Back On The Intertubes

Thanks to the kindness of James O'Brien I have kissed goodbye to the tribulations of internet cafes, with their dirty keyboards, sniffling patrons and interesting browser caches. (Seriously, next time you use an internet cafe check the browser history. Fascinating.) James had an old Linux based pc which was surplus to requirements, so while I'm waiting to get the laptop fixed I'm able to be back on the air.

Now all I have to do is regain the blog readership I had back when I was posting regularly and not whining about a) losing my job or b) having a dead computer...

Short Break

I decided to download and install the latest software updates and security patches yesterday for the Mac laptop I'm using, in part to see if it helps the problem I'm having with it crashing. It seems I've overwhelmed it. It now freezes part way through start-up and won't go any further. PC users are used to the Blue Screen Of Death, but I have to tell you the subtle grey on grey Mac screen with the Apple logo replaced by a circle with a slash through it (like a No Smoking logo) and the little endless spinning doohickey is just as dispiriting. Technology hates me. So I'm off to the grand Apple store today to see what they can do, and more importantly if they will do it for free.

In the meantime it's back to internet cafes (you should see the keyboard I'm using... ugh), and so my recently sporadic updates are likely to be even more sporadic in the short term. Hang in there gentle reader, as soon as I bend technology to my will, instead of the other way around, I'll be back!

Time To Start Catching Up

I've come to the realisation that through inaction (or budget constraints more likely) I have fallen woefully behind with technology. I have an ancient second-hand computer at home. I'm still on dial-up. I don't have an MP3 player of any sort. My VCR and DVD player both threw in the towel recently.

You might as well hand me parchment and a quill to write this blog with, right?

So, I have a plan. It'll be expensive but over the next 6 months I plan to invest in:

• The black top end MacBook laptop
  
• Broadband, preferably some sort of wireless set-up
  
• One of the new generation iPods (apparently the line is being revamped at the moment)
  
• A DVDR with hard drive

Nice, right? I mean, my balls tingle just at the thought of all those new gadgets. Oh and yes, it also means I'm switching to a Mac from Windows. When I was dating Morgan I used his MacBook when I was over at his house, and came around to the style and function of Macs.

Anyhoo. Aside from buying a new sofa and a few other things for the house, I think the tail end of 2007 and the start of 2008 will Gadget Time. How excitement!

[Updated: I realised that I almost sounded like I was accusing Apple of illegal price fixing, which I'm sure is not the case, so I've amended this entry.]