Blogging from the North Pole...with an iPAQ

[Pat Logsdon]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.northpole2003.com/home' target='_blank'>http://www.northpole2003.com/home</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040422_northpolepic.jpg" /><br /><br />"At the end of February 2004, Ben Saunders set out to ski solo more than 1,200 miles across the Arctic from Siberia to Canada via the Geographic North Pole. Traversing the Arctic alone without kites or dogs remains one of the very few genuine world firsts that have yet to be achieved - in setting out on this, Ben aims to 'reset the polar standard'."<br /><br />Ben is also setting some impressive technological standards. His daily blog (complete with photo), is uploaded via a <a href="http://www.humanedgetech.com/page/iridium.htm">Motorola 9505 Iridium satellite phone</a> from an <a href="http://www.humanedgetech.com/page/pdaspecs.htm">iPAQ</a> running <a href="http://www.humanedgetech.com/page/contact2.htm">Contact 2.0 software</a>. He's using a Garmin GPS to <a href="http://www.northpole2003.com/routemap">keep track</a> of where he is and where he needs to go, and he listens to music on 3 512mb MP3 players (on shuffle) as he slogs his way north. In addition to having to deal with the cold, Ben also has to drag everything he needs to survive in a single sledge, so weight is a huge factor. So much so that on March 13, "In a desperate bid to save weight, I threw away the stylus for my iPAQ. I now write these updates using a matchstick. What a plonker." :D<br /><br />In true geek fashion, Ben has also managed to both break <b>and </b>fix his iPAQ charger, as he relates in his entry from 3/18: "I am SO proud - not of my skiing, the mileage I've covered, or the fact that I've been out here two weeks, but of the repair job I've just carried out on the charger for the iPAQ I write these updates on. I use Energizer lithium batteries to power the iPAQ, my phone, camera and GPS. The charger for the iPAQ looks like the kind of thing you'd plug into a cigarette lighter and has a little red light to tell you it's working. This evening I realised it wasn't working. No red light. No power. No spare charger. No more updates. With nothing to lose, I opened it up with my Leatherman, thinking there might be a lose connection. Only there's a whole bloomin' circuit board in there. Yikes.<br /><br />After a few minutes of poking, I found a soldered connection that had snapped. I knew I had to fix it, and after nearly two hours of bodging with a safety pin, a red hot knife blade, some super glue and a few other odds and ends, IT WORKS!!!! The rest of the day? Dragged a sledge for a few hours, lots of ice, stupidly cold, shivering in a sleeping bag. Same old same old." :werenotworthy: Ben is currently more than halfway to his goal, and hopes to reach the Geographic North Pole by June 4th.

[dean_shan]

Wow this guy is hard core. I could never do anything like that.

[Verdagon]

I could if my 4350 could transform into a rocket powered sled. But alas, PPCs aren't that advanced yet...

I hope he makes it to his goal!

[Phronetix]

Someone should've told this guy about the iPod. :frusty:

[Pat Logsdon]

Someone should've told this guy about the iPod. :frusty:
An iPod wouldn't work - the spinning platters of the hard drive wouldn't hold up in the extreme cold. Flash memory is the only option. :wink:

[jizmo]

In true geek fashion..

A guy like this can hardly be described as a geek. 8O

So, here's a hint for you if people give you a hard time about being geekish: go to the north pole! :D

/jizmo

[manywhere]

Wow this guy is hard core. I could never do anything like that.
:idontthinkso: I would never do anything like that*. Well, not unless there was like some millions Euros waiting for me... :lol:
(* = not after experiencing -30 degrees Celcius + winds, with improper clothing in the Finnish friggin army! *arrghh -- too cold* )

Where's the freezing emoticon? I'm beginning to freeze (indoors) just thinking of what that guy is experiencing! :mrgreen:

[mr_Ray]

I wonder if he'll be patenting his combination handwarmer/stylus device when he gets back?

:mrgreen:

[Kevin C. Tofel]

Wow this guy is hard core. I could never do anything like that.

Which, the solo ski or the resoldering on the circuit board of the IPAQ charger?????

8)

KCT

[Jeff Rutledge]

Wow this guy is hard core. I could never do anything like that.

Which, the solo ski or the resoldering on the circuit board of the IPAQ charger?????

8)

KCT

Well, I personally woudln't do either. ;)

[Steven Cedrone]

After digging around his site, I noticed he is dragging this "stuff" with him:

Motorola Iridium 9505 satellite phone
Compaq iPAQ
Argos satellite platform
Garmin eTrex GPS
iRiver MP3 player
Minolta digital camera
JVC camcorder
Petzl head torch
Energizer lithium batteries

How is he recharging all of this? Does he have a small generator? I can't imagine him bringing 1,000 pounds worth of batteries with him...

Steve

[powder2000]

Ya, I would like to see if he has some sort of solar panel set up to charge all this. You know, it's never dark in the summer up there. That would definitely benefit charging all this stuff.

[Jeff Rutledge]

That's exactly what I was thinking. He must have some sort of solar charger. Either way, I'd be curious to know. Maybe he has some great battery secret that we all could use. 8)

[Pat Logsdon]

Looks like he is indeed using solar power (http://www.humanedgetech.com/page/power.htm)... 8)

[Steven Cedrone]

Looks like he is indeed using solar power (http://www.humanedgetech.com/page/power.htm)... 8)

O.K., how did you figure that out? I see no mention of his taking that equipment with him. He never even mentions HumanEdgeTech on his website...

Do you have a crystal ball Mr. Logsdon? (and can I get next week's winning lottery numbers if you do) :wink:

Steve

[dean_shan]

Wow this guy is hard core. I could never do anything like that.

Which, the solo ski or the resoldering on the circuit board of the IPAQ charger?????


Both.

[c38b2]

Wow this guy is hard core. I could never do anything like that.
Living in Alaska, you're practically there already! :rotfl:

[jizmo]

Living in Alaska, you're practically there already! :rotfl:
"I just couldn't take that 50 meters walk..", eh? :D

/jizmo

[Phoenix]

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040422_northpolepic.jpg

"At the end of February 2004, Ben Saunders set out to ski solo more than 1,200 miles across the Arctic from Siberia to Canada via the Geographic North Pole. Traversing the Arctic alone without kites or dogs remains one of the very few genuine world firsts that have yet to be achieved - in setting out on this, Ben aims to 'reset the polar standard'."

That's just awesome. I'd love to do something like this, and would under the right circumstances - this, of course, meaning that I had the money to do it and the time and money to devote to preparation and the trip itself.

Very inspiring. What a way to test who you are and what you're made of. This guy's livin' life. Really amazing adventure, and great memories, too.

[Pat Logsdon]

Looks like he is indeed using solar power (http://www.humanedgetech.com/page/power.htm)... 8)

O.K., how did you figure that out? I see no mention of his taking that equipment with him. He never even mentions HumanEdgeTech on his website...
I had to dig a bit. While he doesn't mention HumanEdgeTech, that may be because they're a bit schizophrenic. They also call themselves ExplorerWeb, and he does refer to both that and Contact 2.0 on his Sponsor List page (http://www.northpole2003.com/sponsors#list). Also, he and another guy went on a similar trip back in 2001, and took a bunch of HumanEdgeTech stuff with them.

His dispatches are also mentioned on ExplorerWeb's site from time to time. I'd imagine that if he's getting the software and iPAQ from them, he's getting the charging stuff as well. While I haven't found specific confirmation of that, it seems to make more sense than anything else. :D

Do you have a crystal ball Mr. Logsdon? (and can I get next week's winning lottery numbers if you do) :wink:
I do have a crystal ball! I see many moderations ahead of you... :mrgreen:

[dean_shan]

Living in Alaska, you're practically there already! :rotfl:
"I just couldn't take that 50 meters walk..", eh? :D


Funny you should say that. I've accually been to North Pole (http://www.northpolealaska.com/) many times. ;)

[ctmagnus]

I was doodling around in MapPoint one day and noticed that. I was wondering when it was annexed. ;)

[Pat Logsdon]

UPDATE: Looks like Ben made it to the North Pole (http://www.northpole2003.com/dispatches/may/11/on_top_of_the_world)! At the time of his last post, he was waiting for the helicopter to come and pick him up, and took a picture of himself playing solitaire on his iPAQ (http://www.northpole2003.com/dispatches/may/14/a_quick_update). :mrgreen:

[Janak Parekh]

That's awesome. Does that mean the iPAQ is the first (consumer) PDA to make it to the North Pole? ;)

--janak