell’s site which has some up to date details.

An Announcement from Traveler Bill…

It is my sad duty to announce that after 11 years in its current location, Traveler Bill Industries, Ltd. will be leaving Traveler Bill Towers®, their headquarters on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan and relocating overseas.  Their new main office is in the center of a wild and exotic locale known the world wide…Brooklyn!

It is the extreme pleasure of both Travelers Bill and Nell to announce that Traveler Bill Industries, Ltd. will be opening their new offices at Number One Traveler Bill Plaza at the Yorkshire® in the middle of March this year.  The new location offers far more spacious office space necessary for the day to day operations of a large Multinational concern.

An Even Larger Internet Footprint!

Recently it was announced that Traveler Bill had gotten himself engaged to his Director of IT Matilda Dundee Read.   Well, in an attempt to maintain a brand identity, she has decided to petition the court and change her name to Traveler Nell.  I was, of course, very touched by this gesture.

Almost as touched as I was by her spending her lunch half-hour to create Bill & Jenelle -dot- com!  This website gives all (and more) of the information you could want about the wedding of Travelers Bill and Nell!

Enjoy

A Momentous Announcement

It has been a while since our last post, and for that we would like to apologize. But a major life change has occurred at Traveler Bill™ Industries, Ltd. and a couple days were needed to reflect on the momentous nature of what had happened.

Therefore, Traveler Bill™, President and Chairman of Traveler Bill™ Industries, Ltd. Has extended an offer of matrimonial engagment to his Director of IT and Chief Travel-Erchivist, Matilda Dundee-Read. To his delight and amazement, she accepted.

The affair will be small and private in accordance with the celebrants wishes, and the location has yet to be officially announced. Some have requested the ceremony occur half-way between Traveler Bill™’s beloved New York and Matilda’s hometown of Melbourne. Bill is leaning toward this option, but not in Hawaii, as has been proposed, but rather India.

Support Traveler Bill in the 2009 Heart Walk.

A very sickly Traveler Billy (left) with a friend at age 3.

A very sickly Traveler Billy (left) with a friend at age 3.

Hey there fans, Bill here.  All of you know me as Traveler Bill, the famous international bon vivant.  But some of you know me as Bill, the survivor of a congenital heart defect.

Luckily  I was born in Cleveland, OH, near Case Western Reserve University and Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital where their fantastic physicians, (in particular Dr. Jerome Liebman) took me under their care and patched me together over the course of my first five years.

And patched together I stayed for the next 32 years.  I needed a little bit of work (which was documented in the early days of the Traveler Bill-og) back in 2006 and 2007.  Luckily I then lived in New York City and was referred to Dr. Marlon Rosenbaum of the Schneewiess Adult Congential Heart Center of New York Hospital and Columbia University.  The fine folks there have my ever lasting appreciation and affection for the top notch care I received.

Traveler Bill - 4th Place Finisher

Traveler Bill - 4th Place Finisher

Which brings me to the whole point of this entry.  For the second year in a row I am participating in the American Heart Association Start! Wall Street Heart Walk (and Run) representing Traveler Bill industries.  Last year I was the fourth highest fundraiser for this, one of the largest Heart Walks among all the walks held across the country.

And I’m aiming to do it again this year.  I know this is a tough time to be trying to raise money, but like Jerry Lewis I’m going to try and raise $5,576, or $1.00 more than I did last year.

You can donate online at the following link.

Thank you in advance for your support and I apologize in advance for all the pestering you will all be hearing over the next two months.

Team Photo for 2008 Traveler Bill Industries Heart Walk Team

Team Photo for 2008 Traveler Bill Industries Heart Walk Team

My Favorite Favicon

The savvy readers of Traveler Bill (dot) com will notice the newest addition to the website, as rolled out by Traveler Bill Industries Director of IT, Matilda Dundee-Read.  It is, of course, a Traveler Bill favicon!  What is a favicon you ask?  Well it is a “square icon associated with a particular website or webpage”1

With this, the (almost) last piece of the puzzle in place this seems like an appropriate time to review the various web-browsers available on the market today…at least in regard to their efficacy in viewing Traveler Bill (dot) com

A comparison on four web browsers.

A comparison on four web browsers.

They are, in descending order of preference and as displayed above.

4 – Explorer 8-Microsoft Windows
This browser tied for the highest Traveler Bill Logo favicon count with three (The navigation bar, the bookmarks bar and on the tab.)  Alas it is also Windows so I never actually use this browser except when viewing on-demand movies from Netflix.  Also, learn from my mistake – DO NOT DOWNLOAD EXPLORER 8.  It is buggy and may cause your system to crash like mine.  I escaped by having an IT Director who could resolve these issues.  Unless you do too I suggest you look elsewhere.

3 – Safari – Apple
This browser had the lowest Traveler Bill Logo favicon count with only one measly location. (In the navigation bar.)  While it is probably a better product (even for Windows users) than Explorer, I use this browser less frequently.  (As I bear a closer resemblance to John Hodgman than that other guy I disdain Apple products.  Except my iPod and iTunes which are both the bees knees!)

2 – Chrome – Google
This is the newest kid on the block in the web browser field and has been my browser of choice for the past few months.  It has a middle of the road favicon count at two (On the Tab and in the Bookmarks tab).  So why is this NOT my number 1 choice?  Because it has less than stellar performance when displaying Traveler Bill (dot) com.  I’ve gone through a lot of trouble, and when I say “I” I am speaking with the “Royal I“, to make this a more sophisticated site than is currently warranted and if the most basic of the bells and whistles don’t make noise, then why bother.

1 – Firefox – Mozilla
Firefox tied Explorer for favicon occurrences with three. (Explore bar, Bookmark bar and on the tab (not shown, but trust me.))  Additionally, it ably display all the new features of Traveler Bill (dot) com.  In all likelihood if I hadn’t moved all my bookmarks to Chrome, I’d have been using this browser all along.  As it is, I will be using it going forward.  True to my word I composed this entry on Firefox.

So to sum it up, the Traveler Bill Industries Walrus of Approval for Web Browser is awarded to Mozilla Firefox.

Traveler Bill

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1 From the Wikipedia entry for favicon.

Traveler Bill's Official Website Renovated

As mentioned in my last post, Traveler Bill Industries new Director of IT has been working overtime (if we paid overtime) on renovating TravelerBill.com.  I personnally think it looks pretty nifty.  I wish I could take more credit for the overall look, but it is all creditable to Miss Matilda Dundee-Read.

In addition setting up and personalizing the new theme (hit refresh and check out the header pics) she is working to set up the Travel-Erchives and import all the old web pages, once thought lost to the ages.  The final steps to integrating TravelerBill.com and Traveler-Bill.com are around the corner as well.

Finally, it is only fair that I offer Matilda a plug for the “official” website of her alter-ego, Jenelle.net.  I was hesitant to lend credence to the ficticious world of a dear friend.  However, I consulted  consulted with medical and psychological experts who assured me these flights of fancy are harmless.  Therefore it is here you can read all about Matilda’s… excuse me “Jenelle’s“ adventures as a “world-traveling” “librarian” from “Australia.”  World traveling…how rich an imagination.

Dawning of the New(est) Bill-ennium!

It has been years in the making but TravelerBill.com is finally becoming a reality with the hiring of Matilda Dundee-Read as Traveler Bill Industries’ Director of IT.  Additionally she is taking on the additional roles of Head Librarian and Chief (Travel)Er-chivist.

In addition to bringing the original TravelerBill.com into working order, Miss Dundee-Read has managed to set up an actual email server.  As such, my new email address is Bmail@TravelerBill.com.

Further more, she has promised the Board of Directors that before long the Great Schism of 2005 will be healed and TravelerBill.com and Traveler-Bill.com will finally be one and the same.

Traveler Bill Industries IT Director Emeritus, Bobo.

Traveler Bill Industries IT Director Emeritus, Bobo.

At this time we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge our former Director of IT, Bobo D. Bonobo.  While we will miss his wisdom, charm and extraordiarily reasonable daily pay package of a cigar and one bottle of bourbon, we probably won’t miss all the face mauling and feces throwing.  Nevertheless we all wish you well in Cle Elum, Washington, Bobo.

Wrath of Con – Traveler Bill lets his geek flag fly

 

Connnnnn!

The Wrath of Con

 

This weekend Traveler Bill will be volunteering at the New York Comic Con at the Javits Center on Manhattan’s West Side.  Bill attended this three day nerd-stravaganza in ’08 as a mere attendee.  This year he will be shepherding fellow nerds through various lines to enter, to get autographs, to see stars of the Fox TV “hit” FRINGE.  Through all sorts of lines will Bill be shepherding nerds.

Additionally, I shall endeavor to, while not working or seeing the few panels that interest me, I will be blogging anything that warrants notice.

Coming Soon…The New and Improved Traveler Bill-og

Greetings fans of Traveler Bill

Coming soon to this very site will be the new and improved Traveler Bill-og.  Traveler Bill Industries, Ltd. has hired a Director of Information Technology who has promised to revamp the Interweb pressence of Traveler Bill, so check back soon as Traveler Bill sets out on his adventure to review at least 52 restaurants in 2009.

Thanks for bearing with us in 2008.

Traveler Bill