Slashdot Mirror
Is This How to Carry Your Gadgets?
mightypie writes "What's the best way of carrying a Visor Prism, mobile phone, cybertool, digital camera, wallet & keys? I just don't like the vest solution Somebody here must have the solution" That is the most disturbing ad I've seen. Someday my phone/camera/pda/mp3 player will be one tiny happy box. As it stands my solution is baggy pants w/ big pockets.
So what do you do in the summer time? 100+ degree weather is a little hot for a jacket :)
Winter 2010: With Glowing Hearts
One word for any bodily functions requiring one to sit in a scary place... hover. It works. :P
In your purse, of course. :)
- Radha
Among the things that they are preposterously trying to patent is the concept of "pocket within a pocket". Hello?
keete
I've seen the Leatherman mentioned in several posts. What is it and where would I find it?
-- Friends don't let friends climb slabs.
What do you mean, friends don't let friends climb slabs??? Better than a handjam any day of the week . . . .
Grr. WinCE has free dev tools that only produce binaries for v2.11 and above (guess which version I have). And the source is under MS's 'shared source' license.
Pretend that something especially witty is here. Thanks.
PC and Pixel cartoon at Yahoo Comics shows exactlly what was posted about CmdrTaco earlier.
(C) Kaki Sain, 2011. By reading this, you have illegally copied my property to your brain.
Imagine a skin-tight bodysuit festooned with festive aerodynamic lumps in contrasting colors... a sleek, marine-life look, rather than the (competing interpretations) camel look or strange tumour look.
Imagine clothes with a series of gently domed globs attached down the sides, instead of the adidas-stripe gym suit look. For that matter, remember the eighties, when any number of PDAs could have taken up residence in the typical high-fashion shoulder pad.
It could happen, and bell-bottoms are conclusive proof.
keete
Clip it on in the morning, take it of in the evening.
Mine has 2 mobile phones[1], mp3 player and Psion series 5 along with a pouch for spare batteries, hands free headsets and MultiMediaCard flash cards. All in all, about $1,500s worth of kit.
[1] One business and one personal.
Deleted
Weapons
a blessed +1 butterfly knife (alternate weapon; not wielded)
an uncursed +0 mini-axe
an uncursed +0 laser pointer
Armor
an uncursed waterproof +0 Goretex jacket
Comestibles
an uncursed candybar
Tools
an uncursed very expensive digital camera [0:340]
4 uncursed rechargeable AA batteries
an uncursed mini tripod
an uncursed +3 rechargeable flashlight
an uncursed Palm IIIxe PDA
an uncursed Palm III keyboard
2 uncursed AAA batteries
an uncursed cellphone
an uncursed wallet
an uncursed 0.3mm pencil
an uncursed 0.5mm pencil
an uncursed mini-magnifying glass
(Yeah, I really carry all that stuff every day in my backpack. Well, ok, not usually the axe.)
Cell phone with built in pager. - Whomever can contact me and I can talk to others even if land lines are down.
Visor - as well as storing contacts and appointments for work. Can also store most of the documentation I would need at a disaster site.
Letherman - can never find a screw driver, pliers, etc. at work when you need it.
Wallet - money and cards.
Checkbook - a loan to get you from the middle of the week until payday :-) Also serves as a place for pass cards, badge and my Visor.
Digital camera - I only carry this if I know I am going to be needing to take picture (family outings and the like)
Laptop - only if I know (or think I know) I am going to need something at a jobsite.
Sunglasses - protect my eyes from all the harmful UV from the Sun (like the UV's from all the monitors and florescent lights is any better)
I realize it is a lot of stuff, but when I try to start eliminating things something suffers. For instance, I did not bring the Visor to the last house fire, and the solar calculator could not get enough light. I had to actually do math longhand (gasp).
I used to carry one myself, but found that it simply wasn't very practical while carrying my backpack around campus as well. I'd put everything in my pack, but it's a bit bulky to take around all the time and it doesn't quite work well for all my gear since I need to use it for school as well and don't want to swap things in and out all the time.
I've been thinking of moving to a vest in place of my double-cargo pants and this looks pretty good, but still has all the other vest problems... *sigh*
Use them. They carry other stuff too. You'll get used to the bumping of a device on the inside of your kneecap. No worries kid.
if you're in business, you'll quickly learn the more wired you are the faster the boss-man can call your ass while you're on vacation, asleep, in the bar dodging work, etc. Well, I might be an ignorant high school student, but wouldn't you be trying to avoid something like this? Doesn't the workday end when you leave work?
I'm a big fan of the timbuk2 courier bag. I've had one for a couple of years now and its great.
Unlike most computer bags the timbuk2 was designed by and for bike couriers who carry their bag on their shoulder all day every day. Its much more comfortable than a day pack and its waterproof to boot.
Checkit:
http://www.timbuk2.com/
They've got a new "commuter computer" bag and a nifty laptop sleeve. Also got nice accessories like a big strap pad and cell phone holster.
All this quality comes at a hefty price... a fully outfitted bag with all the 'must have' goodies will set you back over $200. You get to pick all the colors as well as the fabric. (ballistic nylon, Codura, or Waxed Canvas for the earthy types)
I pack my laptop, pager, digital camera, tripod, cords, accessories, and other stuff and its comfortable to carry. Even fits under the seat in front of me when I fly. (who wants to get up just to bust out your laptop or mp3 player?)
Nice company... good MADE IN USA quality. (elderly seamstresses in San Francisco)
--
Obscura!
have a couple of arms attached to your body. i am in the same position, i have to carry a cell phone and a pager even tho my cell can get alpha-numeric pages. my solution so far is to have a doctor attach a couple of more arms (with hands) to my body.....
I was most amused to find the eHolster , that'll cost three to four times what my rig did.
IP is just rude.
Is there any torture so subl
...but as they say, "No pain, no gain", right?
I'm the stranger...posting to
If the vest is you, then you have gone beyond geek to dork. I'd recommend an inventory of your gadgets and then start eliminating what you don't really need. The first step is realizing that you have become a dork and if you even think the vest is a good idea, you are a dork.
Of course if you must carry every techno toy you lay your hands on then, I'd suggest you carry a briefcase. If you carry a laptop, stuff your toys in there.
Just like the one that CHEWBACCA wore in the movie. But this bandolier strap is made for kids...not WOOKIEES. It holds 10 Action Figures and includes two pouches for accessories and/or secret messages (and/or Palm Pilots). Fits over the shoulder for play, even hangs for display. Action Figures sold separately. Ages 4 and up.
It appears the company that ScottEVest is partnered with, Pantech, has patented "running wires thru clothing." Does anyone else see this as unduly restrictive? (no pun intended...) The fact that they mention that they've patented this idea and will sue anyone who attempts to duplicate it kind of bothers me.
I mean, surely someone's done this before, at least on their own. Prior art?
Palm Vx in left front pocket, wallet in right leg pocket, cell phone clipped to right front, sunglasses (when not worn obviously) in left leg, nothing in rear pockets - messes up your spine. :)
"With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine." -- RFC 1925
science is a religion
Ripoffs
No, they don't sell direct. You can order their stuff through your local Graybar.
Velcro closures, belt snaps that don't require fishing them through your belt as you get dressed. They have them sized for just about everything you can think of from flashlights to multitools to palmpilots & cell phones. Lots of stuff for police & fire too. The only negative comment I've had is that my cell phone and pager sitting adjacent on my belt look like a pistol holster. :)
"An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." Col. Jeff Cooper
One time I had a body suit of velcro. I tripped and fell on carpet....
I found a waist pack (some call them fanny packs) that holds my Cell Phone & headset, Cassiopeia, Flash Memory cards, check book, and access badge for work all without even using the large main section. As the Cassiopeia plays my music files, I don't need the extra MP3 Player or CDs. In the main section, I can have extra stuff for work & play, or clear out a few things and include my digital camera (which uses the same Flash Memory as my Cassiopeia - not a coincidence, btw). Works great for me.
email != work. And maybe someone has a pleasant job. Maybe one is a poet and emails the publisher his works written in the boat.
See this documentary for your answer:
"Midnight: Your Blood Turns to Coca-Cola"h tml
http://www.petting-zoo.net/~deadbeef/archive/127.
I can't believe I am the only one mentioning and OtterBox
I have a growing collection of Sazaby bags - fun bags from Japan!
Heh. Maybe I should mention that I'm 6'3" (That's 1.90 meters according to an online calculator), built big, and am used to carrying things.
BUT, on the other hand, a friend who is a good six or more inches shorter than me, has worn my trench without any complaint about weight or significant difference in look (other than it being too big in conventional ways). It does tend to displace weight in nice ways so it doesn't seem heavy.
--
Evan
"$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
Finally a piece of clothing that's DORKIER than you'll ever be. (Maybe) Did I mention that I've pattented looking like a dork, so now all you cargo pants wearing fools will be getting a summons from my patent attornies.
ah i just sucked it up and got a Murse.
"i was saying gnu-rd"
I'm not sure if you mean to say that guns are for women, or that guns are for weak people. Either way, I'd have to agree with you.
The average woman is not physically capable of beating the average man in a fight. (I'm not trying to be sexist here, I am talking about the combination of both genetics and societal expectations that tend to cause men to be stronger; everyone is not average, and I can certainly think of exceptions to this in both genders.) But most women don't like to go around feeling that they are at the mercy of any would-be assailant. As a result, I know plenty of women who own "purse guns" either out of foresight or because they have been attacked once and don't want to be defenseless if it should happen again. Despite the macho image of guns I believe that women are one of the fastest growing segments of firearms sales; they can spend a few hundred dollars, take a few hours of training and suddenly their ability to defend themselves has increased an order of magnitude.
There is a saying that "God made men; Sam Colt made them equal." I admit it; I am not a "tough guy." I have not spent years bulking up or taking martial arts; does that mean that I should be at the mercy those stronger than me? Certainly I don't think so. Being the technically oriented person I am, I purchased this wonderful labor saving device, spend a couple hours a month at the shooting range to keep my skills, and suddenly I am "equal" to any physically stronger would-be assailant.
What does this have to do with carrying other technical gadgets? Simple, it is driven by the same logic: I MIGHT need it sometime, so I'd better carry it. I "carry" when I go to visit my friend who lives in a city where the murder rate exceeds 20/100,000 (I don't know the attempted murder or assualt figures), and the "bad" neighborhoods are very interspersed with the rest of the city. But 20/100,000 is still a really small number (.00002); I could easily go my whole life without being assaulted. Similarly, how likely is it that I'll be going to a social event and suddenly need the computational power of my Handheld computer? My leatherman is really cool, but I have to admit I have NEVER been in a situation where I had to use it, but didn't have access to regular tools. I can count the number of times I've used the little flashlight on my keychain on one hand. Do those of us who like to walk around equiped with a high "batman factor" really carry much of the stuff because it is cool, or to justify buying a new toy, or because we have outfitted one-to-many role playing characters, or have secret _Sliders_ fantasies? Could we get by with just a pen, a Swiss Army knife and a cell phone? Or is there a logic to carrying rarely used items, IF the use is potentially important. I do, after all, carry a spare tire and jack in my trunk even though I may never use it; because if I ever do need to use it, I will need it very much. Certainly the same logic can be used for my firearm; even if I only really need to use it once in my whole life, it has paid for itself. And really, can't I say the same for the Leatherman... and that little flashlight... and now I'm back to having to carry all this stuff around.
Perhaps some mathematician among us could do some kind of cost/benefit analysis for personal encumbrance. Something like: (probability of need * importance of need) / bulk of object. And maybe I could somehow use this to justify buying those cell-phone and mp3 player attachement to my Visor!
Another solution if you're on a budget is to have a list of several hundred random numbers with a key value associated with them, recorded in a file on your machine, and carry a printout of them folded up in your wallet. Have your authentication software ask you for one of the numbers at random...
i miss that show...
every once in a while, i'll be flipping channels, and see kubiak on ER, and i want him to ask, "Eat now?"
-- My Sig is a P228.
I agree as well. This is all a little too middle-class tech-poser dork alert for me. I carry nothing myself.
If someone has to carry around a laptop, palm/pda AND a cellphone, AND a pager, along with other gadgets, then something's terribly wrong with them.
Nobody actually *needs* all of that junk. It's just status posing, but not even good posing...
I bet you look really, really tacky :-)
in it, i have my visor, folding keyboard, cell-phone, and text pager. there's also room for my sunglasses, and whatever paper i get stuck with at meetings.
(as it turns out, i submitted this very question to ask slashdot last year, but it got rejected -- so i just had to figure it out on my own)
-esme
Anyway that is something to try. Either a purse or a jacket with lots of pockets. I go for the bag myself. It holds pens, phones, pda, laptop, coffee mug.. usually not to a job interview though.. just to and from work so I have the things that make my life easier. many employers don't want you makeing personal phone call on their system.. thus the need for a cell. ocassionally I have to do buisiness (car friends etc)
Only 'flamers' flame!
Nice approach! I have hairy arms so I just wear short sleeves and attach velcro to the devices only. Downside is I can't carry much on the inside of my arms as they aren't very hairy;-)
Busy aligning my non-linear thoughts.
They're similar to Gummy Bears, but a little larger and not so rubbery.
--Blair
"It takes seven days to make a jelly bean."
It's all about the messenger bag.
I don't go anywhere without mine.
Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
My local newspaper had this story about some new Dockers pants with extra concealed pockets and such. They're $52 a pop, but maybe worth a look. See also this link from the Dockers site.
Once you lick the lollipop of mediocrity, you'll suck forever!
Guns are for pussies.
When I went on an overseas trip I got a money belt that fit around my waist and one that had a loop to fit on my belt. I liked the last one so much that I use it all the time. My cash and cards are out of the way, safe, and I can use my pockets to carry other items. I'm on my 2nd one because I wore out the zippers on the first one. I don't think I'd ever want to go back to a regular wallet.
the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
foo. you mean foo.
:)
;)
you pity the foo who steals your half-broken palm pilot.
or, i've been working on writing this paper way too much, and its time to go to sleep
-- My Sig is a P228.
I would suggest an equipment belt - check out galls under the police supplies www.galls.com just don't get a holster and get the appropriate pouches for your equipment. I know they have them made for cell phones and pagers, some of the more generic stuff should hold a palm OK. I would recommend nylon as its lighter than leather and cleans easier.
I have a storage problem even with the equipment belt - Today's police officer carries a gun, 2 spare mags, small flashlight, expandable baton, cuffs, pepper spray, radio, gloves, knife, and now they are adding a tazer to this list. I like to have my cell phone handy for when the radio is busy or broken, then we have the notepad, pens, 2nd gun on the ankle (3rd on the vest). I have a 32" waist.. there isn't any room left on my belt for more junk. I tend to cary my phone on my shoulder (radio mike on the other) but that makes for long falls sometimes. Oh an by the way go chase that guy in the nylon running shorts (and if he gets away someone will make a snide doughnut comment).
The only problem here is that the bag doesn't have enough compartments... but that's okay, when I need something I just put my hand in and pull the thing out. =)
"After all, a 2 inch chain could be a lethal weapon, much worse than a standard #2 pencil, etc). "
:)
:(
didn't know that. i know that i have to keep my knife blade lengths under 3 inches to be legal in all states, and no serrations to make airlines happy. because serrations suddenly mean i can now kill people/cut though the skin of airplanes, whereas with a plainedge one, i couldn't.
i'm just trying to figure out how a 3 inch chain could be lethal. choking? at that length, you'd get little leverage- it'd be more effective to just use your arm properly to apply a choke hold.
3 inch chain as a whip? lethal? the last time i whipped someone with something 3 inches, she laughed.
i don't get laws these days...
-- My Sig is a P228.
I use a really strong belt to hold all my stuff (not unlike Luke's belt-o-stuff in A New Hope): Tamrac 5218 camera case (fits a PalmIIIx+batts and spare styli perfectly) Leatherman Wave Keys Walkman (when appropriate) Once hidden under a sport coat, its not noticable. Then again theres Mike Cobb's solution.
[sig]you really dont want the answers, trust me[/sig]
If I did that I would be fired on the spot. A consultant also needs to be prepared and have to tools to do the job. Often clients dont have spare computers handy.
all on my belt.
what I have:
okay, so I need a flat surface to whip out the keyboard. and normally I carry a battery recharger full of charged batteries for the rio in my backpack. but I don't really need the charger. I can switch the batteries to the pockets in my shorts/jeans.
and I can wear it all while on rollerblades. heh. :)
incidentally, while in suit it's even easier. the palm stays on my belt. the rio moves to the back of my belt (i.e. invisible to anyone who can't see through the jacket). when I'm actually at work (and need to look less like an extra from Johnny M :) the sennheisers go into my inside jacket pocket. the keyboard easily fits into my shirt pocket.
of course, unlike many geeks, I'm in good shape. I don't worry about the weight on my belt: there isn't very much of me there to hold it up anyway. :)
my old sig used to be funny, but then slashcode ate it and now it's not funny anymore
Ok, ok, here, take our handhelds and visors and cellphones and other silocn baubles, just please don't hurt us!
But... but... what is this "women" you speak of?
i had a visor deluxe. it was large and boxy. my dad got a visor prism. it was slightly larger and had active color. not worth it, IMHO
however, i just upgraded to a visor edge. the smaller form factor is worth the difference in dimentions in gold.
i REALLY suggest you grab an edge, an M500, a Palm Vx, etc. fits great in front pants pocket without bulging out.
-- My Sig is a P228.
Of course you get the occasional worried look from Eastern European tourists who think their past has caught up with them.
_O_
.|< The named which can be named is not the true named
1. Where to put the creditcard/job-keycard/other cards - in the pockets in my jeans. .. hmm .. in my hand ?
..
.. Here's hoping someone has a better solution - preferably one where I can't be spotted as a technology-bearer :-)
..
2. The minidiscman - inside my jeans, hold tight by my belt - makes it, and the headphonecord, not visible.
3. The cellphone - jesus
4. the rest of the stuff you "need" for your everyday job
I don't know, I usually tend to stuff it all in a small plasticbag and get out the things I need @work.
Hmmmm
have a nice week
Ok -- so it's pretty cool from the geek perspective, but here in DC, it might as well have a big neon sign reading: "Hey, my vest is full of expensive electronic gadgets--please mug me! I'm obviously a huge geek, so I won't put up a fight." -- or maybe the deluxe model comes with a built-in taser?
My solution is the Kyocera smartphone - palm, phone, wireless modem, voice recorder, speaker phone, pager etc etc - in one gadget. Pretty cool to telnet or VNC from your phone - saved me many trips home or to the office... http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/kysmart/kysmart_se ries.htm
Oh, and of course the Cybertool 34 from our friends at ThinkGeek!
"Smile, listen, agree, and then do whatever the fuck you wanted to do anyway." ~Robert Downey Jr.
My motorcycle jacket has enough pockets for everything I need, without making me look like a gargoyle.
But, I don't carry much, just a Palm V, mobile phone, Cybertool, keys and sunglasses.
I do indeed. Fortunatly, I telecommute, so I don't end up looking unprofessional in a work environment. Instead, I look slightly odd everywhere I go.
I'm the stranger...posting to
Monday, 25 Jun 2001, after thinking about this problem I went to the ThinkGeek website. I did not find this kind of product in the Work wear section but I found out that Willie was responsible for new ideas. So I sent him this mail.
Subject: an idea..
;)
/Fred
Hi Willie..
Just had an idea for a new product..
You got an excelent line of different t-shirts and
golf-shirts. But there is something missing.
Working with computers you quickly gather alot of
different gadgets. Mobilephone, PDA, wallet,
cybertool, mp3player, caffeine.. etc..
Where do you put all that stuff when you want them
handy and you don't want to carry a backpack all
the time ?
There are backpacks that have a nice pocket for
the mobilephone on the "strap".. handy ? Yes..
But I don't realy like the idea of having this
thing too near my heart.. other alternative.. ?
frontpocket.. well.. another Willie in the
vicinity..
backpocket ? sit down and you have a puzzle..
I have a pair of "suittrousers" with a nice
mobilephone thighpocket..
very handy and is not in the way..
The ultimate GeekTrousers would be the army type
with alot of pockets to put survivalgear..
but going to work looking like Rambo will get
management thinking of disgruntled employees and
rampage shootings..
Also it is hard to find a matching shirt for
those important customer meetings.
So go to an army surplus store nearby.
stop by a carpentershop..
Buy all different kinds of trousers..
spend an afternoon in the warehouse trying to
find the pair of trousers that will carry the
most kinds of gadgets in a safe way..
From that info, design a pair that would fit
in the corporate world..
Jackets or wests with the same properties would
probably be ok too..
Feel free to send me a pair filled with gadgets
if the idea turns out to work..
Time for the "Engineer suit".. The "Business suit"
for Engineers..
PS. Any misspelled words or gramatical errors are
due to the long way this mail had to travel
from Sweden to the US..
alot of error sources on the way...
I never heard from Willie or ThinkGeek so I guess they never thought this was a good idea. From the posts on Slashdot it seems that they would have made a buck if they had put a "suit" together.
i'm in high school, ive taken a laptop in a standard carry bag, and it nearly got destroyed. so i got myself a palm, and palm keyboard. i took this to school, and after a day realised i'd need some form of case to stop them from being destroyed. the solution? from dse.com.au a technicans case. aluminum/plastic construcion. i fit in in plam, palm k/b. discman, cd's, mobile phone, spare batterys, wallet, keys. and it gets belted around like nothing else, ive thrown it at people, the ground, brick walls, jumped on it even. it wont break, or anything in it. besides that, you can look like a total nut and tell people its got a gun/bomb in it.
Fun, but just in case someone didn't get it, here's the link. Still waiting for my Photon III. ;^)
main(O){10<putchar(4^--O?77-(15&5128 >>4*O):10)&&main(2+O);}
Follow the lead of the mobile telecoms industry: take a crud phone and add an awful PIM.
May not do the job, but it sure helps keep the trousers up.
I too carry a shoulder pack, by Burton (not the exact bag but similar) - the Kelty didn't have the "size for the buck" factor that I needed. I got a larger bag because I live in Las Vegas and drive a Jeep and don't like leaving anything of value in my car with the top off. It has room for my CD binder, my day timer (sorry, no palm for this geek - I prefer the old fashioned method that doesn't need to be backed up) it has a cell phone pocket on teh shoulder strap perfect for 99% of the phones out there (and water resistant too !!) plus a pouch that is perfect for me to carry my insulin (yuppers, a diabetic geek). The front pocket is perfect sized for my CD/MP3 plater. It even has a pocket on the side that is perfect size for the 1 Litre coke bottles (Diet of course ;). This bag goes where ever I go and doesn't look clunky and is quite comfortable for a day of walking on the Las Vegas Strip. Ok, Im done advertising.
Please give your mod points to others, Im at the cap. They will appreciate it more
I think I'll keep my pockety pants and courier bag, thank you very much.
*****
There are many people in this country who, through no fault of their own, are sane.
I thinks people would try to beat me up if i wore that. I wonder if I could get one with a gun holster on the other side...
it's a sig, wtf?
Good thinking... I've been looking into hiring a full-time squire. He'd come in most handy when dressing for hockey, but I hadn't thought of his pack-mule attributes. Anyone willing to fill this role for a generous $5/day (canadian funds)?
Carpe Cerevisi - Seize the Beer
Just kidding, of course, but just busting it up and trusting the trash to hide it doesn't seem up to par with the efforts you describe up to that point.
Serendipitously enough, I was looking for something to hold all my stuff just last week. I eventually ended up purchasing an Adidas Sequence 2001 sling bag from eBags. I'll see how well it works once it arrives. The thing that attracted me to it was the large back compartment (for my laptop) and the cell phone pocket on the strap -- I'm trying to reduce the items on my belt, and the phone and iPAQ were just too much at once.
No, everyone else is right...it's dorky looking. Ergo, you look like a dork wearing one.
I have an eHolster. I were it all the time. Only Once in 3 years have I been asked by a officer what it was...
althought it did get me this job....
nmarshall
The law is that which it boldly asserted and plausibly maintained..
--Colonel Burr 1783
There are several designs there that are wonderful depending on your usage profile.
Look at the leg holster, and tek sling
designs in particular.
I love you... Ok I love you AND the UNIX operating system, but then I've know it longer.
How else would I be able to play ZX spectrum games during COMP202 lectures (and download new ones)?
:)
How else could I read a book while walking up hills? (Paper ones can be quite inconvenient for this; I've tried.)
I'd add to the list but I can't think of anything more at the moment. Overdose of Jet Set Willy
Pretend that something especially witty is here. Thanks.
http://www.utilikilts.com/Workman.htm 'nuff said.
... the lampshade, a pocket for the pet ferrets, a folding chair, a whiteboard and the Statue of Liberty. (This was a joke, right?) Being a rather small-sized person, I'm marvelling at how anyone could carry this much stuff without toppling over. But if you have plans, do post! I'm thinking there might be a market for Geek quilts with pockets, so people could take all this crap to beddy-bye.
Toronto [I can't remember its name]
Lester B. Pearson International Airport
Dude, You burn the strings off, not cut them. Burning them with a lighter will help prevent the strings from unraveling....at least that's what they taught us in boot camp.
WTF? Over?
I had one that I kept on hand for after dealing with the horses or other stuff that can get messy.
Granted, I didn't carry it with me though. I have a feeling the reason is because a girl might as well carry it with them, since they're already carrying everything else!
Just use a big yellow plastic belt with lots of pockets in it, like Batman's utility belt. Or a bunch of calculator holsters... Might advertize just how geeky you might be, but would be a place for all your stuff.
ok, what is it with chicks and hand sanitizer? i wouldn't be asking on slashdot, except that it's 0030 on a work night =)
is it just a "females have a sense of hygiene" thing, or something else? i have yet to meet a male that carries the stuff, but upon thinking about it, lots and lots of women carry it.
Talk about a no-brainer for us women... A purse is pretty much the way to go - if you're Canadian, Mountain Equipment Coop has some great shoulder bags, especially the ones with the handy sunglasses pouch. There are also those Prada-inspired nylon purses. You can fit all of the above, a game-boy, a couple of those O'Reilly pocket guides and a makeup bag in a larger style. I've even squeezed a pda and cell phone in an evening bag.
I assume the manufacturer recommends them to be worn regimental style, allowing everyone to see just how much of a Scotsman you are...
A *large* backpack does very well. I can put my rather bulky WinCE PDA in one side pocket along with it's attendant cellphone and modem, the cd player in the other, and chuck everything else in the main compartment.
And there's still room in my pockets for a cellphone and palmpilot.
A friend asked how many CPU-ish things I had on me a week or so ago, and after sitting there for a minute thinking and feeling pockets, I said 7. And I didn't have the laptop with me.
Pretend that something especially witty is here. Thanks.
Exactly. Simple, easy, and they even come in army surplus.
Everyone seems to be making this so complex, when all you really need is a good set of cargo pants.
KISS is your friend.
-- "Tigers are made of dragonflies and katydids, but mostly chewed up little kids." -- Hobbes
Saw this story in the local paper this weekend.
Gist: Dockers has a new line of their khaki pants, specially made with pockets for your mobile phone, iPaq, etc.
More info (not much) here.
its not really that bad... its about the width of 2 or 3 credit cards, is a bit heavier than i'd like, but its the second-sharpest thing in the house, and its HIGH quality. not a flimy knife at all. and the locking mechanism is pretty clever. (plus, with a bit of practice, you can flick it out and look badass ;))
as for being armed- if anything, the native in the pocket is used for that last-ditch self defense. the spydercard is so tucked away, its tactically worthless. but sometimes, you just need a knife (as a tool), and i'll ALWAYS have my wallet on me, lacking anything else. (i suppose if one feels vulnerable, you can take it out of the wallet and carry it in a pocket.)
-- My Sig is a P228.
Yup. And if you want to be an ultra carpenter, or auto mechanic, or plumber, don't carry any tools. Use whatever is knocking around in your client's garage.
This is ridiculous. Go into any situation prepared for all likely eventualities. The tools you carry make you more flexible, and therefore more valuable. I feel naked without my Leatherman...I don't use it every day, but when I need it, I NEED IT. Same thing with my Palm Pilot. I use it as a swap file for my brain. Man's major evolutionary accomplishment is that s/he has figured out how to use tools to make his environment more suitable. Turning your back on this fundamental advantage for an aesthetic consideration is absolutely laughable.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
I've always used a blade of some sort (clippers, scissors, or razor). I've never had any BDUs unravel.
Who knows. Fire is just one of those things. Its fun to work with. Some folks swore that setting fresh boot polish alight helped create a better, tougher shine.
Oh, you can always say you're from Europe.
-Jaakko
Imagine how much gear federal judges could be carrying around under those black robes.
It's not too heavy of a jacket, and it even has zippers that run under the armpits to the elbows for optional ventilation...
If it's really how, I just wear shorts with deep or multiple pockets...
Kevin Fox
...alot of ham radio operators who wear them as well and I'm pretty sure the gay to straight ratio isn't much different from the populace at large.
Vermifax
Logout
When I first got my Newton, I had a number of shirts tailored with interior pockets to carry it. Works fine, and not too noticeable, though it does occasionally cause the same sort of looks I used to get when working security and carrying an ASP.
There was a story in our local paper about Docker's coming out with "geek" pants this month (August 2001). I guess they were normal enough looking dockers except with "hidden" pockets that are on the inside of the pants and hide the lumps well. They said they were zippered pockets so I'm assuming they are hidden in the seam of the pants. Maybe Dockers.com has more info.
.plan!! what plan?
"an unplanned trip through airport security can be a pain"
This is one reason I like my
Normally, I carry my pager on my belt, my keys hanging by the keyless entry fob from my pocket, with my swiss army knife (with everything (never had any trouble with airport security, even though it does have a file and a saw!)) in my left pocket.
IF I find myself travelling through an airport, I throw EVERYTHING (including change) into my pack and toss it on the xray belt. Then waltze through the metal detector (watching my pack closely) and away we go....
So I suppose this is a vote for a belt bag, eh? I carry a maglight (2-AA battery size), wallet, artificial sweetener (I refuse to use Nutripoison), MP3 player, toys for the kids, rarely-used keys, and other odds and ends that I cannot recall right now. Sometimes I'll carry the HT (I'm a ham) also.
On trips, I bring the laptop in a targus backpack case, which has room for my 100-cd case, external floppy drive, a couple of magazines, power cords, etc... To and from work I use those clear-view storage boxes a lot.... (and now the guys here in Tempe know who this is!
---sig?? we don't need no stinking sig???---
well, ok, then:
Evil itself???
There is a new device for carrying around all of your PDAs, Cellphones, MP3 players, cordless phones, leatherman tools and pagers. It's an ankle bracelet that connects securely above one foot. Its connected via a chain to a spherical pocket which contains all of your gadgets. This way all of us technocratic losers can feel the pain of having a ball and chain just like people with real lives.
I agree. I don't need a lot of "gadgets" or anything. I got rid of my cellphone and never looked back for a moment. Being married to so much technology can get to you. Granted my workstation has a clock embedded into the far end of the taskbar I have avoided a watch for the same philosophy. We live in a time where there is much less time and I can't be bothered with a cell phone and a watch and feeling so rushed and that the tech is taking over.
I develop software for a living and find that even the geekiest of geeks need an escape. I carry a PDA around for the utility. I never have trouble slipping it into my pocket with very little visibility. Khacki's or dress clothes are my attire. If I can't fit it into my pocket I dont need it. What ever happened to doing business without a cell phone. People are so married to the damn things its insane. I remember this thing called voice mail. It works SO well. You can even deal with people when your ready! It is amazing.
The exception being a sysadmin, but even then.. a beeper suffices.
Leave the cellphone at home for a week or two! Get a nice voicemail system you can access anywhere (IE: with the telco) you will be amazed at how much more free you feel for the sacrifice of a SMALL slight amount of convenience.
Even if you have a cell for long distance/regular phone use it can still stay at home!
Jeremy
"Preachin' to anyone who will listen"
Didn't someone ask this already? My favorite response was the E-Holster
I have no idea if they are any good. I merely saw their ad in Computer Shopper.
All that and the workmans verion can hold an entire 6 pack:)
"The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.
Oh yes, this is the most lame first post I have ever done! Lum rules!
So they finally agreed to put in the Mountain Dew Camelbak? Excellent news! Now I can finally get a look at this "outside" that everyone keeps talking about.
---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
I like my soultion, I put the junk in my girlfriend's purse... it only works though when she has me in tow =\
I just couldn't help misreading their ad slogan :^)
I hate to say it, but the old L.L. Bean Deluxe School bag is the best I've found. It has a ton of small front pockets and a laptop fits perfectly in the center larger pocket. Plus you can put your clothes in the big pocket.
:)
Also, you can use it as a pillow if you don't have a hotel room and have to walk miles a day in the sun. a.k.a. my defcon experience last year.
Two words. Cargo-pants.
My solution is a nice-looking yet deceptively large purse. ...'course, I suppose this is one of those times when it helps to be female.
"The Crystal Wind is the Storm, and the Storm is Data, and the Data is Life"
is this surprisingly similar to this post not too long ago?
"I either want less corruption, or more chance
to participate in it." -- Ashleigh Brilliant
So many pockets, not enough toys!
~ now you know
What happens if something bad happens to, say, the phone part (provided the keys arent on the blasted touch screen) - If you wish to have it fixed... wouldnt you need to send in the entire unit?
Is it me, or did someone just find a great way to get free advertising on /. ?
(i.e., say you don't like a product (yours), and provide a link - someone out there will like it!)
...the only answer is cargo pants. Maybe they're out of fashion at the moment, but they live up to their name. I even used to be able to carry small textbooks to class in mine.
Got Rhinos?
I mean, it's obvious.
Even if you only need room for a sonic screwdriver, a bag of jelly babies, and a key to the TARDIS.
--Blair
I always carry my geek toys in my purse.
Humpty Dumpty was pushed.
spork_testicle now officially MUZDIE.
Have a nice (spork_testicle free) day.
You know that strap across the chest with all the shotgun shells? Wouldn't that be perfect?
You could have loops of various sizes (or preferably with velcro to size them yourself). They loops should have some kind of elastic strap that is rubber-coated to keep things in place. Or a series of pockets.
Or, something like the shoulder holsters that law enforcement uses. You could wear it beneath a jacket and no one would be able to peg you for a geek. Just be sure not to reach for your pager when the cops pull you over.
- JoeShmoe
-- I wonder which will go down in history as the bigger failure: the War on Drugs or the War on Filesharing
... are nice. They hold more than a purse, yet don't make you look too gay. They fit in the airport xray machine, easy to carry - two shoulder straps. The perfect solution. When I don't have my back pack, most of my stuff gets clipped onto my belt. I wear a big baggy shirt to cover it up so, again, I don't look to gay.
is a backpack. I have a cybertool, pens, screwdriver, bootdisks, flashlight and, occasionally, an engineering emergency pack with more things like blowtorch, wires, cutter, etc. in it. Also assorted other things, I don't remember and don't need so often ;-)=)
It is also great for shopping, if you use public transportation and do an evening walk through the city as a matter of habit.
If you spend a little more and get a variant with a lot of pockets that is also rainproof, endless joy awaits you. If you take care that it is large enough to put a ring-binder or two into it, even better.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted and ignored otherwise.
A guy at our local LUG uses a gun holster. Instead of "lock, stock and barrel" it's "batteries, organization and communication."
"Sometimes nothin' is a pretty cool hand." - Cool Hand Luke
I hate belts. I hate people who put things on them, especially when it's a pice of electronics, particuarly cell phones. Cargo pants don't work for the same reason. They get heavy, not to mention that they're too damn hot if you plan to spend more than a minute outside during a Minnesota summer. The continental climate here cranks up the heat index much higher than you'd imagine.
I use a backpack, and the one I have isn't too hot, even for biking. It has a metal arch that keeps the bag off your back, and copious pockets. The pockets for the helmet strap and rain fly are padded enough for electronics, and hidden well enough that you could probably sneak things past security guards. The brand is Vaude, and I think the URL is implied.
--
E2 IN2 IE?
That is so totally true, dude! spork_testicle needs to die.
-- Chairman.
Some days, I feel just like Batman.
Cell Phone, AlphaNumeric Pager, Cordless Phone, Palm, MP3 Player.
I call it my Utility Belt when I am all decked out. Luckily I drop the cordless phone when I leave work.
Just how many bodily orifices are they including when they say it gives you 15 pockets?
"Is it just me" should read "is it just I".
Thanks and have a JonKatz-free weekend.
By the way, I can't imagine that wearing one of these would be better than the vest solution you mention... but at least it exists.
Please buy one, so we can all laugh at you.
I have to warn you, if you wear that many gadgets, you will look totally gay.
My friends sometimes describe me as "the guy who carries more than the contents of many womens' purses in his pockets," and that tends to work rather well for me... Currently I have on me:
sunglasses
visor (handspring, not g-funk upside-down hat-thingy)
gerber (you know, like a leatherman, only stronger)
keys
wallet
pen
pencil
watch
lint
It all tends to fit someplace with enough effort...
Posted from the wireless couch.
Of couse, you'll look hopelessly sophmoric on the business front, but honestly, if you're in business, you'll quickly learn the more wired you are the faster the boss-man can call your ass while you're on vacation, asleep, in the bar dodging work, etc.
I Browse at +4 Flamebait
Open Source Sysadmin
Is a midget. I have him follow me around and he carries my stuff for me (he's decided on a briefcase to do so, I don't care, as long as he has everything). The midget itself is quite handy too. He has built in voice-recognition and can take commands such as "Get me a fucking beer." or "Don't look at me while I whack off to Wired." Also, if you forget him somewhere, he can usually find his way home (provided he has some money for a cab, otherwise it's pimping himself out to get home). As for maintenance, you have to feed him and stuff. I asked mine what he liked the first day I got him and he said pizza and Coke, so I feed him ramen and potato juice. Also, women think you're sexy when you let them kick a midget.
someone had to say it Utilikilt
This shoulder-holster looks interesting. The 80's cop-show goodness is almost too much to pass up-- too bad I don't wear a suit jacket at work.
The Attitude Adjuster, I hate me, you can too.
I do tailoring for fun, so I tend to think of "how to carry large numbers of small objects" as a construction problem rather than a purchasing problem. It should be perfectly possible to make a jacket or shirt with a fairly large number of pockets, many of which could be subtly concealed. Also, by fastening the insides of the pockets to an interlining (a layer of fabric which comes between the outer, visible layer, and the interior lining) and using a good interfacing (a layer which stiffens and smooths the outer layer) it should also be possible to make the jacket ride in a way that doesn't look at all baggy and doesn't give a lot of clue to the volume of contents. Why isn't this on the market, then? Because it's a major pain in the ass to construct. Since everything would have to be subtle and hidden, all of the stitching would have to be done very carefully and a lot of extra work would have to be done to connect everything to the proper layers and connect all the layers to each other. (The alternative would be something like cargo pants, which have a lot of pockets on the surface, which is relatively easy to do.) So, if you really want clothes that let you carry a bunch of small electronic items in style, learn to sew.
All pockets are comfortable and fairly large. The side cargo pockets can accomodate a few small items like a PDA to large items such as your favorite beverage (each pocket can easily hold 12oz 3 cans). The pockets are sewen in a way that allows you to leave the forward buttons unbuttoned to easily slip items in and out without fear of them slipping out on their own.
I tend to like the stereotypical black BDU, but you can get them in a number of other solid colors which don't stand out as much as the numerous cammo varients. You can get different "weights" - usually summer and winter. I prefer the lighter summer weights as they breath well and are even comfortable in the humid southern US. A cotton and polyester blend avoids fading as much as 100% cotton (which fades and wears fairly quickly). Otherwise, BDU pants are very well constructed and will take a good beating (although you have to take some scissors and de-string all the loose sewing threads).
There are two problems with BDU pants. First, your items don't have much protection. You have to keep that in mind as you sit in a tight chair, lie down, or otherwise squeeze between things.
The second issue is fashion. BDU pants won't be acceptable in more strict environments. However, they do look fine with both T-Shirts and polo shirts.
Actually, it's a Burton DJ bag.
S P? CU=B25263030&PN=DJ+BAG
http://www.burton.com/MENS_GEAR/BAGS/PR_PACKS.A
I carry my G4 Titanium, Visor Prizim, cola, Cel phone and CDs for work in it.
It's a nice tough bag with alot of pockets and pouches with good padding and a nice strap.
Isnt it ironic, that one story down, it talks about cheaper wearables? In the future we will be WEARING our gadgets in a sense.
I thought everyone was using their handspring as their keys.
I sewed a huge segment of velcro onto the left sleeve of my jacket and a couple of informal shirts. I originally tried the self-adhesive velcro, but that stuff tends not to handle the washing machine very well. Anyway, the velcro is all along my forearm, and I used the self-adhesive stuff on the back of my Mako, Palm3C, and Jornada, as well as a few remote controls and my walkman. It looks a little odd, but I can do one-handed tasks very easily on my arm, and I always have whatever's on my velcro shirt scrolling weather, reminders, whatever. I'm planning to get a blackberry so I can have constant stock updates on my arm. I could just get a watch with text-messaging, but I hate the tiny screens.
I'm the stranger...posting to
If you want the ultimate computer geekware, let me clue you in. NOTHING. No phone, no PDA, no other crap. A real geek doesn't need toys. Wherever he goes, people hand him THEIR toys, all he needs is his mind. And besides, a real pro wants to be SHIELDED from all the annoying calls, pages, etc.
I have often tested this principle when I do consulting gigs. I call it the "Naked Consultant Game." Whenever possible, I go in to the site carrying nothing but a pencil. Occasionally a client will be puzzled, asking where's my phone, laptop, etc. I ask them if they want me to fix their stuff, or if they'd rather look at a bunch of cheap plastic toys. I tell them I'd gladly carry a bunch of crap to gawk at, but it will cost them extra, and take me longer to get onsite carrying all that crap.
Everybody says it's dorky looking! I have to correct them and tell them it's *geeky* looking. :) That and it really does help keep my phone and visor out of the way. Though you should see the looks I get when I stroll onto an elementary school campus...
Little kid: "Are you a powice man?"
A few months ago Philips was making a jacket with pockets for all kinds of cd players, mp3 players, and handheld PDAs. It also featured little compartments for headphone cords to go from the player to the top of the jacket (and did a good job of covering them up as well).
i wear a tie every day, and tastefully sized pants.
I put my wallet and PDA in my left pants pocket, and my cell and keys in my right pocket... all my cards and whatnot fit in either my pda or wallet so thats no problem... on company field trips the digi-camera fits in my breast shirt pocket. What's the big deal, besides the people who ask me why my pants are so bulgy. If you keep everything on credit you dont need cash to bulk up your wallet, too.
________________________________________________
a spyderco spydercard in my wallet in my back right pocket.
visor edge in my left pocket (used to be visor deluxe. the extra thinness of the edge is worth the difference in dimensions in gold
keys in right pocket
cell phone either clipped to belt, or in the low-right pocket that Structure pants have.
when i HAD the targus keyboard, i'd just throw that in my bookbag for class (didn't need any other time)
rio volt, either in bag, or i can put on my belt.
i need a leatherman for various tools now... i could throw that in my back left pocket. maybe i'll get the spyderwrench :) (can you tell i like my spyderco knives? :) love the thumb hole)
btw, i wear my belt TIGHT to support the weight :)
-- My Sig is a P228.
I can't tell you how often I've wondered why people who call themselves "geeks" don't understand the zen of this approach...
Standard fill:
- Palm V in the exterior vertical zipper chest pocket
- Cellphone (nokia 8290) in the left zipper pocket next to the main zipper
- Digital Elph in the interior right vest pocket (velcro closure).
Leaving two deep exterior pockets at the bottom (mp3 jukebox, 20oz beverage, book, what have you, and an interior left pocket for sunglasses.Kevin Fox
...Now these are vests!
Yup. Pouches for everything you could ever need and then some. Palm? Check. Phone? Check. Nerf-dart gun? Check. Junk food? Check.
Best of all, you're ready to go in case you have an issue with the accounting department regading your IRS withholding taxes and such! Err, that is, out the door, not to switch with a Glock and scads of clips....
This is the Truth: You don't need so many gadgets.
Truly. Honest. I stand up and say "My name is Geek and I am a gadget addict". But now I'm cured. Or almost.
You don't really need to carry along the mobile phone. If somebody wants to speak with you, will call again. If you want to talk to somebody, then I recognize it's damn useful, but again, it's so urgent? They are very convenient in traffic jams, but again, I have found that having a book with me it's almost as good, and the jam does move faster when I get interested!
And you may be surprised, but there is life beyond the PDA. Come on! Do you really to have with you at all times ten thousand addresses?
If you really need special clothing for carrying all your iron, IMHO it's time to rethink your life. Your lower back will thank you for that, at the very least :o)
--
Rome taught me patience and assiduous application to detail. Virtues which temper the boldness of great, general views.
Greetings!
During my last trip to Europe I resolved that I wouldn't take my Compaq notebook (it's a light machine but it requires carrying an extra bag). As an experiment, I tried taking with me only the following:
This was a 2-week trip. During this time, I scheduled things so that I didn't have to look at e-mail every single day. Added a vacation e-mail auto-reply just in case. Any notes that I might've needed for the duration of the trip were downloaded to the Palm as Memo documents (no extraneous formatting).
I carried all these things in the external zippered pockets of my traveling leather jacket:
I had excellent results. During the trip I had the option of connecting with the Palm and sending quick replies, or heading to an Internet café, install a copy of SSH, check my e-mail and optionally review documents on my server(s), etc. Not carrying a lot of stuff, and having a device with only limited capabilities allowed me to be more productive about what I was doing during the trip. I only had my carry-on bag with 2 weeks worth of clothes, so I was in-and-out of every airport I visited (SFO, DeGaulle, Frankfort, Sheremetyevo, Cheboksari, and Toronto [I can't remember its name]) in less than 20 minutes, including customs.
I've been traveling for business for 12 years doing consulting and installing the software we produce worldwide. This trip taught me that it's not the quantity of what you carry but the quality and the planning what count. It was the first trip without my laptop/notebook since 1992.
The hardest part was synchronizing all the materials I produced while I was gone with the rest of the work at the company. It took a lot of cutting and pasting and a couple of revisions.
This experiment was an extension to my habit of not carrying a mobile phone. I own one but I don't even know the number, and I only carry it when I think I may have to call someone that I couldn't reach at any other time. I used to carry my phone at all times and spend lots of time using it. I realized then that my time is very precious and so is my customers's. No phone calls at all times means no interruptions while I'm taking care of business, dining out with my friends, at the movies or theatre, etc. I've never lost a deal because I couldn't take a call right that minute. If I'm expecting something critical, then I stay at my office where the phone and all other resources (including people in my staff) are available to take care of business.
Cheers!
Ehttp://eugeneciurana.com | http://ciurana.eu
Here, try this. Go on, I date you.
www.lucernesys.comHorizon: Calendar-based personal finance
What if you need to check your mail on a sailboat, with nobody else around? Will you need to become a pirate to get other people to hand over their gadgets?
Of cource, it's hardly fashionable, but I'm not either.
http://smtp2.thewwwstore.com/filson/32.HTM
It's supposedly a hunting vest, but I carry my Palm V, Sony digital voice recorder, Motorola StarTac, Digital Camera (Aiptek Pen Cam), pens, tiny Swiss pocket knife, extra film for the film camera, extra batteries, and a cigarett lighter for emergencies.
AND, you can get a great hat to go with it:
http://smtp2.thewwwstore.com/filson/315.HTM
Of course, I'm pretty secure about myself, too -- and mostly nobody is away that I'm carrying anythign electronic.
Don't you think it's time to start communicating?
The problem of how to carry wearable electronics without looking strange or "geeky" is a dificult one. I suspect it will not go away quickly because PDAs and such will probably become more powerful rather than smaller (or at least until we get better I/O methods for them).
People will spend thousands of dollars for clothes from the top fasion designers. If these designers are so good, one of them should tackle the problem of how to look stylish and still carry around such devices. There should be a lot of money in it, since they are getting more and more mainstream. I don't mean some public relations gimick of a fashion show with models having computer keyboards for bras or anything, I mean a real practical solution. Perhaps that would be a good career booster for some struggling designer somewhere. Unfortunately I cannot offer any useful suggestions; if I try to wear more than 3 colors in an outfit my fashion computer locks up. Thank God for monochrome Polo shirts and grey suits.
but probably a good chunk of the /. readership are not allowed to wear belt chain clips longer than, say, 2 inches (After all, a 2 inch chain could be a lethal weapon, much worse than a standard #2 pencil, etc). I've seen many a geek walking around like some kind of strange electronics windchime collection.
as for me, i own about 4 pairs of cargo shorts and 2 pairs of cargo pants. an unplanned trip through airport security can be a pain. i usually end up shouldering a laptop backpack just about everywhere (i hate big bulky laptop briefcases).
The REAL sam_at_caveman_dot_org is user ID 13833.
kangaroo.
I carry a small zip bag with two pockets and a shoulderstrap. It also has a beltloop on the back. Inside there is jut enough room for: Psion 5mx Siemens S35i cellphone Agfa CL20 digi camera 2 band radio 8 spare AA batteries The shoulder strap/belt loop combo works well for balancing the weight. (just over 2 pounds) Over the top goes the bike jacket and I'm set
I just conferred with a female friend of mine who's into wearables and she says that purses w/computers are impractical and that other spaces on females tends to be not roomy enough if you don't want to run around DDD.
There is absolutely no reason to panic.
Heave to and prepare to be scanned! We've come for your silicon baubles and yer wimmen!
All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
Get a good, compact, camera bag. I have a small one, that holds my camera, camcorder, wallet, leatherman, a few PCMCIA and compact flash cards, some small binoculars, and a bunch of other junk, and it's only as big as about four VHS video tapes strapped side to side. I've occasionally carried my Libretto in it, too, quite comfortably.
The stigma of a camera bag is much better than that of a "purse", even if it really serves the same purpose :-)
The one I use is by "Street and Field". Couldn't find their web site offhand, but one online store that lists all their products is here The "Utility Case" is the one I have, which is terrific, and very flexible. The back has strong velcro tabs, allowing it to be worn on the belt, or attached to other bags, or on vests they sell, for the bigger hikes, etc. :-) Highly recommended; excellent quality, very rugged, and pretty low-cost.
Hope this helps!
Love many, trust a few, do harm to none.
Leave your stuff at home if it's so damn annoying! Why in hell would you need to carry around all these stupid gadgets? Honestly, give me a reason. What, your glove compartment isn't hip enough? You can't seem to cram one more thing into your pockets? Give me a break. You have to have some kind of mental illness to need all this crap. Leave it at work! Leave it at home! Leave it in the store!
"Life's funny sometimes." "And sometimes it isn't." --Cat's Cradle
My preference for a wearable is the good old shoulder holster design. Not very roomy, but wearables should be small and lightweight. Wireless networking, CF Microdrive, Twiddler keyboard, and finally this amazing thing for display (this guy fits a HMD into normal sunglasses, and it looks 100% cool!!)
There is absolutely no reason to panic.
Well, if the Batman utility belt isn't an acceptable option, you'll just have to rely on a faithful sidekick who can also provide comic relief and draw minority viewers.
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
Odd how people have forgotten the humble utility belt. Isn't it commonplace for one to keep the tools of their trade on their belt? Why should it be limited to those whose crafts consist of physical labor? I suppose if it isn't stylish enough, a trenchcoat or sportcoat with inside pockets for a cel phone and PDA would work just fine, and the rest can be stored in a briefcase. I fail to see the problem.
I use and recommend Timbuk2 messenger bags. The one I have has lots of pockets for holding my iPAQ, iPAQ keyboard, Nomad jukebox, cell phone, laptop, books, etc. It slips over my shoulder like a book bag, and stays on well when riding a motorcycle or bicycle. They come with a few or a bunch of pockets depending on which one you purchase or how you want them to custom build one for you. They are essentially water resistant so I don't freak out too much if I have to brave the rain to any extent short of a heavy downpour.
Prevent email address forgery. Publish SPF records for y
I've frequently wished I had a couple more arms. Or, at least one more than the two I currently have. That would make it a little easier, but I'd probably still try to carry N+1 items, where N is the number of arms I have. Or a velcro suit (or velcro cummerbund). As an alternative to the utility belt, which would get in the way. There's this whole unused space above my belly-button and beneath my chest that's just calling for some other use besides holding my organs in and keeping my shoulders where they are.
The eHolster is disturbingly similar a weapons harness. Don't be suprised if somebody addresses you as "officer".
If you ask me, this highlights some of the biggest problems being faced by manufacturers and designers of portable devices today. Let me state a couple sweeping generalizations:
1. Specialized devices are better than generalized ones.
2. People are unwiling to carry more than 1 or 2 devices at once.
Most people disagree with me on #1 so I'll need to explain a bit more. The telephone is a specialized device and has barely changed in 100 years. Why? Because the interface just works. The keyboard and "output" (screen, paper) interface is another specialized interface that has lasted over 100 years. Again, simple and fit for purpose. The palmtop has existed for a much shorter time but is great for reading (not inputing) data. All are specialized, and all work great.
What happens when you combine these things, however? Combine a phone with a PDA and you get a Qualcomm PDQ. It's too big to be a phone and when you talk you get face gunk on the PDA screen. It didn't sell... Combine a keyboard with a PDA and you get.. uhm.. a PDA with a keyboard. The point being, they never sold either. Combine a PC with portable capability and you get a notebook. They work great traveling from your work office to your home office but if you've ever used one on a plane you know they aren't great on the road. Personal devices need to be ergonomic and this necessitates specialisation.
Point #2 is where the wireless world starts to hiccup. If people insist on a phone that looks like a phone and a PDA with a screen large enough to read and a PC with a full-size keyboard yet refuse to carry multiple devices, how will this wireless world catch on?
Well, maybe people need to be more sensible about what they combine... A cel phone could combine with a headset and MP3 players to play music and accept calls and SMS messages. Maybe throw in a smart card for banking and debit payments. A Palmtop could combine with a docking station and provide storage for data while on the road and the power of a PC when plugged in. Any other ideas?
Well, several options. I'm searching for the same thing as this guy is, it seems. First, the Burton backpacks are unbelievable for carrying lots of stuff. Very well-organized, although they were initially made to do Snowboard stuff. Second, I've been looking at both the Tamrac and Lowepro shoulder bags, designed to carry a laptop and a bunch of little gadgets. I've heard very good things about both Timbuk2 and L.L. Bean backpacks from functionality and warranty perspectives. A *LOT* of Macintosh owners talk about the Tom Bihn Brainbag (http://www.tombihn.com) for a larger backpack, capable of carrying two laptops plus assorted accessories. There are tons of pretty cool laptop/gear bags out there, and it just takes patience to find the one that's right for you.
Very funny. Here are some additional jokes in this topic.
(1) CyberTool 41(best tool i've ever owned)
(1) Cell Phone (sometimes clipped to belt, depends on how i want to look (1) Wallet (with lots and lots of change..why? change is cool, plus you can beat people with it and it hurts
(6) CD's in Jewl Cases (or) 20 CDs in evvelopes
(1) set of Keys, keychain photon micro light, the works.
And dont forget a belt...
The opinions in this post are ficticious. Any similarity to actual opinions, real or imagined, is purely coincidental.
Yeah, it's not two words, but it's close enough...
The true geek usually never gets out of his natural habitat. Whenever I do have to get out however, I like to carry as little electronic equipment as I can, mainly because I mostly go out at night. Hell, most of us know it's better to have as little cash as we can on ourselves. As far as I'm concerned, the same goes for gadgets.
Anyway, I usually wear this big black waterproof leathery kind of jacket with a whole bunch of large pockets on the sides that are just big enough to fit the odd CD or two. The problem comes in the summer though, when it gets warm and I just have to switch to the pockets in my shorts.
A solution to this would be a nice cowboy belt with holsters for your PDA/mp3 player, room for the odd pen, and even extra rechargeable batteries. Imagine, if all devices start using the same power protocol, you could just carry one large cell that you'd plug on to the mains when sleeping. Your devices would then be able to take in energy as you go along the day, which would mean you could basically last a whole day listening to music and working on a backlit PDA without worrying too much about how much power you have left.
For the rest of the year, the same concept could still be available with a single cable going from your nice heavy belt to the jacket, with a whole bunch of inside pockets for all your stuff... That would rule =D
I love it. Of course, I always wear my cloak to cons, and you could hide a baby elephant under my cloak without anyone noticing. On the other hand, for Arisia next year I have a different, uniform-ish costume planned, and I'll consequently have to deal with the pocket problem. I suppose it's time for me to start designing that jacket I wrote about.
Of course, don't overlook Jerry from Parker Lewis Can't Lose -- a properly equipped trenchcoat can hold almost anything. Of course, you'll probably be subjected to excessive searches if you're even allowed to wear one at an American high school these days, but hey, you've got to suffer for fashion.
Resistance is futile.
"A VEST AS WEIRD AS YOU ARE!!"
What a terrifying gizmo. And not for use by people with pacemakers. Put a cellphone in one of those breast pockets and kaboom... or a heart beat every 1/5 of a second.
My solution to this problem is a pocket, a belt and another pocket. Quite why anyone would devise this vest just for holding gadgets is a question only God can answer. There are already vests with pockets, people. Get over it. 55 year-old fishermen wear them. They're green.
Women have solved this problem with a handbag. Damn. All men need is a couple of hundred years of cultural evolution to make handbags acceptable attire for those of the manly persuasion and we're sorted...
Weevil
ghaa.
Back in high school, one of my friends had a similar idea. He cut the bottom out of one of the inside pockets in a big coat he had. This gave him full access to the entire inside lining of the coat. He had everything in there, and you couldn't tell. He fit papers, books, food, weapons etc.
--------
It's OK to be social, just don't tell anyone about it.
Use a Visorphone. *poof* Your cell phone, PDA, and alpha pager are one device. Or, you can wait till someone comes up with a slicker merging of those functions. Me, I want my toys NOW.
I also suffer from the "gotta carry 'em all" syndrome, even though I am usually cell-phone free and I have no PDA to speak of. However, I do walk around with my laptop a lot, and could really use a backpack that would be versatile enough to carry it, along with accessories (battery charger, network dongle, a few CD's...), plus books / notepads or whatever else I might need. I also sometimes take my camera (old fashioned, manual and clunky --- will definetly NOT fit in a small pocket away from sight) when I have to go out to some weirder place. Being able to carry it in the backpack as well would be great. And extra pockets are always welcome (to keep keys, wallet, and the like).
Is there any backpack out there that would fit the bill ? What do people use to carry laptops on their backs ?
And a trenchcoat in the winter. Lots of nice pockets and a shoulder holster with a glock 9mm would be well hidden by it. If the mood takes you. I'm sure that carrying a glock 9mm into work would probably upset your employer, even if you do think Jack in sales has been looking a bit psychotic lately and you think some protection is in order...
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Well, this female says that the right size purse/shoulder bag is fine. I mean, my teeny wallet/purse will only hold my swiss army knife, palm and tiny cell phone, but it doesn't hold my camera, bottle of excederin, first aid supplies, spare dog cookies, checkbook, book that I'm reading right now, hand lotion, charecter sheet and spell list, waterless hand sanitizer, palm folding heyboard, flashlight, interview tape recorder, small sewing kit, luna bars, bottle of water, pack of tissues or CDs I'm going to listen to at work. So unless I'm just going out for a specific time and goals, I carry my larger purse, big black bag or backpack.
If you've got a bunch of stuff you need to carry, get a satchel, fanny pack, shoulder bag, backpack, sporanz or whatever you can wear without feeling that your masculinity is threatened. Or that vest could be cool when it isn't super hot out and you don't have to wear business wear.
Kahuna Burger
...will work for Chick tracts...
eom
Think progressive sizes...
Wallet and phone - pockets in my jeans.
Leatherman, pens, small tools - jacket pockets.
Larger tools, cables, camera, books etc. - In a small day-pack.
Finally, for the bigger stuff, there's the tool box in the boot of my car. This frequently goes up to angle grinders, bearing presses and spring compressors. I've done some pretty hairy roadside DIY before now...
- Paint everything yellow
- Attach to belt
- Grey tights and cape optional
Dork!Yeah, right.
See subject. (This will only seem funny if you actually read the parent post)
No joke, these things are the best for comfort and function. Gets a good laugh out of people too. http://www.utilikilt.com/
Girlfriend + Purse ;)
...
Solutions for your:
- phone
- pda
- multi-tool
- laptop
- cigarettes & lighter
- wallet (coins only)
- movie tickets
-
--
#include <malloc.h>
free(your.mind);
jacket Clockwise from top-left: Palm V, cigarettes, Aiptek Pencam 2 (not actually in pocket, because it's taking this picture), cellphone. Plus 4 pockets mirrored on outside of jacket. Black denim, $35 at Banana Republic, and has scored me enough compliments from random females to pay for itself a dozen times over.
// I will show you fear in a handful of jellybeans.
Just wondering: do you trust those pc's? I mean, how do you know there is not a trojan or other keystroke logger on it?
I'm thinking of creating a remote entry point for my own network, but this question keeps spinning in the back of my head :-/
karma capped
- My mobile is a T28 and I have the Bluetooth headset kit. The buttplug is goot at popping off, so you have to put it in something. I use a glasses case with a belt clip -- I just had to modify the lid a little so the antenna can stick out (The T28 is quite long when you count the antenna). The Headset holster also has a clip. In summer, with no jacket, the phone is clipped on my belt to the right, the headset is clipped on the front of my left pants pocket. In winter, both items go in my inside jacket pockets. If I want to travel light I drop the Bluetooth and just stuff the phone in my pocket.
- My TRGpro spends most of its life with a PalmPix plugged on the bottom of it. In winter, like the T28, it goes in an inside jacket pocket. In summer it goes into a Lowepro Lumina Pounch 20. I can also fit my folding keyboard and Palm Gamepad in that pouch. I've put a large clip on that pouch that I can use to mount it on a belt loop. If I'm travelling light, I drop the PalmPix and I have a Slipper cover with a quick-release belt clip.
- My wallet and keys are all in one thing. In there I also have a creditcard-sized Victorinox SwissCard. If I have room I also add in a big Victorinox swiss army knife with pliers, etc, but if I don't I just go with the card.
Basically if I want to carry something it gets wrapped in leather and placed in a pocket or bag. No two metal or plastic things should touch directly. Hope This Helps.If you carried all of that stuff in my hometown, it wouldn't be "your stuff" anymore - if you catch my drift. I don't enjoy being robbed, beaten, and left for dead. :-)
You just need to leave the gadgets locked at home...
Those things are wicked supa-cool
// I will show you fear in a handful of jellybeans.
Cargo pants seem pretty convenient for this. The Gap also has pleated pants with hidden pockets. Beyond that, get small gadgets.
Home > Luggage & Gear > Daypacks > More Packs > Regular Guide Bag $24
http://www.eddiebauer.com/eb/product.asp?product_
inside I keep:
- wallet
- palm V
- checkbook
- pens
- keys
- business cards
- post-it block
- various things (pills, small coin purse, compass, small lock)
I switched to shoulder-strap bag after I got fed up with belt ones.I have a separate bag for my laptop, that way I can keep the small gear bag with me for social events (don't need a laptop for those).
I tried a more stylish one from Tumi ($80) but at the end I ditched because it was too small for me
Another good brand to look at is Eagle Creek http://www.eaglecreek.com/
hope this helps
Marino
check out this little bag here.
It looks like a courier bag, but has nice padded compartments for your expensive fragile geek gadgets.
"Tension is the great integrity" -- R. Buckminster Fuller
I just checked out the site for the vest.
"send your vest through the airport x-ray"
Ummm, wouldn't a palm, cell, mp3 player and a whole lot of other stuff look like a BOMB!! I better go try this before someone else does.
Just my thoughts.
-DrMyke
"mmmmmmmmm, doughnuts" - H.J.Simpson; super genius
I just bought a JanSport PackPocket today. Usually I would just carry around my Visor in my cargo pants. At work (where I had to wear slacks), I carried it in my hand, and just put it in my desk drawer during the day. But I'm starting back school pretty soon, and will be on the go more often (and can't always wear cargo pants). I have a friend with one of these, and she loves it. It can hook onto the front of a backpack strap. I'm going to keep my Visor, checkbook, and pens in it. But I just got it today, so I'll see how it turns out.
Heh, I've got a great music memory. Most of the time theres a song running in my head, I just can't stop it! So carrying music isn't a real problem for me. And if I ever get some money, I'll probably invest in a nice solid state mp3 player.
I Browse at +4 Flamebait
Open Source Sysadmin
Last time I went to the store looking for pants, I saw the new fad in jeans, Specialized pockets for Cell Phones. That's one down.
For a Palm, you could throw it in a cargo pocket, as carpenter pockets make it stick out, readily availble for theives to have a go at.
MP3 Player: Personally, I use a CD Player with MP3 CD support, but for Rios, I think they should be able to fit in the change pocket.
Camera: Just throw it in an empty normal pocket, or the 2nd cargo pocket.
...or get a life. Whichever is easiest. There is no reason for you to let your dork flag fly that high, dude.
and i just have to say that the "scottE" website is the slowest i have ever loaded in my life.... didn't even wait to see the whole picture.
"Why is all this crap here?" -- 4-year-old Brandon
Replace a pager and a cellphone with a dual function phone. Replaced my Palm III with a Rex6000 (http://www.rex.net). In the process of replacing my phone with a Timex wristwatch/pager. Now if I can just replace my wife with a vibrating swiss army knife, I am in like flynn.
You mean you can't find room in your long duster coat, your fedora, your fannypack or your fingerless gloves for this stuff?
Perhaps it might fit in your ham radio bag? No? Damn, I give up.
I agree with the coward, "get a purse".
- I am made of meat.
The BDUs are great, but what is the long term effect of any transmitter down around the groin area? The cell phone isn't putting out near the power of, say, a radar gun, but what if my children come out Socialists? Can I live with that?
I've got that Kyocera QCP 6035 Smart Phone, which I use predominantly with a hands-free gadget. It's not the destination, but it's a step that way.
Brain'll probably be a cantaloupe by the time I cash in, anyway. The price of the Information Age life.
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
You know the saying that goes that you should dress like your boss in order to get ahead? My favorite way to carry around all the electronic paraphernalia is in a a hard-sided Samsonite attache case. When I'm driving to work, the hinges hold the lid open in case I need to take something out. When I'm stuck in a crowded airport, the sturdy shell allows me to use it as a seat. Samsonite also has two cool features: it won't let you open the thing upside down (so that you won't hear that sickening thunk of plastic on concrete and start sobbing "My Precious!"), if you have the case upright , it has a couple of latches letting you open the case partway in order to access the middle fold, where one would keep things like airline tickets and whatnot.
Yes, it weighs a little more than soft-sided bags, but exercise is good. Besides, I'm usually not carrying it all that far anyway.
Inventor of the LOLbalrog meme.
'nuff said.
Why not the swat tac-vest style...
Put on a vest, covered with Hook and Loop fasteners (AKA velcro(tm)).
Make nylon pouch pockets for cell phones, velcro ended loops for pda's, and a 'back pouch of velcro, for misc devices, (A thin bit of fiberboard, with nylon fastened to it, and the excess ends with bits of velcro, to stick to the back of the vest, making a 'backpack'...
Dockers recently announced their new Mobile Pant line (warning - gratuitous Flash intro). They look like regular khakis, only they have "hidden pockets" on the inside for your phone, PDA, etc. The site is a little short on details, however; from what I can tell, you're supposed to get your iPAQ by reaching down your pants.
The vest might be practible, but I can't see anyone wearing it into their favorite pick-up bar. The vest and all the RF and EM emitting devices might be an effective male birth control method.
****
"I'd never want to join a club that would have me as a member" - G. Marx
Dockers has a new pair of pants out called the mobile pant, with hidden pockets, and says you can sit down with a floppy (who uses those) in your back pocket and not crush it
If you need to have everything at your fingertips like you're James Bond or something, you need therapy. Get a bag- it doesn't really matter what kind, although darker ones are less obtrusive. I seem to remember that some men who need to carry things with them for work but don't want to look like geeks carry briefcases. They don't have to worry about their things getting broken, either.
One guy mentioned not wanting to weigh down his pants too much because of his shape. If you can't make height/weight and aren't, well, athletic, stop worrying. Unless your waist is at least a little narrower than your shoulders, you aren't going to conceal anything more than another Whopper. Give up and carry a bag, or give up and be Batman.
I spent a year in Iraq looking for WMD and all I found was this lousy sig.
Someday my phone/camera/pda/mp3 player will be one tiny happy box.
Reallly? Why isn't it there today? I mean, both the iPaq and the Cassiopeia have performed all of those actions for about two years, and done so for a relatively decent price (figuring of course an extra $200 for the cell modem w/ voice hack, another $150 for the camera, still less than a grand).
It's the Microsoft thing, isn't it? Closed source OS get you down? Like it matters with CE. CE has free dev tools and compiler, free emulator, and downloadable source files. And I guarantee you it's more open than your current cell phone, mp3 player, pda and camera. Hell, I was ticked at the low quality of the cassiopeia mp3 recorder, so I wrote my own VB app. Took all of thirty minutes and runs slow as hell (almost as slow as Perl), but I can record mp3s at 44.1k. With a little elbow grease it'd be even better.
Furthurmore, though the Cassiopeia is a bit large, it's still small enough to fit in the back pocket of my loose fitting size 38 dockers...and there's less to keep track of when playing "mobile office." I intend on doing all my work remotely on my honeymoon via the Casiopeia...a copy of VNC, a cell modem and a solar recharger, and not even the Sangre de Cristos mountains will keep me from doing the programming thang.
Hey freaks: now you're ju
I used to have a nice black London Fog trenchcoat/overcoat....2 huge external pockets, and about 4 inside, more than enough room. Not only that, but you fit into any situation, it looked good good over any suit, was water proof, this was the king of coats. Then Columbine happened, and it got retired. I now use a nice Eddie Baur "DJ Bag" in hunter green, it has a padded internal pocket just for my CD/MP3 player, an ingenious external pocket on the "inside" of the outside (part facing you leg), padded, once agian for PDA, checkbook, etc, an exteral pocket on the side for a cel phone, and under the flap, on the front, a gajillion pockets discretly hidden beneath a flap. And the inside is HUGE! More than enough room for a laptop, books, whatever.
My mind does not wander to the eternal hunting fields of gizmos. It's more like the ultimate professional wear for your typical "special deal" watch salesman. Open the vest and display your goods. Sir, how about this nice Visor, only 29.90? This Rolex is only 129.50. No, my gold rings and chains are NOT for sale.
-- Another senseless waste of fine bytes.
Though I keep my phone, pager, and Handspring Visor clipped to the belt, I keep everything the other critical things in the small pouch: the wallet, leatherman too, spare change, pens, highlighters, a blank MD or two for recording class lecture.
I like keeping the good stuff in the big pocket, such as my car keys, stereo faceplate, and the handgun of the day...something no geek should be without!
Check it out at Shooting Systems.
// Agent Green (Ian / IU7 / KB1JQO)
// IEEE 802.3: All 10base Are Belong To Us
The problem is walking around in public giving the appearance that yer totin' ammunition...
Given today's climate and recent events, if I wuz getting a Big Mac or mailin' a letter and you walked in wearing one, I might jest hit the deck and return fire.
Now, I'd feel bad about killin' yer Palm Pilot when I filled you full o'lead. But me feelin' bad wouldn't matter. The durn thing still wouldn't boot after havin' it's BIOS flashed with a .45 slug.
He put his boots up on the table and made a face. "The sig," he smirked. "You can waste your life in search of the sig."
The link to the vest in the articler seems to be broken, here is the real link, and here is the RealPlayer low bandwidth and high bandwidth infomercials. It actually looks okay, although at $159 I don't think I want one, especially as they don't seem to come in Small (and yes guys, Geeks come in Small too!).
Al.The Daily ACK - Eclectic posts by yet another hacker
The great thing is that leather can be worn even in pretty hot temperatures due to the breathing of the leather and the tendency for the jacket to hang away from the body when unzipped. You do get a lot of people asking you if you're hot.
When it finally does get to hot, just take it off and sling it over your shoulder.
Unfortunately, some bugger stole mine from my car. I hope to get another sometime soon though.
Rich
How long before this makes an appearance on ThinkGeek? (If it's not already there.... I haven't checked)...
Build boards not bombs
This is what I did (and which apparently stroke a cord on my friends, they all did it too, 8 of them): Just take your Visor leather case to one of those places where they fix leather stuff, and ask them to add a piece of leather on the back of it so that you can insert your belt through it and wear it as a cell phone hanging on your side. It's the best investment I've made recently. I'm surprised such a similar thing hasn't come out from the commercial world yet.
The Czech Plumber's Bag is pretty cool as is the Field Bag. I use the field bag and it get's me down the road.
I drank what? -- Socrates
As it stands my solution is baggy pants w/ big pockets.
Well, Rob, I can see precisely one flaw in your solution:
Best Buy Security Guard: Excuse me, sir. I'd like a word with you.
Rob Malda: Me?
Best Buy Security Guard: Yes, you. Please empty out your pockets onto this table.
Rob Malda: Okay. [empties them out]
Best Buy Security Guard: Uh-huh. A Visor Prism, an iPaq, two cell phones, a pager, a 256MB CompactFlash card, and a package of AA batteries.
Rob Malda: But they're mine!
Best Buy Security Guard: You were hoping they'd be yours.
Rob Malda: No, they're really mine! I bought them! Well, in actual fact, I didn't buy them--
Best Buy Security Guard: Now we're getting somewhere.
Rob Malda No, no! My employer, Andover.Net -- uhh, make that VA Linux -- bought them for me!
Best Buy Security Guard: Can't even keep your story straight, eh, sonny?
Rob Malda: Don't you know who I am? I'm Commander Taco! Haven't you ever heard of Dave Barry?!
Best Buy Security Guard: Uh-huh. Sit here until the real police arrive...
Every day, my rather ample 42-inch waistline has belted onto it:
1) Sprint PCS cellphone in leather black belt-clip case
2) Handspring Visor Deluxe in black Neoprene belt-clip pouch
3) Magnetic Corporate Employee ID badge on retractable belt-clip tether (to get me where I need to go)
4) Two-way text/email pager unit with built-in mini keyboard... in black belt-clip of course
...and the most useful tool ever invented...
5) The Leatherman SuperTool ($49.95 at your local WalMart) in black leather pouch.
I have looked at many other options, but nothing else seems as practical and cost-effective. I may be ridiculed by the suits... and yes, I *DO* look like a certain episode of Dilbert... but I'm always ready to go. I do a quick "feeling" checklist on my way out the door every morning, to make sure I have everything.
I could probably make it through any given day without all of the "toys," EXCEPT the Leatherman. I have used it at least once every day since I purchased it 18 months ago.
SlashSigTheorem: Humorous, Political, Critical, Constructive- If you have a
http://www.scottevest.com/
Why not carry everything in your satchel or of thats not available wrap them up in your towel. Everyone has thier towel with them, don't they?
--
I don't look to "integration" of a bunch of gadgets into one as any kind of savior move. Think: how will the user interface be with multiply overloaded keys? It's bad enough that they try to make cell phones into web browsers (and fail miserably) .. I mean, is the user interface on those wap-browser-phones anything great? For that matter, why do people put up with grafitti when it's so close to english that I found it confusing to try and write in it.
I started with a fanny pack. After a couple years I realized it was making the muscles around my waist kinda clenched up all the time, due to constant stimulation from the fanny pack. A "utility belt" would have the same issue.
What I have settled on is an over the shoulder bag that looks vaguely like a purse. I'm male, and not the least bit effeminate(?sp?). So there's been some interesting inner dialog over this. "You can't wear that, you're a guy". Then all my female friends say it's a nice looking bag, that it's okay for guys to wear something like that, and that men in Europe wear bags like it all the time. The other voice inside me is trying to reason with the other voice .. pointing out, well, I tried all these other things, and have no real choice but to wear this bag, and isn't it convenient anyway? Well, except for the day I forgot and left it at home and didn't realize until after my 35 minute commute to work and I really needed to have the bag if only to have my badge to get into the building. But then I coulda left your wallet at home, if I were using a wallet, so the bag is no different that way.
Oh, by the way, I do not use a wallet because it would cause dislocation of my fanny bones. My chiropractor says that's a nono.
- David
I know. I'm on my second in seven years. They're about forty to sixty bucks and worth every penny. My old grey model was waterproof, and my current black model came that way, but the Pittsburgh acid rain seems to have eaten it off. There is one big pocket, a smaller pocket, and a *much* smaller pocket with an inside pouch that has pencil holders and a little zippered thingy, as well as a zippered flap on the outside of *that* pocket.
,asprin, ephedrine, sunglasses or spectacles (depending), goth makeup, work ID.
Here's my cargo manifest (off the top of my head):
Big pocket: Script, card stock, pencil case, notebook, garbage bag (everything goes in there and it stays in the big pocket when it pours buckets), after market Duo laptop case that holds my headphones, laptop power supply, and external HD. Enough space left over for a forty ounce of water and two CD wallets, when I need them. (when I do, the thing fits better- go figure).
Second pocket: Sweater. Inside the sweater, Powerbook wrapped in plastic. Fits perfectly.
Little pocket: Eraser, pencil sharpener, dagger, keys, swiss army knife, wallet, day planner
Last pocket: Bus schedules.
On the pack, as ornamentation: a Carcass pin and a Batman pin.
If the bomb drops, I'm ready. Beat THAT with a stick.
A good cape with pockets sewn into it does wonders. Not only are they very comfortable, but they're very conveniant. And they look spiffy too. The only drawback is the group of people that allways start yelling "FLY SUPERMAN! FLY! FLY! FLY! SUPERMAN! SUPERMAN! FLY! FLY!...." It happens EVERYWHERE you go. But I guess that's the price of convenience =/
In the winter time I use black shoulder holster for my Nokia 6150, it's easier to carry and reach ;-).
from under heavy coat.
Yes, the holster was designed to hold cell phones but it's guite realistic looking so I really don't
recommend pulling your phone in dark street in the front of any type of security personel (specially
cops), for some reason the holster gives people creeps when they don't see what's in it clearly
The photographers' got this right: Nice, spacy backpacks with well thought-out solutions. The interior typically consists of walls fastened with velcro pads, to exactly accomodate your camera equipment (maybe 2 SLR bodies, 4-5 lenses, a flashgun and all kinds of extra gadgets).
And another important thing: Photographers' backbacks don't look expensive - they don't scream 'Steal me!'.
http://www.nogun.hu/
what the well dressed geek is wearing this summer.
Over to you, Anonymous, with the weather...
Now wash your hands.
swiss army knife
palm
palm keyboard
flashlight
cell phone
camera
minicorder
CDs
dog cookies
first aid incl. Excederin
checkbook
novel
hand lotion
tissues _&_ wetnaps
sewing kit
food & water
Where are you going, camping?
Yow, that must get heavy.
And us guys think we've got the geekiness market cornered.
Reading this is making me feel a whole lot better about the way I usually pack a phone, a couple of pagers, a PDA, and a wallet. OK I have a tiny flashlight on my keyring.
Of course, I guess I could always go back to the fanny pack, which had plenty of room to add the medium handgun...
Exceeding the recommended torque is not recommended.