The Mystifying World of Technology

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Who can honestly say that they could live without the Internet these days? I mean, it might as well be crack; once you get started and realize even a fraction of its potential, you are hooked: you will pay good money to stay hooked, and you feel withdrawal symptoms after even a day goes by without it.

I knew I would need to have nearly daily Internet access on my trip; not just for blogging purposes and to stay in touch with loved ones and friends on a more personal level; but also to check weather, book tickets, pay bills, download porn, and send money to those poor Nigerian astronauts who need my bank account number to get back to Earth.

There are a few little Internet tricks I learned along the way, which I am going to pass on to you. I hope that this somehow saves somebody time and/or money down the line.

For starters, anyone who travels a lot needs passport photos. It is a pretty well-known fact that any establishment making passport photos is ripping you off. I mean, $8 for two crummy 2"x2" pictures of me that aren't even flattering??? I can take my own bad pictures and print them out, right?

Yes, that's right, and if you go to http://www.epassportphoto.com/, you can upload your own tasteless and/or unattractive pictures, size them properly, and the site will create a 4"x6" photo sheet that you can take to your local Walgreens and print out for 20 cents or so.

I'm not good at math, but let's see how it works out: 5 pictures for 20 cents < 5 pictures for $20. Hmmmmm....

Another issue is internet security. Do I really want the guy running the cyber cafe in Yangon reading my browsing history or accessing my passwords? I guess that depends on the guy: but in general, no. That's why it's a good idea to load up your thumb drive with a portable web browser.

I recommend Firefox. Not because I actually get why Firefox is so much cooler than Internet Explorer, or know anything about computer security, or even understand what the term "computer security" actually means. But in my old job, the computer crime investigators always recommended it. So I'm passing on eight years of government job knowledge to you in a matter of moments. You can download that and just about any other basic portable program at http://portableapps.com. I downloaded a portable word processor called AbiWord, and it seems to work just fine.

Moving on into shadier territory, I wanted to know if there was a portable version of Skype that I could take with me.

I'm not sure whether Skype is a boon or a curse. On the one hand, it is wonderful to skip out on costly long-distance phone bills and be able to see your loved ones. On the other hand, say goodbye to freedom: now people can call and see you looking disheveled, your apartment in shambles, and the empty tequila bottle on the desk next to you for the mere price of a computer and Internet connection.

But, since it's free and I'm cheap, I decided to check it out. I couldn't find anything "official" looking, but I did find some For-Idiots-type instructions at this site: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_to_make_skype_portable_via_usb.php. Will keep you posted on whether or not it works.

And getting really shady, I downloaded Google's Picasa (a photo editing utility) onto my thumb drive.

As you can see, the Internet provides a whole new set of possibilities for travelers. Not only can I subject my friends, family, and strangers to my daily ramblings, but I can do it all from the deepest darkest backwater that still has Internet.

Web Sites

Portable Firefox - http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable
Portable World Processor - http://portableapps.com/apps/office/abiword_portable


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Photos

Getting My Fix
Addictions for the Gen Nexters

Comments

[AR]

HILARIOUS
love it!