trifector

2007.02.08

a business i do computer support for switched to macs. they seemed open to letting me fumble through but i really don’t learn much and it’s a challenge to provide support for something i know none of the nuances. using any computer is easy. administering it, showing others how to use it, helping others, not so easy.

i tried the osx86project’s tips for getting OSX booting on a PC, but no such luck.

i took some extra student-loan money this semester and picked up a white macbook, 2ghz core 2 duo, 1gb ram, 80gb drive, 6x dual layer dvd burner.. my thoughts thus far:

Cons:

  • can’t right-click. I know there’s work arounds, but there aren’t two buttons. period.
  • default drivers from logitech for my mx518 doesn’t detect the extra buttons. currently, the only alternative is a pay-software called USB Overdrive. the shareware version is nagware.
  • sharp edges where the white plastic case meets the off-white keyboard tray/wrist rest. according to apple and the macalots on the discussion forums, i’m imagining it or have poor typing posture, especially when i’m using the touchpad. (2, 3) five minutes with a small file took care of it.
  • no dedicated Home/End, Page Up/Down, or Insert/Delete keys. with as often as i write (read: hack) code, i use theys keys often
  • constant sales and specials make “PC” notebooks of similar configurations 2/3 the cost
  • closing the lid suspends/sleeps the laptop. i hate it. the hack/apps out there don’t work on the macbooks (yet.)
  • constant harrassment from docah
  • initial screen calibration washes out bright-colors. a slight tweak for “Tube” worked wonders.
  • getting used to the modifier functions like apple+c/apple+v for copy/paste and how the fn, ctrl, alt, and apple + home/end page up/down arrows play together
  • window resize is lower-right corner only. c’mon apple, allow me to resize anywhere!
  • branding. not solely an apple issue, but can we do w/o all the flashy apple logos?
  • no equivilent of microsoft’s “offline files.” i tried setting up iFolder, an opensouce application claiming to do the same type of thing. a perfect example of why opensource sucks.
  • batterylife w/ wireless and bluetooth enabled

Pros:

  • two-finger touchpad tapping = right-click. i tap more often than use the button anyway, so two-finger tapping is neat. i wish my work-assigned dell had this.
  • two-finger touchpad dragging is scrolling. anywhere on the touchpad. both up/down and side/side.
  • magsafe power connector. some claim to have cord issues. i haven’t yet.
  • sleek hardware design
  • exposé
  • battery life is good after i disable wireless & bluetooth
  • having a unix shell wherever i go

OS X and its nuances are less scary now. otherwise, it’s just another computer. firefox installs just fine. so does open/neooffice. there’s a plethora of opensource applications (like cyberduck) out there for macs, many of which top their commercial counterparts.

having another OS under my belt is always good for the resume.

Categories : geek  reviews

this is not the game you seek

2006.09.16

i saw a commercial or four about a new lego starwars game this week. it looked very entertaining.

looks aren’t decieving at all! this game is awesome!

i had a chance to play it tonight with a friend, a fun 2-player set up.

star wars screen shot

Categories : geek  reviews

nasty beverage

2006.06.24

blech

coca-cola blak. nasty. stay away from it.

although the concept of mixing coke and coffee does seem appealing, their implementation blows. i will try it with real coffee (none of their instant crap) and coke. no aspartame either.

i couldn’t agree more

Categories : OMG DUDA WTF  reviews

mo betta

2006.05.01

upgraded the gallery to gallery 2.1, it scales better. EXIF Data. Tags. Oh My.

Categories : reviews  site news

swiss army knife of media players

2006.03.13

winamp has come a long way from its humble beginnings as an mp3 audio player. over time, it’s gotten streaming media support, plugins up the wazoo for various formats, a media library manager, encoders, decoders, trascoders, and video. well, now with version 5.20 (5.21 current) you get portable device support. this includes iPods, creative devices (2,) and microsoft’s “plays for sure” compatiable devices.

i assume this will be the most useful to iPod users who hate iTunes (like me.) a caveot i forsee is for those who have DRM’d AACs in their libraries.

keep up the good work nullsoft (i’ve loved their intro page for a long time.)

Categories : geek  reviews

say hello

2005.11.12

to a piece of shit movie. why is scarface a classic/great movie? i don’t get it. it sucks. maybe what bothers me are all the people who act like the main character. tony montana

Categories : OMG DUDA WTF  reviews

doom the movie

2005.10.21

it’s nice to have neat friends.

chuck scammed me a pair of sneak-preview tickets to see doom, the movie tonight.

amanda and i met up with chuck, his brother, randy, and another guy and watched as ‘the rock’ attempted playing ‘sarge’ to his doomiest abilities.

quickie review:

overall, very entertaining. i thought it was much better than i anticipated. doom purists will be disappointed. special effects were well done.

when we got home, i put the tv on comedy central to catch the daily show. ironically, john stewart’s special guest was ‘the rock’ and his BFG to talk about said-movie to debut tomorrow. much fun if you can aquire it. 😆

Categories : events  geek  reviews