Kim (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
grammarwoman) wrote2008-10-14 12:07 pm
grammarwoman) wrote2008-10-14 12:07 pm
Entry tags:
This is my brain on Post-it notes
Well, there's nothing like getting the stick after the carrot. I glumly decided that I couldn't justify the Burbank trip, what with the economy tanking and making muddy the solid financial ground I thought we'd found. Then the husband's car broke AGAIN, and yeah, it looks like we're going to have another case of happy bonus money being eaten by mundane costs.
This is on top of entering week five of cold symptoms, and having the PA diagnose it as a combination of cold and allergies. (I staunchly maintain that this doesn't feel like any case of allergies I've had before, since I don't want to scratch my face off, but the chest congestion is driving me batty.) Plus the husband is on antibiotics for his own sinus infection, and the Emperor's birthday is in two weeks and 75% of the prospective guest list have already canceled, and I'm evidently insane because I'm actually pondering hosting Christmas this year, and...the brain, it just doesn't stop.
However, I am bound and determined to find some silver lining here, so I am by gum going to get myself a new laptop.
Of course, now this opens up a huge Vista* of dithering. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go PC rather than Mac, as much as I still feel brand loyalty to the latter company. I'm poking around the Dell site, especially the outlet deals, but there are so many choices for my limited brain power! My needs list is: supports basically unlimited online surfing, including as many YouTube offerings in a row as I want; runs Microsoft Office; supports whatever software I need to start vidding; wireless is a given; as big a hard drive and as much RAM as I can get; DVD RW drive; decent battery life.
I am useless when it comes to hardware, I know, and it's a willful blind spot. That's one of the reasons I count on my husband so much.
So, anybody feel like offering an opinion on computers, especially when it comes to specs and software to enable vidding?
* Vista = DO NOT WANT. Do they actually sell computers loaded with Windows XP anymore?
This is on top of entering week five of cold symptoms, and having the PA diagnose it as a combination of cold and allergies. (I staunchly maintain that this doesn't feel like any case of allergies I've had before, since I don't want to scratch my face off, but the chest congestion is driving me batty.) Plus the husband is on antibiotics for his own sinus infection, and the Emperor's birthday is in two weeks and 75% of the prospective guest list have already canceled, and I'm evidently insane because I'm actually pondering hosting Christmas this year, and...the brain, it just doesn't stop.
However, I am bound and determined to find some silver lining here, so I am by gum going to get myself a new laptop.
Of course, now this opens up a huge Vista* of dithering. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go PC rather than Mac, as much as I still feel brand loyalty to the latter company. I'm poking around the Dell site, especially the outlet deals, but there are so many choices for my limited brain power! My needs list is: supports basically unlimited online surfing, including as many YouTube offerings in a row as I want; runs Microsoft Office; supports whatever software I need to start vidding; wireless is a given; as big a hard drive and as much RAM as I can get; DVD RW drive; decent battery life.
I am useless when it comes to hardware, I know, and it's a willful blind spot. That's one of the reasons I count on my husband so much.
So, anybody feel like offering an opinion on computers, especially when it comes to specs and software to enable vidding?
* Vista = DO NOT WANT. Do they actually sell computers loaded with Windows XP anymore?
decision derision
We can get XP on a pc for you, the Dells you get from the company-(not the crap ones made for Wal-mart, the real ones)-are coming to us with both XP and Vista disks now. The real problem with Vista is/was that most existing pc's couldn't carry it and it didn't support anybody's hardware. It basically meant you had to get all new stuff like printers. So again, if you're going to have the same type of interface and make sure you have the special drivers, you might as well get a mac. The upside of Vista capable pc's is that they barely notice the XP operating system they're so amped-up to carry Vista.
So i guess to summarize, if you get a pc your dear hubby and i can make it fly between his skills and my stuff connections, but Vista isn't really that far from OS X from what i remember so you might do just as well to get a mac.
I say its time to go do some in-the-store hands-on playtime! The most important part of any laptop is whether or not it fits you.
Re: decision derision
+11ty billion
I had forgotten about this aspect, but yes...laptops are all about ergos...you'll spend 90+ percent of your time typing on it's keyboard and using it's mousing interface. Make sure you can live with them before deciding on one. For instance, some people can't keep their palms off of the macbook trackpad while typing and it would drive them bonkers. Others don't have warm enough blood in the ends of their fingers to be able to use some company's trackpads, and others can't stand the half-stroke or layout/stretch of some keyboards. Fit is probably as important as specs, unless you're planning on "docking" for more than half your time using it.
Also, one bonus to the Mac with having a little one around is the mag-safe power cord. I can't tell you how many times I've drunkenly stumbled over my powercord for the laptop only to thank the gods that it comes unplugged with zero force and doesn't harm the machine or pull it off of the table onto the floor.