Monkey Business!!

Now and again I come across a gadget that I really HAVE to have.

One such item was the Powermonkey Classic V2 Portable Charging device from Powertraveller.com .

I read briefly about it on a friends Facebook page and decided to check it out. I was impressed, and I picked one up in Duty Free on the way through Dublin Airport, en route to New York for a family break.

It isn't much to look at as a piece of technology. Just a little oval shaped plastic device with a sliding power button and an LED that flashes green or red depending on what you are doing with it. It has an output lead that connects, with the aid of the relevant tip, to whatever device you need to charge and a mains input for charging the device itself.

It can be charged from the mains, with the supplied AC Adaptor or from a PC using the supplied USB connector. It has to be said that if you decide to use your PC to charge it, it takes up to 6 hours to fully charge, over twice as long compared to the AC adaptor.

Once it is charged though, you just pop it in your pocket or bag and forget about it until you need it. It can hold a charge for up to one year and can extend the battery life of an average mobile phone by up to 96 hours and an iPod up to 40 hours. These are the manufacturers guides, I haven't had time to check their accuracy yet, but I'm guessing they might be on the optimistic side If I'm to judge by other manufacturers claims about their products.

For under €50 for the Classic (I bought the standard Silver, for some crazy reason it's more expensive for one of the alternative colours) it's the kind of gadget that will just keep on giving.

While in New York it was passed to everybody in the family at some stage, charging MP3 players, iPod Touch's, mobile phones and even a small digital camera while on the move.

The most common utterance while we were out walking was usually "Who has the Monkey?".

If your chosen device is not among the included tips (seen below) then the manufacturers have a huge range of Tips for sale on their website. I've just ordered one for my Panasonic Lumix TZ5. Most of the Tips retail for about €4 + postage.

The Powermonkey Classic V2 is definitely my Gadget of the Month :-)

Self Critical

Sometimes, like most people, I am forced to look at myself with a critical eye.

I am not always happy with what I see. I guess like most people, I like to think of myself in a positive way, see the good in myself and not the bad, concentrate on the light and push the dark to the back of my mind.

But like most people, I am not perfect. Sometimes I fuck up. Sometimes I do and say things that, with hindsight, I might have done or said differently.

This applies most commonly when dealing with other people, people that do not think the way I do, who do not necessarily ascribe to my point of view.

It can be hard to see past our own viewpoint, to put ourselves in the other persons shoes and feel their pain or joy or their fears.

I don't know if it's something that can be changed, if there would even be any point in trying. Maybe being aware of it is enough.

I guess that is what the word "sorry" was created for.

Damn I'm so bad at this Blog Lark Part 2!

I really am.

I can't decide whether to bother with this or just stick to Facebook only.

Most everything happens on Facebook, but it's fast moving. Stuff comes and go's. Posts appear an disappear. Whole threads fade into the fullness of webtime never to be seen again.

At least with a dedicated blog, it's easily searchable..right there... anytime you...or heaven forbid...an interested third party...might want to read it...again even.

I'm not even suggesting I have anything of particular interest to say most of the time. But sometimes I surprise even myself.

I've never been good with anything diary related..I'm way to undisciplined for that. But I LOVE the idea. I can string a few words together..my grammar and spelling are not that bad...I DON'T do text speak...I HATE it...and I can usually back up my thoughts with some half decent photographs of my own making.

So really it should be a no brainer. But everytime I end up just posting on Facebook..and it fades..along with all the other gazillion world changing posts that appear there every second of every day.

Oh and this year has been pretty eventful as far as my life goes. Tons of stuff to talk about...discuss..complain about...sing about...whatever your chosen means of discourse. But have I bothered...?

No...I just Facebooked ...and now I couldn't find the posts even if I was half bothered too.


I've a feeling that the next few months will be even more eventful than the previous months of this year put together...so really I should force myself to be more disciplined (there's that word again) and use my blog.

Will I?

I'm fucked if I know Terry!!