Remix.run Logo
aftbit 4 days ago

I bring a single high-quality large power bank whenever I travel. It's hard to reliably find power for my phone, laptop, e-reader, earbuds, gamma spectrometer, flashlight, etc while in the airport or in flight. Not every plane I end up on has reliable USB chargers. Sometimes it's handy to just plug my devices in while they're in my bag.

coldtea 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

You could try watching an in-flight movie, or reading a book and not using any device during the flight. Crazy, I know!

BobaFloutist 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

Airlines are doing this new fun trick where they interrupt your in-flight entertainment not only for the safety announcements, but also to play ads for their credit cards. And they'll turn up the brightness if it's turned down and turn up the volume if it's too low.

I do tend to mostly read on planes, but e-readers are nice because you can pack fifteen books into something the size of a couple of phones, and they can be backlit so you don't have to annoy your neighbor when they're trying to sleep. Back in the day I always had the problem of putting like three library books into my backpack and more into my checked bag, but I'd still finish them all before the return trip was over and be left without anything to read. With e-readers, I can check out new books mid trip, or even at the airport.

aftbit 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I usually read a book on my e-reader and listen to music on my wireless earbuds. Half the time I'm on an airplane without an entertainment system, which is perfect as I have my own already!

darrylb42 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

New planes don't have screens, they may have free wifi to watch stuff on your device. Of the 6 planes I have been on in the last two weeks only one had screens. Just back from vacation :)

coldtea 3 days ago | parent [-]

Demand better planes.

kylehotchkiss 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

“gamma spectrometer” lol. Do you really?

pocksuppet 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

How else will you measure the radiation on your flight?

analog31 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Oddly enough, I was wondering: What brand? I don’t think I’d travel with one, but I’m just curious.

mesrik 4 days ago | parent [-]

I'm not one that he flies with gamma spectrometer. But I've had RadiaCode 103G since Dec 2024. It's pretty neat device that can be brought with you almost anywhere.

https://radiacode.com/

It's made in Cyprus (EU) and has apparently received some EU funding. Using Google Search AI mode and asking what is CEO Sergey Shek connection with Moscow Radiological institute gave me following reply.

"The connection between Sergey Shek, the founder of Radiacode (formerly Radiascan), and Moscow's radiological research centers is primarily rooted in his and his team's professional and academic history. The key points of connection are:

    Academic and Professional Origins: Radiacode’s founding team consists of Russian physicists and engineers who were educated and began their careers at prestigious scientific institutions in Moscow. These include researchers formerly associated with the N.N. Semenov Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics and other centers specializing in nuclear physics and spectroscopy.
    Early Product Development: The company's initial products, such as the Radiascan-701, were developed in Russia using the technical expertise gained at these Moscow-based institutes. The technology behind their current high-precision scintillation detectors stems from this scientific background.
    Relocation and Independence: Following the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the company officially rebranded as Radiacode and shifted its headquarters and operations to Cyprus and the United Kingdom. Sergey Shek and the company have sought to distance themselves from Russian state institutions to operate as a global, independent entity.
Today, while the "scientific DNA" of the company originated in Moscow's radiological research environment, Radiacode operates entirely outside of Russia and focuses on the international market for hobbyists and professionals."

Russian background didn't sound good to me for obvious reasons. Thus I did not install app to my daily driver phone and use a separate Android device for this app. But the device is nice and app quite good for what I've used it.

Adding: You can find videos about the device from Youtube.com

aftbit 2 days ago | parent [-]

Yep, this is the one I have! I pretty much carry it everywhere. It mostly alerts (silently) when I pass by someone who has had nuclear medicine treatments. Otherwise, I just enjoy the being able to detect the small differences in background radiation between indoor and outdoor or different floors of a building.

aftbit 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Yes sir, I do!

kylehotchkiss 2 days ago | parent [-]

you should do a over-the-north-pole flight and report back your findings