PowerBook 1400cs/166

This computer handled very well, its sturdy construction held up, even after thousands of miles jittering around in the sidecar. I used Eudora to get e-mail, FrontPage to create web pages, and PhotoShop to crop and enhance photos.

Kodak DC50

This, one of the first digital cameras on the market, also handled well, much better than the subsequent DC100, though it took quite a beating. It came with a PCMCIA card that slipped into the PC card slot in the PowerBook.

Connecting

In Beijing I connected to the Internet via the phone line in my friends' apartment. Outside of Beijing I used the fax machines in the business centers of better hotels every few days when I passed through a city. Most of China is wired for telephones, but in small places the people had never seen a computer and couldn't be convinced to hook it up to their telephone line. Even in the business centers people had not seen a laptop nor were familiar with the Internet, so I would convince them to allow me to use the fax line by telling them that my fax was inside my computer.