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The Things In My Swiss Army Backpack

I've got two 10 page papers to write by Wednesday so I figure there's no better time to write a post about the things you can find in my Swiss Synergy backpack. This backpack is rather large but its size often comes in handy (grocery store trips and school finals come to mind). I used to value micro sized bags but living the portable life I do in San Francisco requires something a little bigger. So, to follow the format of my Software I Use Daily post...

Electronics

• The Sony Ericsson w600i
  My three cell phone requirements include: great responsiveness, small size and usable keys. I found all of these in a Sony w600i. I thought the phone was pretty cool when I first saw it but never expected the number of responses I've received when using it.
  This phone does just about everything; it's an alarm clock, a flashlight, a hand-held gaming device, a camera, an appointment reminder, a chick magnet, a radio, an mp3 player and the best way to see when my next train is coming (using the browser and nextbus.com). The interface is attractive and easy to use and I've only got a few small complaints about the phone as a whole:

  1. If you use the USB cable, you are at risk of an irrepairable 'white screen of death.' It happened to me and I was without a phone for about 3 days (thankfully, Skype was still free at the time). Using bluetooth is a slower but safer method of file transfer.
  2. It can't be charged using the provided USB cable
  3. You need to use a sorta annoying adapter to plug into headphones.

  One of the things I love about the w600 is its ability to set any sized mp3 as a ringtone. Right now, when people call, my phone starts jammin the high quality Cajun beats. The reception is also top notch.

• The Western Digital 120 GB Passport
  I bought this hard drive at buy.com for a measly $80! It's USB powered and pocket sized. The encryption software that came on it kinda sucked so I wiped it and used TrueCrypt to encrypt the entire thing. Awesomeness.
• Mio GPS
  My BFF, Brandon, got me this GPS for Christmas! I used it on a daily basis while vacationing in Louisiana; I even used it on the flight back home. It's got a day and night mode and a huge "point of interest" database that even found my favorite restaurant, Hebert's Steakhouse in Kaplan, Louisiana. Here in San Francisco, I use the Mio's pedestrian mode to find nearby sushi places and walk to them. If only Muni bus routes were programmed in there too...
• Bose TriPort Headphones
  Audiophiles often diss Bose but I compared these to a few others and they were incredibly crisp. I use them while on the bus/subway and on the airplane; they fit snugly over my ears and earplugs.
• Microsoft Wireless USB Mouse
  I'm on my second one.. I used the first one so much but it broke it after spilling raspberry mocha all over it. Once my awesome girlfriend saw my distraughtness, she gave me hers!
• Apple Macbook
  I won't be making this mistake again.. I knew buying an Apple Rev A product was risky but this just sucks. This laptop looks great and is fast as hell but it's recurring fan issues make me want to hasten next year's budgeted laptop purchase. I'm considering, strangly enough, purchasing a Fujitsu laptop. It's not the most popular brand, but I had one in 2003 and it was one of my favorite laptops.

Other Stuff

• Mighty Leaf Vanilla Bean Black Tea
  A delicious source of on-the-go caffiene. Just add hot water.
• Tide-to-Go
  This stuff seriously works! I've used it to remove coffee from my khakis and soy sauce from my prized puffy vest. Everyone always asks if it works when I bust it out and I always enthusiastically answer yes.
• My Student ID
  I'm currently a senior at the University of San Francisco and I LOVE it. I'll be graduating in December with a BSc in Information Science. The program is geared towards working adults and so I only have to get my butt to class once a week (and some Saturdays). All of my classes are pre-set and each semester, my advisor contacts ME to tell me how far along I am with my degree and provides me with an audit. There's no guesswork involved and thus no question as to whether my application for graduation will have problems. Also, USF automatically registers me for class.. all I really do is pay tuition (a hefty amount), show up and do my homework.

  During the past year that I have been in school, I've also figured out how to properly explain Information Science to non-computer people. I tell them "Computer Engineering deals with computer hardware. Computer Science deals with computer software. Information Science deals with the data and information that utilizes computer hardware and software." Now to figure out how to simply explain the title "Database Administrator."

• My Zipcar Zipcard
  When not using my Chevrolegs to walk around the city, I rent fun-to-drive cars by the hour or by the day at zipcar.com. Of all the car-share programs I evaluated, I liked this one the best. The rates are $8.50/hr or $65/day and that includes gas and insurance.
• Huggies-Wipes-To-Go
  I once had a friend who always carried around a spoon and a blanket. I asked him why and he said "You'd be surprised how many times these things come in handy." Same thing goes for these wipes on the go. Not only is it a great TP replacement for the times that the stall you're in has just run out but it also effectively cleans the mystery stuff you just put your hand in while riding the bus.
• Floss
  Popcorn. Enough said.
• Persol Sunglasses.
  My lady companion got me these for Christmas. They're so sexy, they've earned me the nickname "Hollywood" at work.
• Ear Plugs
  Great for blocking out crying children on planes and extreme volume sometimes found at dance clubs and movie theatres. Yep, I wear these things shamelessly at dance clubs. People laugh but I have the last laugh when I leave without diminished hearing!
• San Francisco Popout Map
  A fellow San Franciscan suggested I buy this pocket sized map of the city.. it's initial size is small but then it pops out to show the entire city. It even has some bus lines listed.. totally worth the 7 bucks.
  

Oh, and I can't fit them in my backpack, but if I could, I'd also carry around my web hosting provider, Simpli.biz. I initially chose Simpli because of their 100% Uptime Guarantee and I've stayed with them because their service is outstanding, they have great communication skills (and even keep a blog) and they refuse to outsource. If you are looking for colocated and dedicated hosting in the Bay Area, I highly recommend Simpli.

SUX: The War in Iraq

In Dwight D. Eisenhower's Farewell Address to the Nation, he pleaded with the American people to "avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow." He also acknowledged the existence and influence of a militaryindustrial complex on governmental policy noting that "we annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations." Eisenhower then advised that "only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."

Fast forward less than 50 years later and America, with the support of a majority of its citizens, has invaded an oil-rich country for no less than 27 different reasons, none valid. To date, at least 60,426 lives have been lost and over $400,000,000,000 has been spent, much of it now in the pockets of profiteering corporations such as Halliburton, Bechtel and Exxon. What I don't understand is how we live in a country where school teachers are being forced to buy their students school supplies yet we can spend $400,000,000,000 on invading, destroying and unsuccessfully attempting to rebuild a country that is now a haven for terrorists, something which they find a reason to celebrate.

Four-hundred billion can put 31,259,768 Americans through their entire 4-year undergrad degree, including room and board, at a public university. That's even with the 28.4% increase in the cost of attending college since 2002, a figure primarily caused by reduced government funding. That's nearly TWICE the number of all students, including Internationals, that were enrolled at American unviersities in the year 2000. If we're talking strictly tuition and fees, the number of Americans that could potentially go to college for free jumps to 68,540,095. We can now only imagine the prosperity and access to education that money could have given us.

As for the loss of American soldiers, the Marine Corps Times put up a map of the hometowns of each of the 3018 American soldiers who have died in Iraq to date.

The southern-most red dot that you see in Southwest Louisiana is my hometown of Kaplan. Kaplan lost Toby Mallet, a friendly Cajun who died on April 9th, 2004 when he was just 26 years old. My homestate of Louisiana has lost an average of more than 1.5 people per 100,000.

In expressing my frustration to a high school friend, she said "Well, there's nothing we can do now, can we?" I think that what we can do is educate others in an effort to prevent the type of warmongering that was seen and heard so frequently in America circa early-2003. While most of the content on this blog is technical, I feel it's still a platform to help me do just that. Our government reps, including mine, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, must be made aware that their intial support of the Iraq War will not be forgotten. Please contact your Representative and your Senators to let them know how you feel the 400 billion could have been better spent.

CHM: The Best E-Book Ever for Windows/SQL/Exchange/IIS Admins Now Half Off!

In one of my earlier posts "The Software I Use Daily," I wrote

The Penton Press Master CD is a must have for any Windows administrator. It is a CHM file which contains every article from Windows IT Pro, SQL Server Magazine, Exchange & Outlook Adminisrator, Windows Scripting Solutions, Windows IT Security and Windows Web Solutions dating back as far back as September 1995. As of December 2005, the file was a massive 404MB. That’s a ton of data but the chm format makes it easily searchable.

From now until January 31st, that CD (Sept 1995-Dec 2006) is priced at $29.95 instead of $59.95. Click here for the promotion.