The last couple of weeks have given me a couple of moments when I've suddenly thought, "How exactly did I get here?" This is not a geographical based question since the answer would be car, plane, taxi, etc. No, this is more of a philosophical question about the sequence of events in my life that led me to that point. Some examples:

• When I was in Singapore a few weeks ago we were returning from a restaurant and there was a long queue for non-existent taxis. Since there was a chap with a cycle rickshaw and the hotel wasn't that far away we opted for the eco-friendly alternative. At the first set of traffic lights the driver stopped, hopped off the rickshaw and started up the in-rickshaw CD player. Being peddled through the streets of Singapore to the sounds of Elvis is truly quite surreal.
• Next up was a couple of weeks ago when I went to Newcastle to do talk at a Regional Development Agency organised event. Since I was there the PR agency managed to get me an interview on the local radio station, BBC Radio Newcastle. They have a blue bus that travels around the local area acting as an internet cafe, outside broadcast and general place of interest. When I arrived it was parked on a community farm down a muddy track. I got out of the taxi and hopped on the bus. It was full of three year olds who had come to see the animals (including the very large pig in the field next to the bus). Not my normal audience, but the interview went well and was great fun.
• Finally, there was last week when I was in California. I had received an e-mail a couple of weeks back from some students at Ocala Middle School, who were interested in voice controlled robotics. They had done a Google search, and found my name. I arranged to go to the school on Friday morning to talk to them about robotics and show them my LEGO Mindstorms powered robots including the Blackjack player. Although I must confess to being more nervous than usual the event went extremely well and I was really impressed by the understanding that the students had and how they were able to answer my questions.

Next week its back to my usual audiences with some events in Brazil including another visit to my favorite Java User Group, DFJUG, in Brasilia. Of course, it's also another chance to eat lots of great Brazilian meat.