New Hardware

I got a Nintendo Wii in May; an iPod nano a couple weeks ago; and a new MacBook Pro last week.

A year or two ago I think I wrote that I hated Apple. Ever since I learned of Boot Camp and seeing my coworkers use it, I started liking the idea of owning one myself. When I heard of the iPhone, I was immediately sold. I really like the idea of the iPhone. It's shifting the focus to software. If you're a programmer, you no longer have to worry about whether the phone has such and such buttons at such and such locations; you can just create buttons... Or at least that's the direction I imagine the iPhone will take: tremendous flexibility. I could be wrong though; you might never be able to do more with it than what Apple allows (I think at the moment that is creating apps for safari).

So I've been interested in investing in a Mac, but never had the opportunity or the need to get a new computer. With the back-to-school special (free iPod nano 4gb) and the release of the new Santa Rosa chipset, along with the school discount ($200) I only get before I graduate in August, I decided it was as good a time as any to get one. I'll just pay for Leopard when it comes out (with the savings I've mentioned).

I even got a new multifunctional printer to boot. A nice office-quality Canon PIXMA MP600. I really like it so far. Currently $100 off when buying with a Mac.

So I've spent a good bit of the weekend getting used to Mac OS X. Read about 500 tips from macosxhints.com. I think I've finally got most of what I need on here. I'm still learning all the shortcut keys and such. I really like the OS. Far more than Windows.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I also got high-speed internet in May. I'm living in cottage country now and high-speed hasn't been available here when I first came here a few years back. Now that I'm living here full-time, Rogers decides to offer an Outdoor Modem (which is like satellite but receiving the signal from a tower). What perfect timing. It's as fast as cable most times, but with severe weather, it degrades to dial-up speeds and sometimes loss of connectivity. Oh well, I'll settle with getting a ping of 60 in Team Fortress Classic most of the time.

Haven't played go in forever, so I guess I better make up for lost time.