Yes, ICantSeeYou

My long day shopping for a laptop bag that fills my needs

So over the last week or so I've been looking on the net for a good Laptop bag.   The biggest problem of shopping online is that you get pictures like this...

Or this..

Or this..

These pictures tell me nothing about the size and quality of the pockets, whether it has wheels - how sturdy the bag and the pull up wheels will be etc...  You just can't shop for one online unless you find it OFFLINE at a store and buy it online.

Yes I already have a laptop bag I bought with my Dell.  But it's really only made for the laptop and cords.  And it's ugly.  And it's too small.

So why do I suddenly need a nice laptop bag you ask.  Well I have several jobs and one new one that I will be spending nearly all of my time on is that of a legal mediator.  What's that?  It's when there is a lawsuit going on and the two sides want to try to settle it out of court with the help of someone like me.  I am an Attorney licensed in Illinois, living in Florida for the last eight years.  I cannot practice law in Fort Lauderdale where I live because I refuse to take Florida's horrific bar exam and have no real inclination to practice law again.  However - facilitating settlements and agreements is something I enjoy.  So I took all of the required courses and filled out the required applications and I am now a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Mediator.

I own a Dell Laptop that is about..ummm... maybe 4 to 5 years old.  When I bought it I bought a good one.  Cinema screen etc... I have no need to replace it.  It has all the applications I need on it.

As a mediator I will need to drag around a laptop to write agreements on, and a printer to print them on.  I just bought the Canon IP100 portable printer which is tiny fast and terrific. (technically it's a photo printer but it prints 22 pages a minute in regular black and white mode).

I will also need a good amount of paper, all of the various cords (of which there are a ton), legal pads to keep notes on, pens, etc...etc...

So I was looking for a BIG laptop bag with wheels.  If I have to drag all of this stuff to every mediation wheels are big.

So today I went to the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale.   For those unfamiliar with the mall it has a good selection of stores and is less than a mile from one of the nicest stretches of ocean you will find.

So off I went... first to Dillards where they told me they were sold out of nearly all laptop bags.  For some reason there had been a rush on them and they didn't have any except small ones that I didn't need.  Since I went there first I decided I'd come back.

Then off to the help desk in the mall which directed me to two luggage stores.  The first had a good selection of bags... but when I was playing around with the pull up wheel handle I noticed that it wasn't well made... it looked like it could fall apart every time you pulled it up to get the wheels working.  Also it's was $150 which was more than I wanted to spend. 

Next was to another luggage store.  As I got there I saw that there was a man in a $500 suit standing in the doorway of an all glass enclosed store.  My first thought was "no way in hell I can afford this place".  Well, I was right.  The low end bag there was $600.

Next off to Needless Markup (Neiman Marcus) - they didn't carry any.  Then off to a few more department stores and ending up at Macy's.  Macy's had a good selection but were expensive.  However the nice Indian man who was helping me whispered 50% off this Friday and Saturday in my ear.  This would have made the only bag I liked about $175.  I refer to him as the nice Indian because he said when I came back to look for the Indian guy he was the only one who worked there and he gets commission.  (and I would have come back to him).

So it's been a few hours now and the simple task of getting this bag was getting annoying.  I went back to Dillards where I had parked anyway and asked the guy for suggestions.  He said Marshalls, Target, and a Luggage place right across the street in the strip mall.

So I left and decided to make a quick stop at the luggage store which was nice but didn't exactly have a terrific selection of what I needed.

Why was this so hard?  I would imagine most people don't have the storage needs I had.

So I was looking around in the luggage store and I ran into a longtime friend who was there about repairing a piece of real luggage.  When I saw her I hit my head with my hand and called myself names which I won't repeat here.  I told her what I was looking for and she said she had 10 or 15 that would suit me at her house for free.  After all, she works for HP.... (thus the head hitting... I never remember she works for HP until I waste all of my time).

So we get to her house and she pulls out a huge laptop bag she had been using but no longer needed - it was for a 17" computer and it had an incredible amount of space.  It was HUGE compared to what I've seen.  It was made very well and had the handle with wheels.  I was SET!  It just took me 3 hours to do what I could have done in one phone call had I been thinking.   But in the end, I got the bag I needed for the very best price you can get one for. (it's about as big as a decent sized carry on).

So now that I have this I can start my new career - that is after I find business.

What else do I do?  I was a professional trader (daytrader) for 10 years working from my home (I have a hell of a computer setup).   I also have founded four internet company's all of which haven't made anything or gone anywhere except for the current one which is looking pretty good.  If you're interested it's www.toldya.com - you will recognize the type of widget ads you've seen on some of my stories.  And if you have a blog you may want to consider using the tech - it's free.  I now own a part of the company and there is no major need for my services... thus leading to becoming a mediator until the people running it sell it to Google for a billion (:>).

Scott

FYI, as an addendum.  I looked on Amazon for the bag and found it.  It's a terrific price and the reviews are great.  Here it is.    Also this is the Widget technology I was talking about.   Try clicking on the picture for a description and then click on the reviews for the actual reviews without having to go to Amazon.   Also try the search box on top - you can search all of Amazon for ANY product and get all the same kind of info from one widget.

77 Percent of Americans Concerned About Their Online Image

77 Percent of Americans Concerned About Their Online Image - 3 in 4 Americans admit to judging others solely based on their online material, yet 27 percent regret posting material online - Personal websites offer a more accurate and controlled online image Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) July 16, 2008 -- Over three-quarters of Americans (77 percent) admit to having concerns about how they appear online as a result of personal material placed on the Internet (i.e. blogs, photos, Facebook profiles), according to a study conducted by MaCorr Research and released today by 1&1 Internet Inc., the world's largest web host. A survey of 1,006 US consumers(1) also found that 27 percent have regretted posting material about themselves online, yet 76 percent of Americans admit to judging individuals solely based on their material online. Over half (58 percent) of Americans now routinely 'Google' new people they meet. Another survey of 700 people who publish their own personal website(2), as opposed to just social networking, found that 85 percent believed this offered more control over their online image, and 77 percent saw their website as providing a better impression than social networks such as MySpace or Facebook. The '1&1 Online Identity Survey' found that an astonishing 77 percent of the American public express some degree of concern regarding the issue of 'online identity.' Significantly, the majority of Americans, 89 percent, now believe there to be personal material (such as photos, blog entries, Facebook profiles) relating to them on the Internet. Over 30 percent of people have been embarrassed by what others have published online. Almost 1 in 5 (18 percent) of Americans believe their online image gives an inaccurate portrayal of themselves, with some 27 percent later regretting posting material online. Americans clearly recognize the growing role of online image. As the Internet continues to become a common method of posting and searching about people, it is becoming increasingly important for individuals to manage how they are represented online. Controlling the material published is crucial; therefore having your own website is a secure way to manage your online identity. Despite the level of regret, concern and misrepresentation, Americans still use the Internet to search and quickly judge other individuals. Over half (58 percent) admit to doing a search of people they meet online, whether it be for social reasons, job applicants, work contacts, romantic suitors or potential roommates. More than 75 percent of people judge others solely based on the material online, and believe that you can make a reliable assessment of a person from this. Some 67 percent of Americans recognize that an online image is something that needs to be carefully managed and accurate. However, it is not all bad news when it comes to how we manage our online image or identity. When asked the best method for accurately controlling and managing online identity, 70 percent of Americans responded 'having your own personal website' as one of the top methods. A further survey of 700 people who publish their own personal website, as opposed to just social networking pages like MySpace or Facebook, found that 85 percent felt significantly more in control over their online image using this medium. Some 85 percent of people using a personal website believe that their website has given them a positive online image, and 80 percent agree that their resultant online image accurately represents them. Significantly, 77 percent stated that their website has created a more positive overall online image for them than a social networking page could. The research lends weight to the argument that personal websites can be a useful means to generate or make modifications to an online identity. Oliver Mauss, CEO of 1&1 Internet Inc. said, "Americans clearly recognize the growing role of online image. As the Internet continues to become a common method of posting and searching about people, it is becoming increasingly important for individuals to manage how they are represented online. Controlling the material published is crucial; therefore having your own website is a secure way to manage your online identity." Of the personal publishers, three-quarters (75 percent) view their websites as an enjoyable activity, and some 85 percent believe it has made a positive contribution to their lives. Mauss added, "Now that web hosts provide the tools for all levels of users to easily develop and publish a personal website, many people are taking advantage of this opportunity. Personal website publishing is an enjoyable activity and the uses of it are endless; from a career portfolio site displaying your resume to a space to share hobbies and photos. Personal websites offer the high level of control and security that social networking sites do not." As the world's largest web host, 1&1 offers a comprehensive range of web solutions including domain name registrations, web hosting, email solutions, dedicated servers, and eShops. For more information on 1&1 Internet Inc., visit the website at www.1and1.com.

IBM Research Spins 'Racetrack' Nano-Magnetic Memory

IBM Research Spins 'Racetrack' Nano-Magnetic Memory

The advanced storage technique could eventually replace flash memory and hard drives, IBM scientists believe.

 

PORTLAND, Ore. — A next-generation nonvolatile memory dubbed "racetrack" is expected to initially replace flash memory and eventually hard-disk drives, according to IBM (NYSE: IBM) Corp. fellow Stuart Parkin of its Almaden Research Center (San Jose, Calif.)

Using spintronics--the storage of bits generated by the magnetic spin of electrons rather than their charge--a proof-of-concept shift register was recently demonstrated by IBM. The prototype encodes bits into the magnetic domain walls along the length of a silicon nanowire, or racetrack. IBM uses "massless motion" to move the magnetic domain walls along the nanowire for the storage and retrieval of information.

"We have now demonstrated a current-controlled, domain-wall, shift register which is the fundamental, underlying technology for racetrack memory," said Parkin. "We use current pulses to move a series of domain walls along a nanowire, which is not possible to do with magnetic fields."

IBM's Stuart Parkin

IBM's goal, based on spintronic patents filed as early as 2004, is to use the same square micron that currently houses a single SRAM memory bit, or 10 flash bits, and drill down into the third dimension to store spin-polarized bits on a sunken racetrack-shaped magnetic nanowire. Using an area of silicon 1 micron wide and 10 microns high, IBM said its first-generation racetrack would store 10 bits compared to one, thereby replacing flash memory. Eventually, it could store 100 bits in the same area, which is dense enough to replace hard-disk drives.

"Racetrack is essentially the third turn of the crank of this new field of engineering called spintronics," said Parkin. "In current solid-state memory devices you store and control the flow of electrical charge. Here, we store and control the flow of the spin of an electron."

Parkin invented a spin valve sensing device in 1989 based on the giant magnetoresistive effect, which was used to increase disk drive capacity 1,000-fold. "Then we invented the use of the magnetic-tunnel junction (MTJ)--a sandwich of two magnetic layers separated by a dielectric--which we used to build the first magnetic random access memories in 1999.

"The third generation is the racetrack, which could replace all nonvolatile memories, including flash memory and hard-disk drives," Parkin claimed.

IBM estimates that an iPod using racetrack memory could store 100 times more information. Unlike flash, the solid-state devices have no components that can wear out.

Racetrack memory injects magnetized domain walls along the length of a high aspect ratio nanowire--only nanometers wide but up to microns long. Spin-polarized current pulses are then used to move the domain walls along the nanowire to store and retrieve bits.

Last year IBM, demonstrated that it could store a magnetic domain on a nanowire, then move it along the wire's length. The new shift register composed of many domain walls can be stored and moved together along the length of the wire. To read-out bits, the device senses a change in resistance in the wire.

The next step is building a fast MTJ read-head at the top of each racetrack, enabling it to quickly read-out any of the up to 100 bits stored on a racetrack.

IBM's current prototype uses a linear racetrack aligned parallel to the surface of a silicon chip. The first racetrack demonstration with MTJ read-heads will use that same approach. Eventually, IBM said it plans to build vertical racetracks by sinking nanowires into silicon. The MTJ read-head would be located at the top of each racetrack.