In which Steve Buys a Mac Mini
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I ordered the least expensive Mac Mini today. For a single cent under $500, MacMall is delivering a 1GB, 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo with 80GB drive, DVD reader, and a remote. This is the first time I have purchased a machine that was not PC compatible since the Amiga 4000. Ah, the memories...
There are several reasons I decided to make the leap now. First, I hear great things about OS X and it is kin to Linux. Second, it has a wonderfully small form factor that will fit nicely under the TV and replace my entertainment PC. Third, to create applications for the iPhone you have use a software development kit that only runs on Macs. Fourth, I am guessing my Mom would be much more amenable to switching to a Mac than a Linux box should she ever decide to switch. Fifth, I really just want a new toy to play with.
Some of my friends seem to think this a bellwether for my eventual conversion to a devoted Mac user. I am skeptical but open. We will see where things stand in a few years when it is time to upgrade my desktop system again.
In the meantime, is anyone interested in a Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H with X-Qpack2 case? It could probably use a faster processor for a main desktop system, but the system is great. It has three video output ports (HDMI, DVI, and VGA), optical audio, gigabit LAN, ESATA, Firewire, plenty of USB ports. It supports AMD processors up to Phenom X4.
In which Steve Makes an Audio Driver
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I have the common computer geek dream of turning my family into people who speak casually about “distros” but that will never happen (nor should it). Sometimes I think about how virtually everything my Mom does on her computer could be done faster and safer with a Linux box. I am my family's technical support, so before I can even begin to speculate about thinking about the possibility of suggesting a switch to Linux, I'd better be a knowledgeable user myself.
Linux is getting easier all the time. I recently read an article that mentioned some of the old distros and I remembered installing early versions of Red Hat and Mandrake. Ubuntu installation is a relative cake walk compared to even the “user friendly” distros of the early years. Even so, Ubuntu is far from easy. Every time I have to configure something I ask myself “could my Mom do this?” My Mom is no nerd, but she is relatively computer savvy. She knows what her computer's file structure looks like and only needs help with some of the more esoteric stuff like how to open a port on the router. What I'm saying is that it doesn't have to be “one-button simple” (I'm looking at you, Mac) but it helps if there's a GUI.
In which Everyone is a Windows Administrator
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My cousin asked me to set up a computer for his mother. One specific request was to make it a little more difficult for her to install malware inadvertently. No problem, I set up the new computer with a “user” account and an “administrator” account. I finished it a week or two ago and my cousin came over this weekend to pick it up. I showed him that everything was working but I noticed something a little strange: no Windows updates.
In which Steve Defenestrates
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defenestrate: v- to throw out of a window
Technically, I'm not throwing anything out of a window, but trying to throw out Windows. I am writing this using OpenOffice on my computer which now boots Ubuntu by default. Why does a man who has been a Windows application developer for 15 years make this sort of a leap? As with many of the more questionable quests I've undertaken, mostly to see if I can. That, and frustration with the direction I see Windows taking in the future. Windows is becoming ever more burdensome to maintain, install, upgrade, and even use. At the same time Linux is getting easier and gaining support.
Many things have contributed to this decision, though the turning point may have been this Christmas. I went on a computer building and upgrading spree. In the last few months I have built four completely new systems, transferred an old one, and salvaged another from the parts of several.
Second Silver Project
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The second silver project I did at Amalgam Arts Atlanta was a bezel set pendant. I did not get all the pieces in time to attempt the spider pendant and I figured it wouldn't hurt to start with something fairly simple.
This is a piece of labradorite about half an inch wide. Most of what I have seen in silver work is actually fairly simple, conceptually. This pendant was made from three pieces of silver: a flat silver sheet for the back, a length of bezel wire that surrounds the stone, and a twist of wire for the bail. As a concept, it is simple. You cut a ribbon of bezel wire the right size for the stone and solder it to form a loop. Then you solder the loop to a flat sheet and cut it out. Lastly, you solder on a bail, polish it up, and set the stone. It really is just that simple. It is also that difficult...