I can no longer complain about my family not reading my writing because 1) I just wrote another piece that I wouldn’t mind if they didn’t see. It’s for the Panties book and there’s way too much nudity for us to maintain straight faces over Thanksgiving dinner. 2) They are in full support of the cause and just fronted me the money for a new computer.
I bought a PowerBook G4. Yep, stayed Mac. It’s my fifth. This time last year I was pursuaded to switch, but chose not to spend the dough. This year, those birds weren’t in my ear and this was the easiest way to get me out of computer quick sand.
I can definitely see both sides to the controversy, but I’ve got enough internal debates in my head not to add another. And I must say, their movie product placements are working on me. Just like the Adidas ads won me over to the adventure sandals in the mid 90s. Oh how I miss my adventure sandals.
As for other Leo upgrades, I bought a suit and running shoes. Not to be worn at the same time, of course. It’s all about equipment this week as I tackle the most important To-Do list I’ve had in long time.
Problems with Jen Leo 6.0? Moveable Type is not grooving with the new computer. (That’s what I use to get this blog up) Until I get help, I have to hand code all my URLs. So there, all you PC people can get your “I would’ve told you” jabs in. Go on, I can take it.
test, test, test
Travel has taught me to be less materialistic. That said, I’m nuts about my 15″ PowerBook. No other product has brought me so much joy on such a regular basis.
The 12″ will be perfect for your lifestyle, Jen. When I hit the road again I’m definitely going to swap my 15″ for that little guy.
You know what else is really good for traveling? The iPod mini – my 2nd favorite possession of all time.
I don’t think Apple does product placement in films/TV shows/ads. Most of the people that write/direct/produce media like that use Macs, and they stick their machines in the scene for fun – or they order a bunch of new Macs to use as props and then keep them when the shoot is done.
Thanks, Mike. The only PC I’ve ever really wanted is that little bitty Sony Vaio. But yes, this 12is going to do the trick and then some. 5 pounds, 5 hours of battery life.
I was concerned about the small screen for a little bit, but they’ve got this cool feature on the F9 key that gives you an overview of everything open and then you can go for there. I don’t know if this works on all computers Mac and PC, but I think it’s the coolest thing I’ve used in a long time.
You still in Chicago? I’ll be there in a few weeks.
Yep, that feature’s called Expose and it is incredibly useful. You can set “active screen corners” in your System Preferences that trigger Expose when you mouse over to a corner of your screen – very cool.
Yes, I’m back in Chicago, my favorite city in the world in the summertime. If only summer would arrive…
Okay: perfect opportunity for me to ask some “traveling with computers” questions I’ve been struggling with for a while. In about ten months, I’ll be taking a massive “working my way around the world” trip. (I’m writing a book.) Logic tells me to bring only a very small palmtop with word processor that can have its text converted into Word at an Internet cafe. (Usually via a USB, I think.) Robert Young Pelton swears by the Psion, which you can still get on eBay for about $200. Ultimately, though, I’d LOVE to have an actual computer, and as a Mac user, I’ve been thinking about the 12″ laptops myself. But considering the sort of traveling I’ll be doing, I definitely won’t have the computer on me all the time, and I’d probably spend a lot of time worrying about it getting stolen. (Whereas the Psion fits in your pocket.) So, Jen, how do you deal with issues like these? And Rolf, if you’re out there, I remember asking you a similar question a couple years ago, but can’t remember your response. I’d love to hear your comments: do you use a palmtop or a laptop? Is weight / theft a big issue? And what’s the best style of computer for uploading text into a Word document at an Internet cafe? Comments and suggestions from any traveling computer users would be greatly appreciated!
Congrats on the new baby, Jen! I just got a Dana Wireless from AlphaSmart and it’s all love, love, love. At 2 lbs, it’s so light it’s almost fluffy. Fits in my purse, and can run forever on AA batteries.
Well everyone seems thrilled with the new computer, Jen. I, personally, am glad you got a suit! Another step into the big leagues. Can’t wait to see it.
Dan,
If you’re serious about working while you’re on the road, bring a little notebook computer. If you’re serious about Macs, bring a 12” iBook. Otherwise, go for a Fujitsu P series or the itty bitty Sony.
I carried a Fujitsu P2000 on my 14-month journey through the developing world. I chose it over the Sony because it was cheaper, smaller, and had a built in DVD/CDRW. Here’s the lowdown on my electronics kit: https://www.vagabonding.com/about/000096.html
Regarding safety, I just locked my stuff up in hotels rooms with a PacSafe. I also had my gear insured with SafeWare.com. I traveled alone, low to the ground, in countries that are considered dangerous, and I never had any problems.
Personally, I’d give the Psion a miss. I just can’t see myself doing any serious work on that dinky keyboard and screen.
If you don’t need to edit photos, video, etc. from the road I recommend just writing in notebooks, making photocopies of your work from time to time, and sending them home (I always write in notebooks anyway, even at home). But if you wish to develop multimedia or a website on the road, bring a small laptop.
Great discussion everybody and I’ll try and do a separate post to bundle the on the road electronics resources.
But I just have to tell Susan how much I laughed at her suit comment. What, nothing about the shoes? Those are equally as important considering the wrong gender is hitting on me. As of yesterday there’s one wireless hotspot in town I’m not going back to without male company. 😉
Jen,
We will have a hotspot in the store here in memphis as of late next week, so it will be ready for you when you come back to memphis.
Email me when ya get a chance.
Hugh