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Geeking out on the road

The joy of the open road! Of course, my idea of a road trip involves a bit more technology than most people I know. I’ve often joked that I will be first on the list when wrist-implant devices are available to the public.

A recent read of Geek My Ride: Build the Ultimate Tech Rod only fanned my enthusiasm for taking my technology with me wherever I go. While I may never install a gaming PC (chapter 13), video surveillance (chapter 20), or an LED message display (chapter 22), there are a number of other projects I probably will do, such as installing a media center (DVD player, music system, and game console) with LCD displays built into the headrests. When that day comes, I’m hiring a driver and always riding in the back seat of my rig!

The book addresses projects that are built in as full-time additions to your ride, and covers practical subjects like budget, cabling, power, heat, and equipment resources in addition to step-by step how-tos of installation. I’ve always been more of a computer geek than a gear head, but the instructions are laid out in a way that I would have no difficulty putting the projects together. I would still hire out the parts that involve wiring stuff to the battery as I’m not confident enough in my abilities to do that safely!

Laid out in an object-oriented style, it would be easy to combine several projects together to build the tech rod that works best for your style and budget!

Until I’m ready to officially geek out my ride, must-packs include my iBook, Bluetooth dongle, web-enabled Nokia 3650, and Canon PowerShot digital camera. With an “all you can eat” web account through my cellular provider and a Bluetooth equipped phone, I just plug the Bluetooth dongle into my USB port and connect via the internal modem. Voila! Internet access on the road! I Googled to mfind a tutorial on how to use my cel phone as a connect point for my laptop, and it’s easier than you think. (This is close) Just have to find the right AppleScripts for your phone. The one trick with Cingular is that you need to enter their generic username and password in order to access the network. We’re currently cruising I-5 through Southern Oregon, and I’ve got a more reliable connection than Comcast’s high speed access has provided as of late.

While it is slow and coming, the rest of the world seems to be catching on. How else would you explain vending machines that accept credit cards?

Posted from the road