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Carrying Your IT Equipment With You?
dada21 asks: "As an on-the-go journalist, IT consultant, entrepreneur and blogger, I find myself with way too much stuff. About 5 years ago I started to downsize and cut back to just 2 PCs total (small laptop and PVR desktop), 1 PDA, and 2 cell phones (main and backup). The laptop goes everywhere (doubling as a great GPS center in the vehicle for those long road trips), the PDA does, too. Traveling with all 4 electronic devices is a mess of cables: power/charger, USB, and the like. Everything is light and small but the bulk of all of it adds up. I currently use a Toy Machine messenger bag but it just doesn't work when you're trying to shove a file folder, pen/appointment selection and a day-timer in it. I'll spend the cash, even if it is really expensive, for the convenience, speed and quality for a jack-of-all-bags that can handle the jack-of-all-trades. What bag is the best solution?"
Granted it wasn't an Ask Slashdot, but this seems to have been discussed here already:
8 256&from=rss
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/05/142
SecureThe.Net - Practical Resources for Securing Systems
I don't have no purse or nothin in my pockets and I still carry all my IT equipment with me, if you know what I mean.
If a general backpack wont do, grab some vanvas and adapt/make one for yourself. You'll learn something in the process, and you'll have exactly what you want.
As most of the comments so far are of the "how big is YOUR equipment" variety, I'll shoot.
You may be out of luck as far as a jack-of-all-bags. It all depends on how much mobility you want from your mobiles. Can you leave the phone/PDA and its charger close to the wall? Twisty tie the cord on the charger, plugs out for a nice, tight package. Maybe you could invest in retractable cords.
If you have the cash, you could set up "modules" of wires. Need a portable wireless point for the laptop/PDA? Strap the router/power cord/cat5 cable together.
My solution has typically been a compartmentalized cardboard box in the back seat of the car. 1/3 of it for network stuff, 1/3 for power, 1/3 for random widgets. Subdivide into network(PDA,laptop) and different power sources, mix, repeat. YMMV.
Why do you need a PDA if you have your laptop with you all the time? If you really, really want a small and clunky GUI for your address book or calendar, I'm sure you can find a PDA emulator somewhere.
lucm, indeed.
Have your house boy carry it behind you, generally 5 paces is considered respectful. Barring that, you can just have the limo driver deliver it to the place you are going while the throngs greet you upon making an appearance. That always gives me enough time to say hi and to have my stuff unpacked and booted up on my arrival.
It really isn't so hard if you put your mind to it, why do you act so 'working class'?
-Charlie
I'm a big fan of STM bags. I use the Large Loop backpack for my 17" laptop, with enough room to easily store (and organise) pens, wallets, ipod (with headphone hole, cellphone, camcorder, you name it. Plenty of pockets and such, and not just for the sake of them, but with specific purposes, and well built. I've also used their shoulder bags too, with good results.
Have you looked at a mini-laptop - 1/2 way between a laptop and a PDA. For instance, the Toshiba Libretto is about 2 lbs.
[Insert pithy quote here]
I have a Tenba attache that I've used for several years. It has proven to be very versatile and durable. It has literally circumnavigated the planet with me on two occasions.
Well, considering that most people have been recommending everything EXCEPT for bags, here's my $.02...
I have a wonderful backpack that holds my widescreen 15" laptop, my D70 SLR camera, two extra lenses, power adapters, my PSP (even bigger than a PDA), and all the cables I need to hook up any of my electronics to anything else I might find (so many adapters and cables!!!)
I HIGHLY recommend Crumpler Bags... I have one called (IIRC) Brian's Hot Tub, but sadly it doesn't look like it's for sale on their site (they have an australian site too, it might be there).... This bag is so big that when I load it up with everything, my girlfriend honestly couldn't carry it... I've had it for three years, and it's still in great condition, no broken zippers, no ripped fabric...
I'd take a look at the messenger bags they offer, you can't get a higher quality bag, and they're aimed very squarly at people with digital lifestyles.
They have little mini "digits"... they're like padded pockets you can attach to anything (PERFECT for cellphone/mp3 players, anything you need in access to in less than 10 seconds)
One of these (which may only be available in Canada but I'm sure you can find an equivalant somewhere near you), one of these and a bunch of these and I'm good to go. The Carry-All has pockets for pens, passports and even one that fits every PDA I've ever tried. You can open a zipper to double its capacity and they're built like brick sh^h^h, uh, outhouses.
Is there some reason you can't use this? http://www.targus.com/ca/product_details.asp?sku=T CG650
I use this for college and its incredibly roomie and will carry everything. Yes its not hip and european, but it carries a ton of stuff. I easily carry:
Laptop
antec coolign pad
1/2 dozen CDs or so in the slim CD insert
cell phone in the cell phone pouch
USB mouse in the side pouch
water bottle on the side
2 textbooks
a notebook
several network cables
a binder
my lunch
a stapler
a calculator
several pens and pencils
etc
it should easily hold everything.
I second this technique. I use VNC and can take a 233MMX cheap laptop with me to get almost whatever I want done while on the road. When there's no spot to plug in the laptop, I just pop my USB key into a willing computer online, and open my my VNC.exe viewer file and plug away.
I've not considered this before, but if there was an authentication scheme for VNC using a unique key on a USB drive, plus a password, then even if there's a keylogger on the computer you're using VNC on, it won't be able to connect to you again when you've moved on.
Oh You POS
I'm pretty sure I've seen articles about building more general-purpose power supplies and/or chargers that are USB-powered. Probably on Hackaday but maybe here. RadioShack has some kind of universal power adapter - I assume it's AC-powered wih several voltage settings and tips. If something like that could cover your devices, that could help a bit.
A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker (or IT geek) can have
-- n
yea, backpack doesnt look as professional, but form follows function.a spx?sku=310-6736&cs=19&c=us&l=en
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.
It's got 7+ different pockets/containers to put stuff. I've found that it works wonderfully!
Like you, I have a large assortment of items I need to carry with me on a daily basis for work and the occasional play.
After several years of trial and error and looking at bags, I found these:
http://www.booqbags.com/index.html
I have the Python XM System with the 17" Powerbook sleeve. Everything fits perfectly in the bag, including laptop, AC adapter, assorted console cables to connect to my servers, file folders, webcam, you name it. The laptop sits a padded compartment separate from all the other items in the bag, and you can easily fit laptops up to the 17" widescreen ones (not using the powerbook sleeve, of course) in that compartment.
You can fit a PSP in the Logitech case in one of the side pockets.
The zippers have a special 'flap' over them that make them nearly waterproof, so you don't have to worry about water seeping into the bag thru the zippers. It's very nearly the perfect bag, IMHO.
I hope this helps you.
"We'll need 2000 crickets, 4 cans of Easy Cheese, and the fluid from 18 glowsticks for this plan to work...." - ph0n1c
Go "custom" or there will be a bag going to market shortly that is adjustable, carries everything, and is fairly custom. Check out polarpak.com or send me an email and I will fill you in more.
Left cargo pocket: Sprint HTC PPC6600 (Windows Mobile 2003 SE, 128M RAM, 64M ROM, 16M Flash, 512M SD, 256M/802.11b SDIO, MS Terminal Services Client, putty, and its a phone)
Right cargo pocket: Backup cheapo Samsung generic cell phone
Bag 1: Dell Inspiron 7500 (P3-750) dual booting Win2k and Linux with Cisco Aironet 352 802.11 DS card, Toshiba Portege 2000 (P3-750) on WinXP
Bag 2: IBM Thinkpad 380XD (P233MMX) on Debian with Cisco Aironet 352 802.11 DS card
Right ear: Motorola HS-850 bluetooth headset associated with the PPC6600.
Good to go.
You want to buy a sturdy leather (no frills, no compartments) laptop bag, and a sturdy leather (lots of frills, lots of compartments) video camera bag. Take them to your leather smith (can often be found at shoe repair shops!) and have him sew the backs of them together.
It's not crazy, I've done similar things.
I have a different problem, I need a bag for traveling, something big enough to carry the gear that's too precious to check in during an airline flight, specifically my laptop and a big digital SLR camera. There are plenty of good laptop bags, but none of them seem to be large enough to carry an SLR too. And I hate backpacks.
There is a VNC like that. Get ultra-vnc along with the rc4 plugin. Generate your very own secure key and away you go.
The eBags Downloader backpack has served me well for over a year now. I'm in a similar situation -- I carry a ton of gear, as well as cables and spare batteries for everything. It's not perfect, but short of designing a custom-made bag to fit my specific set of items, I'm fairly happy with this bag.
The two main compartments each have sub-compartments, including a laptop section with foamy padding. There's a decent sized pocket on the front (in which I store my iPod and PDA), two on the sides (good for a cell phone or two in one, and a small umbrella in the other), and the zippered subpockets in the smaller of the two main compartments are perfect for batteries and cables.
I was skeptical about purchasing an eBags branded bag, but so far I'm impressed with the quality. The biggest indicator for me? The zippers never stick. The regular price is reasonable, but it's easy to find coupon codes to bring it down a few dollars more.
One other suggestion: get some retractable cables (i.e. ziplinq) to replace anything in your bag longer than a foot.
You'd be surprised, actually. For me, my laptop is mostly for keeping track of everything I need, while the PDA just doesn't accomplish as much on the tiny screen. My PDA and laptop are very well sync'd (Bluetooth and WiFi), but they both are unique and separate entities. If someone needs to tell me something, I jot it on my PDA and follow-up on my laptop.
My current phone (Samsung t809) works great but it isn't there yet. I'm awaiting the Nokia N80 to arrive to see if I can replace my PDA and phone in one fell swoop. Until then, the laptop is a necessity for about 40% of my work.
It is called the rigid bag container, or briefcase. A briefcase with additional clip on adjustable shoulder strap for really long walks perhaps. A briefcase is nice and stout, locks, it is "professional business acceptable" looking, is a nice flat surface for a handy portable "table" to set things on, and certainly has enough room for what you are looking to carry. 15$ for a good sized one at most *mart brand department stores, plain jane aluminum. Spend what you want after that I suppose, virgin lizard leather interior or whatever.... here's a thought, knowing how you like neat stuff, you can always measure it and find a nice solar panel that fits that you could screw to the outside of the side that faces "out" when you are carrying it, probably the "top" of the case when you set it down. Drill a hole and snake in the connector, be trickle charging some gadget as you travel around. I have several small ones sort of that size, none of them are all that heavy. The unisolar flexi panels I have are the lightest. In fact, there's a product right there (might exist but I haven't looked either), a briefcase where the sides *are* solar panels to begin with, those are the sides, just find an existing one that has good frames, use two obviously, what the heck, a nifty "power black" color is an added "high tech geek fashion" bonus. elegant, yet practical...
I know it's a minor point, but why on Earth do you need a Day-Timer if you have a PDA? Or, to look at it the other way around, why the hell do you have a PDA if you are already carrying a notebook PC and a Day-Timer?
Actually, I converted my Day-Timer to an uber-PostIt/mega-notepad. My PDA is great for leaving notes to myself, but terrible for leaving notes to someone else (in paper form). I am an appointment-afficionado, and I write many thank-you notes and "Don't Forget" notes that I hand out as needed. The little Day-Timer leather-bound system works great because I can take it with me to meetings where a bag won't do, and a PDA is a bit too attention-grabbing.
For me, something that can be broken down to individual, smaller parts is key. I forgot to mention that I also carry a D50 with me at all times, so having a bag within a bag within a bag works best.
(That was a lot of hypenated words, but it was necessary.)
Have you considered a man-servant? As the commercials used to say, just Ask Jeeves.
This might sound foolish, but I have, and am actively looking for someone to be my personal assistant. In the old days, businessmen took on younger entrepreneurs to mentor to in exchange for assistant services (don't read into that). From laundry to note-taking to writing thank-you cards, the assistant did a lot.
I looked into hiring a driver/assistant and realized that the cost (US$30,000 a year) would pay for itself quickly. If you bill at a reasonable rate (let's just throw out US$150 per hour), you'd make up their salary in 200 hours, or 4 hours saved a week! VERY well worth it.
That being said, US$30K sounds cheap until you realize that you're also teaching and mentoring and eventually helping them become what you are.
I know you were joking, but it is a great idea that shouldn't be ignored.
Why do you have both a PDA and pen planner? Why do you have a PDA and laptop if you carry your laptop everywhere you go? Why do you have a phone and PDA when there are convergent solutions from either end? What are you, stupid?
Very good question, and one that I have battled with for years. I was an original Newton MessagePad user with an old brick cell phone and a Compaq luggable (120V powered only).
Laptop: Perfect for handling my server, major e-mail tasks, long term scheduling, CAD, big spreadsheets and databases, and web design.
PDA: Posting to my blogs, reading e-mails quickly, scheduling tasks, to-do list, and viewing data I've entered on my PC.
Pen: I write down notes for other people. I write thank-you notes that I mail after a discussion or a check is written or I learn something new. I may write a note to put with my business card to give to someone. In meetings, a PDA is attracts too much attention but a Day-Timer doesn't. In court, you can't bring electronics in.
I forgot to mention that I bring my D50 camera with 3 lenses with, everywhere I go. In the first 4 months I had it, it paid for itself (sold news-worthy photos to local papers). I also carry a digital voice recorder (my PDA has a terrible mic).
Two cell phones: easy to figure, a cell phone is best as a phone, everything else it does is lame. I'm awaiting the Nokia N80, though.
Make more sense?
Maybe you should just take the stuff you need instead of the stuff you think is going to impress the dorks you run into.
A few weeks ago I found myself in New York with no notice. Tomorrow I might have to go to San Fran and I am not home right now. If I leave all my stuff at home, I'll be without a tool that could make me more cash on a job, or possibly cause me to lose out to some other freelancer.
I would LOVE to trash everything and just rent whatever I need, but it doesn't work very well. The more you travel to find better work, the more you realize how important it is to have a home/office-on-the-go. For a while, the HoOf (Home Office) was key, now it is the HoOfOnDaGo, I guess.
I really don't like it, and I try to hide as much geek-junk as I can. My customers don't hire me for my tools, they hire me for my knowledge. It is the tools that help me finish a 20 hour-bid job in 5 hours, and keep the 15 hours profit for myself!
Weight isn't a problem, but this looks great and very reasonably priced, too.
:) I'll give the rest as "executive gifts" at Christmas time, hah.
I'm going to order about 10 bags from the various comments in this thread, and keep one
I appreciate the link, it really looks amazing. I'd like some spandex expandability, though, how well does it hold together when stuffed or overstuffed?
Victorinox in general, actually! It took me a while to notice, but everyone who actively uses a laptop in my research group has a Victorinox case/bag of some sort. None of us have the same model, and we all swear by them.
Mine is the Web Messenger - works well for a laptop up to ~15.5" (the GP's hammock comment is dead on), as well as some file folders, laptop accessories (charger, wireless mouse, etc.), headphones, and so on and so forth. I've had it for over 2.5 years and have yet to see any wear. The ballistic nylon is invincible.
Regarding overstuffing - being that it's a messenger bag, the outer flap folds over and locks to two adjustable straps. I've filled it way too full on many occasions, and neither the bag nor the contents suffered at all. Additionally, the padded strap is amazing; it has never cut into my shoulder like backpacks or other messenger bags tend to do. It's overengineered, without a doubt.
These guys make a variety of bags for cameras, laptops, phones, etc. Weird website, but pretty good bags. They're an Australian company, I think. presumably they export to the U.S (where, I assume, you live ;-)
http://www.crumpler.com.au/home.php
I'm *very* pleased with the Spire products:
http://www.spireusa.com/
They're great for use, and abuse. I've rolled over it several times rollerblading, with the laptop still on, and so on. Never any problems. I've had mine for 3-4 years now, and while it is showing slight wear, it seems to be good for another 3-4 years without a problem.
You should peek around their site, and pay attention to the details, like the laptop room not being all the way against your back, so it's a very comfortable fit.
Terje Elde
I use pen and paper for a large part of my job: Notes, ideas, tracking working hours, appointments. No cables, no empty batteries, no chargers, weights less than a PDA and can be bent without loss of data. What else does a PDA offer? A calculator - also offered by my cell phone, and my brain can also shuffle around some numbers. A phone book? In my cell phone, and more convienient. E-Mail addresses? On my laptop. "Pocket Office"? A full-featured office package runs on my laptop. MP3 player? On my laptop. Perhaps, some day, I may buy an iPod.
I use an old (should I say antique) Nokia 5130 cell phone with a third party li-ion battery, giving me at least a week runtime without needing a charger. When I'm longer away from home, I can pack the small charger somewhere into my luggage; when I travel by car, the handsfree car kit charges the cell phone battery. And a second cell phone "as backup" is just nonsense. The last time a 5130 refused to work was when it fell into a bucket full with dirty soap water, about five years ago. It has no camera, no color display, no "screensaver", no fancy ringtones, it can't even show a custom logo. But I can use it to call people. That's why I bought it.
Sure, I also need to work with a laptop, but I don't carry a PVR around. Why should I want to do that?
I also have a GPS for my car, based on a cheap PDA, but that stays either at home in its cradle or in a locked box inside the car. I don't need the PDA features, just the GPS software. Inside the car, the PDA is powered by the car. So I don't need to carry around a charger. The cradle stays at home. The GPS software does not need to be backed up or synced, so I use the cradle just as a charger. The USB cable is plugged nowhere.
Tux2000
Denken hilft.
Years ago - so many years that I don't remember exactly, must have been around 2000 - I got a laptop backpack from Spire. I used it for daily commutes, travelling all across Europe, and generally carrying my laptop everywhere. It still looks like new (well, like new but *dirty*).
These bags are so tough I was afraid the company was going out of business, they can't have that much of repeat buys that way. Really recommended. They have *huge* bags too.
Stitch some dividers into the most nasty-ass bag you can find, perhaps put a bit of upholstery foam at the bottom if you're clumsy. If you buy an $850 prada bag, you won't keep it for long. Your odds of being mugged for your laptop are inversely proportional to the amount you spent on the bag it's carried in. Anything that looks designed for the job is going to vanish the first time you doze off in an airport lounge. As a bonus, military-issue rucksacks are usually immensely comfortable for monster loads and the only thing I'd want to regularly carry much more than a single laptop in. Just avoid the ALICE packs, they're shit.
Come on. 12" powerbook and a phone (which can also be gps and pda, if you like). What else do you need?
As for the bag, if you want to carry a load of fragile equipment in comfort and safety, ask a photojournalist. They've always had to do it, and to my mind the best equipment bag you can buy is a billingham. You could fit everything in a Hadley and not even look like a geek*, or add an SLR and some clothes and it'll still fit in a 445. Mine is over 20 years old and only just broken in.
*If that's a drawback, consider a Lowepro instead. But do you really want that 'this is where I keep my expensive laptop' look?
The free market will sort this out in a much better manner than any government implementation can ever dream of, if the market demands it.
EveryDNS. Use it. It works.
AC's need not reply
I got a Powercolor X800 PRO with the backpack;
:)
http://www.powercolor.com/main_product_dis.asp
It's the "Assassin edition" some way down the page. The backpack is THE best laptop bag I have ever had.. it has a little soft pocket with velcro strap for the laptop, and plenty of space for my scanner (Canon N650U) and graphics tablet also (Wacom Graphire 3), document pockets in back, straps, shoulder straps, top handle, in the front are 4 pockets which fit my IRIVER player, digital camera, mobile phone, all my chargers, a battery charger (Radioshack 2-AA), null modem cable, two mice (graphire and travel), lik-sang mousepad, ethernet cable, selection of pens (from sharpie to fineline to mechanical pencil), spare extended-life battery for the laptop (mmm 12h..) and my glasses cleaning kit (alcohol spray and microfiber cloth), condoms and a travel toothbrush
Yeah it's heavy with all that stuff in it, and a bitch to get on a plane, but it's so convenient.
I guess my question is, where did they get that backpack from, because I would recommend it in a heartbeat, if it didn't need you to buy a $500 graphics card to get it..
There's a build of PuTTY that refers to config files instead of the registry (though at the moment I can't find it...) That combined with a stored key on the USB drive, then the only place you need to VNC to is 127.0.0.1. Your VNC desktop doesn't even need to be directly visible to the internet then, only the machine (or port) that listens for on the public internet is for SSH sessions. Oh, and SSH's compression might speed things up a little too and it's end-to-end encrypted.
-- Soruk
techno-bill!
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
You're thinking of PortaPuTTy, I'm sure.
Browsing with classic discussion, noscript, at -1 and nested
no hidden comments and I only mod UP
Yeah, just like the free market sorted out the American cell phone industry.
That sound you hear is me rolling my eyes.
there is no need to sign your posts. this isn't usenet. your username is right there above your post. stop it.
There was a geek bag set posted late last year. I can't for the life of me remember what it was. But it sounds like you could use it, at least in addition to a good laptop case. It was a modular bag system that allowed to you carry it in any of a number of configurations, even James Bond style underneath a suit.
Gah, and I was even gonna buy one and it's just out of my memory. Anyone?
ACs are modded -6. I don't read you, I don't mod you, I don't see you. Don't like it? Don't be a coward.
When traveling for work, I frequently found myself packing two laptops, a printer, a switch or two and about a half a mile of cables, a couple of cel phones, digital cameras, disks, papers, tools and you name it. At the time, I would be hitting the road for a few days every week. Everything was as compact and as light as I could make it but it all still added up.
One day I was in the grocery store and stumbled across the solution. This particular store had an area where they sold odd-ball stuff that you don't usually find in grocery stores - they offered these things at really low prices and I picked up a three piece American Tourister soft-sided luggage set (in a maroon color) for next to nothing. They "nested" one inside of the other and had wheels. I used the biggest one to tote everything. I used pieces of foam backed carpet glued onto luan plywood as separator pieces and stuck a piece of this into the pocket in the inside lid of the case and a piece in the back, between the frame thing for the handle. What I ended up with was a "semi-soft-sided" piece of luggage that was better able to protect the equipment. It held everything I needed to carry and even allowed me to use the outside pockets to store things in.
I've never had any damage, I check it when I get on the airplane and when it comes off of the baggage thing at the airport, I can tell immediately that it is mine, there are so few maroon bags that I can find mine right away.
Also, these bags can snap together one piggybacking on the other so that I only have one thing to drag through the airport. This is a feature that I love because when you try to drag two side by side you look like a one person Laurel and Hardy show.
I highly recommend Maxpedition bags and kit. Everything is heavy-duty nylon which makes the bags very solid. They also have pouches and pockets for everything you need, and nothing you don't.
http://www.maxpedition.com/
I personally have the MPB (MultiPurpose Bag) and it has served me well carrying my various electronic equipment for nine months of business travel in 13 countries.
http://maxpedition.com/product/product_mpb.htm
it totally depends on what you want one strap or 2 for a mac or PC do you want to carry a mouse as well ?
check out laptopessentials UK store
regards
John Jones
yeah you can get these in the UK as well they are nice and I have one that has taken a bashing
STM uk bags at Laptop:Essentials
but again it depends on what you want personally I have one strap metal, one strap flexible and a backpack
regards
John Jones
I love my saddlebag. They also make it in black now, and Kensington also has messenger and executive bags now labeled under the "Saddlebag" name. While those may also be excellent bags, I have experience with the old-faithful -- the brown/black model. This was the very first laptop backpack (that I'm aware of).
When I travel, I can easily fit two laptops, a multitude of chargers, cell phones, cables (including 25ft cat5), a mouse, a soda, camera, and some snacks. Easily, I can bring it to a weight that could easily break a smaller man's back.
I've tried, repeatedly. The PDA has many functions that neither the laptop nor the paper-form works well for me in. My PDA is my billing tool (I keep VERY copious details for invoice submittal and prelaxing (my word) punchlists. I also have a digital signature grabber that I use when I am done with a project (rather than signing paper they sign the PDA which is encrypted and sent to my server and invoiced). My PDA also is a better reminder tool than either the laptop or the Day-Timer. I have complete A.D.D. (actually, D.A.D.A, which is worse, hah) so I need something that pops up reminders with a Bing! sometimes days in advance.
I think I just need to dump it all and get a reason assistant. I'd be more productive and it would be cheaper, too, heh.
Thanks for the help.
This is what I use:
Tom Bihn Super Ego
It holds my 17" Powerbook in a Brain Cell insert, file folders, PDA, Cellphone, PDA (I know, I should just get a smart phone), and iPod with room for 4 large O'Reilly books to boot.
He also makes some smaller ones that might better fir your needs. And backbacks if you want to avoid medical problems hauling all that stuff around
Ah... so you use your PDA as a small GUI for the lap top (or more precisely,m for features of the lap top) in some ways "fast access to e-mail, posting to blogs, etc.". Perhaps if UMPCs (Origami was a better word) Of course why you carry the gadgets is off-topic. You carry what you carry, the question was "what bag to carry it in?". We now hope to return you to your regularly scheduled Ask Slashdot.
Bidding 20 hours, working 5 and still billing the full amount? Wow, we used to refer to that as "ripping someone off." But, I digress...
Only the cellphone/pda and laptop in that whole laundry list of things could be truly considered "tools." The rest were redundant and/or unnecessary. I use one soft-sided leather briefcase that holds two cellphone/PDAs, my laptop, power cables, a handful of DVDs, a journal, a schetchbook and pencil set, my sunglasses, headphones, a digital camera, a half dozen PCMCIA cards and room enough for as much paper as I've ever had to schlep to any meeting.
If you're carrying more, perhaps you sould just get two bags as, yes, you may need all that in the space of a day or a week, but it's pretty unlikely you'll need it 24/7 and no one will fault you for running out to the car/hotel/whatever to get your equipment. If you really feel you need to lug around 35lbs of crap positively everywhere at all times, I'd suggest getting a third bag for your meds.
Yes I am - and thanks for the link!
-- Soruk
http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/retail/bagbuilder.htm/ (Warning Flash Ahead)
My Setup:
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I don't use/carry all this gear all the time, but I could if I wanted too, and every piece of equipment has a nice comfortable padded home.
From here to there and there to here funny things are everywhere.
You can use some sailing tricks to make any bag you have seem bigger. Check out the following video of how to coil a line and you don't even need velcro or a twist tie.
. htm
http://www.videos.sailingcourse.com/coiling_lines
"Computer Scientists can count to 1024 on their fingers" (non-mutant, non-mutilatated, human computer scientists)
The Compaq Portable actually solved most of my problems. It runs all the software I need, and I also carry around a cellular modem (plugs into any AMPS phone, has connectivity throughout the country thanks to the Federally Mandated AMPS mobile phone system) which enables me to dial into my computer system at home and access my files. I use a program called Kermit to transfer files to and from the home PC - the only problem I've noticed is with binary files, sometimes you have to convert them using something called uuencode first before transmitting them. I've been told a package called UUCP might be better for my needs, though it's less secure.
I run a simple BAT script to keep my files at home up to date while I'm on the road.
The Portable runs pretty much everywhere. The screen is excellent and crisp. I can use it on the train (as long as there's a 110V socket around), and I have an invertor to make it work OK when I'm in a hired car. It's only a problem on planes, so far.
I run a bunch of different programs. Probably the best is Borland's Sidekick, which has calender functions and a clock. This means no need to carry around a large personal organizer or a watch.
Best of all, it's small and light. At 28lbs it's usually lighter than the briefcase I use to store my clothes and papers. When you consider it does pretty much everything such that the only other three gadgets I have to carry around are the modem, mobile phone, and a printer (an Epson LX400), you can imagine how much time and effort it saves me.
I can't recommend it enought.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
As long as you're willing to spend the money, this should be able to easily hold all of your equipment. That plus it self powered, too!
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
I really like these "TSR"s. The flexibility they offer, along with programs using Borland .OVL files is nothing short of amazing. This has prevented many of my "diskette" shuffle routines. How does all of this work?
As you may or may not have noticed, a diskette is roughly the size and shape of a piece of bread. And while you pop bread into a toaster, you insert diskettes into your computer's diskette drive. In fact, you'll find that some software even acts much like the common toaster. These programs feature electronic calculators, address books or other tools that you can ``pop up'' on your screen while working in other programs. (Similar to the way your toast might pop up as you finish frying a ham-and-cheese omelette.)
These pop-up programs are referred to as: memory-resident software or terminate-and-stay-resident programs.
TSRs are programs which stay in your computer's random access memory, or RAM. RAM is the temporary memory inside your computer. You see, most IBM and IBM-compatible PCs can't load two programs into memory at the same time. In other words, DOS won't let users simultaneously load two traditional programs, like Lotus 1-2-3 or Microsoft Word. (Lotus Development Corp.'s Lotus 1-2-3 is a spreadsheet, while Microsoft Corp.'s Microsoft Word is a word processing program. Spreadsheets calculate numbers and word processing programs let users create documents.) But unlike regular programs, TSRs can run while you're working in almost any application.
This way, they provided a form of multitasking, or task switching, for users of DOS programs. DOS programs are designed to be used alone, but many people prefer the convenience and efficiency of using two or more programs simultaneously, without first having to quit out of one to load another. TSRs provide this capability. Windows programs are becoming increasingly popular, but many people still use DOS programs primarily or exclusively. And, for Windows users, there are issues surrounding TSRs you should be aware of.
You generally load a TSR through your Autoexec.bat file, a startup file that runs each time you boot your PC. By placing the command that loads the TSR on a line in this file, the TSR will load automatically and be available in whatever other programs you're using.
You pop up a TSR using its hotkey. A hotkey is a key combination, such as CTRL-ALT, that's defined by the particular TSR. You can often change the default hotkey to another combination if it conflicts with your existing application or another TSR.
I hope this is helpful, to those who are eager to follow the recommendation of the previous post!
"Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
You're not wrong and the toast analogy is a good one, TSRs are a life saver. I don't know about you, but I generally find Windows to be too slow on the few machines I can find that are powerful enough to run it. GEM barely runs on my 256k Portable. In practice, if it wasn't for Sidekick, I wouldn't get anything done. And let's be honest - if you have a TSR like Sidekick, who needs multitasking anyway?
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
Just because they're Geek Tools doesn't mean you don't have the same set of problems as other people who use other kinds of tools. I use this bag and it's worth every penny. I beat it hard and it's as good as new.
Also check out the Port Authority 2 cable kit. It's bit flimsy on build but for occasional use it works and takes the place of many other cables. I gave these as gifts to my clients for christmas. Shop around. Also, charge your phone and stuff over USB to eliminate one more transformer.
Some people I know swear by the Radio Shack multicharger though I haven't tried it yet ($$$).
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
In the first 4 months I had it, it paid for itself (sold news-worthy photos to local papers).
Aha! You don't believe in copyright, but you sold the copyright to your pictures to newspapers, and they now (presumably) assume monopolistic control over the rights to those pictures. Do you believe this is right?
(I don't believe it's necessarily wrong; I'm just checking to see if you've thought of it that way. :) )
Secession is the right of all sentient beings.
Unless it's a magic bag.
Which part of "if the market demands it" didn't you understand? The majority of the market has been fairly satisfied with the current solution. While you and I would like 3G (or whatever the current buzzword in cell tech is today) phones and services, Joe Sixpack is happy that he can get a free phone with a $20/month sub.
EveryDNS. Use it. It works.
AC's need not reply
Actually, I sold my labor to take the photographs for them -- they can do whatever they please with the photos. All my contracts stipulate that I still retain non-exclusive rights and may give the photos away to others at any cost or no cost at all :) I once sold a really bad photo to 3 papers (none of which ran them).
Ah, okay! Cool!
Secession is the right of all sentient beings.