I’m heading home from Washington DC this morning, and had to take a picture of what awaited me near my gate. I don’t know who to thank for the "Outlet Stands" – either the Reagan Airport or Dunkin Donuts. Either way, THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS FOR US!!! There are two other outlets on the other side of this table – as well as a completely separate table that’s to the left of this particular photo.

The last time I had Dunkin Donuts, I was in grade school (yes, THAT long ago). I caved to my inner child – although I’m sure I’ll pay for it later by feeling sick on the plane. And I’m sorry, but Dunkin Donuts coffee ain’t no Peet’s. I had to go with iced coffee since they didn’t have heavy cream – although I almost got an espresso (and might yet before my flight). The wrapper once held a donut with chocolate frosting and colored sprinkles.

• Cutting Cable and Cord Clutter
• Airport Delays

My latest CPU Magazine article is out: The” title=”http://www.computerpoweruser.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/archive/c0703/44c03/44c03.asp&did=2111&aid=37991\”>The” target=”_blank”>www.computerpoweruser.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/archive/c0703/44c03/44c03.asp&did=2111&aid=37991″>The Power Of Power.

I recently moved into a new house in the Seattle area. Moving is anything but fun, especially when it happens to coincide with the same time frame as your wedding/honeymoon. Well, the movers we selected did an absolutely rotten job at packing our stuff. Cords were separated from their respective devices, and I’ll be damned if I know which ones match up. Some manufacturers were nice enough to stamp their name and the corresponding device onto the power supply and cord, while others were completely generic and without labels. Am I really to blame for this mess?

It’s a trend that must be reversed. CPUser “Randy” had a comment that deserved to be seen, if only by the hardware hackers of the galaxy:

While I agree that there should be some form of standard, when dealing with power adapters. There is one very significant point. There are many devices out there. Each one, usually for good reason, is designed to charge and/or run on a given voltage/amperage. The reason for not having extra circuitry, with which to convert some incoming standard towards something that will work with the needed circuitry, is that this “circuit” would require a certain given space. In today’s world, every consumer wants more of everything fit into a device except that they want it to be smaller. If you could design a tiny circuit, say .1 to .3 mm cubed, that could convert some universal standard, say standard home 115VAC and automotive ~12VDC to whatever we need to run the circuitry. Let us know. It would be greatly appreciated.

So is such a thing possible? What say you, power people? I promise to give ‘er a good “plug” or two. Pun intended.

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