Confessions at Carribou

Here is something that I will say that not many people never thought they would here me say: The next pre-built computer I will buy will be a Mac. I know, I know, shock and surprise. I'm not against Apple. I never have been. The facet of Apple that I am against is the rabid fanboys that claim that Steve Jobs is god and that everything Apple releases, they must have and is the greatest thing ever. Here is Exhibit A: The "Magic" Trackpad. I love my laptop. I like being able to close the lid and take it with me wherever I need to go. The one thing that I dislike about laptops: trackpads. It is the best solution available to navigation [touch screen is not an option]. I don't want to have another piece of technology that I have to unpack and pack up every time I want to use my laptop. And most of the mice that are targeted at laptop users are small as hell and anyone that knows me knows that I have large hands, and small mice just won't work. So why would anyone want to pay the $70+ for a trackpad for your desktop? I like using my mouse to navigate around the desktop. I don't want a trackpad to do so. My desk is cluttered enough without another piece of hardware to throw on there. Yes, I know that it would save some space by replacing my mouse with this single pad that I don't move around. But here is the problem with that: I play games. And using a trackpad to play games is fucking frustrating. I want my mouse. I NEED my mouse. So I can't replace it. I have to keep it. But when it comes to trackpads in laptops, Apple wins. Hands down. It is large. It is smooth. It took me a while to get used to the hidden buttons, but I like the way that the buttons don't get in the way of scrolling. I also like the multi-touch. I don't feel that it is a necessity. But I like having the option of using it. The trackpad on my laptop is small. It works well enough, but I run out of space to do my scrolling and when working in Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

My next reason for buying a Mac: Build Quality. Even the biggest Mac hater must admit that the build quality of the Macbooks are superior than most Windows laptops. Most Windows laptops are made of plastic that cracks and breaks with ease. My laptop slid off my bed onto my night stand and part of the corner chipped off. This was about a month into owning the laptop. It was a small chip, but something that would not have happened with a more solidly built laptop using superior materials. Apple has been using Aluminum in all their Macbooks [except the basic model] for a few years now. Here is the thing about Aluminum: Lightweight, strong, doesn't rust. Another issue I have with my laptop is that she is a chunky girl. There just seems to be a large amount of wasted space on her. Saddening, because she has been through a lot with me in the past almost two years.

Third Reason: STICKERS. I LOATHE stickers. I hate all the stickers that Windows laptops come with. And they always seem to be in the same place on the laptop: the hand/palm rests. I know what I am getting when I buy a laptop. I do not need to be reminded everyday. If I need to find out because I forgot, I have the system properties window to find out. Stickers suck, enough said.

Fourth Reason: Heat. My laptop overheats a lot. Not to point of shutting down, but to where it is hot to the touch. What makes this happen is the fact that the intake for my laptop's CPU fan is on the bottom of the laptop. This makes a whole lot of sense. Let's put the intake where there is very little airflow. Genius. This brings me back to the aluminum. Aluminum is used in CPU heat sinks along with copper. The aluminum body of the Macbook Pro makes it a large surface heat sink. And there are no air intake vents on the bottom. Simple, and effective.

I believe that these are 4 good reasons to buy a Macbook Pro. I don't want another desktop, because the one I have will outrun them. And I can upgrade it when I feel fit. I love my laptop. But when she dies/slows to a crawl [which she will, it is how technology works], I will look into a Macbook Pro. Yes, they are expensive. Do I feel that they are worth every penny? No. I think they could be more competitively priced. It is the only way that Mac will ever overtake Windows as the majority OS in the world. And the fact that people are still desperately hanging onto Windows XP helps them. But will I pay the current $2,000 for a configuration that I would use. I will pay for a configuration that will help keep the laptop free and clear of cluttered shit, which includes a 128 GB SSD. Fast, forces me to keep it free and clear. I would also order new RAM through Newegg to bring me up to an 8GB total. I know 8GB of RAM is overkill. My desktop doesn't have 8GB of RAM. It will soon though. Now here is the point of contention with me: Would I install Windows X when I buy it? Here are the pros and cons of this. For one, that is another $100 for the version of Windows. And would it make sense to dual-boot with a 128GB hard drive? I mean I could always replace the optical drive with another hard drive. But that is something to tackle down the road.

Now for a short update on my case mods: The Mac Pro has not been dismantled yet. I have decided to wait until I finish my other one. I finished the cutout for the front fan intake, and I have the cutout started for the rear exhaust fan. I need to head to Home Depot, Auto Zone, and Micro Center to pick up the following materials: Green Acrylic, M3 or #6 screws with nuts, Fiberglas Body Filler, Paint, and some clearance case accessories at Micro Center. I will post some photos soon when I am able to take them.

Why doesn't anyone I know sleep?
Are they all just scared of their dreams
When they lay their heads down at night,
What are they haunted by?

Why won't anyone just close their eyes?
Could it hurt them to rest for a while?
Do they need their friend to be a lover,
Or a lover to be a friend?