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September 28, 2004
Apple iSight Review
I love my iSight! ISight is the video conferencing camera from Apple Computer, which when used with Apple's iChat software (which comes included with the computer) delivers extraordinary quality video conferencing for the money ($150). It's hard to convince people of this though until they actually use it. I've been trying to talk my friend Tom into buying one for months, so I could more easily visit with him and his rambunctious family. Finally I just gave up and shipped him one. My uncle is getting one soon too, as an early birthday present. Generous, you may think. Nah, having your closest friends on iChat with iSight just improves the value of your own iSight installation. The camera gets exponentially more useful the more people that you want to talk with have one. Amazon has a good deal on them right now. I think I paid $139 with free shipping. Update April 15, 2005: Amazon is now shipping the latest model of the Apple iSight with Autofocus. The price last checked was $140.
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Posted by elise at 10:43 PM
September 23, 2004
Sting and 2000 Investment Bankers
Bank of America investment conference 2004. Last night, San Francisco. Big, very big tent. "I'm Sting. I sing for money." Thank God for that. How much do you think they spent on this conference? 5 million? 10 million? The food alone could easily have been half a million. 2 hours of Sting including a 20 minute encore. Best behaved and cleanest cut audience in history. Roxanne, Whenever I say your name, Dead Man's Rope, Everything She Does is Magic (twice), Fragile, Englishman in New York, Sacred Love, Fields of Gold. Wow.
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Posted by elise at 9:35 AM | Comments (2)
September 16, 2004
Protect Yourself From Computer Viruses - Switch to Mac
I love Walter Mossberg. In today's Wall St. Journal he writes, under How to Protect Yourself From Vandals, Viruses If You Use Windows that
The single most effective way to avoid viruses and spyware is to simply chuck Windows altogether and buy an Apple Macintosh. Apple's operating system, Mac OS X, is harder for the criminals to infect, and the Mac's market share is so small that hackers, virus writers and spies get little thrill, financial gain or publicity from attacking the platform.Yes! Tell it like it is Walt!There has never been a successful virus written for Mac OS X, and there is almost no spyware that targets the Mac. Plus, the Mac is invulnerable to viruses and spyware written for Windows. Not only is it more secure, but the Mac operating system is more capable, more modern and more attractive than Windows XP, and just as stable.
Macs are as good as, and often better than, Windows PCs at doing the most common computing tasks: Web browsing, e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, photos, music and video. The Mac version of Microsoft Office can handle Windows Office files with ease, and it produces files that Office for Windows handles effortlessly. Apple's computers are also gorgeous.
It has always amazed me the degree to which people value conformity over brilliance, beauty, and quality. The reason an investment banking MBA friend of mine told me he used a PC was that 90% of the world couldn't be wrong (this was a while ago). Hello? Lemmings. You're all lemmings. Get a Mac and start enjoying your computer instead of screaming at it.
Posted by elise at 2:45 PM | Comments (7)
September 14, 2004
Apple iPod Mini Review
Updated April 17, 2005.
I finally took the plunge a few weeks ago and bought an Apple iPod Mini. It was a barely considered impulse purchase at the local Apple store which happened to have them in stock that day. I rationalized the purchase by reminding myself that now that my old Palm pilot was dead I could put my address book on it. I got it home and immediately had buyer's remorse. What the heck was I going to do with this thing? I have no interest in walking around the world, oblivious to sounds outside of music pumping in my head. I have my entire record collection of 5000 songs in iTunes on my desktop, which is where I actually like to play music. iTunes is great, but do I really need to carry these songs with me everywhere I go?
I have now found a useful purpose for this gorgeous $200 device. Audible.com offers a $15 per month subscription to their digital books - the iTunes version of Books on Tape. (See 50% off special offer.) It actually works seamlessly with iTunes, downloading the digital audio files you purchase directly into the program. A $15 subscription gets you one book per month, a $20 subscription gets you two. You can cancel whenever you want. Since I spend hours on the road and I have lists of books to read, this is a useful service. (If you sign up, tell them that user BauerElise referred you.)
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Posted by elise at 11:26 AM | Comments (4)
September 1, 2004
Hamptons Man 2004
Update: Hamptons Man was a big success, with hundreds of people attending and enjoying the burning of the wooden man in a green jacket. See the photo gallery.
For those New Yorkers who just can't make it to Nevada this year, there is Hamptons Man Festival, Saturday Sept 4th, at Cooper's Beach, South Hampton. Checkout the Hamptons Man blog.
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Posted by elise at 12:45 AM | Comments (0)