molly.com
Saturday 12 January 2008
Too Wired in a Wireless World?
When traveling, I always notice I need to pack extra cables and wires, transformers and adapters.
The luggage I pack is sometimes filled with so many wires, cables, power supplies and other do-das that I am quick to wonder if something about all this is a bit fishy.
Do you have more cables now as a result of all our “wireless” devices or less than when we were “wired”?
Filed under: software, web design and development, hardware, browsers, molly asks you
Posted by: Molly | 5:23 pm |
January 12th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Intriguing question. I’d say we definitely travel with more wires these days, but that’s the price you pay for “portability.” At least until they get that whole wireless electricity thing figured out — that will be a good day.
January 12th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Totally agree. I have a travel kit of cables for the non immediate devices, this contains all the transformers, minor data cables, and a six plug board to plug them all into. This is besides the laptop and camera bag gear. Could I do away with some of it. Well no, each piece is needed, there are no spares just in case.
January 12th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I have way too many cords and doodads. I have three ipods (I need them for different occasions) that cause me all kinds of confusion, independent of all my other electronics.
January 12th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Well, I realized that the cable for my camera also works with my Blackberry… so no extra plug for the phone. But, every device has a different mini-USB connector. Why?!
Maybe it’s because we think we need more devices with us. Used to be, I needed clean clothes (no cords), toiletries (no cords, unless you count floss) and a book. Now, I need that stuff, plus: laptop, camera, DS Lite, blackberry, iPod, headphones and all the accompanying cables. And yes, I still end up reading most flights anyway.
January 12th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Uggg. I know exactly what you mean. Kelley and I are getting ready for a trip to London this year so we’re in the process of collecting a batch of travel adapters to go with our mountain of cables.
January 12th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I know exactly what you mean. I’ve got rid of a ton of chargers by replacing them with a powered USB hub and a smaller set of USB cables. But still wires everywhere. But that is the price of traveling with gadgets. Hmm.. Perhaps film cameras and wind up fm/am radio still have it’s place… ^_^;;
January 12th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Travel?
Surely Molly, all you need is an iPhone, right?
January 12th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
What’s wireless?
January 13th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Heh, well they’re only “wireless” when they’re fully charged
I do think it’s crap the way every device has its own plug, instead of just using mini-USB. Imagine if you could use the same charger for all phones, your camera, ipod, ds lite, etc. Would simplify things a bit!
That or we need to insist all these devices go back to AA rechargeables!
January 13th, 2008 at 4:25 am
Roll on wireless power supplies!
January 13th, 2008 at 5:44 am
What we need is someone to begin a Electronic Gizmo Connector Standards movement. Maybe someone with experience in similar movements.
January 13th, 2008 at 6:00 am
Less
January 13th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Same annoyance here. I have adapters for my nikon, my ipod, my mobile phone, my portable hard disk and my ibook. Then there are the USB cables that come with all those appliances.
Since I move around during the week, yes, forgetting one of those at work, at home or at my parent’s can be quite frustrating.
January 13th, 2008 at 11:56 am
lets see…
laptop power is two wires (one to the brick and one to the wall), plus I always bring my mouse, I hate touchpads. I have a USB power cord that goes to an auxiliary laptop cooler that I bring if I’ll be traveling for a couple days. Phone charger, camera USB cable, 6′ of CAT6 if I’m not sure of wireless availability.
It’s safe to say that before all this connectedness, I didn’t have as many wires.
January 13th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Why can’t help but think of the time I planned an “International Corporate Network”, using a pencil and some paper, while the guy next to me used a laptop to draw an org chart?
On a red-eye from San Francisco to New York.
Go camping, lose the cables.:-) I’m planning a motorcycle trip across the US, and back, and I can tell you - cables aren’t in there!
How wired do we need to be, to be ourselves?
Carolyn Ann
January 14th, 2008 at 4:32 am
I had this trouble at Christmas. I ended up taking an extra bag purely for power cables. 2 x phone chargers, a DS charger, Camera, laptop, external hard drive… and then there’s all the USB cables for them too!
January 14th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
[…] molly.com » Too Wired in a Wireless World? “The luggage I pack is sometimes filled with so many wires, cables, power supplies and other do-das that I am quick to wonder if something about all this is a bit fishy.” Amen. This is actually why I opt for a bigger laptop: fewer cables to lose. […]
January 17th, 2008 at 9:05 am
. . I think this whole cabe thing will only end when we have a definitive eletric plug. We don’t need cables anymore for most activities (for listening to music we have A2DP bluetooth profile and for transferring files we have wifi, when bluetooth isn’t fast enough).
. . Three iPods? What’s wrong with you guys? Do you really *need* this kind of thing? I mean… Why not three playlists into the same ipod? Or three memory cards using other kind of, more flexible, device? Do you really have 60GB+ of unique songs for every place you go?
. . The converging devices solves some of the problem but they are not as good as separated ones. Yet, the new wireless communication technologies isn’t mainstream on some relatively old gadgets (photo cameras and mp3 players, for that matter), so it will be a long road untill the day we’ll all talk to each other completely wireless (except for those a/c cables, that I really can’t see a near-future solution unless all the industry of gadgets develop a stardard plug).
January 18th, 2008 at 1:11 am
Well my laptop still needs charging and my wireless router needs power, then my laptop needs a netgear wireless usb, Adds all up
Simon
January 18th, 2008 at 7:57 am
I’m so happy to have my wireless keyboard on my desk, to have wireless mouse. I’m happy to have my ps3 and my laptop connected to Internet wireless. I can bet that in 2020 power can be send wirelessly ( I think they already did it for a close range).
January 21st, 2008 at 11:27 am
Due to working I did not travel in the last years, but my whole house is full of wires
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:18 am
thanks for the article
January 25th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
thanks
February 18th, 2008 at 8:17 am
thanks
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:35 am
Prozac.
Prozac.
July 17th, 2008 at 2:38 am
thanks for article
July 21st, 2008 at 1:33 pm
thanks
July 21st, 2008 at 1:34 pm
thanks
August 5th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
I’m so happy to have my wireless keyboard on my desk, to have wireless mouse. I’m happy to have my ps3 and my laptop connected to Internet wireless. I can bet that in 2020 power can be send wirelessly ( I think they already did it for a close range).
October 6th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
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October 6th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
http://www.molly.com/2007/05/10/blue-sky-web-browser-standards-and-interop-summit-xtech-paris/