B2 Media Net

What's in the bag

"What is in my bag" posts are pretty common these days, originally, I posted one of these lists on my (old), personal blog, nearly two years ago, but since then I have been pairing it down a bit, so I thought I would revist the topic.

Today I am much more mobile, and as such, I often look for smaller faster items that are easier to carry with me, and ultimately, use. This week I am undertaking the act of replacing a number of items at once. This list, in essence will be two list, what I have been using to date, and what I expect to have by the end of the week. In a couple of weeks I will revisit the post and tell you how all has faired in the real world.


What I carried with me until recently:
Dell X200 Leather Briefcase
Dell Latitude X200
Casio QV-R51 digital camera
Palm Tungsten
U2 iPod (b/w)
2 PQI iStick 1gb flash drives
1 Case Logic Pro Sleeve 40 CD Case
1 8.5 x 6.5 Daily Planner (I know, redundant)
1 business card case
1 Dell power cord/transformer
1 palm charger
1 USB cable

What I intend to carry at the end of the week:
Tumi Flow Shoulder Pack
Apple 12" PowerBook or Sony 10" T-Series (still trying to make up my mind)
Casio EX-S500
Audiovox 5600*
iPod Nano (4gb)
Versa Charger
2 USB cables
2 PQI iStick 1gb flash drives
1 8.5 x 6.5 Daily Planner (I still like having some paper)


All in all, my main goal was to eliminate weight, and ultimately have my 'kit' fit into a smaller package, in this case the Tumi Flow Shoulder Pack, which is a very small package indeed. Yet, with these changes I feel I have gone smaller with the camera and the iPod, and eliminating a transformer and the Tungsten all together, and finally breaking even with the new laptop. As for laptops, I am a Mac guy, but feel comfortable with Windows, yet I am leaning towards the Mac because I really don't like the hassles, security issues, crashes, and viruses Microsoft Windows brings to the table, especially when mobile.

When I speak of laptops, I must also address the software I use, this in itself is the most functional aspect of a laptop, and the actual 'stuff" I use to produce this motly collection of websites, as well as function in my 'other' business as a Systems and Sales Automation Consultant.

The software I currently use on a daily basis, and will continue to use if I choose the PowerBook is:
MS Office
Safari
Mail.App
iCal
iSync
iChat
Missing Sync
Adobe GoLive
Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe Illustrator
Mars Edit
NetNews Wire
ecto

As for my current selection in phones, the Audiovox 5600, I am not pleased with a number of things. The 5600 frequently drops calls, it has very quirky menus, and many settings windows have check boxes are missing labels for the specific option. I expect to move back to Motorola phones when the new Q releases, I may even dump the the conveniences of Windows Mobile all together and use my old Motorola V3 RAZR because as a phone, it works beautifully.

Note: This entry was originally posted on Bam 2 Media, on 9/13/2005.

A day in the life of an Internet Publisher

Today I should have been posting, coding, or dealing with advertisers, instead I was taking my car to the bodyshop to be inspected by my insurance adjuster and left to be repaired. This came about two nights ago when my car was broken into, vandalized, and subsequently left in a shreaded heap.

But not all things are that bad, while waiting for the rather surprisingly hip Nissan Murano my insurance company acquired for my brief use, I had a chance to speak with a lovely couple from New Orleans. In the course of our conversation, they recounted how they got out, and that they lived just a few blocks from were the levy failed. As we spoke, I commented on reading this morning about how Google has updated their maps with the current images of New Orleans.

To find out if... or how bad... your home was affected click over to: the updated Googles Maps here. Just insert your address into the bar at the top, and hit "search", once the new page has updated, click on the Katrina button in the top right of the map; it should give you a picture of your house, and what condition it is in.

Thanks to The Register for the heads up.

Hurricane Katrina

We here at BAM 2 Media are committed to helping those in desperate need in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Being a small Internet Publishing Company, we have a primary fiscal responsibility to our employees, yet, with the loss of life, homes, and property on a scale never seen in the United States, we wish to pledged 10% of our ad revenues during the period 9/3/2005 -9/17/2005 to the Red Cross.

B. Drew Moynihan
Publisher / Technologist
BAM 2 Media