3:00 snapshot #1162: New Years Day

[urbpan]

The snowy back yard viewed from the warmth of the kitchen.

I'm experiencing problems with my technology: The main lens I use for my camera broke (the aperture is stuck shut down to its smallest setting) so I'm making due with an old manual lens. Unfortunately the auto settings for the lens aren't reliable, and I'm stuck guessing on proper exposures. Makes me yearn for my old K-1000. Options are: 1) suck it up 2) buy a new lens 3) save up for new camera 4) wait for February when we are getting smart phones. Option 2) seems like the best, except that the flash is also busted on this camera. The whole thing feels light and flimsy, but looks "professional" enough that I can't get away with using it surreptitiously.

Also my trusty laptop has not been charging its battery for...some long time now, I forget. But I got a new battery for it which didn't solve the problem, then brought it in to the Apple store where they told me my problem was that I don't buy new computers often enough. Well, that was the attitude I detected, when the "genius" informed me that I bought the laptop in 2006. You kids can get off my lawn etc., but shouldn't something that costs four figures last six years? Options are: 1) suck it up and pretend it's a desktop computer and be very very careful about the cord because when it gets unplugged (easy, since it's one of those magnetic jobbies that costs a mint) the machine turns off 2) drop another grand on a new machine 3) re-evaluate my life and decide that I don't really need a laptop and switch to using a hand-held device full time.

Don't even bring up the car.

Comments

[ssorca19.livejournal.com]

what do you use your computer for? there are (non apple) computers out there for a whole lot less...I believe the one I have was less than $600 and that was 3-4 years ago. And if you mostly use it for surfing, streaming, etc, you can even get something like the new chromebooks for less than $300... but they dont have any sort of disk drive (dvd, etc), and look closely at how much memory they have. Some of them don't come with much, pretty much a glorified flash drive built in.

good luck!

(if it was me, i'd be ductaping the shit out of the cord to hold it in place, in the meantime ;) )

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

The biggest things, file-size-wise, are photo editing and podcasting. Granted, in terms of time I use it mostly for dicking around on the internet, which I could mostly accomplish with my iPod. There's a self-examination piece to this dilemma: am I blogger? A writer? A podcaster? Just some jerk who spends too much time dicking around on the internet?

But I married into the Apple religion about 10 years ago and don't see myself backing out--too much invested in iTunes, for one thing. I do threaten to buy a 300 dollar Dell whenever I get angry about having to buy an 80 dollar power cord for my macbook (needed about once every 18 months) but I doubt I'll follow through--too much trouble to switch.

[ssorca19.livejournal.com]

no way, itunes is fully PC compliant. its the only thing I use for music on my computer. I do have an ipod (older, 2nd gen touch. the one with the speaker but no camera) and I use itunes for that... and my particular smart phone (HTC Vivid, though I'm betting its the same with other HTC's) can import playlists directly from itunes within the HTC sync software. My mom's LG smartphone does NOT do this.

in your case, because of the photo editing stuff, i'd be more likely to not switch just for not having to learn/buy a whole new editing program. But I'm really lazy when it comes to that stuff. Most of my editing is in the form of cropping ;).

As for internet-dicking-around, you'll be missing a computer real soon. Smartphone/ipod is great when on the go, but its SO much less frustrating/quicker on a 'puter. And if you're anything like me, you've got 8 pages/tabs open all at once, and when searching for things tend to open several at a time looking for the the info you need. Not possible on phone/ipod, for sure.

I totally get not wanting to switch though. I'd kinda love a mac if I could afford it (then again, I like not feeling so guilty about things getting broken if they dont cost so much) Just wanted to help point out there are other, MUCH cheaper options available out there right now!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that. :)

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

my sony ereader died and I went to the sony store and they told me that it would cost $70 to fix and a two week turn around or I could buy the same model for new for $79...

It is half the price I paid a year ago, but wait, they say it won't be supported for very much longer but they still are selling them. doesn't this all sound like the "pusher man" man? seriously?

so I said, forget it sony... i can get books at the library, go for some walking exercise, talk to a nice librarian, maybe even meet a fellow reader. I bought into the ebook because I thought it was a step in the right direction for getting away from pulp and paper toxins and cutting down trees BULLSHIT it's just a new trend same as the old trend, green? give me a break!

whew, got that off my chest.

[shadowofadoubt.livejournal.com]

Let me know if decide to buy new, I can get you a discount that might help the sting.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

OMG are you serious? We have to talk.

[didotwite]

yeah, present time just gone and my smartphone is suddenly on the fritz. weird.

[bill_sheehan.livejournal.com]

According to the Infernal Revenue Service, the useful life of a laptop is three years. I'd say you did pretty well. I doubt it's worth putting more money into.