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Dec
15
The Backslash Christmas Party was this past weekend and we had a blast like always. I’ve said it many times, but I really do have the best coworkers I could hope for. We had a great time with some of the crazier gifts and ended up partying until well past 2 in the AM.
I’ve posted some pics around - I’ll try to get some links up soon.
Thanks, everyone, for a memorable time with some great friends!
Oct
28
I’m scared.
With all of the problems we’re facing with our economy these days, coupled with our extended military commitments, the United States needs strong leadership. And we aren’t getting it anytime soon.
The polls all show that our next President will be Senator Obama - and that’s the scary part. He seems to be a likable guy - he has found several friends, in fact: Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, and a few select others. But with all of his talk about wealth redistribution and a need for higher taxes, well, I’m just not sure how things are going to go in the short term.
Hopefully the American people can hold Obama at bay so that we don’t end up with more socialism than our current REPUBLICAN president has given us with the bail-out plans.
Even if there is some miracle for Senator McCain, I’m not too thrilled about that prospect either. He was right there voting for the bail-outs and he doesn’t seem to want the job enough to even point out the facts about his opponent. Quite frankly, I’m shocked that he isn’t bold enough to do so given his courageous background.
We have a week to go until this all-too-important election comes to a head. Unfortunately, the handwriting has already appeared on the wall and there is no eraser in sight. Let’s just pray that God will guide us through these difficult times and hope that I am proven wrong.
Oct
17
I decided to play around with iWeb, the basic web design app included in iLife 08. The best way to do so, I figured, was to create yet another web site.
The new site is called Closet Mac Fan and will center on my new-found obsession with Apple products. I’m going to discuss my thoughts on a variety of topics - tips and tricks, opinions on products, cool web sites, handy utilities, etc.
So, check out my new site, Closet Mac Fan!
Oct
14
Don’t you absolutely HATE waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to sleep?
I just woke up about an hour ago and had to use the bathroom. That was ten after two. Everything was fine - I was sufficiently groggy when I stumbled back to bed. But as soon as I realized that it was hot in our bedroom (and I don’t mean in a good way!), I could not get back to sleep for the life of me.
Now, I’ve spent hours lying in bed trying to find sleep many times in the past. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to not waste time doing that. Instead, I get up and try to do something with that time. I’m not much of a television-watcher so I usually end up on my computer.
I’m hoping that this morning I’m put gently back to sleep by the tip-tapping of the keyboard as I write this post. But I’ll probably end up on YouTube until 5:30!
‘Night!
Sep
16
I can’t wait to start playing around with REAL virtualization. I’ve talked before about using my Mac Mini and Parallels to run Windows XP. It runs great, but that’s on a 1.83GHz machine with 2GB memory. The MacBook Pro that I just ordered has a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo and I’m going to have 4GB memory. With the roomy hard drive (90GB more than my current Vista laptop), I’m planning on running Windows XP AND Vista. I’ll probably throw Ubuntu on just to keep busy!
With all of the horsepower in today’s PCs, is it any wonder that virtualization is finally becoming mainstream? Many of us have an old PC with Windows XP lying around with a product key on the side of the case. Why not use that product key to run some finicky software? Even better, set up a virtual machine to use as a sandbox to ensure that beta software doesn’t destroy your machine.
Most of us don’t use even a fraction of the power that’s available in our PCs. And servers tend to be even worse! A recent study shows that CPU utilization is around 6% on the typical small business server. Six percent! That means that you have 94% of your hardware sitting around waiting to be used. (Not really, as CPU utilization is only one component in your machine’s performance, but you get the point.)
Servers can easily be virtualized to increase hardware utilization, decrease energy costs, decrease server closet temperatures, and decrease hardware costs. WAIT A SECOND!!! I SELL HARDWARE!!! Nevermind. Virtualization is a waste!
Seriously, depending upon the network environment and usage of the servers, you can put many software-based virtual servers on one physical box. Having three or four servers running at a time is certainly not out of the question. Pop in some new hardware and you could double that.
And that brings me to another great reason for my recent Mac obsession…. I can easily run Windows and Linux on my Apple machine but I can’t do the reverse. Oh, sure, there are ways to get OS X to run on traditional PC hardware. Unfortunately, it’s not easy or time efficient to do so. If you want to spend a lot of time and energy, you could build a fast computer for cheap that will work fine. But when you get a Mac, you get the ability to dual boot Windows and OS X out of the box. Throw 80 bucks at a software company and you’ll add the flexibility of running virtual machines. That’s a great deal in my book. Or should I say “in my MacBook”?  =)
I predict that the uptick in the sales of Mac hardware will continue for the foreseeable future. The machines are generally well-built with high quality components. The lines aren’t refreshed as often as I’d like, so when the computers reach end-of-life, they aren’t necessarily a great deal. But the perception that Mac is so high-priced is largely incorrect. And with the advent of good, cheap, useable virtualization, the lines are blurred and the barriers are destroyed.
It will be a very long time before Windows isn’t the leading OS. That has to do with tradition more than anything. OS X is better in almost every measurable way and, since it’s based on a Unix core, is very scaleable. But it may not hurt to take a look at the Mac and learn a little AppleScript….  =)
Sep
16
Yes, I know that there are a few rumors out there about a supposed upcoming refresh of the MacBook line. But I just couldn’t pass up the deals that ended yesterday and decided to go ahead and order my MacBook Pro.
I ended up with the 15″ MBP (actually it’s a 15.4″ widescreen, but Apple, in all of its hipness, drops the apparently insignificant HALF INCH in its marketing). I ordered the larger hard drive after going through some sites telling how to upgrade that yourself - by cracking the case! No convenient upgrade hatch for Apple fans!
The glossy screen was a free upgrade - some people prefer the matte finish of the standard display - and I enjoy that on my Vista laptop, so I got that, too. I resisted the urge to add memory with the order. I really want 4GB, but in order to upgrade from 2GB to 4GB, Apple wants $180. $180!!! A quick search on the Internets helped me pick up the ENTIRE 4GB kit for less than HALF of that. Anyone want to buy two 1GB sticks of PC2-5300?  =)
I also picked up a GREAT deal on Adobe software. The entire Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium Edition was $299. Yes, that’s HALF the price of Photoshop alone! It includes Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Acrobat Pro, and a few other toys. Normally this little box would run about $1600.
Oh, and now for the best part…. My lovely wife works at a local elementary school and was eligible for the educational promo. That was $200 off the MacBook Pro and a FREE iPod touch! No, it isn’t the model that was released last week - that would be TOO cool of Apple. But it’s still a $209 product for free. And I was able to snag the free printer, too. All-in-all, those discounts saved over $500. Add in the better price on memory and it practically pays for itself!
I’ve been using Windows-based PCs since Windows 3.1 was released. And I’ll still continue to use them everyday. But I’m bored. I really enjoy using my Mac Mini and am confident that will translate into a happy experience with my new MBP. I’m not a traitor…. I’m just curious.  =)
