I found a nice series of tutorials on iCodeBlog. I’ve been following the directions very carefully, and retyping the provided code into Xcode (which, by the way, has amazing auto-completion). Build errors! It seems I’m not that great, and make a lot of typos, but Xcode always seems to find them for me ;) At any rate, I’ve successfully made several useless apps. Now I’m following a big, multi-part tutorial on that site for making a To-do app. I don’t really understand the code I’m typing out, at least not to a large degree, but I figure I’ll have plenty of time to go back and actually learn Objective-C; I just really want to make something tangible in a hurry, so I have a taste of what I’m ultimately aiming for.
]]>
# Mad Lib
# madlib.rb
# Creates a mad lib based on user input
def ask part
input = gets.chomp.upcase
part.push input
end
verb = []
adj = []
obj = []
ly = []
job = []
puts 'Type in one verb, followed by a return:'
ask verb
puts 'Now, type in four adjectives, followed by return after each one:'
ask adj
ask adj
ask adj
ask adj
puts 'Now type in two everyday objects, followed by return after each one:'
ask obj
ask obj
puts 'Type in one adverb that ends in -ly:'
ask ly
puts 'Type in two job titles, such as "worker"'
ask job
ask job
puts 'One very ' +adj[0]+ ' day, a kind ' +job[0]+ ' went up to a ' +adj[1]
puts job[1]+ ' and asked to borrow some money to buy a ' +adj[2]+ ' ' +obj[0]+ ','
puts 'which he needed very badly. The ' +job[0]+ ' told him that he would lend'
puts 'the money only if the ' +job[1]+ ' would agree to ' +verb[0]+ ' a'
puts ly[0]+ ' ' +adj[3]+ ' ' +obj[1]+ '. The ' +job[0]+ ' decided it wasn\'t'
puts 'worth it.'
In my new version, I changed the user inputs to make them more specific. Instead of just asking for nouns, I ask for job titles and objects. Adverbs became an -ly adverb. The only place I see where it might not work out perfectly is if the adjectives start with vowel sounds, because the story has "a" before them, instead of "an." I could write a huge amount of code (probably equal to this entire program, as-is, if not more) just to account for this and automatically change the "a" to "an." I could also just ask people in the question to stick to consonants. But I don't think it really matters. It's a mad lib; "a orange tree" is to be expected.
The other issue is that by removing the code that automatically asks each question three times, I have to repeat the same lines of code for each time I want it asked. There are ways that I could code it so that I could pass it an additional variable—the number of times to ask the question—but my method is so short anyway (ask adj) that I don't think it would actually save any space.
Here is the code when run:
]]>
iMac:Ruby kirk$ Ruby madlib.rb
Type in one verb, followed by a return:
open
Now, type in four adjectives, followed by return after each one:
blue
clean
dirty
high
Now type in two everyday objects, followed by return after each one:
cup
phone
Type in one adverb that ends in -ly:
fetchingly
Type in two job titles, such as "worker"
serf
restaurateur
One very BLUE day, a kind SERF went up to a CLEAN
RESTAURATEUR and asked to borrow some money to buy a DIRTY CUP,
which he needed very badly. The SERF told him that he would lend
the money only if the RESTAURATEUR would agree to OPEN a
FETCHINGLY HIGH PHONE. The SERF decided it wasn't
worth it.
# Age Quiz
# agequiz.rb
# Asks user his name and when he was born. It then calculates
# the user's age, and offers different comments for kids, old
# people, and everyone else.puts 'What is your name?'
name = gets.chomp
puts 'What year were you born in?'
year = gets.chomp
puts 'What month were you born in?'
month = gets.chomp
puts 'What day were you born on?'
day = gets.chomp
ageY = ((Time.new - Time.mktime(year,month,day))/31557600).to_i
puts 'Well, ' + name + ', you are ' + ageY.to_s + ' years old.'
if ageY < 18
puts 'Enjoy your youth while it lasts.'
elsif ageY >= 70
puts 'You\'re old. Get off the road.'
elsif
puts 'That means it\'s time to get a job!'
end
birthday = Time.mktime(year,month,day)
now = Time.new
ageSeconds = now - birthday
ageYears = ageSeconds/31557600
ageY = ((Time.new - Time.mktime(year,month,day))/31557600).to_i
The only thing that's still a problem is that it accepts only numerical input for the date, and doesn't have any built-in error handling. If someone types "March," instead of "3," it has no idea what to do. The easy solution would be to just tell people in the instructions to use numbers. To make it even easier for people, I could ask them to enter in their date of birth on a single line, using a provided format. Unfortunately, I don't yet know how to extract such an entry as three separate numbers. This first app may get visited yet again.
]]>A few days ago, I randomly got the idea to make a Mad Libs Ruby app. I knew that the code would involve a lot of repetition, which would involve the use of methods, but—while I had read about them—I hadn't actually learned how to use them yet. I instead decided to just write it with horribly inefficient code, and then clean it up. It would also serve to illustrate just how much code the final version would save. Here is the original version:
# Mad Lib
# madlib.rbverb = []
adj = []
noun = []
adv = []
puts 'Type in three verbs, followed by return after each one:'
input = gets.chomp.upcase
verb.push input
input = gets.chomp.upcase
verb.push input
input = gets.chomp.upcase
verb.push input
puts 'Type in three adjectives, followed by return after each one:'
input = gets.chomp.upcase
adj.push input
input = gets.chomp.upcase
adj.push input
input = gets.chomp.upcase
adj.push input
puts 'Type in three nouns, followed by return after each one:'
input = gets.chomp.upcase
noun.push input
input = gets.chomp.upcase
noun.push input
input = gets.chomp.upcase
noun.push input
puts 'Type in three adverbs, followed by return after each one:'
input = gets.chomp.upcase
adv.push input
input = gets.chomp.upcase
adv.push input
input = gets.chomp.upcase
adv.push input
puts 'Thanks! Now I\'d like to tell you a story.'
puts 'One day a very ' + adj[0] + ' ' + noun[0] + ' went walking'
puts 'down the street. It came upon a ' + noun[1] + ' running ' + adv[0]
puts 'after a stranger sight. The ' + noun[0] + ' ' + verb[0] + 'ed a ' + noun[2]
puts 'with a ' + adj[1] + ' ' + noun[0] + '. But that\'s OK'
puts 'because he remembered to ' + verb[1] +'.'
input = gets.chomp.upcase
verb.push input
def ask part
3.times do
input = gets.chomp.upcase
part.push input
end
end
verb = []
adj = []
noun = []
adv = []
puts 'Type in three verbs, followed by return after each one:'
ask verb
puts 'Type in three adjectives, followed by return after each one:'
ask adj
puts 'Type in three nouns, followed by return after each one:'
ask noun
puts 'Type in three adverbs, followed by return after each one:'
ask adv
puts 'Thanks! Now I\'d like to tell you a story.'
[The story part is the same as in the original, so I didn't repeat it here]
Of course, there's also the story itself. It's mostly just a placeholder right now. It doesn't even use all of the words the user inputs. I'll have to work on it. Also, there's one part where I just add an "-ed" on the end of a verb, but that doesn't work out very well for a lot of verbs. Of course, it's kind of amusing to see "RUNed," so maybe I'll keep it.
Here it is when I run it in Terminal:
]]>
kirk$ Ruby madlib.rb
Type in three verbs, followed by return after each one:
beat
steal
worship
Type in three adjectives, followed by return after each one:
blue
smelly
smooth
Type in three nouns, followed by return after each one:
desk
floor
shoe
Type in three adverbs, followed by return after each one:
silently
violently
nonchalantly
Thanks! Now I'd like to tell you a story.
One day a very BLUE DESK went walking
down the street. It came upon a FLOOR running SILENTLY
after a stranger sight. The DESK BEATed a SHOE
with a SMELLY DESK. But that's OK
because he remembered to STEAL.
puts 'What is your name?'
name = gets.chomp
puts 'What year were you born in?'
year = gets.chomp
puts 'What month were you born in?'
month = gets.chomp
puts 'What day were you born on?'
day = gets.chomp
birthday = Time.mktime(year,month,day)
now = Time.new
ageSeconds = now - birthday
ageYears = ageSeconds/31557600
puts 'Well, ' + name + ', you are ' + ageYears.to_i.to_s + ' years old.'
puts 'That means it\'s time to get a job!'
This results in (user input in italics):
What is your name?
Kirk
What year were you born in?
1984
What month were you born in?
3
What day were you born on?
13
Well, Kirk, you are 24 years old.
That means it's time to get a job!
Obviously it’s simple now, but I think it's a good start. I’ve also got ideas as to how to make it even more interesting. I could throw in some if/elsif statements and have it give different comments, depending on your age. Perhaps it would tell a 12-year-old to enjoy his youth while he had it, or implore an octogenarian to please stop driving.
In any case, I’m proud of it ... like stick-it-on-the-refrigerator proud, except that my blog will work as the fridge.]]>Last August, Apple updated the iMac line, giving it more power and an updated aluminum and black exterior—signaling a definitive turn in Apple’s overall esthetic from its iconic white to a more professional look first unveiled with the iPhone. Moreover, they increased the screen sizes. While previously available in 17” and 20” versions, rumors speculated about an obscenely large 23” version. In fact, Apple ditched the 17” size completely, kept the 20”, and introduced a 24” model.
I wasn’t in the market for a new computer quite yet (not with my paycheck!), but I figured I could at least pick out my next computer. Three base models were offered: a lower-end 20”, a higher-end 24”, and a middle-of-the-road 20” with same upgraded specs as the 24”. And so I spent the better part of a year debating between the juiced-up 20” or the 24”. One retailed for $1,499 and the other $1,799. Four inches, or $300? I compared them in the store on numerous occasions. Do I really need the extra four inches? With the money I saved by going for the 20” I could get an TV.
And then, three things happened:
And so I relented, and bought it. The process, however, was more dramatic than it sounds. I actually considered filming it, but chose not to. The short version is that I covered my face when I clicked the submit button to buy it, then, frightened at spending that much money, peeked through my fingers at the screen.
At any rate, I am now the proud owner of a 24” iMac. It is shockingly bright, and very fast. My MacBook was no slouch, but I’m amazed at just how much snappier this is.
]]>“Just before the whistle sounded, two ladies with a lapdog seated themselves just opposite me. They were late. One of them was dressed in gorgeous style in light blue; the other more soberly in black silk with a cape. They were nice-looking, had a disdainful air, and talked in English. I took no notice, of course, and went on smoking. I did hesitate, but I went on smoking close to the window, for the window was open. The lapdog was lying on the pale blue lady’s knee. It was a tiny creature no bigger than my fist, black with white paws, quite a curiosity. It had a silver collar with a motto on it. I did nothing. But I noticed the ladies seemed annoyed, at my cigar, no doubt. One of them stared at me through her tortoise-shell lorgnette. I did nothing again, for they said nothing. If they’d said anything, warned me, asked me—there is such a thing as language after all! But they were silent. … Suddenly, without the slightest preface—I assure you without the slightest, as though she had suddenly taken leave of her sense—the pale blue one snatched the cigar out of my hand and flung it out of the window. The train was racing alone. I gazed at her aghast. A savage woman, yes, positively a woman of quite a savage type; yet a plump, comfortable-looking, tall, fair woman, with rosy cheeks (too rosy, in fact). Her eyes glared at me. Without uttering a word and with extraordinary courtesy, the most perfect, the most refined courtesy, I delicately picked up the lapdog by the collar in two fingers and flung it out of the window after the cigar! It uttered one squeal. The train was still racing on.”
“You are a monster!” exclaimed Nastasya Filippovna, laughing and clapping her hands like a child.
“Bravo, bravo!” cried Ferdyshtchenko.
Pititsyn too smiled, though he had also been extremely put out by the general’s entrance. Even Kolya laughed and cried “Bravo!” too.
“And I was right, perfectly right,” the triumphant general continued warmly.” For if cigars are forbidden in a railway carriage, dogs are even more so.”
]]>Ruminations
I still don't quite know how it happened. I know only that it did happen. At least, I'm sure it happened. Others are markedly less so, but I'll let you be the judge of who is right. I resolve to simply tell it like it is, without any embellishments or omissions.
You see, it all started one day when I went over to a friend's house. She was having some furniture delivered but had to make it to the store to buy something before they closed. She asked me to come over in case they came while she was gone, and I happily obliged.
I sat around listening to music for a while when I heard the distinct sound of a diesel engine outside. Ah, the delivery guys, she'll be excited! Little did I know at the time that something as innocuous as a sofa could truly lead to so much excitement, nor so much terror.
The brought in the sofa, I signed for it, and waited on my friend to get back. The sofa was made of a smooth, soft leather, with a rich smell. The color was a deep, but not inky, black. It had character, but sophistication. The size was perfect for lounging. Three people could sit comfortably on its plush cushions, or as would more often be the case, one could lie comfortably with one's head on the arm rest and feet not quite touching the other arm rest. And so I did. It was a cool night in January, and the sofa had been in the truck for hours, I'm certain. I figured this way I would warm it up by the time she got back. Only, she didn't come back, or she did but I wasn't there, only I was there. If you think you're confused, be glad you aren't me.
]]>And then there's the internet. Much has been said of the EDGE network. No, it's not very fast, but in my experience, it's absolutely usable, and I can understand the size/battery tradeoffs involved. I would much rather have a super-thin phone that walked through the internet than a brick that sprints. For my priorities, Apple made the right decision. The browser itself is, of course, fantastic. I really love that I can quickly look up something on Google or IMDB when I'm out and about, or even just on my couch. Also, the widgets are nice to have; I like to keep an eye on Apple's stock price (wishing I had some), and also on the weather.
The decision to use glass for the screen was pure brilliance. As soon as I take it out of my pocket to show people, they always ask, "Don't you have a case for it?" I love to take my keys and rub them across the surface to the shock of my friends and co-workers. It just doesn't scratch. At all. No case necessary.
]]>I own a first-generation iPod mini. It's silver and hold four gigs of music. I do not carry it around with me. It's a wonderful product, but it's no longer right for me for everyday use. I'm no longer killing time between classes or while doing research in the library.
Of particular importance, I'm fanatical about things in my pockets. Notably, I hate to have things in them. I hate to feel my keys against my leg; it bothers me. When I go to work, I leave my phone in my car and my keys in my locker (which, incidentally, I don't lock).
My music library is, at present, slightly more than 5 gigs, and growing. I also have a few gigs of TV shows, video podcasts, music videos, and the such. My poor mini can't even hold all of my music, let alone do anything with my video. I considered getting a red 8 gig iPod nano late last year (an early Christmas present to myself), but persistent rumors of the iPhone persuaded me to wait. The Macworld conference was in January, and there was a good chance the iPhone just might make an appearance.
An iPhone, while perhaps not ideal for many people, is exactly the kind of product I want. Having as few things in my pockets as possible is of crucial importance to me. Furthermore, I want to be able to carry around my iTunes library with me. If I have ten minutes to kill while I get my car's oil changed, I think it would be nice to be able to listen to my music. But that doesn't mean I'm willing to carry around an iPod with me at all times, just in case I get the chance to listen to it. It's a given that I'm going to have my phone with me, and I'm resigned to carrying it around whenever I'm out. The ability to combine the two devices into one is, for me, a monumental advantage.
Of course there's also the fact that the iPhone is absolutely amazing. It's ludicrously thin (again, crucial for me), sexy, and powerful. It's a phone I can be proud to set on the table at a restaurant. (You didn't think I'd leave it in my pocket, did you?) Moreover, I can really appreciate most of its features. The ability to carry around all of my photos (with a screen that can actually show them off), so that I can instantly show somebody pictures of my dog or makeshift raft? Brilliant. Built-in Google Maps with satellite images? Where were you when I got lost in downtown Dallas back in January? A really real web browser so I can look up inane facts on the go? Truly a blessing.
Admittedly there are some features I'm less concerned with. Visual Voicemail? I realize this is incredibly beneficial feature for some people, but I average substantially fewer than one voicemail per month. It's a non-issue for me. Email? This one is so-so. I more or less never email anybody, and only my grandmother emails me. As a tool for person-to-person communication, email is totally irrelevant to my life, but I do still get plenty of emails I want. If someone sends me a message on MySpace (a site which while I mostly hate, I still, of course, use), I get an email notification. Invariably, I could get by with waiting until I got home to see the message; unlike some people I don't go through MySpace withdrawals after half and hour. However, if I'm bored, I can see myself checking my email.
And then there's text messaging. A few years ago, texting was already big in the rest of the developed world, but hadn't really caught on here in the US. I was really into the idea of it, but I didn't really have anybody to text with, because none of my friends were into it yet. I had AT&T Wireless back then, and text messages were free to receive and 10 cents to send. I signed up for text alerts from Yahoo! and stayed on top of breaking news throughout the day. But then Cingular bought AT&T Wireless. When I upgraded to a new phone and signed a new contract, I lost those free incoming texts. Every message cost 10 cents, or you could buy a text plan. In the end, I basically just gave up on texting. What can I say? I'm (selectively) cheap.
Things are different now. My friends and coworkers text like crazy. I participate only lightly, a few messages here and there. At the new 15 cent rate, I still average less than $1 a month on texts. But I'm ready for a change. Just as I'm resigned to carrying a phone in my pocket everywhere I go (except for while at work), I'm already resigned to paying substantially more every month for my cell phone bill. If I'm going to get a fancy phone with great support for texting and the internet, then I'm going to use it; damn the cost.
And back to my obsession. I talk about the iPhone constantly. Every single day. I listen for the slightest hint of a rumor about a new feature, service pricing, and the launch day. Everybody I know knows that I want one and plan on getting it the morning it comes out. A few days ago the month changed to June. "Do you know what month it is?" I asked people. "Um, June." "Do you know what comes out later this month?" "Oh yeah, that phone you keep talking about." It's almost verbatim.
Steve Jobs' Macworld keynote, in which he introduced the iPhone was not made available as a live, streaming video, but I followed along at two sites that had live updates with quotes, facts, and pictures. Then, a short while later, the video was put online. I downloaded it and have watched it again and again, sometimes just looking at my favorite parts. Surely this can't be healthy, but I just want it so badly. The wait is killing me.
Finally, this evening, a new revelation: June 29. Apple finally announced a launch day, and they did it with three new TV ads, all of which are good, and two of which I really like a lot. I'm not so much into the calamari ad, probably in large part because I don't eat seafood. "Never Been an iPod" is the best one, I think. I like the flow; it makes me not want the ad to end (that, and the pleasant music, used in all three).
And so ends what is unfortunately merely a partial exposition as to the extent of my iPhone obsession.
]]>My grandmother called to wish me a happy birthday at 7:30 this morning. Incidentally, today is also her birthday, so I returned the warm wishes. I finally got back to sleep around nine. My mom, planning on giving me more time to sleep, waited until 9:30 to call. That's OK though.
I finally got out of bed and spent the first part of my day doing very little. I didn't even get around to eating (a sandwich) until two. Chad got home at three and Jessica came over after she got off work, about an hour later. We all went to Olive Garden because I've been craving their salad for a couple of weeks. Then we went to the mall and bought our tickets for 300, the next showing of which was not for another hour and a half. We wondered around the mall, spending a great deal of time in a GameStop before meandering back to the theater to watch the movie. It was amazing, and a great way to spend my birthday. Then Chad and I watched some Futurama while I ate my leftovers from dinner (filled up on too much salad, as planned) and ice cream. And now I'm tired and ready to sleep. All in all, a fine day.
]]>My biggest complaint against MySpace is the complete lack of attention to the user interface, and I mean that on all levels. First there is the overall graphic design of the site, or lack thereof. Even the parts of the site not customizable by users are just horribly ugly. But it's so much deeper than that. It's not just a matter of negligent typography and a bad color scheme. The whole layout is remarkably unintuitive. Indeed, the entire user experience is just awful.
You go to a profile page and click on the link to see more pictures. You have to sign in. You just signed in half an hour ago? Who cares? Do it again. I understand security concerns, but on a computer that isn't ever shared, shouldn't I at least be able to stay signed in perpetually? It's not like MySpace is a bank; nothing that bad can possibly happen. Just let me stay signed in and ask for my password only if I want to change some important account settings. That's the sensible thing. Or, at the very least, don't put adult ads on the sign-in page. That's just good manners. (The real Web 2.0 way to do it would be an AJAX sign-in box that shows up in the page when needed, completely eliminating a separate sign-in page.) Also, frequently when I sign in after clicking a link to view profile pictures, I'm just taken straight to my profile page, and have to hit the back button to get where I want. Sloppy code.
Even though the official MySpace design elements are bad, the individual profile pages are indescribably worse. I remember, with embarrassment, back when I had a tacky Angelfire page. Unfortunately MySpace takes that level of tacky to entirely new levels. Gigantic (and busy) background images? Go for it. Just make sure you put your text in boxes with clear backgrounds, so you can easily see the page background. You want to read the text? Why bother? Bizarrely sized fonts rule the day, along with pale and/or neon colors. I mean, you've got a color screen, right? Black on white is so printing press. Also making a return from the Hellish nascent days of the web are animated GIFs, frequently with sparkly text and other garish delights.
But the worst offense, and one for which MySpace is directly responsible is auto-playing music. News flash: I've got iTunes running ... all the time. I'm already listening to music, and I don't want some other music to suddenly start playing and interrupting the selections from my carefully culled library. If I want to hear something I'll hit "play." Instead, I'm forced to search for "stop," and I want to place emphasis on "search." Due to the customizability of a user's profile, elements can appear in seemingly random locations.
My last objection is one that has grown considerably in the past couple of months. Now, every time I visit MySpace, usually to delete spurious friend requests, I am deluged with even more requests. I get add requests from 18 or 19 year old "bisexual" females in the Dallas/Forth Worth Metroplex on a regular basis. I'll visit MySpace, sign in, deny the requests, and promptly leave. Shortly later, I'll have a half-dozen requests. I especially love when I see multiple profiles with the same picture, and very different stats.
]]>In March of 2004 I got a new Sony Vaio notebook computer, and I was thrilled with it. True, it was a bit heavy (7.3 lb.*), and battery life was nothing to write home about, but it had a 15.4" screen and a reasonably powerful desktop processor (2.8 GHz P4). Back in those days, I was living at home with my parents and going to UT Tyler. We still couldn't get DSL at home (the dreaded "last mile" problem, which in our case was like 5 miles), so I would occasionally bring my Vaio with me to school and use the freely available wifi, especially when I wanted to download anything big.
Seduced by broadband, I downloaded iTunes and bought my first song, Britney Spears's "Toxic." But what does iTunes desperately want to sync with? An iPod of course, and so that fall, I bought a 4 GB silver iPod mini. Oh glory be! Using iTunes was a breeze, and a huge improvement over Windows Media Player. Indeed, everything "just worked." But you know what iTunes and an iPod really want? That's right, a Mac. Sure, a Vaio looks inestimably cooler than before with an iPod plugged into one of its USB ports, but when you plug an iPod into a Mac, you get the synergy of sexiness.
I had long admired Apple's website, a marvel of clean and thoughtful design. I began to spend a little more time there.
I think the breaking point was the introduction of the iPod nano. No, I didn't buy one, and am still using my two year old mini, but I did watch Steve Jobs introduce it in his keynote address. The man is a marketing genius. When he pulled that "impossibly small" nano out of his coin pocket! I had already read about it and seen it on Apple's site, but the showmanship was just incredible. I started watching the other keynotes available on Apple's site.
But the Apple bug still hadn't truly bitten me yet. Perhaps I had ventured a little further into the forest than planned, but I could still see the forest edge, and world of Windows in which I had been raised. Then I watched the introduction of the new Intel iMac, with the built in iSight cam, FrontRow, and the remote control. That was pretty sweet, but I'm a notebook kind of guy. I want to take my computer with me, even if it's just to my living room.
Then came the announcement of the MacBook Pro. Hmm. Notebooks just don't get sexier than that. I think it was at this point that I decided my next computer would be a Mac. I figured that day was still safely off in the future. I certainly couldn't afford (or justify) a computer that starts at $1,999. And besides, I still had a quite capable computer. Sure it was two years old, and maybe it had a bit of a heft, but the specs were still quite acceptable.
Regardless, I started to research OS X more in depth. I spent hours at a time on Apple's site. I read and re-read about features. I watched video clips and demonstrations. Every time I discovered a cool new feature I excitedly told my brother about it, who showed no interest. In the first few months of this year I subjected him to hours and hours of Mac trivia, tips, and features.
Suddenly the rumor sites were discussing the successor to the iBook, presumably called simply "MacBook." The speculation still pointed to something a little out of my reach, financially. Apple surely wouldn't want to cannibalize sales of the MacBook Pro, and there's no way I'm ever going to buy a bottom-of-the-line machine, even if it is on a higher level. But then, quietly, in a press release of all things, Apple introduced the MacBook, on a Tuesday. The prices were about what I expected but the specs were much higher. On the same day, they also bumped up the specs on the MacBook Pro. Still, the MacBook represented an amazing value.
On that Thursday, I finally talked myself into buying one (with a little cajoling by my brother, who knew I wouldn't shut up until I had one). And now I'm the proud owner of a 2 GHz Core Duo MacBook with 1 GB RAM and an 80 GB hard drive.
But where's the zealotry? At work. My brother wasn't the only one to hear me raving incessantly. Poor coworkers heard about (almost) every feature and rumor too. I talked at length about Macs, and that was before I had one. When I finally ordered mine, I made sure everybody knew. Then was the glorious day that it came! I had even more to talk about.
All Macs come with Apple stickers. I've now got their logo plastered on my car's back glass. I still, months later, talk about my Mac all the time. Today I decided to contribute to our break room's aged supply of magazines. What did I bring? MacWorld of course (in addition to a Nintendo Power among others). While eating my lunch today at the break room table, I evangelized faithfully: "Vista? Tiger's already better than Vista will be, whenever it finally comes out, by which time Leopard will be out, which is even more advanced than Tiger." That sentence then required a couple of minutes of explanation. It seems not everybody knows the big cat nomenclature of OS X like I do.
* In the second paragraph of this post I said my Vaio weighed 7.3 lb. On my MacBook, I have a PDF of the spec sheet for my Vaio (don't ask why). Using Spotlight, I was able to immediately pull up that spec sheet to find the exact weight.
]]>I've had to wait, however. The first of the new line was the iMac, but I definitely want a notebook computer. Having acquired my current computer March '04 (a Sony Vaio), I can't imagine going back to the stationary detention of a desktop. I like to be online in the living room, on the porch, or in my bed, not to mention the ability to take my computer with me to places. This, incidentally, brings up another problem: my current computer is not in need of replacement. Indeed, it has a 2.8GHz Pentium 4 and, as a Christmas present, was upgraded to a gig of RAM. Those stats mean it's still more powerful than most notebooks advertised today. How can I justify a new computer purchase when my current one is so capable? It's hard, but OS X is vastly superior, and Macs are gorgeous.
So a few months ago Apple comes out with the MacBook Pro. Alas, it starts at $1,999. There is absolutely no way I can justify that. And so I waited. If that's the Pro, where's the regular MacBook? Why it came out on Tuesday. Rumors had abounded in the last couple of weeks about it. The announcement was a dream come true. The MacBook was better priced and had higher specs than I expected. Suddenly there was a configuration available that I could actually afford, sort of anyway.
And so, I finally relented. The process itself took quite a while. I added it to my cart hours ago, then saved the cart. Half an hour ago I logged into my bank account and looked over my funds again. Then I pulled up the cart again, and re-confirmed the selection. Apple already has my credit card # from my iTunes account. As confirmation, I had to put in my security code from my card, so I put it in, and shut my computer's lid. Then a couple of minutes later, I opened it back up. I still wasn't totally commited to buying it. I moved the cursor over the "Place Order" button, then waited some more. Finally I pressed it. AHHH! A full re-telling of this story must be done in person to accurately convey my hyperventilation, shakiness, and generally shock. That's a lot of money. A lot.
Anyway, here is what I actually bought, copied directly from my order confirmation page:
MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo - White
Part Number: Z0D5
SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
2.0GHz Intel Core Duo
80GB Serial ATA drive
1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x512
I chose to upgrade the RAM to one gig (anything less is absurd) and also decided to upgrade the hard drive to 80 gigs from 60. My current computer has 40 and I've determined that to be hopelessly inadequate.
]]>