The Well-Prepared Mobile Superhero

When I was a kid, I always wanted to be Batman. Sure, he didn’t have any superpowers. He couldn’t fly or see through walls. He wasn’t bulletproof like that goody-goody Superman. But what Batman did have was a dark edge, cool mask with pointy ears, and a utility belt containing all sorts of gadgets that always seemed to get him out of dangerous situations.

Being the imaginative and industrious tyke I was, I gathered up my motley collection of toys and homemade “weapons” and assembled my very own superhero kit. Suffice it to say, I didn’t have as much success fighting crime in the schoolyard as Batman did fighting crime in Gotham City. But that didn’t stop me from refining my gear. Today, I have a very different kind of kit: A kit for the mobile writer.

Last month’s Chin Music, Netbooks: The Perfect Stocking Stuffer, led to several discussions among friends and colleagues as to what constitutes an essential piece of mobile gear. Some of the suggestions were indispensable; others were rather superfluous (a flask of whiskey… really?). The gear you choose to carry with you is very personal and highly dependent on your profession and mobile needs (the Flickr pool, “what’s in your bag?”, is dedicated to showcasing contributors’ kit contents). My mobile superhero gear -- usually carried in either a messenger bag or briefcase -- contains everything I need to get a job done while in the field. Although it might vary slightly depending on what I’m working on, my kit usually contains the following items (from top to bottom; left to right):

Acer netbook (with AC adapter): The command center for all my off-site work. It’s used primarily for email, research on the Internet, and word processing.