Tools of the trade

Submitted by Adam on March 2, 2006 - 6:43pm.

Every profession has its tools. I have found a number of great tools that help get me through the day.

If you or someone you know tinkers with computer, here are some of the essential tools.

1. Swiss Army USB flash drive knife - This is a genuine Swiss Army knife with a built in USB flash drive, flashlight, ball point pen, screwdriver (perfect size for computer screws), scissors and knife.

2. External hard drive enclosure - this is a cool device that lets you place any hard drive into it to convert it into an external USB drive. These are perfect for transfering data from one computer to another.

3. Canned air - Most power supply failures can be avoided simply by blowing the dust out of the fans every few months.

4. Lots of Ethernet cable and network cards - So many people hook their broadband Internet up through a USB port. This is not the most stable solution. Installing a $15 network card will provide a more stable connection.

5. A laptop - Laptops are great for ruling out problems. For example, if you are having troubles with your screen, the only way to know for sure whether the problem is with your monitor or video card is to hook the monitor up to a different computer.

6. A Treo 650 - this is essential for any person who has to keep a tight schedule, track and send email, browse the web, take photos of computer serial numbers for calling tech support, make lots of cell phone calls and almost anything else that can be done better with a digital organizer, cell phone, digital camera and the Internet.

If this helped, consider buying me a beer or an Americano!