I arrived earlier today, Monday 5 January 2009, for the MacWorld Conference, to drizzly and damp streets, with overcast skies. The first timem I have seen San Francisco like this and it just added to the feeling I had that it had been Monday forever: 24 hours so far, with a few more to go.

Getting to Bangkok's airport was easy enough at the early time of the morning I set out, but getting the taxi to a position where the driver was permitted to unload me was a touch frustrating. In typical English fashion, I had allowed enough time and had time to catch up with email while waiting for the flight to Hong Kong.

Once on the, slightly delayed Cathay Pacific 747 from Hong Kong to San Francisco, that was the last I saw of the outside world as this airline has adopted the herringbone pattern seating arrangement for business class, in which each passenger sits inside a narrow box, isolated from others. I prefer seats to be seats and I like to see where we are going, even if it is over the Pacific Ocean at night. The only way to see out of a window from one of these cells, is to twist round and risk dislocatiing a shoulder. I did not sleep.

At the destination, the Immigration official tried his best to be polite with the seeds of confusion I laid: two passports, one expired with the visa; and two forms. He wondered where the other person was. Once we had cleared the problems of the forms -- I had been asked for this extra last year, so did it in advance this -- and the reason for two passports, he got the picture and we were now faced with fingerprinting on top of the photograph. Grin and bear it: the only way.

As I collected my case, I saw that it had been opened but not relocked, which was disturbing, but a check later showed nothing missing, not even the USB microphone I had lugged along to make the podcast in its usual quality.

Hotel checkin: the credit card did not fail and then a bath after a quick look round the swish room. Apple is going to save a bundle on these choice offerings, leave alone the aircraft tickets and the dinners. I could live for 3 months on what they pay for me over the five days I will be here. And of course, I am gushingly grateful for it.

After a welcome shower - not often I have hot water in Bangkok -- I hit the streets with the leather riding jacket I now keep only for these trips. I blend in perfectly. Within minutes, I felt that the socks were getting wet and later had to change all footwear. That was a bit unexpected for this trip, but we have been promised better weather for tomorrow. Does Apple have a direct line to the weather gods?

I wandered round to the Moscone Center area, but called in to the Apple shop on the way. I wanted to buy some spares. One of these is the power supply for the MacBook Pro which is beginning to fray where it comes out of the box end. These are not cheap in Bangkok and I found them at $79 here which works out to just under 3,000 baht. They are 3,870 Baht in Bangkok.

I had already seen online images of the banners already placed and ready for rolling down when the product, or products are announced. Outside Moscone center, however, are scores of posters with the legend, "Even the small talk will be big".

That struck a chord with me: small talk. At the time I couldn't put my finger on it and some information I had on the computer pointed towards an iPhone application; or even to that iPhone nano that has been rumoured of late. I am having problems checking this, and dread emailing my Post article later as the speeds here are worse than I get at home -- you know, in Third World Bangkok.

A little ater as the pages crept open, the penny began to drop, Small Talk is an object-oriented language (and so is Cocoa on OS X of course) for writing applications and this originated with Alan Kay at Palo Alto: I remember that Jobs cited Kay in part of his introduction to the iPhone two years ago. Apple has been using this for a while.

So, now the intriguing questions, until Phil Schiller answers them tomorrow. Rumour among some of those attending suggests that this year they may well be "One last thing" and that one last think could well be Steve Jobs making a token appearance.

However, a press release from Steve himself deals with his non-attendance firmly and has the reasons why he has decided to reduce his public presence and the cause of his own gaunt appearance: something not life-threatening at all.

Dear Apple Community,

For the first time in a decade, I'm getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote. Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I've decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause - a hormone imbalance that has been "robbing" me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I've already begun treatment. But, just like I didn't lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple's CEO during my recovery.

I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple's CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.

So now I've said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.


Steve

Back at the hotel I put the images I had taken into Aperture then took a couple from the window to indicate the dreariness of the day. In the middle, just a few hundred yards from where I am staying, the Skull and Crossbones proudly waved above the streets.