As part of Daughter Dearest’s preparations for college, she decided she needed a new laptop. The used G4 PowerBook we got her a while back is getting creaky, and (as G4s do) runs a bit hot. Fortunately, she had been saving her money for a while and realized she had enough for a new MacBook… especially since the stars aligned and she could get a $100 student discount, and Planet Georgia is in its “tax-free weekend” phase where they waive sales tax on school supplies (including computers). Apple is also running a rebate program in which they’ll rebate the entire price of an iPod nano or touch if you buy one with a computer. She is happy with the nano she got for Christmas, and I’m happy with the 5G iPod I bought a couple years ago, but I have no problem getting a Touch if I only have to temporarily pay for it.So DD is migrating her files over to the new computer, and I’ve been fiddling with the Touch’s wifi capabilities. She’s going to pass the PowerBook to The Boy, who has been wanting a laptop “for school” and has borrowed both the PowerBook and my own MacBook on occasion.
That's very green of you, Far, recycling the old computer to your son. I hope that both he and DD get good use from them.
ReplyDeleteI just got a new ipod shuffle, having lost my old one. I guess that's the down side to having something so small.
Hey, Boran. I just hope The Boy doesn't let one of his "friends" disappear the computer for him. The Apple Store was out of security hardware (a snap-in eye-loop that you can put a lock through) so we might get him a locking trunk. We got one for DD today for her stuff at school.
ReplyDeleteHey FAR,
ReplyDeleteI've got an Ipod Nano that was given to me at work as a "bonus" a couple of years ago at work (I'd have much preferred the cash, thank you very much). Call me a Luddite, but I hate the stupid thing and have hardly used that piece of crap. I'd have liked something like that about 20 yrs ago, but now, it's just a frivolous thing taking up space here, still in its original box. Yeah, I know that's harsh, but I just don't see the utility, just like the nasty smellphone I have to have for work now that I'm virtual.
Agreed with you that putting a lock on TB's laptop sounds like a good idea ... who knows who might be tempted to "lift" it from him. Though it does sound like DD is well equipped to start her college days ... good for her!
IVG: music players are hardly life-changing, at least the way laptops are, but I find the things to be rather useful in my life.
ReplyDeleteI wedge my in-the-ear headphones into my head & play tunes at work all day to help me focus and shut out extraneous noises (also helps the focus). If the wife has dragged me along on one of her interminable shopping trips, I can listen to a podcast or watch a video. The touch adds a new layer of useful: the built-in wifi lets me check email or do a little surfing.
If you don't often end up with otherwise useless alone-time, I can see where it wouldn't do you much good.
Hey FAR,
ReplyDeleteIn retrospect, I was a bit harsh on the Ipod, but those earphones were too painful and the thing was too complicated to deal with. If I'm listening to music outside of the downstairs, it's on the computer, so why the need for this old Luddite? hehe ... Since I'm virtual at work, I listen to a great, very eclectic French radio station from Paris online, and that does it for me. It's a great station with all sorts of stuff on it (not all French) and I enjoy the traffic, weather and news updates, lol. I know, I'm a Frenchie nerd ...
Heh. Lucky you. They block streaming everything at my workplace.
ReplyDeleteI think those earbuds that ship with the iPods are OK, *only* if you put the pads on 'em. And keep a supply of replacement pads handy, because they *do* wear out. But like any other audio gadget, you can get headphones that do exactly what you need — I've tried noise-canceling headphones, wrap-behind headphones, and so on.
I probably wouldn't have the Future Sonic in-the-ear jobbies I use now if I hadn't won them, but they come with different size inserts & block a lot of extraneous noise. I can (with some effort) get the motorcycle helmet over them, if I have to have some music on the ride.
The scroll-wheel iPods and the touch use different interfaces… the scroll wheel, once you're acquainted with it, doesn't require you to look at it to change the volume or pause/restart. The touch demands eyes-on, which sucks when you're driving, but can walk through a larger music collection with less hassle. I'm going to write up a full-on shootout in a couple weeks.