One sweet ride

I've spent a lot of time talking about the guts of the Star Car ... the wireless technology, the cameras, the computers, etc. What I haven't touched on is the neatly designed exterior.

The Star Car came to us from Carter Chevrolet a plain white color. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't exactly scream the message we want it to -- that the Star Car is here and news must be happening.

Above is a mockup created by one of The Star's several creative and talented graphic artists, Brian Petty. It mixes some blue into the design, and screams "Star Car" across the side and the hood. It also promotes Ifra and NewsGear, the companies that provided us a lot of the online technology and the know-how to install it. Last, but not least, it mentions Carter Chevrolet's contributions.

It's supposed to be back from the shop the middle of next week. When it's back, it will sport the awesome new paint scheme, and no one will have any doubt what the Star Car is.

Star Car in the dark

Thursday night's power outage reminded us all how important the Star Car is going to be for us. Above is a shot of the rack in the back of the Star Car ... it's wired to provide power, after the folks at Carter Chevrolet ran plugs to the back. On the rack are two 400-watt power converters (they change the power from DC to AC) and two surge protectors.
Basically, the electronics on the car are going to run off the vehicle's battery. As you already know, it's going to have a wireless signal.
Electricity and Internet. Two things we didn't have last night when the power was out.
But that didn't stop the staff at The Star from hopping on board and updating the Web. Everyone started making calls to get information about what was happening around the city, and Kevin Ellis, deputy editor at our sister publication The Gaston Gazette, worked with us over the phone to post breaking news about the power outage online. Thanks, Kevin!
When the Star Car is up and running, we won't need the newsroom to be up and running ... all we'll have to do is gather around the SUV and get back to work.
When the Star Car is up and running ... by the way, Skip estimates that we'll be training the staff in using the car next Friday. That means the vehicle is close to being on the road. Keep your fingers crossed, and very soon the Star Car could be rolling into your neighborhood.

Here's Mark Vanburen, working to install a laptop desk in the fron passenger seat. See the holes in the back? That's where power will be run. There's two more desks, too ... they'll be in the back seat.

In the next blog, I'll give you an overview of what we're doing inside the office to prepare for the Star Car.

We can make it smarter, and more powerful

While the Star Car was at Carter Chevrolet getting its antennae attached and extra power routed to the back, Kerry and Jordan were back at The Star to put together the Energy Core IT 100.
"I call it a bureau in a box," Kerry said.
The box does everything, Kerry said. It's self-contained, acts as a Web server, fire wall and configures the network.
"Everything you'd ask your IT department to do," Kerry said.
Meanwhile, Carter Chevrolet Shop Foreman Roger Johnson and Service Manager Dennis Hastings were overseeing the Star Car's outfitting for more power and connectivity.
"Whatever you can imagine, he can probably do," Mark Carter said of Johnson last week.
Johnson made sure the Star Car had several DC outlets in the back to get power to reporters as they are working out of the back of the vehicle.

The equipment

For the mildly curious to the technologically savvy, here's the list of items that are going to transform a Chevy Trailblazer into a mobile newsroom:

The heart of the beast
Dell Latitude D820 -Duo Core processor - 2 Gigs Ram
This Dell laptop computer will serve as the central hub of the mobile newsroom. The computer will allow reporters to link online, upload stories, videos and pictures from wherever they are and tell stories as they happen. From it, they will be able to edit video and pictures, access their blogs and do anything else they need to get information to the public.

Nitix Micro Network Appliance
A "bureau in a box" — it’s pretty much a computer server that offers a hard drive for storage, FTP server, Mail server, file sharing application.

LaCie Rugged All-Terrain Hard Drive
A portable hard drive that can be connected via firewire to any computer for additional storage.

Photoshop CS3
This photo editing program will be loaded onto the Star Car’s laptop, and will let reporters edit pictures they took on scene before posting them online.

Make a connection
Hawking Tech Outdoor 9dbi Antenna
This will be used to send out the wi-fi hotspot signal.

Trendnet LMR200 Reverse SMA to N-type cable
This is the cable that connects the rooftop array to the equipment.

498-DB Multi-Band Mobile Phone Antenna
This will actually be used for both the mobile phone and in broadband wi-fi hotspots.

Hawking Technology Wireless-G Range Extender
Can be used in the case of a reporter having to move further from the vehicle. Plug it in to the computer and it extends your ability to connect to the wi-fi from further away.

Linksys Wireless-G Ethernet Bridge
This will convert a wired Ethernet cell phone connection to become a wi-fi hotspot.

Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter
This device can find and display any broadband wireless hotspots that might be available in the area.

Zip-Linq Retractable Cat5e Twisted Pair RJ45 Networking Cable
Basically an self-retracting Ethernet cable.

GoldX Firewire Active Extension Cable
Allows us to extend the range of firewire for use with the external hard drive or your Sony digital video camera.

Our office on wheels
Eqitome Multi-Articulating In-vehicle desk
This will be installed in the front passenger seat and will allow a reporter to work on a laptop (kind of like what you find in police cars)

RAM Mount Rear Seat Laptop Desk
Connects to the back of the front seats to allow passengers in the rear area to work from a laptop, etc.

HP Photosmart Multifunction Printer
Provides printing, scanning, emailing and faxing from anywhere.

Thermaltake XJOG USB White Dual LED Light
Connects to any USB port and provides lighting to the user.

Belkin Surgemaster Superior Series UPS
You will be using an American version of this device and it provides surge protection and power to equipment.


Eyes and ears in the county
Nikon Coolpix P2 Wifi
Provides remote picture shooting and instant transfer to a computer via wireless Internet. Pictures are high quality as well … with 7.2 megapixels, photos taken with the camera are full of detail.

Linksys WVC200 Wireless PTZ Internet Camera
This will be mounted at the front of the car and will provide video and still imagery. It can pan/tilt/zoom and also be remotely controlled. It connects to the wi-fi.

Sony HDR-SR1 Hard Disk Recorder
With a 2.1 megapixel sensor and an 80X digital zoom, this video camera will let us record high definition footage and then quickly upload the footage to a computer to be edited. It can shoot in low-light situations, take high quality still pictures and burn DVDs on the spot.

M-Audio Micro Track Audio Recorder
The MicroTrack is a rugged high-fidelity mobile 2-channel digital recorder that records WAV and MP3 files to CompactFlash or microdrives. It’s perfect for everything from professional field recording to corporate meetings, training, education and worship … in other words, anywhere the Star Car can go, reporters can get clear, crisp recordings of all the action.

Samson USB Studio Condenser Microphone
This can be connected to any computer via USB and provides a great sound microphone for voice-over and even interviews.