[Stock image by Gerd Altman on Pixabay: thanks!]
Although I’ve been what one could call, generically, a “technology professional” for over forty years, I have intentionally limited the scope of technology I pay much attention to. (My thinking: if I control what I know about, I’ll limit what I’ll be expected to know about.) Consequently, I’m always behind the curve — I might (indeed, do) know about Tech X, Y, or Z, just not enough to be confident enough in making recommendations or providing support.Here’s the current general configuration of our electronic stuff:
- Two computers — a six-year-old desktop PC which alternately boots into Windows 10 or Linux Mint, and a… well, a maybe nine-year-old laptop (also dual booting, but most often into Windows). The desktop is “mine”; the laptop (nominally The Missus’s) I have used myself on a few trips here and there. (Update, 2019-10-19: The Missus mentioned this week that she’s thinking of getting a new laptop.)
- Two not-really-conventional “computers”: The Missus’s iPad Pro (now a few years old), and my Pixelbook (just got it over the summer). The iPad can be used in either WiFi mode, or in cellular mode if no WiFi signal is present; the Pixelbook does WiFi only.
- Phones: an iPhone 8 and an LG G6. Our cellular provider for years has been Spr*nt, but we’re still with them now more or less just out of inertia.
- A variety of media-related tech — several Roku boxes and a Chromecast.
So given all the above, what would we have to give up for a six-month trip to Europe? And of what’s left, what should we leave behind anyhow?
The need to answer those questions has bumped me out of my comfort zone. But this is what I’ve got a handle on so far…
