Archerr

Apple introduced new MacBooks and MacBook Pros. I want the new MacBook! No surprise, right? I always want the new products when Apple introduces them.

Today Apple introduced new iPod Nanos and a new iPod Touch. They refreshed the Shuffle line and the Classic line but nothing major with them. The big news for me was the new Nano. I think it's pretty and cute and fun. The colors are great. I love the new features. While I would love to have one, I won't be buying one anytime soon. My current Nano is only a year old and still works great. Of course at the first sign of trouble, I'll update to the new one but what color should I get?

Every time Apple associates a song to one of their ads, I get hooked on it enough to download it. I just love this one.....just as much as I've loved all the others they've used. Click on it to see what I'm talking about.

I found this today on DIGG and loved it! Turns out Steve Ballmer of Microsoft uses an Apple computer during his speeches. I love it!

My iPod Touch has arrived! The wi-fi is great! As you can see in the photo, my website loads beautifully on the touch. I can get e-mail too! I love this thing! Of course it can play music and movies too.

I did my taxes earlier this week and I'm getting a decent refund this year. Of course I will apply most of it to my credit card, and put some in savings but I decided to spend a little as well. I've been thinking about the iPod Touch for awhile now. I've always said it would be the perfect little computer if it could do all the the things the iPhone could do but without the phone. And of course Apple recently released an update to the iPod Touch that does just that. So...I went ahead and ordered the iPod Touch. I got a notification today that it shipped. It should arrive early next week.

At the time I ordered mine you could get the 8 gig or the 16 gig model. I went with the 16 gig model. Of course since then Apple released the 32 gig model. While I would love to have the 32 gig model, it's a bit too expensive for 16 more gigs of ram. I think the 16 gig model will be plenty for me. It's not that I plan on watching movies on it all that much. I really want it for the internet access and all the little functions it can do. I think I'll use the notes, mail, and maps the most.

Anyway, in a few days I'll have yet another iPod to add to my collection. Wasn't it just a few months ago that I was buying the iPod Nano?

Steve Jobs introduced the new MacBook Air today. It's nice and all but it doesn't excite me. There were other product updates too. Again, not all that exciting to me. However, they did update the iPod Touch with new features. It's now almost exactly like the iPhone except without the phone part. That's exactly what I've been looking for. I want a device that can get e-mail, do the Google maps, take notes, etc. And now the iPod Touch does all that and plays music and movies and podcasts and videos. It's exactly what I want. Do I need it? No. Do I want it? Yes. I'll have to save my money. They didn't reduce the price so I'm going to have to save or use some of my tax refund to buy it. Maybe I'll get one soon! We'll see.

Now that it's January, I thought it was time for a theme change. It snows here in January...sometimes...so I went with the snowflake theme. Of course as warm as it's been lately, I doubt we'll see any snow anytime soon. But I do like it when it snows so I like this theme. I'm sure I'll change it next month.

It's that time of the year again. I usually get lots of home made crap or something useless but I got $160 Apple Store gift card today from my parents and students at school. In years past I've gotten a lot more but I was very happy and appreciative of this gift. The question is, what should I buy? If I was really smart I would hold on to the card until the end of the school year in hopes of getting another one at the end of the year. That way I could put the two cards together and maybe have a good chunk towards a new laptop. I'll have to think about it. Of course the gift card will burn a whole in my pocket until I actually use it. Any suggestions on what I should get?

Today is iPod's sixth birthday. I've had probably 6 iPods in as many years. My most recent one is just a week or so old. I got the new iPod Nano last week. This is my first iPod that shows video. I love it!

Among other introductions, Apple introduced the new Nano today. I was instantly hooked. I like the small size and the fact that it does video now. I'll have to be saving to get one of these. The other iPods introduced were nice and all but it's the Nano that caught my attention.

As expected, Apple introduced the revised iMac today. They also released updates to iLife and iWork and dot Mac. I like the new look of the iMac but don't really care for the black ring around the screen. I see it and expect it to be part of the screen real estate.

The iMac I currently have will be a year old in September. There is no reason for me to get a new one and don't worry, I won't be ordering one of these new ones. I do like the upgrade in speed, ram, and storage space but the best upgrade I can see is the keyboard.

The keyboard is laptop like and looks sleek and all but the best part is that they finally included 2 USB 2.0 ports ON the keyboard. I have never been happy with the amount of USB ports on the iMacs. I've always needed 5 and Apple never added more. Now instead of unplugging something in the back, I can just plug my things into the keyboard...like my digital camera, my iPod, or my iRiver plug. No more reaching around the back of the machine.

SO...since I'm not going to get the new iMac I've decided I will get the new $49 keyboard. I ordered it shortly after seeing all the details about it. It should arrive in a few days. It works with the my current iMac so it shouldn't be a problem at all adding it to my system. Maybe next year at this time I'll think about a new iMac.

In case you've been living under a rock or something, the iPhone will be released today. I don't know how you could not know about it. It's been on every news program this week and all over the web.

As a huge Apple fan I would love to have one of these phones. There are 4 Apple Stores within a short distance of where I live. I could go and get in line to be one of the first but I won't be doing that. I love all the features of the phone but I simply can't justify buying it.

I hardly use my cell phone now. It stays off most of the time. I only use it to call the boyfriend or call my voice mail to get my messages. My current cell phone service isn't up until January. Even when that time comes around I don't think I'll be getting the iPhone. Plus, if I did the boyfriend would require I take him out to dinner for a meal that costs close to the same amount an iPhone would cost.

Besides the fact that I barely use my cell phone, and the fact that my current cell phone service doesn't expire until January, I really can't afford the iPhone. The plans they have set out aren't that expensive but it's the cost of the phone that is too high. I got my kitchen renovated this year, just had laminate floors put in, and have other priorities for my money so I can't afford the iPhone.

Now, of course if anyone out there would like to buy the iPhone for me, I'll have the 8gig model, please. I'll take care of activation and the service plan. I'll be happy to send you my P.O. Box address so you can send it my way. Thanks!

Today Apple finally introduced the iPhone. It's been a long time coming but I think I'm ready for it. Unfortunately my current cell service isn't up for another year. Maybe by that time I'll be able to afford the phone and the service. It's very cool. It's go so many features...more then I can mention here but it's got a widescreen, it's an iPod, a phone, internet capability, and a mini computer basically. Check it out and when I get one in a year or so, I'll be telling you all about it. Of course by that time they will have had an update and added more features. Either way, I want the iPhone!

Yesterday my old iPod Nano froze up. I was trying to update the podcats I listen to and when I put it in the dock the Apple showed up on the screen and didn't go away. I've tried everything that is suggested on the support site but nothing has worked. I considered taking it to the Genius bar at the Apple store but didn't care to wait in line. I've had this Nano for awhile and have considered getting a new one. So once the old Nano died yesterday I decided to look into the new ones. I thought about getting the new Shuffle but I really like having a display to see what is playing and being able to select different things to listen to. I really like the red color of the new one and can feel good knowing that some of the sale will go towards the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. So today I went ahead and ordered a new red Nano. It will probably take a week or so to get here. Until it arrives I'll be using my older, clunky 20 gig color iPod.

Of course next week Steve Jobs will probably introduce a new iPod.

As you can see in the photo my new computer is much larger then my older 20 in iMac. The new one is much larger, faster, and I must say quieter then the old one. It was time to get a new one. I know it seems like I get new ones all the time but the old one was actually 2 years old and was starting to slow down during certain tasks.

My new computer has shipped! Right now it's probably traveling across country in a truck or plane. It's scheduled for delivery on Friday by 10:30 AM. I won't be here to sign for it but the front desk will do it for me. Of course I'll be busy all weekend playing with it!

On Tuesday Apple introduced new iMacs. Of course any new Apple introductions get me excited. I've been thinking about getting a new iMac for some time but have been waiting for just an update to occur. After seeing the changes in the iMac line, I decided to go ahead and order a new one. Now I'm really excited.

You might remember that I got my current iMac about two years ago. I will probably even get this one delivered about the same time. My current iMac is exactly 2 years old so it's time for a new one.

I decided to order the 24 inch iMac with the 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. I also decided to upgrade the ram to 2 gig. And I decided to upgrade the hard drive to the 500 gig drive. And finally, I opted for the upgraded graphics card, the NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT with 256 mb SDRAM. Of course it comes with all the wireless items built in. And it comes with the 8x SuperDrive. This thing will really scream I think.

Of course when I bought the first one two years ago I thought I'd hold onto it for a long time. I have started to notice it slows down during certain tasks. I really can't justify the cost (it was expensive!) but I just think it's time to upgrade. The old one will hang around for awhile. I might have to let the boyfriend play with it to learn more about the Mac OS. We'll see about that.

I have no ship date yet for the new one. When I ordered it, it said it wouldn't ship for 5 to 7 days and then it would take another 5 days to get to me. I'll wait patiently for it's arrival.

The MacBook arrived yesterday but I was too busy to write about it. Today my artist friend Bob arrived and is visiting for the next few days to do a photo shoot. While he was here this evening we played with the Photo Booth feature of the MacBook and here are a few photos from our silliness.




The MacBook is amazing. It's fast and boots up really fast too. I've already installed Apple's Boot Camp and I've installed Windows XP Home Edition. It's so cool. You hold down the option key at startup and you can choose which opertating system you want to use. Windows runs pretty quickly too! Doubt I'll use it much but it's cool that I can if I have too.

The funniest thing I've heard today was Bob saying, "You are just as excited as you were when they brought the fries to the table."

Poor Star Jones is off the View. Too bad.

Homer has a letter published in the New York Times! Very cool! You go Homer!

Today was the last day of school and I was presented with a $650 gift card to the Apple Store. What did I do the minute I got home? I ordered a MacBook! I got the white 2.0 ghz Intel Core Duo chip with 1 gig of ram and the 120 gig hard drive. I'm very excited because I haven't had a new computer or laptop for more then 2 years. My current 17" G4 PowerBook is almost 3 years old and while it's running just fine and has been a great work horse for almost 3 years, it's time to upgrade. I've been wanting a smaller computer for awhile now. The PowerBook is great but it's simply too big and too heavy. I'm ready for a smaller, lighter laptop. The Apple Store says it will ship on Friday and get to me by June 30th. I can't wait!

Apple released the new MacBook today. I was so tempted to surf over to the Apple store online and order one but I just don't have the cash right now. I have to wait until the summer time to get one. I will definitely get one but just not right now. Of course it will drive me crazy to wait but I have to. If any of my readers get one, let me know how wonderful it is.

Today MacWorld Expo began in California. Apple introduced lots of products with most of the attention going to the Intel iMac and MacBook Pro. While both of these new computers have me interested, I'm more interested in Apple's update to the iLife suit of programs. They have updated the software to include a cool new application that will build websites for you. It's call iWeb. Of course the information says it's best to have a dot mac account but I wonder if you'll be able to do it all with your existing web hosting service. I'll have to look into that. It's got a blogging section that has me very interested. But I just migrated all my blog entries from Blogger to Tangelo and don't feel like doing the whole thing again. I went ahead and ordered the new version of iLife and it will be here in a week or so.

The iLife program also includes updates to iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, and most notably Garageband. The new Garageband includes a podcast studio. I watched the demo on the streaming keynote address today and I'm very interested in seeing how you can integrate different pieces of artwork or photos in your podcast. It's almost like the enhanced podcasts they've talked about before. Not many people do the enhanced podcasts and I've never done one but this update to Garageband makes it look too easy to create one. Again, we'll see just how easy it works.

My problem with getting excited about the new Intel Macs is that unless your software is Universal, it will have to run under Rosetta, which is a program that makes the software run correctly. Of course this means that eventually I'll have to buy all new software that will run natively on the new Intel Macs. I don't plan to upgrade to one of the new Intel Macs for quite awhile. Maybe next fall. We'll see.

I broke down and bought the iPod Nano today. I had gotten a rather nice gift card from my students and had enough on the card to buy the Nano, the docking station, and the lanyard with the earphones built in. I got the 4 Gig white model. It's very nice and so light. I can barely feel it around my neck. It holds much of my music library but it's not large enough to hold all my photos too. I know I probably should have waited to buy one until MacWorld Expo in January but I'm impatient like that.

Today I also got a new phone. My service plan with Sprint had been up since August and I haven't done anything about upgrading it or getting a plan. I got a flier at work about a discount so I went to the Sprint store today and checked out all the phones. I decided to down grade the plan and not get the phone with a camera built in. Not having the camera built in, I didn't need the vision part of the service plan. So maybe my monthly bill will be a bit lower with the discount and not having the photo part. But then again it might be a bit higher. I got a second phone with a second line for the boyfriend for his birthday. But don't tell him! It's a secret! hahaha

And finally my new digital video camera arrived from Amazon today. I got the Canon Elura 85. It's an upgrade from my last camera and has a few more features I was looking for. My last camera is more then 2 years old and died a few weeks ago. For some reason it stopped recording and playing. It wasn't worth getting it fixed so I just went ahead and got a new one. I am loving the new one so far. Hopefully I'll be back to producing videos for the website soon. Maybe next week I'll have something to post.

On another note, the boyfriend is away for a week visiting his family in New Orleans. He arrived safe and I hope he is enjoying the time with his family without being too upset with the devastation around him. And of course I am missing him terribly.

Today Apple announced the release date for Mac OS 10.4, Tiger. It will be released on Friday, April 29th. I ordered my copy at 10:43 this morning. I am really looking forward to this release. There are so many new features and upgraded features available in this release.

There are a few features I'm really looking forward to. Spotlight is Apple's new system search engine. "Stop looking. Start finding. With Spotlight, you can find anything on your computer as quickly as you type. Search your entire system from one place: Files, emails, contacts, images, calendars and applications appear instantly." I think this will be an easy to find stuff that you search through folders looking for. Should be a great tool. Dashboard is another great tool I'm looking forward to. It's a set of little applications that run in the background that do all kinds of things. "Check the time, watch the weather, track flights, view stock prices and find a local restaurant. Instantly. With a single click, the Dashboard zooms across your Desktop, giving you fast access to nifty widgets designed for fun as well as function." I actually think this will be replacing the old Sherlock, which is fine because that was showing it's age and wasn't always working.

There are other things I'm looking forward to and I'm sure I'll spend lots time fooling with all the features once I get it. I always anticipate a new OS release and this one should be a big one. The waiting begins now.

As you can see from the picture, my iPod Shuffle arrived today! I have to say this might be the coolest little device that Apple has produced. It is extremely simple to use and it's so light. It's SO light I forgot that I had it in my pocket while doing things around the house. When I opened the package I didn't even read the book. I plugged it into my iMac and iTunes recognized it instantly. I selected lots of different songs and dragged them to the iPod Shuffle and BAM! It was ready. It took about an hour to charge up and then I started listening to the music. It sounds very good for such a small device. I might even say it sounds better than my iPod Mini. The only thing I can think of to complain about is the little slider on the back side that turns it on. It doesn't have a grip or anything and I find it a little hard to slide it in just the right position. I'm sure the more I use it, the more I'll get used to the slider. Overall I think it's a great little device and I'm sure I'll listen to tunes with it everyday. I've been giving my iPod Mini a workout lately so having the Shuffle to play with will be fun.

I was unable to actually watch the streaming video of the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco today but I did constantly check the Mac sites and read about each new item as it was introduced. I'm not all that jazzed with the new hardware offerings but the software has me interested. Here are some highlights and if you are not a Mac fan you can skip this post.

Apple introduced the Mac mini today. It's a basic computer that doesn't come with a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. It also doesn't come with the latest processor. It only has a G4. It has very little expandability as well. I guess that's why it only costs $499. I'm not sure I know who this computer will be marketed to. Unless you already have the monitor, keyboard, and mouse, you'll be spending a lot more on this computer then you think. I like the small footprint and the cool style of it but I won't be buying this anytime soon. I think it should have been built with at least a low level G5 processor.

Apple introduced the iPod shuffle today, too. It's a flash based iPod that can hold either 120 songs or 240 songs. It has no screen to see what's playing or anything for that matter. It is very light and does work seamlessly with your current iTunes. Besides being light, I can't see why I would buy this either. It's cool looking and has lots of accessories but just not for me. I like having my entire library on my iPod. I'm sure there are many people who will buy this and update it daily with their current favorite tunes to listen during the day but I'd rather have it all at hand to pick and chose as I wish. And I think it's a bit pricey for the 1GB edition. They are asking $149 for that model. You can get the 512mb version for $99 though.

iLife '05 was updated today. Each title in the grouping was updated to the '05 version. Most got major updates but iTunes was only slightly updated. The new iPhoto looks really good as well as the new iMovie HD. I have used iPhoto since it was first released. I really like it's organization and it's exporting abilities. It looks like the new update is even better in these areas. Also, the book feature has been changed significantly with new sizes and soft cover options. I know I'll be using this feature more. I already ordered my copy and it should be here by January 22nd. I can't wait to update my current versions.

iWork is a totally new application that includes Keynote 2.0 and Pages. Keynote is a PowerPoint type program for presentations. I have used it before but very little. The new version looks to be much of the same with few additions. What I'm excited about though is Pages this is the replacement for Appleworks. I've used Appleworks for years and years and I have many, many files already in the Appleworks format. According to the web site, I should have no problem importing those documents and changing them to the Pages format. I like this feature. Also, this is much more robust word processor then Appleworks ever was. I'm looking forward to using it and taking advantage of all its abilities. Of course when I ordered iLife '05, I ordered iWork too!

I'm anticipating the opening of the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco tomorrow. Of course it won't start until well into my work day so I won't be able to find out about all the cool new things Apple will introduce until the afternoon. I know many of you are not Mac fans so you could care less but I look forward to this twice a year. At the last Expo Apple introduced the iMac G5 which I now have. I've read predictions about all kinds of things that will be introduced at this year's Expo. The only hardware item I'll be interested in hearing about is the much rumored Flash iPod. Apple should introduce some new software that is of interest to me. iLife '05, iWorks, and updates to other software. I always get excited twice a year about the Expos. I'm sure tomorrow I'll be checking all my Mac websites to read about the new things introduced all day tomorrow. I can't wait!

I've been a huge Apple fan for almost 20 years now. I have owned, without counting, probably 20 Apple computers. Never, and I mean never, have I had a problem with any of them. They have always been reliable. I have never had a hardware failure nor have I had to return the computer for any problem. They have always worked for me...until today.

When I turned on my iMac G5 this morning it went through the start up process as usual. When it got to the "getting printer settings" it hung up and just sat there. I let it go for 5 minutes. It usually starts up in like 20 to 30 seconds. I had to hold the power button to make it turn off. I then inserted the Hardware Test disc that comes with all Macs. It started the test and after about 15 minutes returned a hardware error. I recorded the error and then called Apple. They weren't open yet so I had to chat with a service person online. That was cool. You go to a website and a chat window starts up and you chat right with a service guy. I told him my story and after checking that my computer was still under the 90 day warranty, he told me to call Apple when they open and give them my case number. He also said that in fact the part that had failed was one I could replace myself. At 9:00 I called Apple and sure enough they had my case and quickly issued me a case number and promptly put an order in for the part to be shipped to me. I will fix it myself and return the damaged part. If I don't return the part it will cost me $1400! That is more than half of what the computer cost! I WILL be returning that part.

So I was totally pissed off for awhile and then realized I have my 17" PowerBook to use. Luckily, I have all my e-mail accounts set up on the laptop so I can still send and receive e-mail. However, all my financial information, photos, and other programs I use are on the iMac. Here's the weird part. Just yesterday I was thinking that I should back up my hard drive to my external hard drive. I don't know what made me think to do it yesterday but I did. I backed up the entire iMac less then 24 hours ago so I won't be losing any information. Plus, the guy at Apple said the hardware problem shouldn't effect the files because it's not the hard drive that has died. I was happy to hear that. He also said I should get the part sometime this week. So for a few days the laptop will have to do.

I have to say I'm a little disappointed with the performance of this iMac. The fan is definitely too loud at times. I already talked to them about that and they said it was normal. The bluetooth doesn't always come on when I start up the computer. The guy told me today how to fix that. I mean, I love this computer. It's fast, it's got all the bells and whistles, and has a huge crisp monitor. I'm sure my confidence will be restored when I fix the computer. One thing I can say is that Apple's support service is great. Since I already had an error code they did not make me walk through all that crap to figure it out again. I am very pleased with their support service. And of course at the end of the call I signed up for the Apple Care Service. It wasn't that expensive and it will cover anything that happens to the computer in the next 3 years. Let's hope I don't have to contact them again.

Apple has done it again. Are they trying to break me? They have created a new iPod, the iPod Photo that not only holds all your music but now also holds all your photos. I really like the idea of having all my photos on an iPod that I could take with me places. I could easily connect it to anyone's TV and show them my work. Granted, I have my web site for that but it doesn't have all my photos on it. I currently have over 2000 photos in my iPhoto library. Apple says this new iPod could hold 15,000 songs and up to 25,000 photos. That's a lot of photos! They also say that the battery life is up to 15 hours. That's a huge increase over my current iPods. I'm lucky if I get 4 or 5 hours out of my current iPods. I already have two iPods. I use the iPod Mini when I do my walking and it's great and all. But add the bonus of having all my photos on the iPod makes me sweat and want to get one. It comes down to the old adage, do I need an iPod Photo or do I want an iPod Photo. Well, of course I want an iPod Photo. What would I do with my two other iPods? Any ideas? Maybe I'll wait and get it for Christmas...a gift to myself. But can I wait? I've always been one to get the latest and greatest things that Apple produces and then deal with the credit card later. I need to think about this more. But I want one.

I never blog from work but I just checked the Fedex tracking and my iMac G5 is waiting for me at home! I want to go home!

I got an e-mail Friday from Apple saying that my iMac G5 had shipped. Of course it's coming from Shanghai China. The estimated delivery date is October 13! I don't know if I can wait that long! I went to the Apple Store yesterday and saw my same computer there. It's a lot bigger then I thought it was. It also seems really fast. I can't wait for my computer to get here!

Today Apple introduced the new G5 iMac. It is simply beautiful. I love the design. My current iMac is exactly 2 years old so of course it is time to get a new one. Perfect timing. Today at 3:50 PM Eastern Time, I ordered this spectacular piece of art. I went with the top of the line 20inch model. I decided to get 1 gig of ram, a 250 gig hard drive, airport extreme, bluetooth, and a wireless keyboard and mouse. The web site says I should get it in 3 to 4 weeks. I can't wait! It was very expensive but Apple computers always are and are always worth it. I have always loved Apple and their products. I have never had a problem with Apples that I did not cause myself. I will be loyal to them for as long as they continue to produce such outstanding products.

One of the things I planned to do this summer was to clean out my storage space in the basement of my building. I've lived here 6 years now and I have several unused items taking up space. Today was the day to accomplish this task.

I borrowed the hand cart from the front desk, rolled it down to my storage space and loaded it up with several boxes of old computers. I've been a huge Apple fan for many years. When I was younger I started collecting older model computers. At one point I had 11 old Apple Computers. Most of them have been sitting in my storage space for years waiting for the right time to make some money.

I brought the computers up to my condo and began going through them one at a time. I connected all the old cords and put a disk in each disk drive (can you believe it, discs!) I started them up and only 3 of them actually worked. I decided to keep those 3 and get rid of the rest. I boxed up all the old ones and took them down to the trash room in my building. There is an area in our trash room to put things that you don't want so that others can snatch them up if they care to. I put all the old computer in this area. I'm sure they'll find a home of someone who likes tinkering with old computers.

The 3 computers that worked were all packed up nice and tight and returned to my storage space. Now the storage space is nice and neat and has plenty of space for me to store other things or get to those things I need to get to from time to time. I feel so good about getting that cleaned out and organized.

One of the computers that I decided to keep is an original Macintosh 512k from 1984. The 512k is actually the second Mac they made. It's the same as the original Macintosh that only had 128k but with more memory. The keep board attaches to the computer with a phone cord like plug. It requires discs to run it. I have some original discs but they are for the Macintosh SE/30 (another computer I had at one point but sold it). The discs are in their original package with the insert that tells you how to set up your computer. I'm sure these things will be worth something someday.




Another of the computers I'm keeping is a Macintosh Color Classic. This machine is basically an LC II crammed in a new design case. I've always been a fan of the all-in-one designs that Apple produced so I just had to have one of these. Several years ago I used to look through the Macs for sale messages in the newsgroups (does anyone use the news groups anymore?). I found a message stating they were selling their color classic and the price wasn't too high so I decided to get it. It came with everything I needed except the original discs. Luckily the Color Classic has a SCSI port so I was able to connect my old external hard drive to it and load system 7.6 on it. It runs beautifully. Of course it's slow but it works and I just think it is so cool. I'll hold on to this one for awhile.



The last computer I'm keeping is an LC III. This is the only computer I've ever owned that needs a monitor separate from the computer. The LC III is the pizza box design that Apple first introduced with the LC. I can't actually remember where I got this one, but it had the Apple monitor, cables, and the original discs in the packaging. I connected the monitor to the computer and the plug to the wall and cranked it up. It started up just fine. It's very slow as expected but it's a good example of design changes Apple made at one time. This one works beautifully as well. I'll hang on to this one too.

I will not be collecting any more Apple computers. I might hang on to my 17" iMac once I get the new G5 iMac in September but we'll see what kind of space I have. I might just donate it to my school. Which is where many of my past computers have ended up. In all the computer stuff I found today I also found an Apple Newton Message Pad (not the first version) and an Apple Quicktake 200 digital camera. This camera was the second generation of digital cameras that Apple made. I think they discontinued making digital cameras after that. I decided to get rid of both of those items as well. I just don't need that stuff sitting around taking up space.

Cleaning the storage space has taken up most of my day. Now I need to take a shower and get ready for class. Only two more classes!

Last night I had my first video chat with Patrick of Prosperfahey.com. The picture above is the very last second of the conversation. I told him I was going to blog about it and I wanted to capture a picture. We both looked like crap hot men (although he looked much better then I). He didn't want me to capture a picture so just at the last second he hit pause and left the screen. It was pretty funny. As you can see, I'm laughing. Anyway, it started when I was on AOL and got an IM from Patrick. He said to switch to iChat. We've been e-mailing and IMing for months but haven't connected on video yet so I did and the video came right up. It was very cool. I've had the iSight camera for quite a long time but have never used it to chat with anyone. Patrick is on the opposite side of the country from me but has become a pretty good friend in the blog world. We talk about web stuff, Mac stuff, and life in general. I consider him the iMovie guru. He creates amazing iMovies and knows how to present them so well on his web site. I love checking out his movies and catching up with what's going on in his and his partner's life with their son. Our video chat was really cool. I guess it's the first time I've "met" a blogger. Because it was real time and moving video and sound, it was like he was just in the next room. We chatted about what we were up to this summer, things we're working on, life challenges, what Nathan is up to (he had his time on camera too), and just your basic daily BS. It was a very fun chat and we'll have to do it again sometime soon. If you haven't checked out his site you should. He does amazing things with iMovie.

Patrick: after reading this, go take a shower!

Unrelated note: A long phone conversation should last 2 hours, 37 minutes, and 19 seconds.

For the last few hours I've been playing with iTunes. I downloaded a whole bunch of music on Saturday. I used the iTunes gift certificate that Shawn gave me for my birthday.

So I burned several mixed CD's. iTunes makes it so easy. And it let's you print a jewel case insert that shows the song titles as well as the album art for all the albums included on the CD you just burned.

One thing I learned today is that if you don't already have the album art for the CD (if you didn't download it from iTunes but you imported your own CD) you can add the album art manually. So I did a search at Tower Records.com for each CD I didn't have the art for and simply dragged the same size picture into the iTunes library for all the songs for that CD. Now it will print all the album art when I print a jewel case for each CD that I burn. Very cool. Some of you may already know about this and might not think it's a big deal but I thought it was pretty cool. Check it out sometime.

Last week Apple updated both it's PowerBook line and it's iBook line of laptop computers. I wasn't as impressed with the speed stats as I could have been. None of the new stats make me want to go out and replace my current 17 inch PowerBook with something new. At times I think my 17 inch is a little too big but I love it. It's fast, I have it packed with ram, it's got bluetooth and airport extreme. If and when I update the laptop, I think I will go down in size to the 15 inch PowerBook and load it with ram and goodies. Maybe next year.

As for a desktop, I'm still holding out for a G5 iMac. The iMac is the only model that hasn't been updated since the 20 inch model. This summer should see an update. That's when I'll get a new one. I currently have the 17 inch iMac. I got it in September 2002. In computer years, it's old. I still love the design and how well it works. It's only an 800 megahertz G4 so it's not the fastest but it still does everything I want it to do.

Today Apple updated iTunes, iMovie, and QuickTime. When I got home from work I used the software update and updated them all. The new iTunes has a few new features that I like. I like the ability to print CD covers of the songs I have in my play lists right from iTunes. I tested it out and it's pretty cool. I also like the ability to see movie trailers and music videos right in the iTunes music store. You can't, however, download the trailers or videos if you have QuickTime Pro. If you go to the Apple web site to see the trailers and have QuickTime Pro you can download and save the trailers. This doesn't work for the music videos however. The update for iMovie is rather minor. It improves performance and reliability with iMovie 4.0. I haven't created anything to see if it actually improves anything.

All in all, decent updates from Apple. Keep 'em comin, Apple!

It was a nasty day today. The weather was terrible. It was chilly. It was windy. It was rainy. It was awful. I hate this weather. There is promise of nicer weather by the end of the week. I hope it comes true.

Last summer when Apple introduced the iSight camera, I had to buy one. At that time I didn't know anyone to try it out with. I heard about iChatters.com and iChatfinder.com from all the Mac sites I browse, so I logged on and joined their free sites. The whole iSight thing was new then so there weren't many people on there. I video chatted with a few people at the time to figure out the camera and it was fun but I quickly lost interest. I eventually put the camera away and went back to using AOL for chatting. My profiles stayed on iChatters and iChatfinder. Then last week I got an IM from a guy in San Francisco saying he found me on iChatfinder.com. We chatted a bit and traded web sites. His blog is all about he and his partner raising their son together. It's a really cool site/blog. He's got some great iPhoto galleries and from time to time he posts iMovies on his site. I need to figure out how he does it. I have plenty of server space so I should create an iMovie and try to post it for others to see. That will have to be my next project. I should probably buy a digital video camera (hmm...justification for a major purchase?). Anyway, I enjoy checking out his site and watching his cool iMovies. I hope he doesn't mind that I linked to his site from my blog.

This evening I was on AOL and I got another IM from someone I didn't recognize. He said he found me on iChatters.com. He said he was in Santiago, Chile. I thought that was wild. He said he enjoys reading my blog. I'm fully aware of how vast the internet is and it's abilities but I still find it wild that I can talk (type that is) live with someone who is so far away. Chatting with him for awhile, I find out (which I guess I already knew) that we are in the same time zone but the weather is the opposite. I know the southern hemisphere is going through the opposite changes that we are going through but you don't think about it when you are chatting with someone who is telling you they are having the same sinus problems that you are having but they are going from Fall to Winter. Pretty wild.

P.S. No one made any guesses about my camera phone pictures from yesterday. :( So no one wins the prize.

It arrived today! I got my new iPod Mini! I kept checking the Fed Ex site and saw about 11:00 am this morning that it arrived at my place at 10:28. Yeah! So when I got home I picked it up and ripped open the box. I plugged it in and right away iTunes opened up and copied my song library onto the iPod Mini. Only took a few minutes. Then I opened iSync and transferred all my calendars and contacts to the iPod Mini. Now I have all my music and information stored on the iPod Mini. It's great! Then I plugged the headphones in and started listening to some of my favorite songs while doing things on the computer. Of course I could have listened to my songs on iTunes but it's more fun to use the new iPod Mini. It's a cool blue color and I had it engraved on the back with my name. Apple is so cool! I promised in an earlier post that I would walk an extra two miles a day to justify it's purchase. Well, starting tomorrow I will come home, change clothes and get on the tread mill and DO my two extra miles a day. I promise! Now for a suggestion for future upgrades to the iPod line for Apple. I suggest they build Bluetooth into the iPod and into the earbuds. That would be so cool. You could just stick these little earbuds into your ears and clip the iPod onto your belt and no wires would get in your way. Sometimes when I'm walking my hands catch the cords and I yank them out of the socket. Just a suggestion Apple.

On another note. Why does my web site and blog look so bad on Internet Explorer and the AOL browser? I was surfing around and wondered what they looked like on those programs and I checked them out. They totally render my pages and blog terribly! They use the wrong font, put boxes around things. I just hate the way it looks. I use Apple's Safari and everything looks perfect. Every thing's in the right place, the fonts are right, and the colors show up correctly. Why is there such a difference in browsers? What can I do to make them all look the same? Why can't everyone use Apple products? They are far more superior!

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Macintosh Computer. Happy 20th Anniversary Mac! The computer that started it all.



Simply amazing! (of course the image is copyrighted by Apple, Inc.)

Today began the MacWorld Expo in California. I was hopping Apple would introduce a new iMac but they didn't. They did introduce new mini iPods. The new iPods are cool looking, much smaller and hold fewer songs but are perfect for those who don't have thousands of songs (like me) and who like the new smaller, cooler design. They introduced some other things too but nothing of major interest to me. However, one piece of software they did introduce that I quickly ordered was iLife '04. It's a suite of software titles that let you do everything from manipulating photos, creating movies and DVD's, organizing and downloading music to creating your own music. I can't wait to get it! I will both upgrade my current titles and add the ones that are completely new. If you are at all interested in Apple, I suggest you check out their home page (www.apple.com) and see the new products.