Installing Linux on a USB flash drive is really quite easy. Just plug in the USB before booting and the BIOS detects it as a storage device. Assuming you have no hard drives attached (better to detach them), and you are installing from a CD/ DVD Drive, the flash drive will be automatically detected as the installation drive.
Debian needs around 400 MB for a minimum install, I am not sure about Mandriva as I have only done installations with KDE which takes up more than 1 GB of course. There is one called Puppy Linux which supposedly great for small installs.
Just yesterday I tried installing Linux on a Compact Flash Card. Trying to install it with a CF card plugged into a multiple-card reader did not work. But I found this neat little device called a Compact Flash to IDE Adpater which enables the CF card to connect to a standard IDE ribbon cable. The CF card then readily becomes as bootable and manageable as a hard disk. Make it a master or slave, install, boot ..... easy.
The toughest job was to find a CF to IDE adapter in the Thai market. Most shopkeepers kept telling me it's not possible. It took me two days to finally locate a place where I could buy them. The rest is easy.

Today I tried installing Linux on a USB flash drive... and I am delighted to find that it is easy to install and use.
I installed Mandriva 2006 on a 4GB flash drive.
But one thing I could not figure out is why BIOS does not detect the flash drive as a bootable device until all the hard drives are removed. The flash drive is being treated as another hard drive, but I wonder why it cannot 'co-exist' as a boot device with other hard drives connected.
Anyways, it works without a glitch ..... and for field operations in a hot and humid place like thailand, a flash drive, without any moving parts, is much better option that clunky hard drives.
With storage spaces of 4 GB and more easily available now, these thumb rives are certainly a good option for deployment.

Got tired of working. Tried out Google My Maps.
Google is really making good stuff that area easy to use.
Tried two simple maps.
Countries visited
Places visited in Thailand
It will be more interesting adding links to the blogs I have written about these places and also add photos from flickr or something.
Maybe some time later when I have more time on my hands.

I also read about the free printing service by Google. But this certainly is more hillarious.
http://www.google.com/tisp/faq.html