A Geek Goes Flying

This little $9 case is the perfect thing to throw in a tote bag and keep all the expensive little nick-knacks from wandering off. Mine’s holding: AirPods Pro 2 in their charging case  Apple Pencil (I still have Lightning iPads, so...) USB C to Pencil Adapter Stylus pen and a rOtring disposable USB C to C data + power cable (also useful for, e.g., side loading my Kindle on the go) USB C to Lightning adapter Short USB A to USB C cable USB A to USB C adapter USB C to USB A adapter USB C to micro USB B adapter Watch charger

  After being inundated with ads for a similar stand (probably the same one, made in the same factory, just with different branding), and both needing to bump an order past the same day delivery threshold and having a “coupon” pop up bringing the price down significantly, I picked up this stand from Amazon:  Moallia Laptop Stand with 360 Rotating Base, Computer Notebook Laptop Riser Metal Holder for Desk Collaborative Work, Fully Foldable for Easy Storage, Fits All MacBook, Laptops up to 16 inches . The “collapsed” photos shown for the product are at a deceptive perspective; when folded up, this is still a large product. And it’s not quite as travel-friendly as the MOFT stand I have and love . But for an impromptu kitchen counter or balcony session, it seems to be decently high quality and flexible. With the arm setup to position it about 5" above table height, the screen is at a perfect position - though I note my laptop (a MacBook Pro 14") wobbles a bit as I type. Anyway. I...

In the Car Using a laptop on a steering wheel desk while charging the car The Solterra provides the occasional opportunity to wait for a DCFC charger to recharge its batteries, which, with a few pieces of kit, gives the operator a chance to get some work knocked out. What I’ve found to work well, so far: USTTOP Car Steering Wheel Desk . $10-13. I wrap the “Vegan leather” steering wheel with a bandana or something similar to protect it from the somewhat rough surface of this piece of plastic. It’s not the most stable a surface, but it works fine for laptop use and the price is certainly right. Have to remember to rotate the steering wheel 180° before shutting the car off. Anker 323 52.5W charger . $12-16. This 12V adapter can reliably pump 30W into a MacBook Air over a USB C cable (or probably the MagSafe charging cable). Baseus USB-C charging cable with an LED display that shows the charging wattage, useful to make sure everything’s working properly. This MagSafe mounting kit for my...

I bounce between bags / a briefcase (e.g., Timbuk2 Control messenger bag or Spirit or Track II backpacks; various tomtoc bags; a black leather Kenneth Cole backpack I got as a gift a few years back). I found myself buying, or poised to buy, duplicate cables and other accessories, and then realized how silly that was. But constantly unloading/loading all the miscellany was a pain in the ass. Enter Cocoon organizers. Small Cocoon with tablet accessories I have a Cocoon CPG4BK GRID-IT!® Accessory Organizer - xSmall 7" x 5" (Black) for my tablets (an old iPad Pro 9.7 in a ZAGG Rugged Book Pro keyboard case with an Apple Pencil 1 , and an iPad 9th Generation in a protective case also with an Apple Pencil 1), that fits perfectly in the front pocket of my tomtoc 11 inch Tablet Sleeve Bag . It’s carrying: An Anker 20,000 mAh battery pack Zendure X5 ( waiting on a warranty replacement ) 15,000 mAh power bank with 45W output power Insignia Lightning Wired Earbud Headphones (...

Recharging a Laptop on the Go For a few years now, I’ve had a Noovoo AC Power Bank (claims to be 20100mAh with 60W output and 72.36Wh) (no longer available; newer version ). It’s ... Fine. Gets the job done. Can recharge an ancient MacBook Air. Takes a while to recharge with the bundled AC adapter (3-4 hours with the bundled 19V 1.6A charger). The capacity isn’t really 20100 mAh (more like 15,000 mAh usable, according to this review - but the math isn’t sourced; internally, it uses 3x 6700mAh 3.7v batteries). The form factor is awkward. But I have it, and it works. I covet the Omni 20+ , but $249 is a bit steep... Basically, I want something that can recharge a MacBook Air 11" at least once, on the go, without being a hassle to lug around in a backpack. Novoo has a more squared-off Portable Laptop Charger , but it seems like it would be almost as awkward as what I’ve currently got. There’s also this Novoo Portable Laptop Charger with a claimed 40,000 mAh capacity , but at $140...