My PC
I am very lucky to get to
work with so many interesting people around the industry.
I am also lucky to get to work with a lot of really neat
technology. I do my best to keep up with the latest technology,
and IBM allows
me to use much of the latest and
greatest from our labs so I can give feedback to the developers
and share my experience.
My primary system and my mobile system are now the same. For half of 2001 and all of 2002 it was the IBM ThinkPad T23 and currently it is the ThinkPad X30. It is truly a joy to use. The X Series is loaded with features. They all have the Intel Pentium III - M processor with one+ gigahertz . The 1" slim design gives you really good viewing with a travel weight less than 4 pounds and a battery life of 8+ hours with the optional extra battery. Titanium Composite in the top and bottom covers make the X30 strong and thin. Wi-Fi is fully integrated including a dual antenna system for both 802.11 a & b. In addittion to the simplicity of connecting to a wireless network, it's even easier without the need to attach or insert an adaptor. I use the wireless feature at home, at American Airlines Admiral's Clubs, and an increasing number of other places where I can find it. The PCMCIA slot is free for miscellaneous things. There is a special slot specifically for the IBM Microdrive and I use that for backup of critical files. I make further backups using the X30's CD-burner (which is also a DVD player).
The X30 has a 40 gigabyte hard disk and 3/4 gigabyte of RAM. There are two USB ports plus Firewire and Bluetooth. A Belkin four port hub attached to the ThinkPad dock station allows me to attach printers, scanner, a Logitech cordless keyboard and optical mouse plus a Dymo EL60 LabelWriter which I use for stamps.com.
The X30 has loads of other neat features. I love the ThinkLight™ which shines a small beam of light onto the keyboard gives in low-light conditions. There is also a "slice" that you can snap on the bottom if you want to use the CD-R or attach other peripherals.
I use Microsoft Windows XP as my primary operating system. I have previously used VMWare and Linux on the ThinkPad too. I am experimenting with Lindows.
My primary Internet connectivity
is via DSL provided by SNET.
The speed and service have been quite good. (I tried
Comcast
cable Internet in late 2001. It was comparable in speed but
customer service was lacking). When I am on the road,
access
to the the IBM
intranet and the Internet is via the
AT&T Global Network.
The IBM Global Network severed me so well for quite a few
years but AT&T has continued the good service. I used
Hughes DirecPC starting
in early 1995 as one of the first users but now that DSL
and
Cable are available, they prove to be a better solution.
For those in remote areas (like a friend of mine in New
Hampshire),
then satellite is a good alternative.
Backup
I try to be very conscientious about backup and manage it
at multiple levels. On the ThinkPad itself I have both the
Microdrive and the CD-burner. I keep multiple levels of backup
on both. I also copy key files over the home LAN to my wife's
Netvista. She has much more storage on her hard disk than
she needs so I don't feel too guilty in copying a few gigabytes
of important things to her system as another source of backup.
I have always maintained backups but in April 2001 I had
a
catastrophic failure of a hard drive on my ThinkPad T20.
I had a week-old backup but nevertheless I lost a weeks
worth
of information and some of it was very important. I vowed
to redouble my efforts at doing a high quality level of
backup
management. You just can't overdo this. I also have a ThinkPad
240 as my backup of last resort. Some people love the
ThinkPad 240 because of its very small size and weight.
I
can't say I am a fan, to be honest. It does, however, provide
a way for me to get email and web access when I am desperate.
I plan to do a better job of insuring it is "recovery"
ready in the event of an emergency.
Printing
I can't really say I do much printing anymore but occasionally
it comes in handy. Unlike my PC, where I feel it is important
for me to stay up with the very latest available technology,
I don't upgrade printers as often. The printers I use have
"accumulated" over the last few years. The workhorse for
years has been the IBM
Network Printer 12. It is great for printing lots of
copies of something or for high speed graphic intensive
printing.
One of the nicest features is the duplex unit that allows
for double sided printing. The main reason I got the printer
is because it has its own Ethernet card, which means that
any computer in the house can print to it at any time.
It
can rest in standby mode and only burns about the same electricity
as a 30 watt light bulb. For high quality color printing
I
use an Epson
Stylus Photo 2000P. Last but not least is the Seiko
label printer PRO
which is my utility infielder for binder labels, coffee can
labels in the shop, and envelope labels. It has since been
replaced by newer models.
Telephones
We all spend a lot of time on the phone these days and I
guess I am no exception. The mainstay for me at the home
office
is the Panasonic
KX-TG2000B 2.4 GHz Multi-Handset Cordless Phone System.
The system uses 2.4 GHz Frequency-Hopping (94-channel)
Digital
Spread Spectrum (FHSS) and includes 2-Line operation. It
accommodates up to 8 cordless handset stations each of
which has individual
mailboxes with separate greeting messages. The all-digital
voice mail system with automated attendant is nice but
we
don't use all the features. It is designed more for a small
business. We have it set up so that our personal line rings
one way and the home office line rings another way. We can
easily page and conference or transfer calls between any
of
the extensions. Using the headset along with the 2.4 GHz
is nice because it gives really great range. I can go out
in
the backyard or down the driveway. It works over significant
distances. Probably close to a mile.
Local Area Network
The home LAN is where everything gets tied together. Any
system can get to the Internet via DSL which is provided
by SNET.
The DSL modem is connected to an "Instant
Broadband Etherfast Cable/DSL Router" by Linksys.
The router runs DHCP and PPPoE and authenticates me to
SNET
and then isolates my LAN from the Internet. The router's
four Ethernet ports connect some of my systems directly.
One of
the ports is connected to a Cisco
Aironet 350 Wireless Access Point. This enables my ThinkPad
to operate anywhere in the house and also allows friends
and
colleagues who visit to be instantly connected too.
At the home office
When not traveling, I use
the ThinkPad
Dock.
The dock provides quick access to desktop resources and easy
expansion using industry-standard half-size PCI slot, Ultrabay
2000, two PC Card slots and two USB ports. The dock connects
two 18 inch IBM
flat panel monitors and a Logitech
cordless Freedom iTouch keyboard and mouse.
On
the Road
TheThinkPad
X30 goes
wherever I go. To stay connected, I use the AT&T Global
Network which has
over
1,000 points of presence in places all over the world. It
is definitely nice to make a local call and get connected.
More and more I find Ethernet or 802.11 wireless support
in hotels and airports. For most of 2001 and 2002 I used
the Kyocera
Smartphone with service provided by Verizon.
The Smartphone is an excellent phone but the screen is very
difficult to read unless you have excellent lighting. I now
use a Samsung
i330. The 256 color graphic LCD is brilliant and easy
to read under any circumstances. I also prefer having the
single touchscreen with no lids or hinges. Like the Smartphone
it has the Palm OS built in and allows me to keep my address
book, calendar, to do list, and numerous documents synchronized
with my ThinkPad.
Verizon has the best coverage where I live but they don't
support the i330. My new service provider is Sprint
PCS. When out of the country I use a Motorola
L Series+ GSM phone
with
service provided by T-Mobile. Someday
I will have the "wifi
global phone".
The
last part of on the road is taking pictures. The Kodak
DC-260 Digital Camera
served me well for a long time. I currently use a Fujifilm
FinePix 2800 Zoom Digital Camera. It has
6X optical zoom, 2.0 million effective pixels, a built
in web-cam function, and motion picture capture with
sound up
to 60 second. It is
definitely fun to send pictures back home from wherever
I might be and of course to add them to the photo
gallery.
I'll describe my software environment on the
next page...
