Dear MacWorld Quick Tips,

Here is my Quick Tips contribution:

Connecting a PowerBook to the outside world usually involves some sort of adaptor on a short wire, and left on their own, these adaptors get under the machine, are easily snagged or pulled out, and I fear that their small wires will be damaged by the strain placed on them. This is especially a problem with PC Card peripherals. To solve this problem, I used a strip of 1 inch wide Velcro. Sold at my local hardware store for about $1/foot, this solution is cheap and easy. I attach a length of the furry side to the back of the PowerBook display, near the hinge, and I cut the hooked side into pieces that attach to each of the adaptors. This relieves the strain on the adaptor wires, and keeps the connectors firmly seated into the machine, and keeps the cables neat and tidy. After using this solution for a short time, I find it to be indispensible.

Here is a low-res photo of the complete solution.

Three high-res photos are available which show:

• The adaptors alone
• The furry side attached to the back of the PowerBook
• The complete solution with adaptors attached to the PowerBook

                                  Jeffrey Lomicka