Toughbook CF-18 Laptop w/external Toshiba CD/DVD drive:
As the single most expensive piece of equipment acquired for the trip, I had an awful hard time pulling the trigger on this purchase. But I figured that since the destruction or malfunction of my machine would end my embed with a wet fizzle, the Toughbook serves as an insurance policy in addition to a well-suited piece of equipment. And boy, does it deliver: with its ultra-compact size, 3.5 lb. weight, daylight visible screen, self-enclosed briefcase design, back-lit keyboard, pc tablet versatility and theoretical ability to keep ticking after brief submersion or bludgeoning a camel spider, the Toughbook is aptly named. One drawback: the rubberized keyboard (optional) requires awkward finger pressure that's difficult to get used to, but I hold out hope that my four-fingered hunt and peck will prevail. Cost: $4000

Digital Voice Recorder with Dragon Naturally Speaking Software
Probably the second-most difficult aspect* of the journalism I practiced in 2004 was the tedium of manually transcribing digitally recorded interviews. Play, pause, type, rewind, play, pause, type, rewind, play ...

Thus it was with great excitement that I learned about Dragon Naturally Speaking, software that claims the ability to digitally recognize recorded speech and convert it into text. Its tantalizing promise was never realized, however; for while the Dragon is pretty good at recognizing my speech after 20 minutes worth of training exercises (it successfully captures and prints roughly 80%), it's next to useless at transcribing the speech of those it does not recognize, particularly when English is spoken with a foreign accent. Lesson learned.

The Sony recorder itself is top-notch, with excellent clarity, a sensitive mic and super compact design. Cost: $250 (bundled w/software)

* BTW, the most difficult aspect of '04's citizen journalism? The smell of patchouli.

Canon Rebel Digital SLR Camera with 55mm and telephoto lens:
All of the pictures taken for the site thus far have been the product of a "point-and-shoot" Sony Cybershot camera. I've always been satisfied with the clarity and color of the shots, but upgrading to a digital SLR grants two crucial abilities required by pros:

1. Manual focus, allowing the user to reach higher levels of artistic composition and clarity on demand. For example, this photo would have been a nice shot if the flower had been the crisp focal point.
2. An action shutter. These action pictures were blurry because I was trying to time the shutter and auto-focus while following a fast-moving subject. With an SLR, I can just aim, hold down the button and rapidly take shots.

A tertiary boon to pros is the wide variety of manual settings available on a digital SLR. But many of these settings also exist on point-and-shoots, and today's cameras take great shots in many of the automated default modes. Then again, playing with the settings can achieve magnificent results, as in the case of this Michael Yon photo of a North Florida swamp ... wow. Cost: $1100

Canon Optura 400 Digital Camcorder:
I have the intention of taking video, perhaps even doing a Vent or two (we'll see how it goes). Unfortunately, my expertise doesn't travel much beyond still photography, and the research process for the camcorder purchase was a bear. Embed-related priorities came down to a few key components: a low-light/night-vision capability, a pistol grip option, an external mic jack and the ability to snap reasonably-sized still photos while also taking video. The Canon delivers on all of these items, though the 2 megapixel still photo size leaves a bit on the table. There are a lot of great cameras out there, but few with that blend of features. Let's see if this one gets the job done. Hell, let's see if I can remember to remove the lens cap. Cost: $600

BGAN Satellite Modem/Phone Rental:
A satellite modem and phone rate from handy to essential, contingent upon the communications access in different areas of Iraq. Fumento waited in long lines to obtain access to dial-up while filing reports in Ramadi, whereas Roggio enjoyed actual wireless in portions of his Fallujah embed. The sat modem is a 12"x7" box with a kickstand that plugs into my Toughbook USB and can get a signal from the middle of the Sahara with line-of-sight access to open sky, transmitting at a speed of medium to fast dial-up. The small phone handset plugs into the modem and is good to go. Since any unused bandwith is refundable, this investment seemed like a no-brainer. Cost: $250 rental/$895 for bandwith purchase

Ipod plus Accessories:
Frivolous? Nah. A Green Beret friend gave me several pieces of important advice: A) know how to use local firearms (just in case), B) do exactly what the Marines tell me to do and C) get a Sony PSP or Ipod - apparently there's a whole lot of downtime spent waiting for transportation. Cost: $250.

Oh yeah, he also advised me to D) avoid hitting on any local girls ... but I'm not sure if I buy that.

I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

More later.

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