I live in Snoqualmie, Washington (see Snoqualmie Falls, 2nd most visited tourist attraction) - a beautiful place to live that is about 30 minutes from Microsoft.  Quicker drive than my old commute, but physically further out, so that means more gas...

When Microsoft recently launched the free Connector Bus service, with Snoqualmie Ridge as one of the neighborhoods, I thought that it would be a good opportunity for me to support Microsoft "green" environmental efforts by driving to work less and using this service.  One of the cool things about the Connector is that they have wireless connectivity, so you can catch up on email and surf during the drive.

Separately, you may not have noticed, but two weeks ago Microsoft launched its next wave of Unified Communications software.  I installed the Communicator 2007 client last week, which basically looks like a business version of MSN Messenger.  However, it also ties into our phone systems at work *and* will make a secure connection across the internet back to a corporate gateway even when we're out of the office.   I can have it autodial my Contacts, or alternatively, I can set up my laptop as my "preferred calling device." 

This means, for example, that if I am at RSA Europe in London and logged in via the wireless Internet in the booth, and you call me at my office in Redmond, I can get a window to pop up and can answer the phone using the microphone and speaker on my laptop.  Similarly, I can initiate calls from there, so no more calling cards when I travel.

Back to my story.

This morning, I caught the Connector Bus for the first time.  I sat down, pulled out my laptop and logged into the bus' wireless network and started catching up on email.  Then, I noticed that the Communicator client had connected.  I plugged in my microphone/earpiece headset, I clicked on my wife's name and initiated a call ... she answered and there I was, riding the bus to work, surfing the Internet and talking to my wife on the phone via my laptop and it hit me ... my supergeek moment ;-)