A Diligent Agent of Order.

One of the things that I really love about my EEE laptop is its power adapter. It’s a well thought out power adapter. The power outlet prongs fold up when it’s not in use, its cord has a long generous length, and there is this Velcro cable tie held captive to the cord to keep the long generous cord from becoming a tangled mess when you wrap it up for storage.

Recently I’ve been putting together a kit bag for my new digital camera - in said kit bag there will need to be a few cables. Predictably the cables came with just a twisty wrapped around them. The twisties length is such that they can only encompass a cable that has been wrapped by a highly specialized wrapping machine at the factory. They are not long enough to secure a cable wrapped by the hands of man. I decided it would be much more convenient if I could purchase Velcro cable ties like the one on my EEE to organize the cables in my camera bag.

My early Google results for Velcro cable ties yielded surprising results: www.CableTiesPlus.com, www.cableorganizer.com, www.buycableties.com, and my favorite – www.FASTENation.com. How was I previously so ignorant of this highly specialized community of websites offering “thousands of wire management products?” Each of the websites had multiple Velcro cable tie candidates available in a plethora of lengths, colors, and styles.

I quickly realized that if I ordered cable ties from any of these websites I would either end up paying more for shipping than for my tiny package of cable ties or have to order a batch of thousands of cable ties (with free shipping!) I’ll admit it. I briefly entertained the idea of ordering thousands of cable ties. I may have fantasized about being the Johnny Appleseed equivalent of cable organization. In the end I kept searching for a more convenient option.

Eventually I stumbled across the fact that Target carries Velcro cable ties, but you can’t order them from their website and be screwed by their shipping, they are only available in their stores. Kismet. Yesterday I stopped by Target on the way home and picked up the coveted organizational tool. I’ll confess that I am actually embarrassed by how giddy I was. Evidently the thought of cable organization touches me in a deep and profound way. Now the cables in my camera bag are conveniently secured. Now my cell phone charger cable, my Bluetooth headset charging cable, and various USB adapter cables around the house are organized in a satisfactory manner. It’s a brave new day.

If you looking for a cheap thrill, may I suggest the humble Velcro cable tie?