Snow Leopard first, then I shall digress.
I enjoy this new OS, although I had only had this computer for a month before it came out. As stated by several people, blogs, and Apple designers, the main benefits are "under the hood," i.e., load times are faster, etc. The "stacks" (the little icons on the dock that show you everything in them, like "Documents," "Applications," and "Downloads") are different- instead of throwing up a huge menu with all the little icons for programmes and files squashed onto the screen, the stacks have scrolling. Now, you have a limited view of your icons, but they are nice and visible.
I'm not too sure about this feature. I kind of miss the awe-inspiring feeling of seeing all the programmes cluttering up my hard drive in one glance, and it was harder to skip over the desired icon when they were all visible at the same time. I understand why this change was made (so that people with lots of programmes and small screens can see), but can I change it back? I don't have that many programmes...
When I installed the new operating system, I was informed that I needed to back up my computer. This involved going out and buying a hard drive, much to the astonishment of a friend who literally has hard drives laying around at his house. Neither of us will ever cease to be amazed by the number of hard drives in the other's house... A Windows-using family member also bought a hard drive, and made me even happier for my mac. The external hard drive came with a special programme for windows-running computers that syncs with the computer's hard drive and compresses the files, making it possible to view photos and such from the external hard drive... But very, very difficult. They couldn't view thumbnails or navigate from one photo to another without exiting the viewer and clicking a new icon. My external hard drive, however, simply made itself available to Time Machine, which neatly copied the computer's hard drive to a folder in the external hard drive, which I cleverly labeled "Time Machine Backups". The rest of the external hard drive holds things that I don't want cluttering up the hard drive of the computer, such as back-ups of my favourite DVDs. My back-up experience was quick and painless, while my unfortunate family member is still struggling with his over two months later.
So that's Snow Leopard and my experiences with it.
Now I rant about the irony of mac owners.
It's a funny thing, owning a macintosh computer. I am not a computer expert- I click things in a semi-logical progression, then google it if that doesn't work, then contact a more knowledgeable friend if that doesn't help, and then the friend goes through the same procedure. However. I am the owner of a mac who is considered knowledgeable in the fields of sciences and math, therefore I am a computer expert. I assist several fellow mac owners who bought their computers because a) "It's pretty," b) "My boyfriend told me to," and c) "I heard they were the best, but I don't really know how to use them." I entertain serious doubts about the intelligence of these people. Yes, they made a rather good choice (although OS X is not for everyone, just as Microsoft OS's are not for me), but they didn't even read the pretty little booklet that comes with the thing!
I had to show someone how to use exposé. She was using spaces to store all her open applications, and asked me if there was a shortcut... "Yeah. Four-finger swipe on your trackpad." She was entranced by the possibilities, reminding me that not everyone hits all the buttons to see what they do as soon as they get a new computer. If she had, she would have found this mac institution as soon as she hit the F3 key.
So this is something of a tribute to all of you who are kind of forced into this role of "tech support" for your friends and family and acquaintances and friends' friends... Enjoy this comic, then wish that you had the nerve to actually give it to someone.
Cheers,
Anikka
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Snow Leopard Coming Soon
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Digression
This post has nothing to do with computers, nor does it relate to apple in any way. It's not even something that most people need to know. But for those of us out there who get sick of cutesy japanese demon cats, you are not alone. I found Hello Kitty Hell (strikethrough)after hours of searching the internets(/strikethrough) when User Friendly's "Laugh of the Day" arrived on my homepage.
For those of you who care, yes, I am perfectly aware that that was not real HTML back there with the strikethrough. And I don't care. I mean, if someone wants to tell me how to make the strikethroughs work, be my guest, but don't leave nasty messages mocking my lack of skill. Not seriously, in any case. If you annoy me too much, I can always delete your comments. I think. I can try, in any case, and if that doesn't work, then I'll just make more posts berating you.
For those of you who care, yes, I am perfectly aware that that was not real HTML back there with the strikethrough. And I don't care. I mean, if someone wants to tell me how to make the strikethroughs work, be my guest, but don't leave nasty messages mocking my lack of skill. Not seriously, in any case. If you annoy me too much, I can always delete your comments. I think. I can try, in any case, and if that doesn't work, then I'll just make more posts berating you.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
MacBook Pro
Yes, the day has finally come. I am now the proud owner of a 15" MacBook Pro.
It does take a bit of getting used to after using only Windows, but it's worth the acclimation stress. In fact, some things are simple enough that I look for the hard way to do them- the only way that Windows ever did them. Downloading things like Firefox and Picasa was a bit tricky, as I could click "Download" well enough, but was unable to make them run. It turned out that all I had to do was drag the icon into the "applications" folder and go...
It's lucky for me that I have a friend with a Mac, or I'd still be sitting here trying to get Firefox to run... But once things are explained, they are almost ridiculously easy to do. Drag and drop. Drag and drop. Go into settings to make clicking easier with the trackpad (Which I love, by the way. It is very responsive and almost makes a USB mouse unnecessary.).
Possibly my favourite feature is the keyboard. I shopped around, looking at less expensive PCs, and the main killer was the keyboard. Most of the laptops I played with had slow, sticky-feeling keyboards. Typing was a ponderous undertaking, like wading through molasses. This keyboard is light and "clicky" with its individual keys, and responds nicely to pressure.
One thing I wouldn't mind is more USB ports. This model only has two, along with an SD slot, headphone jack, etc. Two is a printer and a mouse. No room for jumpdrive or camera. An external USB device is soon to follow. Slightly less portable, but oh-so handy for those plugged-in moments.
I'm still working through the transfer of data from the desktop PC to the MacBook, so more on this is likely to follow!
That exclamation point was facetious, and if you didn't figure that out, you shouldn't be reading this. I will, however, permit you to keep reading if you have to look up "facetious" in the dictionary.
It does take a bit of getting used to after using only Windows, but it's worth the acclimation stress. In fact, some things are simple enough that I look for the hard way to do them- the only way that Windows ever did them. Downloading things like Firefox and Picasa was a bit tricky, as I could click "Download" well enough, but was unable to make them run. It turned out that all I had to do was drag the icon into the "applications" folder and go...
It's lucky for me that I have a friend with a Mac, or I'd still be sitting here trying to get Firefox to run... But once things are explained, they are almost ridiculously easy to do. Drag and drop. Drag and drop. Go into settings to make clicking easier with the trackpad (Which I love, by the way. It is very responsive and almost makes a USB mouse unnecessary.).
Possibly my favourite feature is the keyboard. I shopped around, looking at less expensive PCs, and the main killer was the keyboard. Most of the laptops I played with had slow, sticky-feeling keyboards. Typing was a ponderous undertaking, like wading through molasses. This keyboard is light and "clicky" with its individual keys, and responds nicely to pressure.
One thing I wouldn't mind is more USB ports. This model only has two, along with an SD slot, headphone jack, etc. Two is a printer and a mouse. No room for jumpdrive or camera. An external USB device is soon to follow. Slightly less portable, but oh-so handy for those plugged-in moments.
I'm still working through the transfer of data from the desktop PC to the MacBook, so more on this is likely to follow!
That exclamation point was facetious, and if you didn't figure that out, you shouldn't be reading this. I will, however, permit you to keep reading if you have to look up "facetious" in the dictionary.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Now It Is Certain
With Apple's realease of the new macbook and macbook pros, It became clear to me that a macbook would be out of the question. If I get a mac, it will be a 15" macbook pro. Nothing else is really worth it... The 13" pro is a good enough macbook, but if I'm to have a pro it should mean something. In reading the gizmodo reviews (and comments), I found that everything is basically good, but less elitist. I'm a scientist, so elitism runs deep in my blood... I almost hate to say it, but I would like very much to be able to be at least a little snobby in my choice of computer.
There were two sides, and I'm partial to both. On one hand, the price drop makes macbook pros infinitely more accessible to the general public. One doesn't need to be a high-salary professional to get a pro. On the other hand, the "dumbing down" of the pro line makes it mean less to have one.
I am not yet a high-salary professional, and I would have (somewhat grudgingly) purchased an aluminium macbook for starters. That is no longer available, however, so I turned to the macbook pros.
Everything that I've heard and read says that the 13" pros are slightly upgraded macbooks with a new name, and that does not interest me, despite my low budget. I've said it before, but I want a macbook pro to mean something special.
So it's a 15" for me, probably the 2.53 GHz. We'll see what the sumer brings, but I will hopefully have that elusive computer long before September.
All in all, I'm rather disappointed with Apple. They are undoubtedly still making good computers. But a macbook pro should be more than that.
There were two sides, and I'm partial to both. On one hand, the price drop makes macbook pros infinitely more accessible to the general public. One doesn't need to be a high-salary professional to get a pro. On the other hand, the "dumbing down" of the pro line makes it mean less to have one.
I am not yet a high-salary professional, and I would have (somewhat grudgingly) purchased an aluminium macbook for starters. That is no longer available, however, so I turned to the macbook pros.
Everything that I've heard and read says that the 13" pros are slightly upgraded macbooks with a new name, and that does not interest me, despite my low budget. I've said it before, but I want a macbook pro to mean something special.
So it's a 15" for me, probably the 2.53 GHz. We'll see what the sumer brings, but I will hopefully have that elusive computer long before September.
All in all, I'm rather disappointed with Apple. They are undoubtedly still making good computers. But a macbook pro should be more than that.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
iPOD nano
Well, I suppose it is time for me to review that iPOD that I bought in... March...
It was, in almost all ways, a vast improvement over my sansa. The nano is smaller, has more storage capacity, and is much easier to organise. iTunes is slow but easy to navigate, a major plus for this lazy, computer-illiterate person. It did take me a bit to get used to it (it's quite a switch from Windows Media Player), but now that I am used to it... It would be hard to go back.
So that's the "basic iPOD stuff." Now on to the "fourth-generation iPOD nano stuff."
As a woman, I have to say it... It's so pretty! All nice, shiny, and black... The glass screen is very pretty, and the size is a definite bonus. With a decent case (cheap online clearance!), I have no fear of breaking it when I bump into a counter at work, and it fits neatly in even my smallest, most impractical pockets. The case and the "hold" button (slider, really) conspire to make it impossible for me to mess things up while it's in my jacket pocket (provided, of corpse, that I actually put it on hold... Nothing is truly "foolproof," as us fools are so darn ingenious).
I was a bit leary of the shake-to-shuffle feature, but it turns out that I had nothing to fear... I only use this feature when I'm alone, since I look, I'm sure, like an idiot. It takes quite a bit of shaking to make it shuffle, thus the iPOD user must flail around violently with complete abandon to make the thing work.
Coverflow is a wonderful thing, provided one has album art. For the most part, I do. But, unfortunately, I still have some kinks to work out in iTunes from the file transfer that took place without my knowledge when I installed iTunes on my computer (it's a Dell... What can I say?). I had a bunch of duplicate files, files that appeared magically in iTunes from a "saved" folder that I did not know existed, and albums on which the album art refuses to show, despite repeated successful "get album art" endeavours.
The games were fascinating to me. The sansa did not have games, and I'm really not much of a gamer- a game of solitaire is good enough for me. Unfortunately, I despise the "draw three" feature of the iPOD solitaire (called "Klondike"), so that one is out. On the other hand, the marble maze game was a blast. I'm still in tutorials (I do have a job, you know...), but it's fun. Vortex, however, was a bit out of my realm. I can play that sort of game online... where the game holds still and has nothing to do with the exact position of my fingers.
Movies... Still working on that. I wanted to put Dune on it for a trip I took a few weeks ago, but oh, no, no free software for microsoft winduhs... Well, there is free software, but it kind of sucked... So movies might just have to wait for my macbook.
That, however, is not the fault of my iPOD. Stupid Dell...
In essence, I like my iPOD :)
It was, in almost all ways, a vast improvement over my sansa. The nano is smaller, has more storage capacity, and is much easier to organise. iTunes is slow but easy to navigate, a major plus for this lazy, computer-illiterate person. It did take me a bit to get used to it (it's quite a switch from Windows Media Player), but now that I am used to it... It would be hard to go back.
So that's the "basic iPOD stuff." Now on to the "fourth-generation iPOD nano stuff."
As a woman, I have to say it... It's so pretty! All nice, shiny, and black... The glass screen is very pretty, and the size is a definite bonus. With a decent case (cheap online clearance!), I have no fear of breaking it when I bump into a counter at work, and it fits neatly in even my smallest, most impractical pockets. The case and the "hold" button (slider, really) conspire to make it impossible for me to mess things up while it's in my jacket pocket (provided, of corpse, that I actually put it on hold... Nothing is truly "foolproof," as us fools are so darn ingenious).
I was a bit leary of the shake-to-shuffle feature, but it turns out that I had nothing to fear... I only use this feature when I'm alone, since I look, I'm sure, like an idiot. It takes quite a bit of shaking to make it shuffle, thus the iPOD user must flail around violently with complete abandon to make the thing work.
Coverflow is a wonderful thing, provided one has album art. For the most part, I do. But, unfortunately, I still have some kinks to work out in iTunes from the file transfer that took place without my knowledge when I installed iTunes on my computer (it's a Dell... What can I say?). I had a bunch of duplicate files, files that appeared magically in iTunes from a "saved" folder that I did not know existed, and albums on which the album art refuses to show, despite repeated successful "get album art" endeavours.
The games were fascinating to me. The sansa did not have games, and I'm really not much of a gamer- a game of solitaire is good enough for me. Unfortunately, I despise the "draw three" feature of the iPOD solitaire (called "Klondike"), so that one is out. On the other hand, the marble maze game was a blast. I'm still in tutorials (I do have a job, you know...), but it's fun. Vortex, however, was a bit out of my realm. I can play that sort of game online... where the game holds still and has nothing to do with the exact position of my fingers.
Movies... Still working on that. I wanted to put Dune on it for a trip I took a few weeks ago, but oh, no, no free software for microsoft winduhs... Well, there is free software, but it kind of sucked... So movies might just have to wait for my macbook.
That, however, is not the fault of my iPOD. Stupid Dell...
In essence, I like my iPOD :)
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Where Is Serena Butler When We Need Her?
Those of us who believe that the machines will develop artificial intelligence and become "thinking machines" now have proof. They are taking over the world... one defenceless old lady at a time. It's not just our computers that are planning to take over the world, torture all humans, and enslave those who survive, it's the so-called "helpful" machines as well.
And it's not just Frank Herbert that foresaw this menace, Battlestar Galactica shares his suspicions. This article proves that their fears are not unfounded! We need Serena Butler, the heroine of the Butlerian Jihad. She inspired humanity to rebel against the thinking machines, to fight them despite the overwhelming odds against them.
I think that I'll smash my computer tonight. It's not worth the risk.
Or I would, if I wasn't addicted to solitaire. There's nothing quite like getting beat by a computer at a game that is designed to match your wits against a deck of (usually poorly shuffled) cards. The euphoria brought on by "beating" the sadistic thinking machine is worth the risk of having such a dangerous thing in my home.
And besides being addicted to solitaire, I'm a fan of wasting time online. How could I do that without a computer?
Serena would be disappointed, but she's a work of fiction. My solitaire games and I should be safe from the jihad.
And it's not just Frank Herbert that foresaw this menace, Battlestar Galactica shares his suspicions. This article proves that their fears are not unfounded! We need Serena Butler, the heroine of the Butlerian Jihad. She inspired humanity to rebel against the thinking machines, to fight them despite the overwhelming odds against them.
I think that I'll smash my computer tonight. It's not worth the risk.
Or I would, if I wasn't addicted to solitaire. There's nothing quite like getting beat by a computer at a game that is designed to match your wits against a deck of (usually poorly shuffled) cards. The euphoria brought on by "beating" the sadistic thinking machine is worth the risk of having such a dangerous thing in my home.
And besides being addicted to solitaire, I'm a fan of wasting time online. How could I do that without a computer?
Serena would be disappointed, but she's a work of fiction. My solitaire games and I should be safe from the jihad.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Close Enough To Spit My Gum On
There are quite a few things/events that are close enough to spit my gum on... Or that feel like they should be but aren't. One of the former is getting an iPod nano, a 6GB upgrade from my SanDisk sansa. Never having had an iPod and having heard mixed reviews about certain models, I was leery of getting one. Hence the sansa. But the rave reviews that my like-minded friends have given me about iPods coupled with the swiftly deteriorating condition of my sansa (it has two cracks in the screen and is out of space) made me reconsider. Then, as something of a final straw, I discovered that the corporation that I work for has a deal with apple. Employees get discounts! That settled it. All I have to do now is wait until a little more money comes in from a non-working source so I can continue saving for my laptop while still getting that iPod.
The laptop is what ought to be getting closer. The problem is that, well, macs are expensive. Worth every penny, to be sure, but expensive nonetheless. This is why I work overtime. Boring, yes. Money-generating, yes. Worth it- duh.
Speaking of laptops, my cousin introduced me to a handy little site - http://www.notebookreview.com
It was a little confusing to navigate at first, and it's nigh
impossible to find your original post, but it can be done,
and was well worth the effort.
impossible to find your original post, but it can be done,
and was well worth the effort.
And now my computer seems to be trying to bug out on me,
so I shall post now.
so I shall post now.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Depression
Good-bye, dear readers (even if you don't exist). I'm going to be trapped in a horrid little crevasse between two mountains for two days. There will be no internet for two days. And, to make matters worse, there is no cell phone reception in this crevasse. At all.
It was nice enough, once upon a time... Before the ability to text was given to me.
I'm going to die.
Pray for me, readers. If I don't die, I shall at the very least be suffering from severe withdrawal. Itchy thumbs. Twitchy fingers.
It really is a nice little crevasse. It's green, wet, and isolated. All excellent traits in a crevasse. But I doubt that I shall be able to get past the no-internet-no-reception issue...
At least I'll still be able to charge my phone and mp3 player...
Maybe I should try airplane mode. That would help with the thumb problem...
So Au Revoir. Until the happy day of return to civilisation...
Sunday, February 22, 2009
this is the initial burst of blogging
It is highly doubtful that I will continue blogging at this frenzied pace, but I figured that it's like orientation at work. You spend 9 hours staring at a computer screen on the first day. You are expected to remember everything that you read on said computer screen(s). Then you do it again the next day.
Employee orientation sucks. Plain and simple.
Really the only thing that I wanted to say was that... But I think that I will complain about my computer first.
It hates me.
It insists upon signing me out of chat on gmail whenever it gets nervous.
It hides interesting nuggets of knowledge, like how to change themes, from me.
It crashes Firefox at the drop of the proverbial hat.
And, to add insult to injury, it kills me at solitaire.
I'm pretty sure that it's a thinking machine- a stupid, clumsy, worthless thinking machine, but still. If you are stumped by my reference, then read the Dune series by Frank Herbert (and the spin-offs, too). That should help.
It's going to take over the world.
Sleep well...
Employee orientation sucks. Plain and simple.
Really the only thing that I wanted to say was that... But I think that I will complain about my computer first.
It hates me.
It insists upon signing me out of chat on gmail whenever it gets nervous.
It hides interesting nuggets of knowledge, like how to change themes, from me.
It crashes Firefox at the drop of the proverbial hat.
And, to add insult to injury, it kills me at solitaire.
I'm pretty sure that it's a thinking machine- a stupid, clumsy, worthless thinking machine, but still. If you are stumped by my reference, then read the Dune series by Frank Herbert (and the spin-offs, too). That should help.
It's going to take over the world.
Sleep well...
Saturday, February 21, 2009
pre-blog (a bad attempted pun on prologue)
This is my third blog. Ever. And will probably not be my last. The first two, um, stalled (ie, I stopped bothering with the posting nonsense that blogs require). The same will undoubtedly happen for this one.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
The blog's title has to do with my workplace.
And, if you need to know, I'll tell you.
It's simple.
Since you might need to know (here I am speaking to my non-existent readers), I will tell you that I am fond of bad puns that can be followed by sarcastic laughter. I am probably going to write about random stuff that alludes to random stuff, with the odd applicable thing thrown in.
My computer will be a likely topic, as I despise it. My search for an affordable macbook pro will be another.
And work. I will talk about work a lot, hopefully without actually mentioning the company or any details of what I do, because then I would have to kill you.
And killing is messy and expensive. I'd rather buy that macbook pro.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
The blog's title has to do with my workplace.
And, if you need to know, I'll tell you.
It's simple.
Since you might need to know (here I am speaking to my non-existent readers), I will tell you that I am fond of bad puns that can be followed by sarcastic laughter. I am probably going to write about random stuff that alludes to random stuff, with the odd applicable thing thrown in.
My computer will be a likely topic, as I despise it. My search for an affordable macbook pro will be another.
And work. I will talk about work a lot, hopefully without actually mentioning the company or any details of what I do, because then I would have to kill you.
And killing is messy and expensive. I'd rather buy that macbook pro.
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