Nemo’s Ten Point Tutorial – 6 – Macworld Expo Survival Guide

Nemo’s Ten Point Tutorial – 6 – Macworld Expo Survival Guide

What to bring to San Francisco for hours and hours and miles and miles and booths and booths and presentations and presentations during an entire week of Macworld Expo? In rough priority order, here is John’s must have list. We welcome your additions, based upon personal experience. Happy Macworld to all.

1 = REALLY GOOD SHOES. Moscone Center’s basement Expo showroom floor is carpeted throughout, but sturdy, comfortable, loose-fitting shoes with fresh innersoles and padded socks allow you to forget about your feet so your hands and head can pursue total immersion in everything Macintosh from opening bell to closing broom.

2 = EXTRA CARRY BAG with plenty of space and decent shoulder straps. You’ll pick up mountains of handouts, samples, demos, shirts, pens, software, hardware, otherware, younameit. Begin the day with an empty bag or case and it will be loaded by the time you drag it and yourself up and out to the “real” world.

3 = PACKED LUNCH OR PLENTY OF $$$. You’ll become hungry and thirsty mid-morning and late afternoon, so eat! Time loses ordinary meaning within the Macworld Expo. Food is plentiful in variety and quantity, if a bit overpriced, and located in several places in the Expo hall. Water bottle and snack also come in handy.

4 = BUSINESS CARDS, PEN, AND PAD OF PAPER for exchanging contact info and writing down notes for future retrieval.

5 = BRIGHTLY COLORED HAT AND SHIRT OR JACKET so your friends, coworkers, and family members can easily locate you across a crowded exhibit area.

6 = DIGITAL CAMERA FULLY CHARGED AND STORAGE MEMORY CARD WITH PLENTY OF SPACE. You’ll be surprised how efficient it is to take a few snapshots to show others what you experienced and to help you remember specific items from the chaotic environment of non-stop Macworld. Remember to backup all digital photos this time and every time (subject for another tutorial to cover the particulars).

7 = CELLULAR PHONE FULLY CHARGED. No need to over-emphasize this one. Turn your ringer volume up to 500 decibels and set your vibration buzzer to always on, then take your phone out of its case and place it in your pants or shirt pocket so you can feel if not hear the darn thing when calls arrive. Suggestion: don’t answer the phone during an individual or group presentation. You can always call your broker or personal trainer back later.

8 = WIRELESS LAPTOP FULLY CHARGED PLUS EXTRA BATTERY AND POWER CABLE if you own them and are prepared to tote them around for a l-o-n-g time. This may be your most difficult and important or annoying decision.

9 = iPOD FULLY CHARGED to test audio equipment such as headphones and speakers using your own music instead of listening to Led Zeppelin’s version of the MyMac.com Podcast theme song, karaoke version.

10 = ROLLING BACKPACK to carry all the aforementioned items. You’ll thank me for this suggestion. I’m currently using Streetwinder from ThatPack, which I rate somewhere between a “B” for being sturdy and speedy and a “D” for being out of balance and dangerous to all laptops. We’re always looking for the best computer cases, so keep an eye on our reviews for updates in this category.

Now get yourself down into the Moscone Center’s lower depths for some of the best days of your Macintosh existence. If you need additional help, you can always Find Nemo with his bright green cap, yellow jacket, green rucksack, and rolling bag.