3.8.2011

I've been MIA from the blog for awhile but it's not without a reason. We had quite a shake-up last week in the technology front at our house.

The lease was up on D's work desktop and as he's been traveling a few times a year for training, he decided to put in for a laptop this time. It arrived last week and to learn how to use it remotely he brought it home. He also wanted to figure out how to link it to the MacMini so that we could Skype the next time he was sent to HQ.

And then Apple announced their new laptop models. D knew they'd be slashing their old stock so he pounced on a MacBookPro refurb at a good price point. He's been wanting to replace the iBook I bought off eBay years ago. Its processor can't handle Flash or streaming, the CD drive is shot, the external speakers are dead and the case is cracked in more than one place. Now that I've spent some time with the Pro, I see he was right - it was time to upgrade.

We threw a mixer so that D's Dell, my iBook and the new MacBookPro could get acquainted. I'm pretty sure we were maxing out our home network.

The pizza tried so hard to fit in.

After installing virus-protection software we attempted the arduous task of "migration".

And like most brain-swaps, something went a little wrong. Nine hours into the procedure there was an error with the iBook and the MacBookPro hosed up. Most of my files are there but I haven't had enough time to find out what didn't transfer over. Also, my iPod doesn't want to talk with the MacBookPro but I'm sure they'll work out their differences eventually. Meanwhile, I'm getting better at using the new-style trackpad (with no button) and I'm loving the backlit keyboard. D and I have also had fun playing with the camera. Now we can Skype wherever we go.

In talking with D, I realized that I've been using Apple computers since I was in early primary school. That's approximately 30 years! So I bought an original logo decal as an homage to those old-school Apples I grew up with.

Now we're stylin'

I've been giving some thought as to what to do with the iBook. Yes, it has plenty of issues but it still functions on a certain level. I wrote three NaNos (and my blog) on it and I'd love to support a cause close to my heart so I'm considering donating it to NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program.