Archive for the 'It's Friggin' Apple-rific!' Category
Macintosh 128K Review from Lazy Game Reviews
Of course, he’s right. The original Mac is fairly useless and even in its time was considered massively underpowered in terms of processor, meager floppy storage size, and especially RAM (until the Plus brought it to a whopping 1MB RAM). But it is an extremely valuable machine on the collector’s circuit. So much so that I don’t have one because they usually go for $1000+ apiece on eBay — that is, when you can actually find one. For nostalgic Mac computing, the first SE is the earliest and still fun way to go for 68000 machines, though the Plus before it is decent, and the Classic and Classic II after (all of which, I own) are even better. The Classic II is actually an ‘030 machine but still in the “toaster” Mac family, one of my favorite designs of Apple computers. Thanks to Lazy Game Reviews for taking a look back at the fledgling Macintosh.
Hey MGP! What’s Tasty These Days?
Not puppies. Besides, this isn’t about puppies. It’s about me and how I’m doing.
But, how AM I doing? I’ve hardly had enough time to even ask myself that question. Let’s see…
No doubt, many of you have noticed the onslaught of Monster Bash associated media over the last so many days. Not only will there be more (read: video clips on YouTube and future inclusions of interviews on respective episodes), but currently in the can (as they say in “the movies”) is the 2010 Monster Bash Podcast Special from Terror Transmission. Looking to put that out this Saturday or maybe even Friday night. Not sure, so you’ll just have to check the podcast feed for that one. Oh, and right here. And the podcast’s site. And Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc, etc.
My birthday vacation is coming up. Those who need to know where in the world it will be are already privy. It’ll be… somewhere. And it will be a blast.
Next episode of Terror Transmission will not only be our 25th episode, but will also be our one-year anniversary, will fall during the period containing my birthday, will be a horror movie favorite of mine, and will have something to do with an occurrence during those 15 days other than my birthday. What will I say? What will I wear? What will I DRINK!? I guess I’ll “give it to you straight” on 1 Aug.
Didn’t buy the iPhone 4 yet. Why? Because I do what every good tech consumer does… I wait out the potential bugs, flaws, bad software, etc. And it looks like I was right in my pre-planned late-adoption. Now, I’ll wait out the fixes and jump in when the getting is good. For now, I like Mr. Inahtko’s summary of the iPhone 4’s recent PR fiasco best. Sums it up nicely, warts and non-warts.
As for the iPad? I’ll get one as soon as I can figure out how to incorporate it into my life enough to make it worthwhile and whereby its functionality supplants any reasonable amount of comparative actions on either my laptop or my iPhone 3G. I could say more, but that almost calls for its own post. In any case, following my aforementioned late-adoption pattern, an iPad purchase might happen next year when the possibility of some hardware upgrades might occur. No rush.
Recent DVD viewing? In The Realm of the Senses. Easily the best ‘70 Japanese pinku film I’ve seen to date. Might say more in a later post on this one, but one viewing might have you thinking about how utterly toothless and risk-free American cinema really is by comparison. And this was almost 35 years ago. (There are severely edited versions out there, so make sure to see the Criterion Collection one.)
That is all. End of line.
No commentsMac OS 8 Tour Intro
Like an old friend almost forgotten, it was the first major jump in the operating system since System 7 some six years back. 1997 was the year and Mr. Jobs wasn’t even back yet (at least, not for this). It paved the way for Internet integration and pushed Mac users into the world of Power-PC chip usage. Oh, yeah, and Sherlock was in there somewhere, too. It’s nice to own almost a dozen machines running this sliver of Apple history.
Some of you don’t understand. And that’s fine.
ARC Original Pricelist
A lot of people have been asking me if I did anything for this Walpurgisnacht weekend. I suppose I could have gone out-of-state to spend time with old friends, and while that was terribly tempting, I decided to stay here in Burlington. It’s the first weekend I’ve had since school started and, without the albatross of homework, papers, and finals around my neck, I wanted to just spend the time by myself, relax, and… get some project work done. Yes, it’s true, I can never really stop working. But, while I’ve spent much of the time finally getting to one of my two pending book projects (and made quite a bit of leeway into the one I want to put out soonest; still need to do the proofing and cover art), I thought it might also be a hoot to figure out how much all of my machines in my Apple Retro Collection would have cost at the times in which they were originally released. Apparently, dorkiness was on the chore list as well. So, here it it as of today…
(Snarky comments will be deleted. Why? Because Diabologue isn’t a democracy, that’s why. And thank Satan for that!)
iMac Intel 24″ 2.8 GHz – $1,700
iMac G3 DV – Blueberry – $1,299
iMac G3 – Indigo – $1,199
eMate 300 – $800
eMac – $999
Power Mac G4 Dual 1.42 GHz (Firewire 800) – $2,699
Power Mac G4 (Graphite) – $1,599
Power Mac G3 (Blue and White) – $1,999
Power Mac G3 (Desktop) – $1,999
Power Mac 8600/250 – $2,700
Power Mac 7100/80 – $2,900
Power Mac 6400/180 – $2,799
MacBook 2.0 GHz – $1,299
Powerbook G3 (Bronze Keyboard) – $3,499
Powerbook G3 (Wall Street) – $2,299 (minimum)
Powerbook 150 – $1,300
iBook G3 (Indigo) – $1,799
iBook G4 – $1,299
Quadra 700 – $6,000
Quadra 650 – $2,700
Performa 550 – $1,200
Macintosh Plus – $2,600
Macintosh II – $5,500
Macintosh SE – $2,898
Macintosh SE FDHD – $3,900
Macintosh Classic – $1,500
Macintosh Classic II – $1,900
Macintosh LC II – $1,240
Macintosh IIsi – $3,800
Apple IIe Platinum – $1,200
Subtotal = $68,625
Plus the $4,117.50 of Vermont Sales Tax
Total = $72,742.50
(It’s possible that I paid nowhere near that, by the way.)
No commentsM.I.T. Flea: April 2010
Before my pals and I got to the Boston area, we quickly stopped off at the two Apple Stores in New Hampshire (quickly, being the key word there, in case my NH friends are reading this) because we wanted to check out the iPad. Yeah, I get it. They look like a good time and I’ll get one when I feel it fits my needs. While at one of these stores, I was discussing Apple stuff with one of the clerks. Funny was the fact that I was giving HIM advice, particularly on the Apple TV, its functionality post-3.0, and its many not-obvious (but thoroughly legal) uses. One of my friends just stood there agape, then commented to me after on the amusement of the role-reversal. The clerk was older than I am, for cryin’ out loud.
But, on to the Flea…
The start of Flea season began, as always, on the third Sunday of April. No, I don’t mean an infestation of blood-sucking creatures (at least, not in the literal sense) but, rather, the M.I.T. Flea Market that happens from April to October of every year. This time around, the rain drove the entire market into the adjacent parking garage, where under normal conditions, only a section of buyers set up. Having it entirely away from the main outdoor parking lot and sheltered from most natural light somewhat sucked the typical carnival type atmosphere out of the event. It was fun, but it definitely felt like it was missing something.
Aside from picking up a Power Mac G3 (Desktop) to replace the dead one in my collection (which, technically, doesn’t add to the collection count), I also picked up an Apple IIe Platinum with matching Apple 5.25 external disk drive, both in great condition, and I also bought a G3 Powerbook (Bronze Keyboard) to go with my Wall Street. That’s a lot of Mac talk there, but it means that my Apple Retro Collection has increased to 30, and my Apple Extras collection has gained a disk drive. I walked into that Flea really wanting an Apple IIe as a sort of wish list item, and can’t believe I actually found one — yea, the only one I’ve ever seen at the Fleas I’ve attended.
Ran into a type of attendee I’ve yet to discuss. As you can imagine, I am not alone in my quest for old Apple machines. There are others. One type in particular are what I’d call The Hoarders. These are the folks who often enough are miserable human beings who collect not because they enjoy it or often not even to resell, but just to acquire and store, like squirrels stocking acorns away for a winter that never comes. The lack of joy on their faces alone is telling and they don’t like to be bested in their pursuit. Here’s a conversation that best illustrates this type, involving a disheveled hobbit of a gent well into his 50s…
Hoarder: [walks up to me] Heh, heh, I got an Apple Plus with TWO Disk II drives! Beat THAT!
MGP: Yeah, I saw that one an hour ago. Past it by for this Apple IIe Platinum in much better condition and actually worth its asking price.
Hoarder: [frowns and walks away in a huff]
When presented with childish posturing from a man nearly ready for Social Security, it’s occasionally fun to pop that balloon. As long as the opportunity is easily presented, takes little effort, and deflates a wantonly counterproductive ego, then why not. Besides, hoarding for some mindlessly compulsive competitiveness with people you barely know is beyond bizarre. It’s a wee bit sad.
During the trip to the Boston area, I visited Chinatown and took some pics. Also had an enormous spread of Chinese food at a decent restaurant with the mighty Bill M. and his lady. (Listen to Episode 19 of Terror Transmission, starting 1 May, to hear about the presents he gave to the show.) Visited Micro Center as always, picking up my usual yearly replacement USB flash drive as well as a nifty book on Airport Extreme maintenance and security. Bought too much chocolate at Trader Joe’s. And there was some decent Indian food on the way out of town as well. Good trip, and somehow managed to avoid the entire human mess that is both Patriots’ Day celebration and Boston Marathon spectatorship.
My Flea Flickr page | Past Flea posts: April 2009 | October 2008
No commentsSo, MGP! What’s Shakin’?
After a year and a half of being away from video production, I’ve decided to take up the reins once again. Part of my hiatus came with the changing out of one machine for another — namely, my old G4 mirrored-door for my Intel Mac. Seemed the version of Final Cut Pro I had didn’t want to play with an Intel processor or the too-futuristic video card inside. So, through a combination of FCP not being sold as a stand-alone app any longer, not wanting to regularly work on my old machine in light of my shiny new one, no longer doing public access TV, and the whirling dervish of my work/school/podcast life, video slipped into the background and more or less took a long nap.
Then, I woke up one day and realized just how much I missed video work. I mean, really missed it. Not producing SubSIN on a regular (or any) basis not only took me out of that loop but kept me unpracticed and, ultimately, lagging behind with the growing tech advancements. Yes, even a few years can matter. So, I tightened my belt a bit and bought the obscenely expensive Final Cut Studio. Standing at the counter of Small Dog while it was being rung up, I joked to the clerk about how $1000 gets you such a small box. Well, $1069.99 with tax, to be precise.
For those video geeks in the audience, Final Cut Studio used to come in a box the size of a large toaster. Now, it’s the size of five CDs stacked. Whether it’s Apple once more appeasing the “go green” crowd or the recession hit them a little harder than expected, or both, the manuals are not the nice hefty tomes they used to be. That’s sad because I like nice hefty tomes. Oh, sure, all the manuals to all of the Apple software are on their site in downloadable PDF format, but I’m still an old fashioned computer nerd at heart (despite my strikingly good looks). Gimme books, damnit!
And I definitely knew I was getting a bit of bang for my buck when I experienced the mind-numbing installation time: 6 and 1/2 hours over the changing of seven DVDs. Total hard drive space claimed: 48.7 GB! If I was Jewish, I would say, “Oy Vey!”
Dividing up the suite to my needs, I’d say it’s (initially) going to be Final Cut Pro for video work, Soundtrack Pro for podcasting, Compressor for YouTube prep, and the other three apps for wherever they apply. I’m looking to pick up a Kodak Zi8 for on-the-go video shooting (fun stuff, not the high-end vid work I’d otherwise do). Anyone have any input on those? Would love to hear it.
Conclusion? Well worth the purchase on so many levels. Least of all, my returned enthusiasm for the video medium. Feels good to be back home.
School is going well. Grades are up and participation is high. My one online class, however, is a bit of a thorn in my side. Seems my idea to take it in expectation of it being easier or at least less time consuming fell completely flat. It’s actually far more time draining and easily three or four times harder than a classroom-based equivalent. The Web-based structure of the learning environment is, at best, counter intuitive and, at worst, confusing and inept. And, that’s coming from someone who’s been a computer user for almost 30 years. At the risk of my GPA, I might barely squeak by with a minimal grade if I’m lucky. In short, no more online classes. I don’t work well with them, it appears.
As far as Terror Transmission goes, all is well on that front. Jason and I will be adding some interesting content to the show over time, contributing self-produced video to the YouTube page, and doing some horror convention stuff in the summer. Naturally, we’d like you all to take a minute of your time and vote for us at Podcast Alley. It doesn’t hurt. Really, it doesn’t. It only takes a minute and you’ll feel oh-so-good about helping us out. Thanks.
That is all. End of line.
3 commentsCongratulations! It’s A… Pad?
Although I’ll probably have a lot more to say about this device when it’s actually released (March or April, depending on whether or not you want 3G service with it), here are some initial thoughts, mixed with some response to the trendy knee-jerk style (and, admittedly, sometimes thoughtful) criticisms.
Yes, it’s called an iPad. Go ahead and get all of your inner seventh – grader’s giggling and snickering out of the way, because although it is a somewhat unfortunately named gadget, keep in mind that iPod wasn’t initially embraced by the masses, either. (I believe, “what the fuck’s a ‘pod’” came out of the mouths of many.) Yes, I know, tampons, periods, Aunt Flo, bloody, bloody, bloody, etc, ad nauseam. Better now? Good, then let’s graduate grade school and move on to the adult world.
From what can be seen thus far, it really looks spectacular! And feature-rich as well. Some folks found there were some surprises in the upcoming Apple tablet. Others are having fun with the name to no real productive ends. And at least one Gizmodo writer chimed in with some complaints, which I’ll briefly address here.
“Big, Ugly Bezel” – The bezel has to be a reasonable width for a number of obvious reasons. Two that immediately come to mind include stabilization of the glass screen (and also to minimize impact of same) and providing a place for your thumbs or palms to go so you’re not covering the viewing area with them. Other that that, the bezel is fine.
“No Multitasking” – This is probably where the point of this not being nor trying to be a laptop or netbook should come in. Certainly, many of us remember the gripes about the Macbook Air not being just like the Macbook Pro, even though the former wasn’t meant to be the latter in key areas. A tablet device, by dint of its size, thickness, and components, is not going to have the feature set of an actual portable computer, such as a Macbook. At least, not yet. Also, this is running iPhone OS, not Mac OS. Overall, this “no multitasking” thing doesn’t bother me at all, and might get fixed in a future upgrade of the software, anyhoo. It doesn’t have sex with you, either, but try not to freak out merely because it doesn’t rigidly match your own little wish list.
“No Cameras” – A camera might have been nice, but maybe there just wasn’t any room for it. Take a look at those dimensions again. More to the point, you’re simply not going to be able to shove every piece of mobile tech into it without compromising its weight and size considerably.
“Touch Keyboard” – There’s always something for someone to bitch about, isn’t there? Putting an actual keyboard on this device would either make it too big or reduce viewing area. If it had a tiny screen, it would be an iPhone. If you went big enough for a physical keyboard, it’s basically a laptop. The iPad is, once again, neither of those.
“No HDMI Out” – It’s a portable device with a limited feature set due to its physical realities. It probably won’t have pop out subwoofers and crank to 600 decibels in 5.1 surround sound as well. One more time for the slow kids… it’s… a… tablet.
“The Name iPad” – I’m older than 12. I’m fine with the name.
“No Flash” – Nor on the iPhone, and there are very well stated reasons for it. Do the research and find out why.
“Adapters, Adapters, Adapters” – Like any other portable device. Seen the plethora of ones for all of the biggest smartphones out there? Must a slightly larger device that, once again, isn’t a laptop or netbook, be any different? Also, must your needs really require tons of plugs and external doohickeys be with you every moment of iPad usage? Or couldn’t you just load what you need (like any other portable device) and move along?
Also note that Apple wants to differentiate this device from its other devices, so it’s not going to nearly match all functions of any one Apple product. (The pricing structure of the iPhone/iPad/Macbook lines alone should be your first tip off.) I’m glad there is no speakerphone in this tablet because that would make millions of people even more obnoxious than they already are with their cellphones. Unlike some, I’m excited to see the eBook functionality, as I do read them currently on my iPhone. I’d like to see if it goes anywhere with digital magazine and other periodical subscriptions as my abode’s capacity for storing yet another shelf of physical mags is reaching maximum density. Don’t care about the music end of it at all, so that’s neither here nor there for me. I do wish it could be held onto better, but I’m sure some entrepreneur (or 57 of them) will put out iPad cases with some sort of strap in the back to slip your hand through, or something similar. Right now, it’s all speculation as to where the tablet will go in terms of popularity, accessories, apps (a major part of this gadget!), and added features over time. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing this infant product’s first steps into an unfriendly world. (A day trip to my favorite Apple store in the whole world — Small Dog Electronics — is reserved for April. We Vermonters are so lucky to have a great shop like SD.)
6 commentsARC Addition: 13″ MacBook 2.0 GHz
Yes, I know, it’s a year-old model and hardly “retro.” Well, one day it will be, so I’m just preparing for the future. I’m very forward-thinking, you know.
Anyhoo, this is #28 in the Apple Retro Collection, for those keeping count. It’s the aluminum body model and not the plastic one that came in black or white. The video below goes into further details on the specs — LOTS of details, just so you’re prepared. The processor is pretty darn sweet, especially compared to my ancient iBook G4, which this is replacing as my main laptop. And like its predecessor, this new laptop is now THE machine Jason and I use to record Terror Transmission. The G4 was good for awhile, but it got a tad pokey at the tail end with live recording. With the MacBook, it is blazing along without a hiccup, and that’s just what we audio producers need to hear. And, no crazy whirring fan trying to calm down an old processor about to max out. That’s rather nice, too.
Also, there are two new additions to my Apple Extras collection: Apple TV and AirPort Extreme. Might review the former if and when I have some time. It really is an incredible digital media hub.
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