Five ways to prepare for Macworld

Some believe that the Macworld anticipation is as fun as the show itself; others find it stressful and unpleasant. This list has something for members of both parties, from stress reducers to getting the most out of the show. Let's get started.

1. Prep your iPhone. You'll be bringing your iPhone, right? Of course you will. Here's how you can get it ready for the show.

• Install the San Francisco BART information. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is San Fran's public transportation system. People visiting the show from out-of-town may want to install a BART subway map or add http://www.bart.gov/wireless as a bookmark to Mobile Safari. The latter offers real-time arrival times and advisories, point-to-point travel planning, an interactive map and even bike rules.
• Set up bookmarks in Google Maps. Before traveling to a new city, it's a good idea to create relevant bookmarks in Google Maps. Your hotel, the expo center and the location of the party you'll be attending are a good place to start. That way, when you're in front of the hotel and need to find a Starbucks or bike rental place (see above), you'll have your starting point ready to go.
• Create a travel playlist. Waiting for planes, trains and automobiles is annoying. Organize your favorite tunes into a stress-reducing playlist that you can access when needed.
• Subscribe to relevant RSS feeds. Use Mobile Safari to follow feeds rich with expo info. Might we suggest our Pingie page? Just enter your phone number and email address to receive updates from us via SMS.
• Bookmark iZami.com. This cool iPhone-optimized website lets you browse exhibitors (sorted by name and aisle), rate exhibitors via a message board and share your ratings with other iZami-using attendees. Plus, you can search local restaurants, hotels, and other points of interest.
• Engage airplane mode. Because you don't want to get arrested.

2. Prep your iPod. Don't let your iPhone have all the fun. Here's how you can get your iPod ready for the big day.

• Install the Official BART QuickPlanner. The QuickPlanner provides schedules (sorted by station, including addresses and cross routes), a color map optimized for the iPod's screen, and update notifications.
• Install Mactracker. New hardware will be introduced at Macworld. That's a given. What's uncertain is if you should ditch the machine you've got for something new. With Mactracker, you can refer to your machine's info instantly for an on-the-floor comparison.
• Install Mogopop's Unofficial Macworld Guide. The Mogopop Guide lists exhibitors, schedules, presentations and keynote info plus local restaurants and more.

3. Set up an online photo gallery. You'll probably take a lot of photos. Why not make things easy and set up a gallery before leaving the house? Give the address out to friends and family so they'll know where to find your photos.

• Flickr. If you're a Flickr user, you can easily post photos to Flickr with your phone or even to your blog. If you really want to keep everyone in the loop, set Flickr to notify Twitter whenever you post a picture with a certain tag (say, macworld08).
• .Mac Web Galleries. These are super simple to create. If you're a .Mac member with iLife '08, you can create a gallery with iPhoto. Choose a single photo to represent the start of your gallery – say your ticket or pass – and select it in iPhoto. Next, select Web Gallery from the Share menu. Publish and mail the URL to your intended recipients. Now you can update your gallery at the hotel with photos you pull off of your digital camera, or from the floor itself using photos you take with your iPhone.
• Backpack. 37signals' Backpack is a great way to create an online photo album. As you did with .Mac, you can upload your photos when you get some time with your computer, or directly from your phone by emailing photos to your gallery's special email address. Set your page as public, distribute the address and you're in business.

4. Get organized. There's a lot to keep track of — schedules, meetups, travel arrangements and so on. Get on top of things with your Mac before you walk out the door.

• Enter pertinent information into the Mac OS X Flight Tracker widget. Most airports offer free Wi-Fi. Now you can view your flight's status without leaving your seat.
• Upload PDFs of paper documents. Chances are some of you will lose that printout for the hotel, the driving directions to your buddy's house, etc. Some time this week, scan these documents and upload them to your online storage, web host or service like Box.net.
• Coordinate with friends. If you're going to meet with friends, family or co-workers while in San Fran, make use of free online collaboration tools. PBWiki, Jottit, Google Docs and Writeboard are convenient ways to keep everything straight.

5. Relax. This is going to be a lot of fun. And, for some, a lot of work. Don't forget to take care of you, OK?

• Bring your favorite movies, music and photos. All that running around can make a person frazzled. Make sure you schedule some down time. Why not create a calendar event that will beep and remind you, "Take five minutes to breathe"? Listen to some music you love, look at photos of your family or friends or unwind with a favorite movie at the end of the day.
• Send a quick video home. Whenever I travel, I use my digital still camera to record a 30 second video of myself saying hello to my kids and my wife, which I send to them via email. It's something they love to receive, and I like to think of them watching it.
• Prepare yourself for disappointment. Every year, there's a large part of the Mac Faithful who are terribly disappointed by Steve's Macworld keynote. That's because (in part) we hear rumors that we want so desperately to be true, and we're bummed when they aren't. Try to enjoy the experience, the city and the interesting people you meet. In other words, let Steve's Reality Distortion Field convince you that you didn't really need a touch-enabled, flash-based Mac tablet, anyway.