Apr 27 2009
The Elemental Road Warrior– Part III– Fire & Water
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Compatibility Legend
G3 iBook G3 iBook G4 PowerBook G4 Titanium PowerBook G4 PowerBook |
12″ 
14″ 
12″ 
15″ 
17″ This week I’ll be wrapping up my series on the Elemental Road Warrior with a
double feature of Fire and Water. If you remember from the previous installments
of this series, I have already found viable solutions to the problem of earth and
its effects on your ‘Book’s appearance as well as wind and how to use its cooling
abilities to your benefit. This week I’ll look at harnessing fire by protecting
your ‘Book from surges and spikes. I’ll also look at controlling the forces
of water by doing my darndest to find ways to keep it the heck out of your ‘Book
in the first place.
First thing’s first …
Fire: You could say that fire is the force that overheats
your processor …you could say that, but you’d really be messing things up
for me if you did. Fire, for the purposes of this series of articles is the
force that powers your ‘Book ó electricity. Why do we need to protect
our portables from a force that is necessary to power them in the first place?
Electricity is great for laptops. But too much electricity or the wrong kind
can damage your ‘Book. Admittedly, this problem usually only occurs when your
‘Book is plugged in via an AC adaptor, but if you’re like me, you spend as much
time powered by the battery as you do powered by the wall socket.
Here are a few suggestions for how to improve quality and regulate the quantity
of power entering your ‘Book.
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Portable – Provides surge suppression (210 Joules, 400 Clamping Voltage) for your AC adaptor and your modem connection in a portable package. Includes a build-in telephone splitter and telephone cord storage spool onboard. The SmartSockets Portable comes with a lifetime warranty and up to $10,000 in connected equipment replacement warranty.
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AC/Car/Air Adaptor – Answers the need for power, surge suppression and various types of connections all in one portable unit. This feature-rich product includes over voltage protection, current limit, over temperature protection and short circuit protection. There are also adapters (sold separately) for cel phones and PDA’s.
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PowerCenter PC 200 – Made by Monster Cable, this portable unit has a maximum 1110 joule surge protection for two AC power outlets, telephone line surge protection and flashy visual and audible indicators for damage, protection, and ground status monitoring. It also beats the Kensington SmartSockets’ warranty by an additional $40,000 for the replacement of connected equipment.
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Now, last but not least…
Water: Water and laptops do not mix. And if you are inclined
to take your ‘Book swimming or give it a sip of your coffee, there’s really
nothing I can recommend that will save you. There are few if any products on
the market that will make you ‘Book watertight without placing it in some kind
of case or bag. The best I can do is suggest a few products that might help
prevent or minimize damage due to occasional wetness.
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Cover – These items made the rounds a while back and seem to have all but disappeared. I was able to find the link above through a Google search but have been unable to get in contact with the vendor to acquire on for this segment. They seem to be a silicon port covers designed for the 12″ iBook but they would probably work on the 14″ also. Might be worth a look.
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– As was mentioned in the first part of this series, the iSkins are designed to protect both the screen and the keyboard and come in many different colors. They are made from a type of silicon and, thought they don’t create a watertight seal around your keyboard, they might prevent some damage if you were to spill any liquid on your open book.
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– Many ‘Book bags these days have mesh pockets that face the compartment where your portable is stored. These pouches are the perfect place to put one of these reusable moisture absorbing Silica Gel packs (just like those “Do Not Eat” packs that come with electronic equipment only better (no, you still can eat them)). Just drop one in one of the mesh pouches near your iBook or PowerBook and it absorbs dampness and prevents condensation. When the crystals become “full” they turn blue and all you need do is pop the desiccant in a 300? oven for 3 hours and, viola, the crystals are pink again and thirsty for more.
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Like I said, there is not much aside from a water-tight case that will save
your portable from being damaged by any liquid that might have the misfortune
of encountering. The best suggestion I can offer is to try and prevent the situation
from coming up in the first place…
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Stainless Steel Travel Mug
I know what you’re thinking: this whole series was just a set up to promote the MacMerc.com Online Store. Not so. I actually wanted to promote some of the cool Barista travel mugs that are available at Starbucks, but they don’t seem to make them available for online purchaseóhello!!! The internet age has started, Starbucks!!! Anyhow, these 15oz stainless steel mugs are really nice and feature a sealed lid and sip cover to keep you from spilling a drop if you happen to tip it over while ejecting a CD or something similar. The mugs are available with the classic MacMerc.com grenade logo/dictionary definition or the wildly popular and ever so cryptic Option-Shift-K (for those who are still wondering, Option-Shift-K is the keyboard combination that allows Mac users to type the Apple logo).
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That brings me to the end of the Elemental Road Warrior, I hope you have enjoyed
this series.
