What’s In My Bag
Lately I’ve been walking to work. This is part of a big lifestyle change for me and my family. After 24 years of living about 12 miles above the small town of Sonora, CA, we’ve moved downtown, within walking distance of WorkPlace Sonora, the coworking center where I have a desk. I carry all of the work tools that I need for the day in a messenger bag for the 1.2 mile round trip and I thought its contents might be of interest.
- Nekteck 45W USB-C Charger. I’m new to USB-C devices and I chose this charger because it’s certified by USB-IF and UL Listed. I heard horror stories about early USB-C devices and cables melting down and I don’t want to take any chances.
- Google Pixelbook. New to me and I love, love, love it. Beautifully built, with great portability at 2.4 lbs. And 10.3 mm thick. Much higher performance than my previous Dell Chromebook 13, it runs all the usual web apps, plus Android and Linux. Imagine running Firefox on a Chromebook!
- Paper notepad. A nice piece of swag from the most recent WordCamp Sacramento. Thanks, WordFence.
- USB-C hub. Since the Pixelbook only has 2 USB-C ports and a headphone jack, I need a way of connecting peripherals, like my wireless mouse. This nicely made aluminum hub provides 3 USB-A ports, SD and micro SD slots and an HDMI port for an external monitor.
- Keychain LED light.
- Business cards (Webdancers and WorkPlace Sonora).
- USB sticks, including a Chrome OS recovery image, so that if my Pixelbook really goes belly up, I can restore it to its original state. Since all of my settings and apps are in the cloud, bringing my entire computing environment back to life only takes a few minutes. This compared to Windows, which used to take a full day to make functional after a fresh install.
- Eonfine EH-705M Sport Bluetooth Headphones. Mostly used for listening to podcasts on the daily commute. These have over the ear loops so that they don’t fall out while walking, like other earbuds I’ve used. They can also be used for phone calls and people say they can hear me ok.
- HDMI to VGA adapter. Honestly, I don’t know why I’m still carrying this around.
- USB-A Power adapter and cable. For phone and battery charging.
- TRENDnet USB 3.0 to Ethernet Adapter. Dead simple way to connect a laptop to a wired network. Just plug it in and it works.
- Sharkk SK2511 Wireless Mouse. No matter how good the trackpad is (and the Pixelbook trackpad is very good), I find it an uncomfortable position for my hand. If I’m going to be working anywhere for more than a short time, I pull out this mouse. I especially like the page forward/back rocker button on the side.
- Wired earbuds. Bluetooth is not always the most reliable technology. Sometimes it’s just easier to pull these out and plug them in.
- Chapstick. For dry conference rooms.
- Anker Astro E4 13000mAh Portable Charger. A full charge on this puppy will charge my phone 3 or 4 times.
- Microfiber cloth. The only thing I’ve found that can clean matte finish screens without scratching them. This one came from Daiso, an insanely fun Japanese store in Union City.
- Clairfontaine wirebound notebook. Client notes go in here. These high quality notebooks are made in France and take fountain pen ink especially well (a subject for another time).
This topic was inspired by Matt Mullenweg, who has a lot more stuff in his bag. What’s in yours?
