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New Backpack

2012-02-11T10:09:46Z

Last month I came to the conclusion that my old backpack just wasn't cutting it anymore. It was old, frayed, and didn't have quite the storage capacity that I wanted. Looking around at Amazon.com I came across the Targus Drifter II Backpack that is designed to hold up to a 17 inch laptop computer with storage galore. This puppy has more than enough storage space which to me is a good thing for those "just in case" moments.

After some considered deliberations about what to keep in there on a regular basis (ie I could just grab and go and be able to get stuff done without much thought) I think I found a happy balance.

As of right now I have the following loaded up

My 15 inch MacBook Pro
Spare MacBook 85W charger
Spare charger for my iPad and iPhone along with a spare connector cable
iPad Camera Connection Kit (both the SD reader and USB reader)
New Trent iCruiser 11,000mAh External Battery Pack and Charger for my i-devices
Case Logic Holster style camera case with my Nikon D3000 and mounted Tamron 18-270 AF lens
Small LED Flashlight

I like having my DSLR camera in a seperate holster style case inside my backpack. The holster style case has a hamock inside that cradles the camera body and keeps the lens from banging around either on the sides of bottom of the case while providing easy access to the camera. If I ever think I'll need any extra lenses the backpack has plenty of padded pockets that would hold them while protecting them.

The size of the bag also means that it's very easy to add more stuff before heading out based on what I think I'll need. The laptop compartment is large enough to handle both my MacBook Pro and has a seperate area for tablet type devices such as my iPad. If I'm going to be doing any overnight or longer traveling I also have enough room to pack in two or three days worth of clothing without having to bring along an extra bag. Granted I would have to take the camera case out for more than a days worth of clothes but that's also why it has it's own seperate case.

There are other little things in there such as OTC meds (pain relief, cold symptom relief, etc), pens, and such stuff as one would typically find in a backpack.

It's a nice back with lots of space and tuff enough to take on the road on a moments notice.

General Site Updates

2012-02-07T11:09:33Z

This morning I edited my the About Me, About the Site, and Gear pages to reflect some recent updates to all of the above.

Due to some life changes in the past three months I find myself with a bit more free time that I am struggling to adjust to. As a result I've decided to try and fill some of that time with being more dedicated to the site and making sure my updates come more than once or twice a month. Also, I'm not going to concentrate so much on just technology as I have the past year or so. Instead it will be a more general blog about anything that interests me or that I feel needs a comment from my perspective. As always you can expect to see picture uploads on a more regular basis as well.

Thanks for sticking with me so far!

Performing Surgery

2012-02-07T00:00:42Z

Last week I found a decent used 15 inch MacBook Pro on eBay from a seller I trust so I picked it up on the cheap. Sure, it's the mid-2010 model but for what I plan to use it for it will more than fit the bill.

There are a few things I'll be doing to upgrade it though. I just finished the first upgrage which was to bump the memory up from 4GB to 8GB. Next I'll probably take it down to the local Apple Store to get the battery replaced with a new one (it is almost two years old after all and that's a little out of my comfort range).

After that will be the BIG upgrades which will probably happen sometime around May when I'll swap out the stock 320GB hard drive for a SSD (around 256GB) and replace the optical drive with a 1TB 2.5 inch hard drive. I'll do a clean install of OS X Lion onto the SSD along with the key programs I use on a regular basis and use the 1TB secondary drive for stuff like data, iTunes collection, and a few less frequently used programs.

Yes, it's a used MacBook Pro and I don't mind one bit. While I would like to have purchased a brand new one or even a new MacBook Air I just didn't want to speed twice the money for something that is going to be a purely secondary machine. Instead I can save that money towards the upgrade of my iMac later this year or make an extra couple of car payments.

Life In The Fast Lane

2012-02-05T12:30:46Z

My life is filled with such exciting things such as early Sunday morning laundry.

XM Radio

2012-02-04T23:50:25Z

When I was looking for a car I wanted one that had a stereo that included XM/Sirius. I didn't know if I would actually want to use the service but it was one of those instances where it's better to have something and not need/want it than to end up wanting it later and not having it. With my new Impala LTZ a one month trial of XM is included so I figured I would try it out and see if I liked it.

The verdict is in!

Not only do I like it I've decided to go a head and prepay for a year in advance. The thing that tipped it over the edge towards keeping was the quick road trip I took down to the coast this past week for some picture taking.

In the past when I would road trip somewhere I would either have to load up a cassette (I'm old!) or CD or face the loosing of my favorite local stations along the way and then have to find new stations to listen to. Not any longer! That alone makes the service worth it to me.

The other thing I like about XM is the rather diverse line up of station content. If I'm in a mood to relive the 1980s there is a station for that. Want some jazz? Just decide what type of jazz. Want to keep up with the news of a few talk shows? Covered!

Of course the premium 8-speaker Bose sound system doesn't hurt things at all.

Johnnie Mercer's Pier At Wrightsville Beach

2012-02-03T10:50:58Z

As I was leaving the Carolina Beach and Willmington area I saw a sign for the Wrigthsville Beach exit and took it. Growing up my father would take me to Carolina Beach and Wilmington almost every singel summer for a week but we never once traveled just up the road to Wrightville. I decided to check it out.

I spent my visit there at Johnnie Mercer's Pier and fell in love with that place. It's a great place to visit, especially in the off season when it is not crowded. I liked it there so much I was very tempted to just say "screw it' and stay the rest of the day and spend the night before coming home. Alas, I have four cats to take care of and I did not make any arrangements for them. Granted, they had full food and water bowls and I cleaned their litter boxes before leaving so they probably would have been all right for one night but I still didn't want to do that without some planning a head of time. That and I didn't bring a change of clothes or any chargers for my gear except for the car charger for my phone.

Next time I'll be ready!

Here's the link to the rest of the pictures over at my Flickr feed.

Sunrise At Carolina Beach

2012-02-03T10:47:56Z

This past weekend I got a new (to me) car and as part of the breaking it in process I decided to do something I have not done in a very long time. Drive down to the North Carolina coast for some picture taking.

It's only a two hour drive from here in Raleigh and I was able to get up early enough to make it in time to catch the sunrise from Carolina Beach.

Here's a link to the pictures over on my Flickr feed.

New Ride

2012-02-01T14:40:12Z

I became the owner of a 2011 Chevy Impala LTZ this past weekend!

Orphaned Androids And You

2011-12-24T10:43:58Z

This morning I came across this blog post describing the state of affairs for owners of Android devices and the updates to their operating system. Or lack of updates.

The post is an informative read and one that I will be recommending to anyone who asks me about whether they should buy an Android phone or not. As someone who has owned two seperate Android devices, along with a whole slew of other smart phone devices, I can say that it's a real eye opener.

Now before someone starts getting on my case for being an Apple fan boy let me say up front that while I love my iPhone I'm not married to the thing. There are a lot of things about Android that I liked, and miss. There are some things about my iPhone I don't like. In fact, except for my one brief two month stint as a BlackBerry user there are things I like and miss about all the smart phones I've used. As for BlackBerry the only thing I miss is nothing.

RDU Photos

2011-12-17T22:40:36Z

After leaving Chapel Hill I stopped for lunch at a Hooter's for the first time ever and had the absolute best server at a resturant I have ever had, Chanel.

After lunch I figured I would stop by the observation deck at RDU to try and snap some plane pictures.

Here's the link to the album I posted on Flickr.