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22372. arkymalarky - 8/8/2007 5:13:33 PM Times like this really reinforce my appreciation for the Mote.
That is so true. I don't think folks gathered together anywhere, in body or in spirit, get any better than they are here. 22373. Ms. No - 8/8/2007 5:43:19 PM A girlfriend and I are going to a local spa - Mellow Me Out - this weekend for massages and pedicures. I cannot wait. I haven't had a full massage in years.
I'm dragging myself into the office through the 17th and then I'm off to LA for a couple of days to see my brother and his family and catch up with some friends.
When I get back I'll have about 10 days to get things in order around my house before school starts. I want to try and have a yard sale. I'll schedule a pickup from Salvation Army or Goodwill for afterward so that anything I don't sell doesn't come back to my place. 22374. thoughtful - 8/8/2007 6:48:46 PM Sounds like a great plan, Missie. 22375. Ms. No - 8/8/2007 7:13:30 PM I've just got so much stuff. I figure I've got about 1200 books I can get rid of and if I can manage to get it done I should burn all my CD's to a hard drive and then go trade them in for credit at the record store. It's music I want, but I have tons of CD's that I never pull out and play because it's such a hassle to deal with rotating the disks etc. If I put it all on a hard drive then I can just fire up the rotation on my PC and actually make use of the stuff rather than having it just taking up space and collecting dust.
Once I clear out the CDs I can get a rolling TV console and then get rid of my entertainment center which will free up a lot of space. I'm trading in my futon for a love-seat and then maybe I'll have enough room in my apartment to actually have people over. I used to entertain all the time and looking back over the last couple of years I realize that I haven't had a dinner party or multi-person gathering at my home since I left West LA more than three years ago.
Mostly at this very moment I'm hard pressed to stay at the office. I'm so antsy to leave and the project I'm working on is excruciatingly mind-numbing.....which is an oxymoron of sorts, but it really is nearly intolerable. I just keep looking at it and thinking "Would I spend X amount of dollars to have the next ten days off?" and the answer needs to be "no"
I hate being bored more than anything in the world. 22376. thoughtful - 8/8/2007 8:02:18 PM I don't know if i ever told you guys about when, after my dad died, mother sold the house that they had lived in for 55 years. In addition to the house, they had a rental property and 3 barns. Both mom and dad are pack rats and the place was literally filled to the gills. Every beam in the basement had a nails in it with stuff hanging off of it. Dad hung on to every carbuerator part because you just never knew. Mother believed the bumper sticker that said, "She who dies with the most fabric wins!" She invited ladies over who teach sewing who pulled 13 garbage bags full of fabric out of the attic and the attic was still full. Mom took what she wanted for her new place. My brother and I each took what we wanted. Then my cousins came in and took some of the furniture. Then we had tag sales. Then she invited 4 charities to come in and take whatever they wanted. Would you believe she still had 5 dumpsters of stuff taken away?? Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.
Ping pong table and archery stuff and dozens of screwdrivers without handles and bags of fertilizer and dozens and dozens of shot glasses. Almost everything under the sun you could imagine.
It seems like nothing when you accumulate this stuff one or two pieces at a time, but incredibly immense when it gets aggregated over the years.
I swear half this stuff grows on its own. 22377. Ms. No - 8/8/2007 8:44:37 PM Especially paper. Paper has a shoter reproductive/gestational cycle than gerbils, I swear.
Part of my problem is that I have a ton of stuff that really needs to be shreaded. I've got a shreader, but I don't look forward to spending 9 hours next to it having to turn it off to cool down every five minutes. I ought to look into what it would cost to just drop it off at some bulk shreading place. I imagine they charge by the pound or something.
Thinking about it all makes me that much more irritated that every business in the world that has your information prints it out on every piece of junk they send to you. I can't just toss old bank and insurance records because they've got account numbers and my social security number and my address and god only knows what else on them.
And WHY OH WHY is there no way to keep from receiving the fricking grocery and local business circulars in my mailbox every two days? I never use any of that shit and it just makes for another two pounds of paper that I've got to lug out to the dumpster every week. Aren't we supposed to be worried about wasting paper and cutting down trees?
Why is it "freedom of speech" when you're stuffing your crap into MY mailbox or leaving it on MY front step? Those are NOT public spaces.
okay, now I'm getting way too twisted up about all of this. Time to break for lunch. ;-> 22378. thoughtful - 8/8/2007 10:13:47 PM We use our wood stove instead of a shredder. We keep a pile of papers like that nearby and use it for starting our fires.
I agree about the junk mail. When our area started recycling junk mail years ago, our weekly trash generation went down by 1/2. 22379. Ms. No - 8/8/2007 10:18:53 PM This should probably go in the Tech thread but I figure there's more traffic here and it's not super high-tech.
I need to get a laptop and the speed and processor indicators are so much gibberish to me. What's important is that it's fast enough to do what I need and that it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg.
I'll be word processing and doing minor web research. I don't need it as a media heavy machine --- nothing special by way of video and sound. It'd be nice to be able to run Trillian and Dreamweaver on it but neither of those is necessary.
The University has a deal with Dell and Apple and Gateway but the machines their advertising start around $1100 and that just seems ridiculous to me. Seems I ought to be able to get a decent machine to do what I need for about $700, but maybe I'm out of my mind.
Any ideas? Even if somebody could explain the whole megahertz and processor thing to me. I have no idea what dual core means and whether or not I'd need it blah blah blah.
help! 22380. Ms. No - 8/8/2007 10:22:03 PM And how the hell can I get a machine with XP instead of Vista???
I hate that they force change on me when I don't want it. 22381. arkymalarky - 8/8/2007 11:35:51 PM They're offering some XP machines because of that, but I can't remember what brands. Mine is a dual-core XP that's Vista capable, and I love it. It's a Dell E1405 and is very portable and does everything I want. It was about $1000 and I've had it about a year, I guess. I love their M1210s, which are very small, but more expensive. You can browse their website for new and used machines. They've evidently gone down some in popularity, but I've loved every Dell I've ever had. 22382. Ms. No - 8/9/2007 12:28:30 AM Yeah, I'll probably go with a Dell -- they seem to be pretty reliable and they're priced competitively. Also, they'll build to order to some extent, won't they? That way I can get XP instead of Vista if I want it.
I'm thining I'll go down to BestBuy and find a decent tech and let him tell me all about everything. They don't work on commission so it's no biggie if I don't actually buy when I'm in there. Once I figure out what I want I can buy through the University's Dell link.
I went with a friend about six months ago when she was shopping laptops and they had a couple of really good guys at the nearby store. I'm hoping one of them is still there. 22383. wabbit - 8/9/2007 12:50:04 AM I have a similar model Dell, probably a year older than Arky's machine. I use XP Pro and the usual programs (Adobe CS2/Macromedia, Pidgin, Skype, MS Office 2003...) and all run just fine - not as quick as my desktop, but good enough for hauling around.
Smaller laptops tend to be pricier, so if you don't mind the weight, a bigger machine might save you some $$. Spend the money you save on RAM. I have 1gb RAM, but get 2gb if possible. Dell is offering extra RAM right now at no additional cost.
You want one of the "mobile" processors. Avoid AMD Sempron and Intel Celeron. If you have no strong preference, consider an AMD Mobile Athlon XP-M processor (cheaper than Intel and just as good). If this isn't going to be your primary computer, you don't need the fastest processor, but you will want one that doesn't get too hot and doesn't eat up the battery. You can read up on laptop/mobile processors here. CNET has a laptop buying guide that might help you.
Dell runs specials all the time and there are coupons floating around the web that can save you even more. I paid for XP Pro (up from Home) and for the non-reflective screen (which was a great choice).
My sister has an HP laptop that she is very happy with. Everyone I know that has an Apple loves it, but they are pricier and don't go on sale, ever. Also, your existing software is for a PC, isn't it? 22384. arkymalarky - 8/9/2007 5:43:18 AM Someone told me Apples are now compatible with PC software, but I haven't heard that anywhere. It's a friend whose wife wants a Mac for graphics, but I didn't know it about that either. 22385. arkymalarky - 8/9/2007 5:43:40 AM ...I didn't know it was better for graphics either. 22386. arkymalarky - 8/9/2007 5:44:44 AM Judith, I must tell you that Bob bought y'all's car from Ronnie today. There's another just like it left, but he is ecstatic. His first ever brand new car. Cost 2000 less than mine and has way more options, is quieter, and roomier. 22387. Ms. No - 8/9/2007 7:21:08 AM Thanks Wabz! I'll check those links for sure! 22388. alistairconnor - 8/9/2007 8:47:29 AM Yes No, go for a "mobile" processor, my 4 year old HP has a Centrino processor and you can run it for much longer without plugging it in. My criterion is that I can watch a three-hour film without reaching for the power cord. (Laptop is the best medium for watching films, short of a cinema or decent home projector. Unless there's more than three of you in the bed or wherever.)
I was reading some junk mail in the lobby the other day (just tying some threads together...) and it looks like you can get the sort of machine you want, over here, for 700 euros from any supermarket. 22389. alistairconnor - 8/9/2007 8:56:42 AM Girlfriend and I both need new laptops. Mine goes on the blink like a 60s TV, it needs slapping to stabilize the image, sometimes I just have to turn it off...
Hers was stolen in the burglary, but that's probably classified information. No insurance money because the door wasn't forced, etc. Both of us are broke at the moment anyway.
No, what about a recent model off Ebay? Too risky? 22390. wabbit - 8/9/2007 9:51:18 PM We're back!
Macs used to have very definite advantages for graphics, but those days are pretty much gone. Screen resolution and color are essentially the same on both Macs and PCs these days.
I've read that you can dual-boot Apple/Windows and use Windows software on a Mac, but I don't know that I'd want to do it on a laptop.
No, I just emailed you a link for an HP laptop, let me know what you think. It's more $$ than you want to spend, but I think it's not a bad deal. 22391. robertjayb - 8/10/2007 12:03:08 AM Dell Outlet has scratch & dent, returned, and refurbished machines with warranties.
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