Maybe I Need a Backup Plan

In order to secure my retirement, I've been planning to invent a universal charger that works with all rechargeable electronic devices. As retirement grows closer though, I'm realizing that I may not have the mental capacity to invent such an item for the approximately 100 million devices that need charging at any given time in my home. And I've just learned that someone has beat me to it. A new universal adapter is in the works and will be introduced in 2012 -- glory hallelujah.

I'll be first in line in 2012 to get my new universal adapter. Until then, we've got all of the following devices in regular use at all times in the Furber house:

Two Blackberries
One cell phone
Five cameras
Five iPods
One DSLite and one Gameboy (both Jack's)
Various remote control cars, planes and helicopters

And that's not counting all the things that only come out occasionally and therefore are separated from their chargers and become useless after a few months.

In order to keep the chargers at the ready, and keep my house from becoming a jungle of plugs, wires and devices snaking out from every available outlet, I've devised a system that works pretty well:

The big kids each have recharging stations in their rooms with enough plugs to handle all the devices used regularly by that child. Andie has this one for her phone, iPod and camera:

She likes it because she can close the lid and it looks nice on her desk.

Jack has this one for his gameboys, his iPod, and his remote control fleet:

He likes it because he can put pictures of cool cars, or whatever else is his current interest, in the front.

JP and I keep our chargers in our cars so our phones and iPods can be charging while we're driving.

For those things that aren't constantly in use or charging, we have a color coding system that works great: we mark each electronic thing with a sticker, and it's adapter with the same sticker, so we can match them up. We've been known to mark things with valentine stickers, basketball stickers, alphabet stickers. It doesn't really matter what kind we use, as long as we have two of them.

Every once in awhile I have to go through my house and tighten up the screws on our organizational system by unplugging things from random outlets and putting them back where I like them. But for the most part order reigns, and our system will hold us for the next three years until I can sleep on the sidewalk outside Best Buy to get my universal charger when it comes out.

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