h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The chainsaw is on hold for the moment and I'll make a decision on the laptop in a couple of weeks time. Things could change for me by then, which would make the laptop and chainsaw irrelevant.
The iPad2 is on extended wishlist.

As you said Pastey, you have to have a use for it. I've used a friends a fair bit when visiting and it works well with the family dynamic. I do a good bit of work on the iPhone that will transfer well onto the pad.

Netpads aren't for me though. I can't see a use for one, not fitting in with the way I work.

Skyrim seems to have completely escaped my attention somehow. Must have a look see.

I wasn't sure if my Dad could make use of the twin Xeon 2.2Ghz machine I came across, but turns out he's running an old AMD Duron at not even a Gigglehurtz. That's one Xmas present sorted

Pity you're not closer Lil. I've another spare machine lined up that would suit you nicely.

Or did I mean netbook? Small typey-on thing with screen, looks like a laptop that someone has boil-washed.

Boil-washed! Yes indeed. And I keep forgetting that, while the battery is really good, it doesn't have the life of my kindle.

The old desktop (2004! XP) has OpenGL, I got a high-end nVidia card for it, but in today's terms it's a little low on memory. Intermittently it will throw up a message to tell me it increased its virtual memory, but it keeps tracing those rays so I don't mind. It can handle Bryce (7), Poser (7) and Mojoworld.

I have ZBrush, but have never learned to use it properly -- the interface is sooooo non-standard, and they have never published a manual.

I would love to have an iPad but since I am home all day and have a fully functional (somewhat up-to-date) PC and a fully functional (if out-of-date) laptop, and an iPhone 4, I can't justify an iPad.

Frostbitten morning
Naked trees greet blushing sky
No sign yet of snow


...which I'm actually greatful for this year, despite usually wishing for a little snow to lighten up the darkness a bit.

But we had so *very much snow for such a *very long time last winter. 1/3 of a year (yes, 4 months!) of constantly snow covered ground will satiate even the most die hard snow enthusiast.

I had intended to post the haiku this morning, but have had a busy day at w*rk, what with a revision going on to secure we've got everything covered after a major revamp of the entire financial function for our head office as well as our (currently) 69 Swedish hotels earlier this year.

We've used the same external company for years, and they're professional and thorough. Each year, the team has a few new faces in it, but also some old hands that are familiar with our routines and can help explain them to the newbies, and also point out which one of us to go to for specific information.

Still, it means getting interrupted several times. Good thing they're pleasant people who know how to ask nicely.

I very much enjoyed having my netbook when I traveled to Thailand and have made use of it while oncall with my current job, but I can certainly see not wanting it as a main machine.

*sips *

I've got a newish (less than a year) laptop, a Kindle app for my iPod Touch, and a dumb phone.

Would love a tablet, just not enamored of the iPads. Will be more likely to get the Nook Color tablet or the Amazon Fire. If I'm lugging my tech around, I'd rather not have it weigh what my laptop does...

Heck, even I have a chainsaw.

I don't have most of the new techie stuff because it all intimidates me. Syn offered to buy me an ipod. I declined because I wouldn't know how to use the silly thing. My cell phone is a basic, emergency only type of thing. Maybe when Mother is gone I'll disconnect the land line and go to just a cell phone. It would be nice to not get so many calls. I really hate talking on the telephone. I just wouldn't gived anyone my phone number. Course I could change the number on my land line and accomplish the same thing.

My tech inventory starts off with an ancient desktop (about 7 years old) that still works but makes me nervous that it is at the end of its life. I have an iPad2 (wifi version) that is always near my side and that you will have to pry out of my cold dead hands. It got me through my month of transience. An I also recently replaced my iPhone 3G with an iPhone 4S. I am a happy girl.

I am shopping for a replacement for the desktop. I'm thinking an HP TouchSmart all-in-one would be a good choice as I need to save space in my little condo.

I agree about the cold dead hands prying iPad... reading some of the other less enthusiastic posts today I did start to wonder what I would sacrifice to keep my iPad - then I quickly realised it was probably more than I was confortable thinking about!

Happy place, happy place...

Going from iPhone 3G to 4S is my birthday present to myself in a couple of weeks. Just trying to decide on which network/contract... keeps giving me a headache.

If anyone has a spare (outdated) iPhone I can put my 3 sim in I would LOVE one.

I'm stuck with what android I could get for less than £50 last april.

It's supposedly a smartphone but the battery life is pants, it has hardly any memory and is running android 2.2

mini

My old 3G went to my daughter because her old phone sounds much like yours, mini. It just won't hold a charge any more.

I still have a dumb phone at this point for two reasons: 1) I don't want to have to pay for a data plan, and 2) I don't want to be responsible for opening e-mails when I'm not at work.

I do have a rooted Nook Color, though. Which I love.

*sips *

Hmmm.. does using the phrase 'deadly assault' imply the attacker succeeded, or just that he/she very nearly succeeded?

I hope you've got back-ups done Witty!?

Apple could have made an iPad2 advert out of the shenanigans at my friends. In the course of the day it travelled all round the house. As soon as it was put down by an adult in one room, it would be grabbed by a child and subsequently used then deposited in another. Only to be sought out by someone else and moved again, usually within minutes of knowing it was free. I can seriously understand the "cold, dead fingers" quote.

Ti, I would think that the deadly assault was successful.

I have about 4 weeks of activity that haven't been backed up, eats. And it doesn't amount to much as I've not been using that computer most of that time. I use a manual backup using an old copy of Acronis. Suggestions for automated (read 'easy') backup solutions are appreciated, please.

Thanks Witty

Listening to the raindrops falling in Skyrim, I'm thinking that'd probaby be a very soothing sound to anyone who wants to relax or fall asleep. Am a bit puzzled about how to get anything out of Skyrim though, including simple print screens (that don't seem to result in anything) without necessarily using Steam.

And the official music consists of no less than 4 CDs, good grief!

Titania, to me, an assault is only deadly when/ if it actually kills someone.

My tech roll at the moment:
*An iPhone 4 (not a 4S, just a 4) that I bought to replace my iPhone 3G last month.
*A MacBook from when I graduated Law School (2007)
*Aaaaaand that's it.

I want more. A desktop, a new laptop. But for now, this is it.

To those who have been enjoying the iPad/ iPad 2, I have a question: Do you ever use it for word-processing? I'd considered it because I like Apple but Apple doesn't make a cheap netbook. Then I discovered that the iPad 2's keyboard is exactly like my iPhone's in that it doesn't have the " or the ' on the main keyboard, you have to switch to a different screen.

Since I mostly wanted it for writing fiction, which uses a lot of "s and 's, I feel like this would seriously impede my typing ability. I'm a touch typist. I don't mind it on my phone, but if I'm really getting going in a back-and-forth dialogue, having to switch screens constantly is going to trip me up, I imagine.

The simplest backup Witty would be just plug a little portable hard-drive into a USB port and copy all your data across.
If you replace your machine with a new one it's just a question of plugging in the drive again.
Or will you transfer email too?

*sips *