January 2008 Archives
January 24, 2008
Take your Kindle to the beach
Just after Christmas I got away for a few days to Jamaica. All I did for 5 days was read. I read by the beach, by the pool, in bed. It was lovely.
But unlike every other vacation I've ever taken, I didn't take a large pile of books. Instead, I took my Kindle. And a small pile of books. (I wouldn't want to end up in another country with nothing to read. Heaven forbid!)
Understand, even if I don't have time to read more than a few books, I like having choices. And I like to be able to leave off a book for a while and try something else.
The lure of the Kindle is instant gratification: you get bored with a book, you can download another one in less than a minute. But that doesn't apply if you're outside the US. So the night before I left, I bought five more books. Ah, choices.
I did end up finish four books over my little vacation:
I read more than I have in years. And I think I know why: no internet!
But unlike every other vacation I've ever taken, I didn't take a large pile of books. Instead, I took my Kindle. And a small pile of books. (I wouldn't want to end up in another country with nothing to read. Heaven forbid!)
Understand, even if I don't have time to read more than a few books, I like having choices. And I like to be able to leave off a book for a while and try something else.
The lure of the Kindle is instant gratification: you get bored with a book, you can download another one in less than a minute. But that doesn't apply if you're outside the US. So the night before I left, I bought five more books. Ah, choices.
I did end up finish four books over my little vacation:
- Pride and Prejudice, which I have been trying to finish for years ..
- Founding Brothers
by Joseph Ellis, about John Adams, George Washington, and others from that generation;
- Punching In: The Unauthorized Adventures of a Front-Line Employee
- Wild Fire
I read more than I have in years. And I think I know why: no internet!
Another reason I like my Mac: it's QUIET
My Mac Mini may not be the most powerful computer I have in the house, but it has one huge virtue: it's quiet. I love that.
The earliest Mini's didn't have a fan. This one has one, but it is amazingly quiet.
Nice work.
The earliest Mini's didn't have a fan. This one has one, but it is amazingly quiet.
Nice work.
January 17, 2008
A great laptop bag: The North Face Surge
I carried around an Intel-branded laptop backpack for perhaps 8 or 9 years. I got it when I worked at CNN, and at the time computer backpacks were not common.
Various parts were finally giving way, so I decided to buy a new bag as a Christmas present with money my folks gave me.
I started trying to do some research, but ended up going down to REI to see what I could find.
I picked up a North Face Surge, and I've been very happy with it. Features I like:
Various parts were finally giving way, so I decided to buy a new bag as a Christmas present with money my folks gave me.
I started trying to do some research, but ended up going down to REI to see what I could find.
I picked up a North Face Surge, and I've been very happy with it. Features I like:
- Unlike the Intel bag, this is a true backpack, and it feels very good on the back. I've learned why hip and chest straps are good.
- It has a little pocket for power cords. It actually took me a while to find it - it's on the front of the bag at the bottom.
- No separate sleeve - the pocket closet to the straps is padded.
- Small pocket just for electronics - iPod, etc.
- Very well organized outer most pocket for pens and all the random stuff I carry.
It's not a cheap bag - around $100 - but if it lasts as long as my last bag, it could serve me for 10 years. Highly recommended.
I'm happy with my MacBook - no Air for me
My experience with the the Mac Mini I bought in October has made me a convert. Even though I built a new AMD-based Windows system at the same time that's faster than my Mini, I like the Mac environment. And for those Windows applications that I can't live without, VMWare Fusion works just fine. So since October, the Mac has been my primary environment.
I've never spent my own money for a laptop. I work in IT, and since 1996, every company I've worked for has provided me a Windows laptop. But it seemed unlikely that a company would buy me a Mac laptop. So in December the bug bit me, and I bought a black MacBook.
I was never really in the market for a sub-notebook, and the specs on the air don't attract me. 1.6 Ghz processor vs my 2.2. 2 gig of ram vs the 4 gig I put in mine. (From Fry's - only $90 with rebates!) No DVD. 80 gig 4200 RM drive vs my 160gb 5400. Higher res screen on the Air - that's nice - but not worth the extra money.
The lower weight and sleekness isn't necessary for me. The Macbook is already thinner and lighter than the other Windows laptops I've had. I like it a lot.
I've never spent my own money for a laptop. I work in IT, and since 1996, every company I've worked for has provided me a Windows laptop. But it seemed unlikely that a company would buy me a Mac laptop. So in December the bug bit me, and I bought a black MacBook.
I was never really in the market for a sub-notebook, and the specs on the air don't attract me. 1.6 Ghz processor vs my 2.2. 2 gig of ram vs the 4 gig I put in mine. (From Fry's - only $90 with rebates!) No DVD. 80 gig 4200 RM drive vs my 160gb 5400. Higher res screen on the Air - that's nice - but not worth the extra money.
The lower weight and sleekness isn't necessary for me. The Macbook is already thinner and lighter than the other Windows laptops I've had. I like it a lot.
