Posted on September 14, 2009 by Reuben
I love gadgets as much as anyone. So much so that I can honestly say I love cell phones these days for everything but the actual phone feature. And the fact that electronic devices are getting smaller and smaller means it’s getting increasingly easy to take all my gadgets with me wherever I go and never have to go through withdrawl from my music, email, photo taking, movies, etc.
Only problem: while the devices have shrunk, the cables stay the same size, and it’s coming to the point that the mass of cables can easily be larger than the portable electronics themselves. Because of this, and my obsession with pushing the envelope of packing light, I’ve had to re-think my approach to powering and connecting all my gadgets.
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Filed under: Activities | Tagged: cables, gadgets, packing | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 28, 2009 by Reuben
As international destinations go, England or Australia aren’t a huge stretch for those of us from the US. We speak the language, the food contains about the same percentage of deep fried things, and you can still find The Simpsons on TV at least once a week. The one big stumbling block that doesn’t really come up until it’s staring you in the face is that in these countries, among many others, driving for an American is the equivalent of a psychological experiment.
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Filed under: Activities | Tagged: cities, driving, traffic, Travel | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 14, 2009 by Reuben
Despite being a tech geek with a daily internet habit, I actually hate traveling with a laptop. While not the backpack-dominating bricks they used to be, they’re still a significant size and weight in your bag killing your posture. Additionally, laptops are a single point of failure: if it dies or gets stolen, you’re dead in the water, not to mention when your laptop walks away, who knows who now has your data.
So even if I’m still lugging my laptop around with me, I have focused as much as possible on “off-shoring” my computing, giving me the same access to my usual tools and data from pretty much any computer with an internet connection. By using install-free web tools, I’m left free to ditch the laptop if I so choose and become a computer hobo, living on the move off borrowed resources; all the freedom, none of the smell.
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Filed under: Lifestyle | Tagged: computing, internet, laptop, mobile, Travel | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 8, 2009 by Reuben
Traditionally, the neighborhood pub has been a place to gather to socialize, have a pint after work, and maybe get some dinner. The nearest pub therefore is simply referred to as “The Local”. In this series, I’ll be giving a review of my favorite “locals” by region and my favorite brews to have there.
The US Pacific Northwest is generally known these days for three things: trees, rain, and microbrews. And in Oregon, you can pretty much drink a different microbrew each day and go for over a month before you start having to drink commercial labels.
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Filed under: Food | Tagged: beer, brewpub, microbrews, oregon, pub | 2 Comments »
Failure To Land 