How Much Gear Do You Carry Around?

Introduction

I admit it - I’m a gadget freak. PDAs, Blackberries, WiFi cards - if it has wires and eats batteries, I’ll probably buy it. I walk around like a techno warrior, pouches filled with electronic weapons. And I love it, to be sure - but there is a downside to having tech... several, actually.

First of all, the stuff is expensive ! Every day, I go to other tech sites and read their forums, to see what the competition is doing, and what they are saying about us. I find it baffling that most people think that we at THG can get anything we want for free ; like I could snap my fingers and have a five Nvidia GeForce 6800’s materialize in front of me.

The truth is that since I started at THG, I have spent more money on technology gadgets than I had in the preceding several years combined - from CPUs and Shuttle computers, to LCD screens and MP3 players. I really think it’s more satisfying to save up money and buy something - as opposed to having some company give you a freebie. (You get it much faster if you buy it, too.) For most of my computer needs, I can run down to the local PC Club, Best Buy, or Electronic Fry’s (if I’m REALLY desperate).

A second drawback of being a techie has to do with cables. Everywhere you go, you hear about wireless this and wireless that, but in fact we are carrying more wires around than ever before. Headphones, AC power cords, USB/Firewire cables and more - it’s a mess, and when I go to Starbucks and use the wireless hotspot, I first have to spend about two minutes untangling a jumble of wires.

The truth is that tech isn’t sexy - all the advertisements of women swooning to your MP3 player or admiring your shiny new PDA are deceiving you. I carry all of the stuff in the picture above on my belt, and let me tell you, I’ve never been approached by an attractive woman saying, "Is that a Dell Axim x50V on your belt, or are you just happy to see me ?"

What’s strange is that my most useful gadget is surprisingly low tech : the Leatherman multitool. It helps me slice open packages and pry open computer cases. It doesn’t use batteries, and it always just works - unlike my Blackberry, which goes for hours without receiving a signal, or my Dell Axim, which turns on spontaneously as if possessed by ghosts.

Do you carry any interesting gadgets around ? Perhaps you have a belt packed with gear... if so, please send a picture and a description of the gadgets. Include your location and name - first name only if you prefer to be anonymous. No nude photos, please !