Me and My Rig

NOW THEN! COME into the shed, I'm just pottering a bit. Pull up the cracket but mind how you go as one of the legs is a bit wonky. If you prefer, there's a bag of peat you can sit on. The tea-caddy has got a slug on it but the beer is a good barrel and you're welcome to as much as you like.

An imaginary garden shed set-up and rhetorical opening paragraph? Bit of northern whimsy? Yes, that's right, it's the second in our occasional series where we ask friends old and new -- even the odd enemy -- to share details of their computing arrangements in a spot we like to call Me And My Rig. This week, we welcome Mike Dinsdale who works for Brother as a communications director, which probably means he organises the party, so let's all be nice to him.

Q Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun in your hand? Or is it a mobile phone/smartphone/PDA and if so please could you describe it and your opinion of said item? Actually, that joke doesn't really work anymore as it was designed for our first interviewee in this spot and his name was Joe. But just ignore that and imagine you were born as a Joe.

A It's my e-mytherer, nee Blackberry. Focus of current love-hate relationship, destroyer of weekends, un-cool, irreplaceable. While this is my weapon of choice for email on the go, I do carry backup for voice. Business-wise, I have a Nokia 6230i - dependable and functional. For personal calls at the moment I have a Motorola Razr V3. So that's three bulges in the jacket pocket as I'm yet to find one device that does it all the way I need it, but I have been looking around.

Q Would you describe yourself as a gadget freak, that is, a consumer of gewgaws and electronic fripperies, some say nerd?

A No but my grandkids would, though I do widen the scope and gadgets for me are not always PCs, nor do they need to be brand new. One of my favourites is a 1973 shortwave radio rescued from Ebay. So solid and sounds fantastic. Whichever way you look at it, gadgetry is cool and for me also means hoarding. In the loft I still have my Sinclair ZX 81 with 16K RAM and the last two laptops I had are still in a cupboard at the office. I need them and I don't part with them. I also have my Palm III, My Sony Clie and two HP PDAs, one with a Navman jacket. Not used at the moment but you never know. My Creative Nomad Juke Box is still in use doing dinner jazz, though long replaced when I'm on the move by an Ipod. The biggest frustration is they make them quicker than I can buy them.

Q What's the coolest item in your rig?

A My Oneclick power socket -- get off on getting off, and on, so to speak.

Q No odea what you're talking about.

A Now when I switch the PC off all my other connected gadgets chill out too. It makes me feel better not using energy when there's no real need to. I'm going to get another one for the telly.

Q And the one you feel ashamed to tell us about, omitting no detail, no matter how small?

A I have no shame, but, OK, it's my Nikon Coolscan ED film scanner. I confess I still do film now and again. Tried to kick it but sometimes I need an analogue fix.

Q What else have you got in that part of the house you call your study but your partner refers to as 'the utility room'?

A Two PCs, two USB HD drives, one flat-screen monitor, one CRT. One Mac laptop, one Dell laptop, one Nikon Coolscan ED film scanner, one Brother MFC, books, hundreds of CDs, loads of software including MS C+++, VB Studio and the PIC micro development system. CuBase, books, Yamaha QY70 sequencer, three guitars, Fender Mexican five-string base, Takamine acoustic, Duncan Smith six string and a ukulele. A Peavey 75-Watt base amp, Marshall 50-Watt guitar amp, 16-channel mixer, mic's and stands. Books, seven flutes, one alto sax. Two Leatherman multitools (one original one wave titanium), two home made robots. Did I say books? Belkin wireless router. Netgear hub, four four-way USB adaptors. USB headset, Logitech camera, DECT phone, misc. bits of radio control gear. Loads of redundant stuff in the back of a cupboard including modems, mice, a Microsoft joystick and I think there are even a couple of parallel cables.

Q To have a desktop or not a desktop - discuss.

A No desktop needed. If I could run software without a PC I would. My study is a place to retreat to and play so there are PCs there, but computing I need to do whenever and wherever I am. It's my work, and I travel extensively.

Q Are you a lunatic, style-obsessed Mac zealot or sober, Harris Tweed wearing PC man?

A I love my Mac laptop, but my work is mainly on corporate PC so I'm forced to walk on the dark side. The Mac isn't just about style, it's about choice and a better way of doing things. You can't judge a laptop by its case -- if you did you might think Macs are bimbos. You'd be so wrong.

Q What sweet piece of kit would you like to purchase next, once your dependents take a break from raiding the bank account for so-called necessities?

A If only it was available I'd go for a Seven of Nine style Borg implant, but with a bit of redesign by Oakley for real mobile connectivity. As it's not yet on the shelves, I'd seriously consider one of the new generation ultra-portable PCs like the OQO instead.

Thanks Mike, that's a lot of rig you've got, not to mention a lot of musical hardware suitable for the next Woody Allen. Now sup up and I'll pour you another mug. µ