Now I’m back here’s a few more thoughts around the trip to New Orleans and my first Microsoft corporate love-in. After a six hour wait to catch my connecting flight back to blighty I know now why they call it Dulles. Yes I know I should have organised my connections better but neither Expedia or American Express could or would let me leave New Orleans at a more civilised time. On the two and something hour flights between Washington and NO I flew on some dinky Canadair RJ’s. They are the smallest commercial aircraft I’ve been on, they seat about forty people and it’s the first plane I’ve been on where if I stand in the aisle my head touches the ceiling. You can just imagine what it would be like if they replaced the normal seats with some big comfy ones and a partially clad Kylie Minogue was handing out drinks. Er…sorry drifted away then. Overall MGB is a better organised version of IBM’s EBU. It still suffers from the problem of technical types who when they present cure insomnia at the same time, however just like IBM there’s some really great presenters as well. I’m the first to admit I’m not the most sylph like person in the whole word, but I’m might reconsider after some of the larger individuals I saw in America. Good lard...sorry lord…SUV’s don’t seem such a silly idea after all, normal cars just ain’t big enough. Maybe they should in fact drive one of these. It even has a fan club. Bonkers! As economy class goes United Airlines aren’t so bad, the service was friendly and everything pretty much took off and landed on time. I think there was a bit more room than both BA and Virgin. Another drink I was introduced to in New Orleans was ‘The Hurricane’…oh dear. Next time I’ll go to more of the marketing and sales sessions. The content is more relevant to my job and the audience is more attractive. A warning to anyone thinking of buy gadgets in New Orleans, best go to a proper chain store rather than the local shops. They don’t tend to put prices on things and make up said prices as they go along. There’s a particularly dodgy store in the Riverwalk mall next to the convention centre. If you’re looking for jeans they are however a bargain. I have to mention this again. It was hot, not just hot but very humid as well. I’m not sure you could ever get use to it.