So here I am in my offices in New York City when a co-worker asks if I'd be interested in meeting a friend of his who is selling a man-portable Emergency Coperations Center.

So the guy comes by with this Pelican 1500 case, which looks for all the world like any other case.

He opens it up and inside....
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3208708918051688135

It's a complete communications center, with Sattelite and Land-Line Communications, video conference, all kinds of goodies.

I got a partial list of what's in it:
On-Board battery pack & charger (Iit's a big Gel-Cel, can't be sure of amp-hours by lookng)
Broadband SatComm link (voice/data 484KB/Sec to 2MB Sec)
Laptop Computer with Mapping and Incident software
Network router
Color Printer
Color Scanner/Fax
GPS
Work Lamps
Digital Camera (A handheld unit)
Webcam
USB Hub
Bunches of extra cables
Cellular Data Network card (I think it was Verizon, don't know)

Unfortunately, he had a meeting with some government agency and couldn't stay long enough for me to play with it...but man, I'd love one of those. They have a web site about it http://www.z5technologies.com/products_NOMAD.asp
but that's not as cool as having been able to actually play around with it a bit.

Don't really need to drop a few k on one of those. Most everyone here has a computer unless your posting from a public library or something like that. Just keep portability in mind the next time you need a new computer and instead of that 21" widescreen laptop buy something small enough to carry. Then get a case and put some of your bob comms into it. Easy enough to DIY. I pack and carry most of what is on this list when I travel anyway.

Don't parents already send their kids off to their freshman year of college with these? <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Pretty neat setup. I think I will go raid my desk and dump the contents into a plastic tote bin. Then I can go put the other $2,999.99 in the bank. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Yes but most of it was used! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

For those of you good naturedly joking about this, let's not forget lessons learned during Katrina. I'm sure these will mostly end up with emergency services groups, military, etc. but if I had deep pockets I'd buy one. Remember the family that got stuck in Death Valley recently? I bet that dad wished he had some sort of communications that used satellite hook-up. (They may have cell phone towers in Death Valley, but I wouldn't count on it.)

If the New Madrid Fault lets go any time soon, there will be a lot of midwesterners that will wish they had something like that.

Unfortunately, I don't see one becoming part of my BOB anytime soon. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />