All Screened Out
August 21, 2008 | 3 Comments
Technology seems to be everywhere these days and definitely permeates my life. In fact, it is so intertwined with my life that I spend almost every waking moment staring at a screen of some sort. I mean, in the morning I check email and RSS feeds while eating breakfast, then it’s off to work where I spend most of the day in front of a computer, then it’s home where time is split between the TV and MacBook — and don’t forget all the looks at the iPhone and iPod throughout the day as well. I do nothing but stare at screens. So, for fun, here’s a breakdown of my favorite screens:
iMac
This screen is a whopping 24″ and might possibly have a hand in causing me to go blind. Even at it’s lowest brightness setting it’s too bright. The good news is I can code and design like a fiend on there.
MacBook
This screen, compared to the iMac, is a tiny 13″. Unfortunately those 13″ are what I spend almost all day looking at as the MacBook is what I use in the office — and everywhere else. This one will probably cause me to go blind but not because of the brightness.
iPhone
This screen is an even smaller 3.5″. Since OS 2.0 came out I find myself staring at this screen more and more. The Twitterriffic and Facebook apps don’t really help. Oddly I don’t think this one will cause me any future blindness.
TV
This screen is a very nice 32″. If you spend any time reading this blog then you know I spend way to much time watching TV. It’s really hard not to watch it when it’s on a beautiful Aquos HDTV. Let me tell you, there is nothing like the Olympics in HD. But that’s the story for another day (probably not because that’s really all I have to say on that subject).
There you have it. The collection of my typical daily screens. It seems like the bottom line is I spend too much time in a stationary position and will more than likely drive myself blind.
Do you stare at too many screens? Let me know about them in the comments section below.
24″ iMac Review
September 24, 2006 | 4 Comments
I’ve been using my big, beautiful 24″ iMac for over a week now and I’ve got to say, it’s nothing less then stunning.
Setting up the computer only took about 15 minutes: 10 to clear the old computer off the desk and 5 to plug the iMac’s one cable in and run through the set up wizard. The wizard was pretty simple and pretty much just had me enter my information, take a picture using the built in iSight camera, and get the built in 802.11g 802.11n AirPort to recognize my secure wireless network. After that, it took about 4 hours to transfer over all of my important files from my former computer. Wile I did that, I realized that the iMac, despite the size, runs completely silent — no hard drive noise, no fan noise, silent. Considering my former custom built tower had two 120mm fans that whispered and a hard drive that constantly spun, the silence was a nice new feature.
Over the week+ I’ve been using OSX I’ve learned all the little keyboard shortcuts, played with some really great third-party software, and pretty much wondered why I haven’t been using OSX all along. Everything seems to be geared toward creativity. Seemingly all the third-party apps are customizable and expandable. I’ve even got a third-party program that uses the iSight camera as a barcode reader to catalogue DVDs. How cool is that?
I’ve also bit the bullet and installed BootCamp to run WindowsXP. I’ve probably spent about 5 to 10 hours in XP since switching to the iMac. A majority of that time has been to play PC games that I never was able to on my former system. Running a video game like Half-Life 2 Episode 1 or Dreamfall: The Longest Journey at 1920×1200 and the highest quality settings pretty much speaks for itself. There is a level of detail that is just amazing that I have never seen before.
The rest of my XP time was spent actually installing XP. While I was installing my former operating system of choice, I realized just how much better OSX is then XP. Apple claims that in OSX everything just works, and they are actually right. I just had to plug in my printer, digital camera, iPod, etc and they all started to function properly, no software, no drivers, nothing. My cell phone connected via Bluetooth seamlessly and my Bluetooth keyboard and mouse worked from the moment I turned on the iMac. While I was installing XP (the first time) I was using my standard Apple Bluetooth keyboard and Mighty Mouse. During the DOS based setup the computer had no problem using these Bluetooth devices. When it reboot into XP for the first time, they stopped working. I had to install a driver for Bluetooth in order to get them to work. How DOS was ok with them but XP wasn’t I’ll never know. I also know that every time I boot into XP to play a game, it forgets my Mighty Mouses configuration. I have to turn off the mouse and turn it back on in order for XP to recognize it. Like I said, in OSX everything just works and there is something to be said for that.
Anyway, I love my new iMac and will be a Mac user for life now I believe. I would be able to give up XP completely if it weren’t for my video game addiction. To give you one little glimpse at what I get to play with, I’ve attached a screen shot. Click the thumbnail to see the full size image. And, in case you’re interested, a comparison between my new iMac and my former system. The numbers pretty much speak for themselves.
| Home Built Desktop | 24″ iMac | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD 2400+ Athlon XP | Intel Core 2 Duo | |
| Core 1 Clock Speed | 2.0 GHz | 2.0 GHz | Twice the CPU Cores |
| Core 2 Clock Speed | — | 2.0 GHz | |
| FSB | 266 MHz | 667 MHz | 2.5 Times the FSB |
| L2 Cache | 256 KBs | 4 MBs | 15.6 Times L2 Cache |
| RAM | 2x 512 MB DDR | 2x 1 GB DDR2 | Twice the RAM |
| GPU | ATi 9200 SE 128 MB DDR | Nvidia 7600 GT 256 MB GDDR3 | Twice the GPU RAM |
| GPU Bus | 8x AGP | PCI-e | |
| Monitor | 17″ CRT | 24″ Widescreen LCD | |
| Display | 1280 x 1024 | 1920 x 1200 | 1 Million More Pixels |
| HDD | 2x 120 GB ATA 7200 RPM | 1x 500 GB sATA 7200 RPM | Twice the HDD Space |
| Optical Drive(s) | 48x CD-R/RW w/ 8x DVD-Rom
8x DVD+/-R/RW |
8x DL DVD SuperDrive | |
| Network | 10/100 Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Ethernet
802.11g WiFi Bluetooth 2.0+EDR |
|
| Ports | 4 USB 2.0
2 USB 1.1 |
3 USB 2.0
1 FireWire 400 1 FireWire 800 |
|
| Web Cam | — | Built in iSight |
I just ordered a 24″ iMac!
September 6, 2006 | 1 Comment
Apple threw out a curveball today releaseing not a 23″ iMac as was expected, but a 24″ powerhouse machine. The iMac comes standard with a 2.13 GHZ Core 2 Duo processor, 1 GB of ram, a 128 MB Nvidia 7300 video card, and a 250 GB hard drive. Needless to say I ordered and upgraded. In 5 to 7 business days my custom built, 1080p High Defination 24″ iMac will leave the warehouse with a 2.33 GHZ Core 2 Duo Merom processor, 2 GB of ram, a 256 MB Nvidia 7600 GT video card, a 500 GB hard drive, a wireless Mighty Mouse and keyboard, Apple Remote, OSX, Front Row, etc, etc. Can you tell I’m excited? The estimated delivery date is sitting right next to my birthday too. I’ll post more infomration and a review when it actually arrives. I can’t wait.
23″ Merom Powered iMac is Coming
September 1, 2006 | 0 Comments
If you’ve been following Mindless Chatter over the last few months (pre-WWDC) then you know I have been waiting, and waiting, and waiting for Intel’s new Core 2 Duo chips to make it into the iMac. Well the various rumor sites are finally giving me something to get excited about. Apple has evidently called a press conference on the 12th of September. While no one knows what said conference will say, Apple Insider and MacRumors both reported today that Apple will unveil a Merom powered iMac as well as a brand new 23″ version. Why is 23″ better then the current 20″ model? A 23″ screen allows for full 1080p high definition picture where as the current 20″ model is sitting pretty at 720p (which is nothing to laugh at in itself). It is also possible the iMac will see some sort of redesign with the introduction of the 23″ model. Needless to say I’m excited and hope that these rumors pan out. We’ll find out in two weeks. Ah! More waiting!
UPDATE: The story, originally reported by Mac OSX Rumors, has been picked up by ThinkSecret, who had this to say:
Preliminary channel reports suggest Apple may be preparing for at least one product announcement this Tuesday. Resellers report being instructed to make sure inventory reports are filed Monday, which is often a sign of a pending hardware release.
Maybe I’ll get lucky and not have to wait until the 12th… but something tells me a move to the 23″ iMac will be a bigger event then a silent Tuesday release. We shall see.
C’mon Steve!
July 24, 2006 | 4 Comments
On Thursday (July 27) Intel is expected to formally announce their newest line of processors, the Core 2 Duo — codenamed Conroe (desktop) and Merom (notebook). These chips are going to just be insane and because I am such a geek, I am actively waiting for these things to come out. Though something tells me that my wait will continue after Thursday and that is why I am writing this open letter to Steve Jobs.
Dear Steve:
I know you have a lot of stuff coming up Apple wise with the Developer’s Conference in two weeks and the Mac Expo in September. I also know that you saw huge sales and profits last quarter and that’s pretty great and all, but Steve, I have a request. Please release a Conroe powered iMac this week when the chips come out. Don’t wait until WWDC or, more likely, the Mac Expo. People are ready to buy now and don’t want to wait. And if you’re worried about maintaining your huge quarters, don’t be. If you come out with the new Mac Pro’s, MacBook Pro’s and iMac here this quarter then just release the G6 iPod in time for Christmas and you’ll make a killing. Just do this one thing for me, and all those like me, who want to buy a Conroe powered iMac and not have to wait another month or two.
Thanks for the consideration,
Justin Cox