5 Things Every Geek Must Do Before Going to a Vacation
It’s the same every time: you think that you’ve got everything you need on your laptop and that you can do everything online, but once you get separated from your trusty desktop (presumably with an annoyingly slow wireless connection), you realize that you’ve forgotten to prepare some essentials that you can’t really work without.
Being on vacation right now, I’ve had plenty of time to reminisce about things I should have done and haven’t; the least I can do is share them with you. For the purposes of this article I’ve presumed that you usually work on a desktop, like me, and you’ve taken your laptop (with some sort of internet connectivity) with you on a trip somewhere.
1. Forward all your email accounts to a new Gmail account
If you’re anything like me, you have several email accounts - couple of Gmail ones, corporate ones, and some old ones which don’t even have (decent) web access. The best thing you can do is create a new Gmail account and forward all your other e-mail accounts to it. In fact, this is a good backup option even if you aren’t planning a vacation.
2. Load all essential apps to a USB flash drive
You’re used to fast Internet, and then you get stuck somewhere with GPRS-type speeds (10 K/s if you’re lucky), and suddenly downloading Winamp is a tedious task. Besides, all these “small” apps you’re using on everyday basis have gotten really fat since the last time you’ve cared about file size. It’s best to always have a USB stick with some essential applications ready.
3. Write *all* the passwords you need into one file and take it with you
You think you know all your passwords by heart? You don’t. You think you can access them all online? You can’t. Usually, at least 20% of the passwords you use are default passwords you’ve been given and you’ve never bothered to change them. Trust me, there’s only one way to be sure you’ll be able to access your stuff - write down all your essential passwords into one file and take it with you.
4. Transfer all your current bookmarks to your laptop
If you’re anything like me, chances are your bookmark count increases by the dozen every day, or at least every week. And, if - like me - you were lazy to install some sort of bookmark synchronization plugin, like the great Foxmarks, make sure you transfer your bookmarks to your laptop, or otherwise you’ll be banging your head against the wall trying to remember various web addresses all vacation.
5. For God’s sake, triple-check you’ve taken all the necessary chargers
Yeah, I know these are the basics. Somehow I always manage to screw up on this one, though.
August 13th, 2007 at 3:54 am
3. Keep all your password in secure file (on USB flash driver from 2.) with KeePass (http://keepass.info/).
August 13th, 2007 at 5:44 am
Here is todays hot geek tips-
1. Unplug….EVERYTHING!. I know it’s hard but even power geeks need to recharge their own personal batteries:)
2. Avoid all monitors. No fair peeking over someone elses shoulder. Pretty soon telepathically you are attempting to use their laptop. Bad move.
3. Do something you have never done before such as surfing(my favorite), skateboarding, hiking, yoga, really talking with your spouse(hmm, it works!)
Do these three things and I guarantee you will be recharged up to 100% just like our digital friends battery meters indicate and your productivity will increase from all the new input.
Enjoy life everyone! I am now off to the beach with my wife and dog for a early morning walk. Hmmm, not even on vacation yet….
Aloha,
Doug O
August 20th, 2007 at 7:35 am
The key to a happy holiday is to backup fully before you go. Make sure you’ve got the non-electrical essentials (passport, tickets, money, and toothbrush basically) and go. Do not, repeat, do not check your email, cellphone, website, anything, while away. Enjoy being offline.
Off to walk the dog with my wife and kids along the river now…just back from vacation…
d
August 22nd, 2007 at 6:06 am
[…] From Frantic Industries - 5 Things Every Geek Must Do Before Going to a Vacation. […]
August 24th, 2007 at 10:24 am
5 Things Geeks Must Do Before Vacationing…
Most people, when they go on vacation, don’t worry about things like this. They just go and enjoy their vacation and leave these things behind. But if you’re a geek, this is not so. Real geeks still need their laptop, iNet access, email, et…
August 27th, 2007 at 8:07 am
You forgot the most important thing: Make sure the hand held game system your kid uses is fully charged before you leave the house!
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