USB
Stick for Emergency
Information
I wanted a USB memory drive for
emergency information and photos but
when I looked around I could only find
one made specifically for this use and
it was nothing special for its high
price tag. I decided to make my own and
when I saw this red unit with the cap
and body designed with a substantial
loop for a lanyard (550
cord loop) I
figured I could use this one. A
bonus is this USB drive ended up costing
less than $6 (because
we ordered a few things at the same time
to cut down on the shipping cost). It was designed for
kids so I did need to modify it a bit
to remove the logo aimed at kids, this
left me with a solid red, sturdy USB
drive with a cap for the plug that can't
be lost because it attaches to the loop
of cord I added to make it easier to
stow the drive in a bag or in the car
Why have an emergency memory stick?
I am a member
of an interesting message board
/ forum that focuses on tools and
gadgets people carry every day
(EDC
forum) and a few threads
are about USB memory sticks. After
reading a few of these threads
and getting other people's opinions
on the subject I decided to set
up a dedicated USB stick for emergency
information.
I did not label
the stick, although that would
be easy to do. I anticipate keeping
this around for my refrence, not
as a medical alert item for first
responders since I have no critical
allergies, etc.
This USB memory
stick will contain things like,
photo scans of my drivers license,
insurance, vehicle registration
and other important documents.
These copies may not be legal to
use as ID, but might be useful
if I ever loose my wallet. I will
also keep photos of my dog, and
his ID chip information. Photos
of my truck, licence plate, insurance
etc may also prove useful if it
is stolen. If I had kids I might
put recent photos, fingerprints
etc. Of course I will keep a copy of
my medical history on there as
well. Contact phone numbers and
addresses are also going in here.
It is a 1 gig memory stick, so
it can easily hold all of this
and a lot more. I will encrypt
and password protect the information
in case it is ever stolen. There
will also be room for some micro
versions of popular software in
case I need to use access the information
on a crude or damaged computer.
I will cover the
software in another review on this
emergency USB drive project |
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It arrived in a static charge
elimination bag (which might
be a good way to store it in
the bag where it will live too..)
The USB memory stick is marketed
to kids so it has some kind of
logo painted (screened) on the
front, and some kind of FCC info
on the back. THe stick is small,
but not the smallest USB stick
around, the feature I like best
is the large sturdy loops at
each end for a lanyard
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First I tried paint thinner
to remove the logo (paint)..
all this did was clean the stick..
no paint came off at all, the
stick and logo were un affected
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So I moved to a 'real' solvent,
Toluol (Toluene) I held the paper
towel to the opening on the can,
tipped it slightly to splash
some solvent onto the towel,
which resulted in a damp area
on the towel about as large
as the USB drive.. I used normal
pressure and wiped the towel
three or four times against
the painted logo...
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I'm glad I looked at three or
four wipes, because the logo
was completely gone already,
it's residue is a stain on the
paper towel
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I wiped the white lettering
off the back too, so the USB
drive is solid red now
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I knew I was going to add a
loop of 550 cord, but I wasn't
sure of the color.. the orange
550 cord I have is brightest,
but the USB drive is red, so
I went with red 550 cord too
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At first I tied it like this..
not sure why. It did fit well
in a pocket this way with the
knot at the end of the short
lanyard. Once the cap is off
it is retained.
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But after a while I re-tied
it in this way, which I like
much more. The bag I use has
a small clip sewn on that is
designed to keep keys? or something
near the pens, etc I will clip
that to this lanyard then push
the USB drive into one of the
larger pen slots to keep it stowed
but available. Now that I know
these work well and are easy
to modify and cost less than
$6, I will buy a few more, one
for the truck and a few for gifts.
|
Bought
this one at Computer Geeks for
under $5
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our websites, Thank You
|
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