Techno Babble and Cicchetti

For the techno-geeks out there, I'm using an a Nikon S620 digital camera, occasionally the iPhone camera, an iPad, and the Blogsy app to make these posts. I'm using direct USB from the Nikon to the iPad to transfer photos, and a nifty feature in iPhoto to “beam” photos from the iPhone to the iPad. I use an iPad carrying case (Kensington KeyFolio Pro2) which includes a nice, BlueTooth keyboard and props the iPad up like a laptop screen, which I highly recommend.

Given that the iPad is the perfect portable blogging device, it's disappointing that the process is not easier. The official WordPress iPad app doesn't work well. Blogsy, with its own flaws, is the best of several stinky alternatives I've tried. Inserting pictures, aligining them within the text, and controlling text flow are not as seamless as they should be, this many years into the web. I happen to know HTML (the underlying language used for these pages) by heart and am able to tweak things behind the scenes, but it must be awful for those who don't know it to try to get some control over their posts.

Whining over, last night was the “Cicchetti Crawl”, wherein I sampled the tapas-like Happy Hour offerings of several Venetian watering holes. It's a fun business, having a small glass of wine and one or two delicasies while standing at the bar, chatting with others, and then moving on, and it makes for an entertaining sit-down dinner alternative. Here are two pictures of the offerings at Bacaro Risorto, one of my favorite places to hang. My favorite cicchetti? The tempura'd zucchini flower, stuffed with an anchovy.

Bacaro Risorto is conveniently right next door to my hotel, Casa Fontana. I've stayed here for my last several visits to Venice and it's a nice hotel, run by a friendly and helpful family. It's located just south of San Marco Piazza so it's both easy to get to, and get away from, the touristy sites and hordes. I'm in Room 11 this trip, which is on the back and has its own balcony with chairs. It's a very nice treat to sit out there after a day of walking and relax with the view and a book.

Today, we have a bit of an overcast and I'm exploring a new place for lunch which is difficult to get to but reportedly worth the effort. Ciao for now!