Saturday, October 22, 2005

MINI ME!



This post is brought to you by my new friend, Mac Mini. Cute, isn't she?

I picked it up in Madrid this morning, and...I like it. But it feels strange. Kinda like getting behind the wheel of a new car after you've traded-in your old beater that had 200,000 miles.

This is the first Apple that I've owned since the IIe that my parents gave us for Christmas in 1984. I continued using that same 64K workhorse all the way through my first year of law school in 1991 (and boy, did I get a lot of funny looks). But then I was shuffled into the corporate world and, by necessity, succumbed to its odd insistence on using Windows-based computers.

Earlier this week, however, it became apparent that I needed to buy a new computer for home use. The choice came down to the following: a fickle, temperamental, crash-prone Windows PC vs. an Apple that even a monkey could operate.

My decision, therefore, was a no-brainer...and so far, so good. I got her unpacked, configured and zipping through the Internet in less than an hour--despite my having the technical savvy of a sea otter.

But perhaps the nicest thing about being an Apple user is that I can finally stop worrying about viruses. Why? Because--as I'm told--my Mac Mini is immune to them. So I now surf the Internet in a tranquil, zen-like state. It's a feeling that, I'd imagine, is analogous to participating in a Hollywood orgy after receiving an FDA-approved AIDS vaccine.

Perhaps that's a bad analogy. We are, after all, talking about a Mini.

5 Comments:

At 6:34 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sal,

We also switched back to Apple this year with a MiniMac and a Powerbook -- the results are no viruses and far fewer crashes than we got from Dell and Windows.

 
At 7:48 PM, Blogger Sal DeTraglia said...

Hi George:

Thanks for leaving the message. I fully agree with Apple's superiorty...and I've only had mine for three days.

The only downside that I've found to using Apple is that so few others use them. I hope this will change in the future.

BTW...if you have any experience with doing Mac to PC video chats, please tell me what has worked best.

I used to do PC to PC video chats via MSN Messenger, but this doesn't work with Macs. I've read that its possible to do Mac to PC video chats using iChat (on the Mac side) and AIM (on the PC side)...but haven't personally spoken with anyone who has tried it.

I remain hopeful about this.

Sal

 
At 6:50 PM, Blogger Marc said...

Welcome to the cult. I used to be a mac user exclusively till highschool, but I came back into the fold about a year ago. If you use your mini for movies, I highly recommend downloading a hacked copy of "front row." It is an excellent interface, but they don't sell it for the mini yet

 
At 7:46 PM, Blogger Sal DeTraglia said...

Hey Harsh:

Your love for all things Apple is well-documented on your blog. I had a feeling you'd come running if I mentioned the word "Apple" on mine.

Yes, I am very happy to be in the cult. I am required to use a Dell laptop for my day-job, and I have nothing but contempt for it now. I've even put an Apple stick on the rear window of my car And this is after only four days with my Mini.

But...the video chat dilemma is still causing me heartburn. Do you have any experience with doing Mac to PC video chats? If so, how did you do it. Based on the stuff I've read, using iChat (on the Mac side) and AIM (on the PC side) is the best--and one of the few--options.

Any guidance you can provide on this would be mucho appreciated.

Thanks again for checking in. Hope that Texas BBQ is treating you well during your time in Dallas.

Sal

 
At 7:24 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

whoa... small small world. Love your new 'puter. Our Frankie went into a virus induced coma recently. Our friends had us convinced that Apple was the way to go so we were all set to move into a Mini and before we could "do the deed" they brought us one for our Christmas gift. I love how quiet it its. I still need to migrate some stuff from Frankie, hopefully before we move. I also need to do something about the incompatible websites. I've been thinking about downloading FoxFire...

 

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