Oniko Goes To Japan - Introduction

Who is Oniko? - Why the name 'Oniko'? - Why Japan? - How do you make a web page while traveling?!
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How did you make a web page while traveling?!

My Laptop Computer:
SONY VAIO PCG-735
Windows 98
64 Mg Ram
2.2 Gig Hard Drive
Internal modem
Optional second battery
Extras:
-> PCI adapter for
digital camera
memory cards

My Camera:
Olympus D-340L

When I first went back to Japan in 1998, I planned to build this site on the run; so I set myself up with the equipment and software necessary to do so. In the long run, by the third trip I was learning and doing so much during the trips that I didn't have time to update the page as I went; so now I update the pages after the trips when I get home. Ironically, this is largely due to my increasing skill with Japanese... as I can talk and read more, I can follow up vaguer and vaguer leads and learn more as I do so. However, for those of you who want to know how I set myself up to do the web page on the run, here's the details.
First off, I got myself a laptop computer... kinda an obvious necessity to create computer files on the run. The next thing I got was a good digital camera, something that would not only do the usual sort of shots, but would also be able to do close-ups... as in up to just four inches away from what I want to photograph. Along with this, I purchased a special card for my laptop that allows it to read directly off the memory cards that the digital camera uses. This lets me take pictures, and immediately pull them into a variety of software packages to prepare them for web display.
The software I use comes down to three packages. I use Adobe Photoshop to generally clean up and prepare the images; this is available for purchase at most stores that carry new software, or directly from Adobe Software. To produce animated GIFs, I use the GIF Construction Set; this is available in demo and full versions from Alchemy Mindworks.
Once I had the computer, the next trick was finding a way to connect to the internet while I was in Japan without having to dial long distance to my service provider in the United States. This was solved by a special service called Net-Roamer. Using this software to dial, you can connect to a service provider in a nearby area in most countries around the world, paying only the local phone charges plus an additional $5 or so for each month you use the software. Useful, no? I recommend it to anyone who travels a lot, even if it's just in the United States; this can radically cut long-distance connections charges.

Who is Oniko? - Why the name 'Oniko'? - Why Japan? - How do you make a web page while traveling?!
More Web Pages by Oniko

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