The View From Space

The numerous natural disasters that have occurred recently have really taken it’s toll on organizations providing relief.  As large as they are, the Red Cross is not immune to the overload of support efforts.

Managing these massive endeavors require an enormous amount of coordination, communications and computing power.  To provide support to those supporting others, the makers of Drobo are giving away 100 Drobo units to the person/organization that can best use them.

So how can you help?  Visit the 100 Drobo Contest link and enter the following submitter code:  424023

Or you can simply email the submitter code to:  [email protected]

Oh and did I mention that you can win a Drobo for yourself just by voting?

Help the Red Cross help those in need.

I am constantly amazed by those who write for a living. Reading articles and blogs from those that do this on a daily basis makes me green with envy. Being able to articulate your thoughts in coherent sentences, then graft them seamlessly into paragraphs is truly an art form.
Unfortunately we engineers are not naturally adept at transferring thought to written word (as all 3 of my blog readers will attest to). The biggest reason I took up blogging was to try and stimulate my right brain to higher levels of creative thought (ok I’m really just trying to advance my writing skills past the level where I last left them, which I believe was the 6th grade).
Perhaps I should approach writing like I do my martial arts, advance a little everyday until it becomes natural and flows without effort (wow that sounds really zen doesn’t it?). I sure hope it works that way, I’m getting tired of being the embodiment of the phrase “Engineer, can’t spell it but I are one!”.

Received my DUAL1200 backup battery that I won online (I think this one was via Facebook). Some thoughts on my new found booty

Pros:
- Relatively stylish when compared to my other backup battery pack.
- Lightweight
- 2 charging ports (iPhone/iPod and micro USB)
- Capable of charging 2 devices simultaneously (I’m not sure how long the pack would last with a dual load, although the DUAL1850 unit would definitely last longer)
- Although it appears flimsy the iPhone connector is fairly solid and connects with a firm push
- Easily recharges by placing on a powermat unit or through an included micro USB cable

Cons:
- The lightweight casing does lend a “cheap” feel to the unit
- Unfortunately it doesn’t pack the punch to recharge an iPad

Other than the two small drawbacks, the DUAL1200 should fit my needs perfectly. It’s small enough to fit nicely in my fanny pack and carries enough juice to partially charge my Vibrant (which doesn’t exactly get the best mileage on a single charge anyway).
If you want/need more juice I’d recommend getting the DUAL1850.