Dot Com Pho – Tacos and Hybrids Edition

Just because I'm in Germany doesn't mean Dot Com Pho stops. I was not able to to set up a Pho meetup in Dresden because I was having too much fun trying to film the Volkswagen Transparent Factory. In addition to the usual suspects, this week's Dot Com Pho was joined by newcomer Lorraine Murphy. The crew discuss the Maple Leafs and the correct pronunciation of taco, among other topics (they should discuss the correct pronunciation of Pho). The Honda CR-Z sports hybrid was there as well and it represented the biggest gadget of the week ever. Too bad there's no footage of Michael Kwan trying to drive a manual.

Visiting The Volkswagen Transparent Factory The Volkswagen Transparent Factory in Dresden is where they make Volkswagen's luxury sedan, the Phaeton. The Transparent Factory is situated in the city center of Dresden, Germany. The factory's walls are made almost completely of glass. Its floors are covered entirely in Canadian maple. Its visitor-friendly layout was designed to accommodate up to 500 tourists per day. There are no smokestacks, no loud noises, and no toxic byproducts. The floors are so clean, you can eat off them. Volkswagen have planted 350 trees in the grounds. The transparent factory handles final assembly only. Operations such as stamping and welding and the painting of the steel bodies take place in Zwickau. Painted bodies arrive at the factory by truck. The other 1200 parts and 34 preassembled components are shipped to a remote logistics center and are transferred from there to the factory via CarGoTrams that run on Dresden's public transport tracks. No pictures or videos are allowed while inside the transparent factory. Good thing I can't read German!

Society of American Travel Writers Convention Opening Ceremony The Society of American Travel Writers convention open last night with ceremony speeches given by the SATW president, the head of Germany's tourism industry and other honor guests. The event was held at the Intern. Congress Center in Dresden and it a beautiful place to hold the convention. There was a great view of the river and the weather has been awesome. Here are some photos and video from the opening night. I've met a lot of great people and I'm having a really good time. I'm looking forward to going on some of the tours that Germany and the SATW have set up for us. I have the honor of doing the opening keynote for the SATW today. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be recording it with my Teleprompt+ iPad app and will try to make it available on the blog. Talk to you guys later!