I'm almost embarrassed to write about my latest gadget. It's something that I should have come up with ages ago, but for some reason have just recently decided to develop. The item, affectionately called my “doomsday device” is a portable (40+ lbs.) AC power supply, consisting of a 20 amp-hour 12-volt sealed lead acid battery and a 300-watt pure sine wave power inverter. A charger for the battery is de reguer. A grounding spike is optional, but probably handy. It's all mounted in an anvil-style case that I purchased years ago, and for which I haven't had much use in recent years. The components cost about $250.00, and it took about a full day to assemble and troubleshoot when problems arose. I'd pondered purchasing the Vagabond power supply from the Alien Bees folks to power some White Lightning strobes that I picked up used at a camera shop in Autin, but I wasn't thrilled about the $500.00 price tag, or the appearance (the bag in particular didn't appeal to me). My solution was cheaper and, from what I can gather from reviews of the Vagabond, superior. Being a photographer, I have often been challenged by the prospect of shooting on location where there is no access to AC power. I rarely sweated it, though, since I have a number of Quantum batteries and small strobes that tend to suit my needs. However, I had to acknowledge that I lacked the ability to deliver enough strobe power to illuminate a group of people in low-light. The situation would come up when photographing musical bands in their preferred settings, such as cow pastures and derelict buildings.