Category: Stuff

I have been thinking of getting a new computer. My two Powerbooks are struggling with the software I want to run–particularly Adobe’s Lightroom and PhotoShop CS2. The software is supposed to be run on a 1GHz CPU, and mine is only 800MHz. It does run, albeit slowly and rather frustratingly. They’re lovely applications, but Adobe sucks the life out of a computer, it really does.

I have been looking at the Macbook Pros. Yes, I have–I have been looking at the Toaster.

I’ve been following all the rumors associated with the Macbooks: the problems the whine, the airport card losing connectivity, and especially the heat. I’ve seen the photos of people with burned hands, heard about fried laps. I followed the thread at the Mac forums, where the question was asked if people were happy with their Macbooks, and many of the answers were along the lines of: I love it! The whine is only noticeable when the room is quiet! and It’s not a laptop–it’s a portable computer! Sometimes Apple fans don’t really help the company, as much as they think they do.

I had heard that many of the problems were being fixed, so I decided to visit my local Apple Store and check out the machine myself. There were three on a table; all were 2.0 GHz machines. All loaded with software like Aperature and the iLife and Microsoft Office and iWorks. I went up to one of the ‘geniuses’ and asked him, “How’s tricks? Found that heat problem in the Macbook Pro, yet?” I received the official Apple smile in return. You know the one. Think of Steve Jobs in that creepy black outfit, and he’s very, very angry. Now think of being an employee working for that. Yes, that smile.

After receiving more of the official non-word, I decided to put the three machines through their paces. I loaded up them up — Aperture, iMovie, anything that took CPU. I would then feel the case, checking for the heat. (Earning even more Apple Smiles and no few strange looks from other customers.)

I noticed that the area around the function keys wasn’t as hot as has been stated, but if I put my hand on the counter a few inches away, it felt like I was standing next to a room heater. The heat radiates from these things. Not enough to burn a hand, but enough to make me think there has to be something wrong with these beasties.

The newest conjecture is that there’s too much thermal paste smeared on the CPU chips, and that’s the cause of the problem. Supposedly cleaning this off, and putting on a thiner layer would solve the problem. Well, I’m certainly not going to buy a new computer only to have to take the machine apart and fix it on my own.

It’s frustrating because Apple just won’t address the questions or concerns. The most it did was tell the one forum that listed a thermal grease how-to message to remove a copyrighted photo or they’d sue. The company refuses to acknowledge problems directly, preferring to get by on carefully dropped rumor and subtle aside. That’s not a good foundation on which to plunk down a couple grand.

I thought then that I would look for a new Powerbook, one of the 1.67 GHz, 15-inch G4s. Though Apple doesn’t sell them, there are some still in stores. And eBay had several good condition used ones for auction, which then led to new adventures.

I actually tried two auctions, and in both cases was outbid. That’s okay: I set what I felt was a price I could afford and if I didn’t get it, no loss. However, ever since I’ve been getting these scamming “second chance” offers in the email–to the point where I won’t bid on an eBay item again. Forever.

My only other option is to buy one of the few new ones at some of the online stores, but I’ll be paying the same as I would for a Macbook Pro. True, it wouldn’t be able to heat one’s home in the winter, but it still is last year’s model–don’t you think one could get a deal?

All of this hassle and run around. I looked carefully at my 800 MHz. It has a slightly scuffed LCD, but not enough to impact on the viewing. It has 1GB in memory–enough for CS2 and Lightroom. Lightroom runs slowly, but only if I store a lot of photos in the application. If I use it to process a couple of days shootings, it works very nicely. As for CS2, you know it works; if I can’t process a dozen photos at once, maybe what I need to do is take my time with the pictures and focus on one really good photo at a time.

I don’t need a duo-core machine. Other than those folks running games, few of us need duo-core. Most of my development work can either be done on an inexpensive dual boot Linux/Windows machine, in the Unix underlying my Mac, or even my own development server.

Thanks to Apple and its relationship with the community of Mac users, I’ve learned one thing: my 800MHz is just fine for now. I have enough memory. I have enough space. I have enough power. I can’t use it to grill a cheese sandwich, but I consider this a perk.

So I saved my pennies and bought a hand-held GPS device for my walks, instead. It doesn’t grill cheese sandwiches, either.

I love April Fool’s Day. It’s the only day of the year when we can all be Web 2.0 entrepreneurs.

There’s all sorts of people moving to different companies, but the only one that counts is that Head Lemur is moving to Microsoft. As for me, well, I’m not supposed to mention this yet, but Six Apart has hired me as the company’s new public relations specialist. My job will be to yell at people for Mena. Yes, she points, I yell, and Anil pats me on the head, tells me I’m a good girl, and gives me an animal cracker.

My first task will be to help co-write a book with Kathy Sierra entitled, Butt First into Ruby. The language, not the IBM guy. Well, maybe the language and the IBM guy.

Did I mention I’m dating Dave Winer? Google Romance hooked us up, and Dave got lucky.

Enough with this serious stuff and on with the jokes:

One of the funniest and extensive Fool’s Day jokes is Slashdot’s new pink look. OMG! Ponies!

According to Commander Taco:

Our marketing department has done extensive research over the last 3 quarters and discovered that our audience is strangely disproportionately skewed toward males. Like, 98.3% males to be precise. To correct this oversight, we have decided to subtly tweak Slashdot’s design and content to widen our appeal to these less active demographics.

The comments are good, but my favorite is one where the person is saying the site isn’t pink–it’s light red.

PinkDot is good for two chuckles: the first today; another when I trot out a screenshot the next time someone says there is no stereotyping in technology.

I also liked Jason Gried’s Build your own Web 2.0 Application using Fluff and Hot Air, but Yahoo Blog’s has got to be the best:

So after some long discussions with Tim O’Reilly, Michael Arrington, and other Web 2.0 experts, we’ve decided to just buy Web 2.0.

All of it. All the people, the round cornered boxes, crazy business ideas, and pastel colors.

Someone needs to let Slashdot know that pink is now owned by Yahoo. Would they be happy with a light red, instead?

The muse has finally settled kindly on me, and I believe I may be able to meet deadlines this Monday — not just one, but two. In order to do so, though, I may have to write all night–but that’s not a bad way to spend a night. In the meantime, time to move away from technology for a bit.

Dave Rogers wrote a thoughtful post on fear masquerading as anger:

If you’re an angry driver, you’ll flip someone the bird or ride their bumper or cause an accident. You can tell yourself that those other drivers are assholes, but it’s just fear. If you’re a multi-millionaire, you’ll hire a lawyer to intimidate someone to give you what you want when you want it, so they won’t do something that you can’t control. You’ll tell yourself it’s just business, but it’s really just fear. If you’re a country with an anxiety problem, you’ll attack another country. You’ll tell yourself it’s a matter of national security, but it’s just fear. None of which ever solves the problem. All of which create bigger problems of their own.

Subtle reference to discussions of this week aside, I have gestered angrily at drivers before, usually because the other driver and I have, briefly, sought to occupy the same space at the same time. I can greatly identify with what Dave’s written.

The post also reminds me, for some odd reason, of a song that’s been running through my head all week. It’s a song by Robert Palmer, and though it’s not his most famous, it is known for its use in French car commercials many years ago. However, it’s the words, not the synthesizer that has always appealed to me:

Johnny and Mary

Johnny’s always running around, trying to find certainty.
He needs all the world to confirm, that he aint lonely
Mary counts walls, knows he tires easily

Johnny thinks the world would be right, if it would buy, truth from him.
Mary says he changes his mind, more than a woman.
But she made her bed, even when the chance was slim.

Johnny says he’s willing to learn, when he decides, he’s a fool.
Johnny say’s he’ll live any where, when he earns time to.
Mary combs her hair, says she should be use to it.

Mary always edges her bets, she never knows, what to think.
She says that he still acts, like he’s being discovered.
Scared that he’ll get caught, without a second thought.

Johnny feels he’s wasting his breath, trying to talk, sense to her
Mary says he’s lacking a real, sense of proportion
So she combs her hair, knows he tires easily.

Johnny’s always running around, trying to find certainty.
He needs all the world to confirm, that he aint lonely
Mary counts walls, says she should be use to it.

Speaking of tunes, Stavros the Wonderchicken writes on the Three Ages of Wonderchicken–18, 28, and 38–as defined in music. Jeff Ward from This Public Address followed up, defining music for his four ages: 18, 28, 38, and 48. Scott, who creates his own music for defining every day of his life, passed on a reminder of the importance of death:

We need to stop pretending that death is an aberration from the norm and realize that death is the norm. Death is a vital part of life.

I’m not sure I can find the music to draw who I am so adeptly. When I think of myself at 18, I draw a blank. Same with 28, 38, and 48. I can tell you what I’m listening to this week, which must draw who I am at the moment:

Sweet Rain by Bill Douglas
Breathe (2am) by Anna Nalick
Here’s to you by Joan Baez
Johnny and Mary by Robert Palmer
Eleanor Rigby my favorite Beatles’ song
Sleep to Dream of her by Dave Matthews
Into the West from Lord of the Rings
Sway by the Perishers

Perhaps I should record my most played music from my iPod weekly, as a diary to remind myself of who I was in, say, March 19th of 2006. When I’m old, older, I can pull them up on the MegaPod of the future and dream of being young again.

I may not be able to identify my younger self musically, but thanks to Ian Dickinson, I do know that in the Which Science Fiction crew do you belong on quiz, I am Moya from Farscape.

Moya (Farscape). You are surrounded by muppets. But that is okay because they are your friends and have shown many times that they can be trusted. Now if only you could stop being bothered about wormholes.</em

A quirky redefinition of the term, RIP. Made me smile.

And from Sheila Lennon, a lovely tale in time for St. Paddy’s: A Danny Boy for my Father.

Danny Boy was one of my Dad’s favorite songs, too. He was, he would say, descended from lace-curtain Irish–a tale told me with a straight face, but smile writ large in bright blue eyes.