Officially going to start packing today. Got a lot of stuff to do before I leave next week. 18 hrs ago
While at the Apple store last week, I experimented with Motion a little bit. One of my friends showed me some of the things he has done with it, and it looked pretty cool, so I wanted to try it out for myself. Turns out keyframing is a very simple task.
After working relatively hard this summer, I finally have enough savings for an Apple MacBook. It’s one speedy and terrifically designed computer, with its Core 2 Duo powering Mac OS X. There are really two reasons why I am planning on buying it: to replace for my aging Dell Inspiron 8000 (despite the fact it runs Windows XP, it’s rather slow and heavy), and to get me to the wonderland of Mac OS.
Just for starters, the base MacBook model comes with a 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo, 1 GB of RAM, and an 80 GB SATA hard drive, which is pretty good for a laptop. Then add add the “etcetera” features, like Front Row (and the Apple Remote), and Photo Booth and iChat AV (powered by the built-in iSight camera), all of which aren’t my favorite features, and you’ve got a full-featured machine on the outside.
The real deal for me is Mac OS X. The entire philosophy that Apple applies to computing is reflected in OS X. To make a real-world comparison (and not to boil up another Windows vs. Mac argument), Finder is somewhat more productive than Windows Explorer, especially with its multi-pane view. Also, the Dock seems like a more efficient navigation device the the Taskbar / Start Menu combo (not counting the new Stacks feature in OS X Leopard). I’m not so sure about the single and universal menu bar, but Apple must have some reason for it.
My preferred purchase path is to buy a refurbished base model MacBook, which runs for $949 USD at Apple’s Web store. However, if anyone knows if you can purchase refurbished models at the retail stores , please let me know in the comments. (You can’t, as I found out on my last Apple Store visit.)
This summer, among many summers at camp, I will be officially working for the first time (unlike the fake work I did last summer that some of my friends may remember), which means I will come home with some cash (hopefully). Anyone who knows me also knows that I don’t hold on to money for very long without spending it on something. Since I have to keep up the tradition, my latest addition to my tech wish list is (drum roll please):
Dell’s E228WFP 22-inch Widescreen LCD monitor. Why did I choose that of all things?
It probably began with my visit to the Apple store. Looking at an Apple 30 inch Cinema HD Display really wows you (and warms you too – that things was giving off heat like the steam pipe in my bathroom, although it might have been the Mac Pro sitting next to it that made me sweat). But who on earth can afford something like that? The previous revision of the wish list included the 20 inch Apple Cinema Display, but once I saw the Dell, my jaw dropped, at – you guessed it – the price tag.
This gorgeous display gives you a comfortable 1680 by 1050 pixel resolution, which is plenty of space to do all sorts of things at once. Coincidentally, this monitor costs less (at this point, about $60 less) than its 20 inch brother, but also omits its USB hub and additional video inputs (the E228WFP only supports D-sub VGA and DVI-D, while the 2007WFP also has S-Video and Composite inputs).
But the fun doesn’t end there. If I still have a reasonable chunk of change left over, the next item on the list is a new graphics card. With that, I’ll have a really nice dual monitor setup, with both the current HP 17 inch LCD and the new Dell giving an unimaginable view of my desktop. I’m eyeing Newegg.com’s selection of PCI-interfacing graphics cards, since there isn’t an AGP slot for the purpose (or at least one that is available for use, because it seems that there are contacts on the motherboard for an AGP slot with no connector on them; BTW this is the one trouble with my computer). The plan is to have the Dell hooked up with the DVI-I port, and the HP with the D-sub VGA. It all sounds far fetched, but this idea should work.
Do you have any dual-monitor setups you’d like to share? If so, sound off in the comments below.
This evening I was chatting with one of my friends from Israel. Apparently, he read my A Mac For Mike article, because this is what I got out of him:
Him: ah you got a mac. Sorry to hear it.
Me: i didn’t get one – i played with one and i was very impressed
Him: I would reccomend beating yourself with razors, it’s cheaper and accomplishes the same thing
Me: not if u put windows on the mac
This guy seems to hate both Microsoft and Apple. A while ago, he was telling me about how Windows and related software (like AOL, which I also hate) are terrible. I’m not even sure if Linux is for him, because I haven’t heard much from him about the open-source movement. Maybe one day the OS wars will come to a screeching halt.
This lovely vacation day of mine brought me to both my orthodontist, and then to the Apple store in Manhattan (three buses and two subway trains later). I saw the entrance to the store last night, and then decided to come here. I actually began posting this from one of the Macs at the store. The place is loud and a bit busy-feeling. I guess Apple really is that popular.
Once I got past the initial shock, I sat down with a couple of Macs: a black MacBook, a Mac Pro with a gorgeous 30-inch Apple Cinema Display, and a 17-inch MacBook Pro. In particular, the big-screen really impressed me – I could see the entire write post screen without scrolling! All of the machines are beautiful, although they are also all hot – literally. Even on ths 30-something degree day, I think they could use some AC in the shop (forget about summer!).
I was particularly wowed by the speed of these guys. Opening Safari took just a few seconds. When I plugged my Cruzer Micro into the MacBook Pro’s USB port, it was mounted and ready for use about a second later, and preparing it for removal was nearly instant. And even Photoshop CS2 didn’t take so much time to load.
Using a Mac is different. Many of the familiar keyboard shortcuts from Windows (ex. Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V, Ctrl + A, Alt + F4, and many others) don’t mean anything on a Mac. I tired taking a screenshot, only to note the absence of a Print Screen key (turns out Grub is the program for this task).
Toward the end of my visit, I got one of the store reps to show me Windows on a Mac. As I’ve read before, the process of booting into Windows is very simple: At startup, just choose the OS to boot into. Once booted up and logged in, the machine acted like a normal Windows XP box, with the same normal apps, and the same errors (I had to add that). To top it all off, the graphics card was running at the 24″ iMac’s native resolution, giving me the same giant-screen feeling that I got with the Mac Pro and then 30″ Cinema Display.
I think I love Macs. I don’t have the money to buy one now, but I will definitely talk about it for my next computer.
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