Powerbook on the beach

Question

Hello People,
I need some advice about my titanium G4 powerbook. I have been offered a great opportunity to be the resident DJ at a very big beachfront bar, where I will mix tunes as well as lay live sax over the top. I am using beatport sync, a DJ application which plays the tunes from your HD. I have several concerns!
1. I realise that salty moist air and the elements in general can be destructive to the computer so I would like to minimize the damage, I thought of creating a kind of case which could house the mac and use an external monitor, but I am not sure if this is a good idea (heat etc?). One good thing is that there is a good breeze and I'll be playing in a covered DJ booth (overlooking the sea!) so it's not like leaving the mac in direct sunlight. Any ideas about this? It will be about 2-3 weeks every day for 6 hour sets.
2. I tried using my G4 on the beach but found screen visibility very poor due to sunlight, even when in shade. Could buying a different type of external monitor help this? Is there a device which can improve the visibility? I don't want to strain my eyes too much as they are long sets.
3. This is a long shot, but just in case anyone has any experience... anybody know if there is a way I could utilise my Novation Remote Zero midi controller in this setup with beatport sync? Would be fantastic and take away some screen staring.
Thanks ever so much
Ben, Brazil

Answer 1

Hi, Ben.
1) An open-air beachfront is a terrible place for a Powerbook or any other computer, as you've correctly suggested. Any small enclosure you improvise to protect it from the salt- and moisture-laden breeze will impair its ability to cool itself. Its fans will constantly inhale highly corrosive air whenever it's warm, as it is always likely to be when working hard on a sunny Brazilian beach, even if you keep it shaded. And if you don't keep it shaded, it will quickly overheat even with both fans screaming.
So my advice is to regard the computer as a consumable commodity whose cost is part of the cost of doing the business you're in. Expect it to have a shortened lifespan; budget to replace it at shorter intervals than you would in a less hostile environment; and keep its hard drive backed up frequently to an external drive that's stored in a more friendly place, so you can transition quickly to a new machine as needed.
I hate to say it, but your situation is one in which I might be inclined to sacrifice a cheap Windoze laptop every year or two rather than jeopardize a useful Mac.
2) Construct a stiff, lightweight corrugated cardboard hood for the Powerbook's display (or for whatever external display you decide to use, if any) that allows you to see the whole screen at whatever proves to be a usable working distance. You're likely to have a lot of trouble seeing any display when the backdrop behind it as seen from your viewing position is very bright, and if you can position the computer or display against a darker background it will help considerably.
3) I have no idea.