Apple iPad

killorlove — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:25:55 +0000

So for a few months now I’ve been saving up money to buy a new computer. I currently have a five and a half year old Powermac G5 that is nearing the end of it’s life. It still works great for most things, but there are a few things I’d like to be able to do with it, that it’s age/ hardware/ software won’t permit me to do. Like streaming movies from the Netflix website, I can’t do that because I have power pc processors instead of the current Intel based flavor. There are a few video games that I’d like to try, but can’t, for the same processor based reason. I never upgraded my opperating system from Tiger to Leopard, but I always had the option. I had some pro audio hardware and software that wasn’t compatable with Leopard for a long time and when it finally was, I had already basically decided to get a new computer anyway. I figured I’d keep one system old-school, with all the applications working in the old opperating system untill I could replace them in the new system. When Snow Leopard was released, a few months ago I had my first experience of apple ending my support. Snow Leopard isn’t compatible with Macs with Power Pc chips. Not really a big deal, because I don’t even have Leopard, but it was an indecation of what I knew was comming. Lack of support was going to start being an issue. Sometime in the not-to-distant future those stupid things I “want” to do but can’t, like watching streaming movies or playing Spore, are going to be replaced by important things I “have” to do but can’t, like email or web browsing. So I’ve been putting aside 10% of all the tips I get as a waiter, slowly saving up for a Macbook Pro. I’d really like to get a 13″, but one of the main things I want to do with my new computer is video editing, and the 13″ isn’t really powerful enough. So I’m relegated to move up the line a bit into the upgraded 15″ model. This model has a more powerful video card that is required for some of the video applications I’m hopefully going to master. Ok, so I’ve compromised size for power, but that’s ok. It’s still portable and it’ll be able to handle my heavy lifting too. So this is the plan. Or now, this was the plan. Last week Apple made an announcement that may have changed my mind. The iPad. Last Wednesday, while Steve Jobs was presenting Apple’s new tablet, I was at work trying to get whatever info I could. And as the news trickled in, I was a bit underwhelmed. It kinda seemed like a lot of my coworkers were disappointed too. All this excitment for a tablet that everyone was expecting, but it seemed to fall a little flat. At one point I said out loud to someone, “Well, I’m still gonna get a laptop.” It just can’t replace the power or the versitility of a laptop. It doesn’t have a full opperating system, it’s not super powerful, it doesn’t have a camera, etc. I spent the rest of that day thinking about who would buy this tablet, and what they would use it for. As I was getting ready for work the next morning, I was thinking about how much the tablet had in common with the iPhone. That iPhone comparison had been thrown around a lot in the blogs I read, and it makes sense. It really does seem like giant, super fast iPhone. And I love my iPhone. It’s my favorite gizmo I’ve ever had. I’m constantly on it, playing games, surfing the net, Facebooking, Twitter, all that fun stuff. How nice would it be to be able to do all that stuff with a much bigger screen, and a much faster processor while I’m sitting on the couch or laying in bed? I would love that. But, it just wouldn’t fit into my plans, as I need to be able to edit video, and guess what…? It’s not comatable with Tiger. The second big realization of my newfound lack of support. Oh well, I guess I’ll be sticking with the laptop idea. But what about an iMac? The 21.5″ would fit my workspace nicely. I already have a 20″ cinema display I could use as an extended desktop. It has a more powerful graphics card in it, and a much more powerful processor. Interesting… If I buy an iMac, and an iPad, I could get the best of two worlds. A more powerful work computer, and a more portable portable computer. I hadn’t planned on doing any heavy lifting from the couch or coffee shop, so I don’t really need the laptop’s power when I’m away from my desk. This just might be the best scenario yet. I guess I’ll find out in a couple months when I can get my hands on one.

Ticketmaster

killorlove — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:40:21 +0000

I just bought a ticket to go see The National at Spreckels Theater in downtown San Diego. I’m really excited about finally seeing one of my favorite bands play live. I’ve never been to Spreckels, but it looks like an amazing venu, and a perfect place to see a band like The National. The only problem is that Ticketmaster charged me $20.45 in service charges and fees on a $30 ticket. I’m not a math expert, but I think that’s like 68 percent. It just doesn’t seem fair. Oh well, I can’t wait, I got a pretty good seat. I’m also planning on going to see Alkaline Trio on April first at House of Blues. Another favorite band, another huge service charge I’m sure.