A Post-Katrina Computer Makeover

Hurricane Katrina may have been a 2005 news event, but it's still affecting millions of people well into 2006, including this week's Hook Me Up subject Jerry.

The hurricane's destruction had a major affect on tourism, causing Jerry to lose his job as a web designer for the New Orleans tourism site. But as a true survivor, Jerry made do with his available resources, specifically a $40 computer he purchased on Craigslist.

Jerry is now working as a freelance web designer and trying to get his true passion up and running: an Internet radio station, Astreauxworld.com. Ideally Jerry would like to focus on the radio station fulltime, but he doesn't have the right hardware or software to take the station to the next level.

I dispatched Jacky Myint to hook Jerry up. She's a freelance web designer, too, and works as a developer at the Associated Press. Jacky surveyed Jerry's set-up and was amazed: two old, and I mean old PCs making crunchy noises as they tried to process all the data needed for Jerry's websites.
 
Jacky decided to hook Jerry up with a Toshiba Qosmio Laptop. The Qosmio is known as a top-notch multimedia laptop, handling audio and video files with ease. The system has a huge array of built in AV ports, which is something that's not usually found on traditional laptops. Plus, the laptop's screen is big and bright, something that got Jerry really excited.

On top of all those features, the Qosmio also has a DVD±RW that pops out of the front panel, so you can put peripherals along the side of the system without blocking the drive bay. And for the audiophile in Jerry, the Qosmio also has Harmon Kardon speakers that sound terrific, considering they are built in to the laptop. But for his home setup, we also got him a set of the Klipsch Pro-Media speakers for full stereo sound.

To properly promote and package Jerry's Internet radio station, Jacky picked out a copy of Sony's Acid Pro 6, a music creation program that helps Jerry make jingles and promotional spots to play between tracks.

The actual computers were only half the problem, so Jacky decided some basic organizational tools would make a huge difference. Jacky, went with a Palm TX PDA to stay organized, a Microsoft wireless notebook mouse, and a Logitech Web-Cam to add pictures and video to the radio station's web site.

In total, Jacky spent just under $3,000 to transform Jerry's ‘jerryrigged' setup into a broadcaster's dream.