This Is A Test Of My Emergency Blogging System

I'm one month away from heading out to the North Texas RPG Con. Although I have my games pretty well written and my arrangements made, there was one thing that I needed to take care of. You see, I like to keep a daily "live blog" from any convention I attend. I think (or at least, I hope) that readers appreciate getting a "you are there" view of a gaming con they might not otherwise be able to attend. Or, perhaps, they're thinking of attending one day and they'd like to get a better idea of the venue, what games are available, and other info you just can't get from the con's website. Also, I used to be a newspaper reporter, so keeping a daily blog of what I've seen and done keeps the reporting reflexes "fresh."

Explanations aside, I was beginning to become concerned that I'd be unable to do this with NTRGPG Con because I'll be flying to this location. For all other cons, I've been fairly close (within a few hours' drive) so I'd just pack up the laptop, toss it all in the trunk, and head on out. Upon arrival, I'd take a few minutes and basically set up a mobile office in my room. But since I'm flying to Texas, I prefer to travel light. Which means one carry-on and that's it. (I travel REAL light when I fly.) So packing up my Mobile Blogging Command Center just so I could hammer out a daily travelogue wasn't appealing to me. But then my wife pointed out that I always take my Android tablet (Acer A500) with me too. (I have all of my RPG books uploaded on it for use at the table if the need arises.)

"Can't you just type up your blog-things with that?" she asked.

Well, I have used my tablet for answering emails and simple G+ comments, but I wasn't real thrilled with the idea of typing up an entire blog post on the Android's screen keyboard. I could just see myself pecking at the screen-keys like some kind of demented bird. But after a bit a research, I found an "el cheapo" USB-keyboard/tablet case that could work. But I like the case my tablet is kept in (rich Corinthian leather), so I cannibalized the keyboard from the case, turning it into a stand-alone plug-in device. I downloaded the Blogger tablet app, and I think I just might be good-to-go with this efficiency set-up. Takes up a lot less space, is portable, and should work well when I'm on the road in June. I'm not sure I like how the photos are posted with the app, as they default to run at the end of the post, but that seems to be the only concession I need to make. And typing on a real keyboard is a relief.

If you're wondering why I've blathered on this long about my computer-blogging plans, it's because this post serves a very specific purpose. This entire post is the first one I've written and posted from the tablet-based blogging platform I've just described. So it looks like it's a "go" in 30 days.

Stay tuned for yet another Sniderman travelogue, this time live from North Texas RPG Con in June!