Often, in the field, we come across situations wherein we have to rely on our own senses to resolve measuring or logistical issues.  Below are several quick how to’s, ranging from judging distance to having your cell phone operate as a fax.

How to Judge Distance:

1. Many highways are marked at 10-yard intervals

2.  Power poles are usually set at a standard distance of 100 yards apart.

(Tip:  Bear in mind  that your environment can create an optical illusion. Dense brush will make objects appear closer than they are, while open space makes objects look farther away than they actually are.)

3. Use your body to judge distance. Extend your arm in front of your eyes, thumb up. Close your eyes one after another. Multiply the distance projected in the horizon by your thumb by ten.

How to Measure a Surface Space:

1. A (U.S.) dollar bill is exactly six inches long and makes for a convenient pocket ruler.

How to find an electrical outlet at an airport:

Keep your laptop, iPhone, recorder… charged.

1.  At the sitting area in the gate, look to the window walls and columns near the announcement desk.  They generally have active electrical outlets installed (for cleaning crews).

How to save a wet cell phone:

1. Immediately displace the water that wet your cell phone with isopropyl, ethyllic or methilic alcohol (rubbing alcohol).   Alcohol also does not oxidize metals and semiconductors, and leaves behind no conductive or semi-conductive residue. It also evaporates much more quickly than water, and has the final advantage of sanitizing your cell phone (which may be a big bonus depending on where you have dropped it.)

Once the phone is out of the alcohol, drip and carefully sling out all the liquid you can. Then put the phone in a comfortably warm place. A very small lamp with a small incandescent bulb (30 watts – no more) should do the job.  (Do not use a more powerful light source as the objective is to evaporate the alcohol, not fry the phone. ) Leave it warming under the light overnight and by morning your phone should be ready to test.

2. Again, sling out as much of the liquid your phone was immersed in as you can and leave in a nice, sunny place!

How to travel light with your laptop:

1. Just bring your smart phone.  Leave the  camera and cell phone charger at home.  a) Your phone already comes with a pretty good camera so that’s one extra piece of equipment you won’t need and b) just use your laptop’s USB cord to charge your smartphone.

2. Convert your smart phone into a scanner, copier and fax.  Using a free online service called ScanR, you can scan, copy, and fax with your camera phone.  Simply send document images from your cell phone and they’ll convert them into clean, usable pdf files.  They accept files sent via email as well as multimedia messages

As always, stay safe.

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