This is how we did things back in the day...

Days before blogs, facebook, twitter, smartphones...

Nerdy Techy bit

I wouldn't really bother if I where you, but if you insist...

I started to create this site using FrontPage2000 (yeah I know, but it's simple and easy to use ok), but have moved (up, sideways) to Macromedia dreamweaver. Macromedia is a much more powerful piece of software to use than FrontPage. It is however, as you would expect more complicated than Microsoft's offering. I'd certainly recommend FrontPage to you want to create a site and don't have any care to learn HTML. Check out the code in something like FrontPage Express if you're curious. MSS Editor is a great free little HTML editor that I've used extensively while creating and modifying this site.

I updated the travel site as I travelled using a PalmPilot IIIx (upgraded to 8Meg RAM by this guy - who did a great job) with an axxPac SmartMedia card reader, a portable palm keyboard, a UK Palm Modem and a TeleAdapt Telefast plus audio coupler. I'm hooked onto the sad net via AT&T. Using this equipment means that I was able to update this site & add pictures from anywhere in the world. All I needed was a payphone! The key here is to be able to use the equipment in the widest possible situations, speed's of no real importance. It is perfectly possible to send and receive email and to post webpages at a baud rate of around 2000 bps. I know, that's the rate that I usually got using the audio coupler and a not so good telephone line.

I used the following software to bore everybody with my exploits...

• MultiMailPro
• Datebook4 - v. good, go and buy it, you'll be helping save the gorrilas.
• Standard text editing software - I never found something that I really liked.
• Diddle - I didn't end up using this much in the end
• LFtp - the best FTP program written for the palm pilot

Digitial camera

I plumped in the end for an Olympus 860L. Nice piece of kit, cheap as chips. It takes great pictures, especially at night. The camera uses standard AA batteries. One set lasts for maybe two or three months - as long as you don't use the screen to view the pictures :)

Other Equipment

Some other equipment that I lugged around the world with me in no particular order:

• A FlashPath SmartMedia floppy disk adapter - It might be slow, but every computer's got a floppy disk drive, not all of them have USB...
• Rucksac - It's a bag that you put things in and mine's made by Karrimor.
• Water purifier, MSR waterworksII (my sister insisted, and my Mum paid for it! - Thanks Mum!)
• Sleeping bag- It's a bag that you sleep in (mine got nicked in Wellington, NZ)
• Murrell sandals. Of all the stuff that I have, these are the best. I've walked everywhere, desert, forest, rivers and I've even been canyoning in them. They're great.