Sunday, February 25, 2007

road warrior challenges and what to do with the laptop

Hmm, the last posting really brought out quite a few interesting comments.

I should clarify a few points:

  1. I have many computers at home. I only use the laptop at home for company purposes.
  2. When I'm on the road I ONLY have the company laptop and my private BlackBerry, which I own.
  3. I've been loading some helpful software onto the Blackberry - ToDoMatrix and Ascendo Data Vault (and Free Sudoku) to assist with various activities.
  4. When not logged into the VPN, while on the road, I have used the laptop for the following personal purposes:
  • Skype to my family - added a cheap $30 portable video camera - not veyr good quality (Phillips)
  • Blogging
  • Personal e-mail
  • Investments via Vanguard, etc....
  • Chat via Yahoo for friends who do not skype
  • DVDs (I plan to watch the second season of Entourage

I've been very nervous about running any specific software that stores confidential information, such as Quicken 2007 - even from a thumbdrive.

I have ordered a Sony PSP and look forward to playing games and listening to movies on it.

The fundamental issue, is that when I'm on the road, the laptop is all I have when I'm not reading books or watching cable TV - which seems limited to HBO.

In general, I'm not out carousing and getting myself into trouble. I usually use the evening hours for extra work - but too little recreation will lead to burnout.

Ultimately, I wonder if I'll need to carry a second notebook for personal use. However, carrying so much, just doesn't make sense. I do miss having the ready hand on my finances. The pile of receipts on my desk, though downloaded into Quicken, is still uncategorized and growing.

Regards, makingourway

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you ever checked out the site www.lifehacker.com? There are lots and lots of tips for dealing with just the types of issues you mention. You might be safe enough using a thumbdrive for applications, but there have also been some posts on how to connect to your home computer remotely.

http://lifehacker.com/software/vnc/access-your-home-pc-with-a-thumb-drive-175035.php

Anonymous said...

I agree and have the same problem. When I went on my temporary assignment to NY I ended up bring my desktop to get to my personal stuff.

Now that I am in a new assignment and traveling more I need a way to access my stuff on the road. I am considering 2 options so far (although thank to your suggestion Ill have to think about a memory stick.

I have been thinking of 2 other ways - 1) use remote desktop into my home pc to work on my personal stuff or 2) use VMware/Virtual PC and load a personal OS onto my company laptop and install my personal apps onto that OS.