I still haven't really come to terms with the idea of buying a computer. At the moment the thing that looks like the best balance of all my needs is a G4 Powermac. They can be had on eBay for just under $1000. I already have a monitor, so that's no problem. I don't need a pretty iMac and I don't really need a laptop. These things are oozing with power. Look at this one and this one. I could do some serious multimedia crap with that. And since OS X is built on BSD then I would still have my command line and I could still install some open souce apps. If I get lucky on eBay I could get a computer that already has some good stuff installed (think Photoshop, Final Cut, etc.) If I do go with a Mac, then I'll actually end up with one of each. I'll have my XP laptop at work, my Mac desktop/media machine and my Linux server.

I don't think I'll be buying anything until I'm sure that I need my current computer to become a dedicated server. So, I have to get some web design jobs. If this Mac idea is stupid then I need some friends to talk me out of it ASAP.

Here's me:

http://badgas.co.uk/lynndie/

XD TO THE TENTH POWER

And while I'm at it, why not Do the Schiavo?

http://www.amandaegge.com/schiavo.htm

I LOLED

Why is it that when you need to study, cleaning the apartment suddenly becomes the most important and fun task that you can think of? In fact, the bigger the test, the more the thought of windex and the Hoover appeal to me. Until today, though, I had no idea this phenomenon worked in reverse. My parents are coming to visit in 3 days. Our apartment is in the state that my bedroom used to get when my mom would just close the door slowly instead of wasting time and energy trying to get me to clean it. (**note: We are not always such slobs...school and work have just consumed our lives at the moment...against our will, mind you) I am supposed to be spending all day today cleaning the apartment in preparation for my parents' arrival, but at the moment, all I can think of is working on my capstone research project or graduation portfolio. ~Kelly

I think all my space profile photos are guh-ay.

I'm planning on hosting some websites on the server running in my back room at home. If I do that, then I'm going to have to stop using it as my desktop workstation. That means that I'm in the market for a new computer. At the moment I'm really torn about what operating system I want on my new computer. I've been using Linux at home for a few months now, but a Mac would be nice for doing more multimedia. And there's always Windows, too. So, I'm going to do some thinking out loud (er . . . in writing) and I would love to hear what you think.

The first question that needs to be asked: What am I going to do with my new computer?

• Regular websurfing
• Web design
• Digital photography and a little graphic design
• Maybe some gaming
• Audio production
• Video editing (maybe)

Here are the factors that are going to come into play: Cost, hardware compatibility, available software, ease of use and security.

Cost
Linux is the clear winner here. The OS itself is free (Ubuntu is my distro of choice) and almost all the applications you can get for Linux are free. Windows would come in second. The OS comes bundled with a new computer, but it does add something to the cost. There are some free apps for Windows, but commercial programs are the norm. Apple is the worst in terms of cost. You can only get the OS by buying a computer from Apple, and they are notoriously expensive. Mac OS X does come with iLife, a very cool suite of software. Windows and Mac OS charge money for upgrades, so there's more than just the one-time cost to consider. If I pay $200 for Windows XP today, will I be paying another $150 for Longhorn next year? Like I said, Linux wins this round.

Hardware
Windows, which works with just about anything, would have to be the winner here. If I shopped carefully I could build a computer that works fine under Linux. The printer would be the tough part. I have two printers at my house now, and neither of them has drivers for Linux. A Mac requires Apple hardware.

Available Software
This is a tough one. It really needs to be broken down into some sub-categories: multimedia, gaming and everything else.

Multimedia
The Mac wins here. Right out of the box you have some cool tools for creating audio (Garage Band) and video (iMovie). And it would just work. I don't have a video camera now, but I could be confident in plugging one in and being able to edit video without a lot of trouble. Most of the good podcasters are using Macs to create their shows. Windows can do most of the same stuff, but it requires you to buy some software. (The only bundled software that MS has added to Windows since version 3.1 is a free trial of AOL). Linux is a big unknown here. There are free programs available for all of this stuff, but I'm not sure if it would Just Work. My current soundcard won't record from a mic in Linux. If I go with Linux I can't be sure whether a video camera would work with it. On the other hand, the coolest drum machine program I've ever used is Hydrogen, a free Linux app.

Gaming
Not much to say here. Game companies make versions for Windows and that's about it. I've tried running Starcraft under WINE, a Windows emulator. It's supposed to work, but I've never got it to. But, I don't do that much gaming and when I do go to a LAN party it's not that hard to find an extra machine.

Everything Else
Then there are always those programs that come up randomly. Shockwave animations won't work in Firefox under Linux. Gcompris, a kids' game that Emma loves, is built for Linux. But I can do 90% of what I want to do in Linux using Firefox, GIMP, Skype, Audacity and Bash.

Ease of Use
This category should probably go to the Mac. Things just work in a Mac. Linux is harder to use in many cases. When I plug in my card reader or my thumb drive, does it just show up as a drive? Wouldn't that be nice. I have to go to the command line and try to find out what /dev label it was given by the kernel, then I have to issue a command to mount it in my filesystem. Only then can I use the device. Windows is getting good at this kind of thing, but Windows annoys me in so many other ways that I can't really call it easy to use.

Security
I suppose that Mac and Linux tie for first and Windows finishes a very distant third place. I'm so sick of worms, viruses, spyware and adware. My Windows machine at work runs pretty clean, but it takes a lot of work. Everyday I'm updating antivirus software, scanning, checking for Windows updates, etc. Linux and Mac are both practically virus-free.

Conclusion
So, I'm very torn. I haven't decided whether I want a laptop or a desktop, either. The Mac seems like a good choice, except that it costs more and I have virtually no experience with the Mac OS. I would love to hear what you think about any of this.

Yesterday I went to see the honors program's depiction of Shakespeare's work to see what an acceptable version of this play was. As you might recall, when a certain Dr. C's tenure wasn't renewed, part of the hubub revolved around his rendition of TTOTS, in which females played the male roles while males played the female roles. Personally, I thought it was an ingenius way to deal with the difficult subject matter. It made the play seem more playful and in the true spirit of Shakespeare's work, in which we often see a man playing a woman playing a man, etc. As for the actual situation of the termination Dr. C's employment, I have no comment on how it all went down. But the man knew how to put on a play.

So off I went to check out what an "acceptable" version of this play would look like. As it turned out, it was set in the 1930s, for no apparent reason. The set, costumes, and music, all had the 1930s feel, but what did that feel have to do with this play? Not much, I'm afraid.

As the play began (the story has a play within a play), the introductory scene was painful to watch. One of the key actors simply didn't have the training/charisma/annunciation he needed to set the scene - it was like listening to a bunch of words that didn't necessarily have anything to do with each other.. just an endless flow that I hoped would end quickly. Thankfully, it did.

Once into the "real" play, it started getting better. Kate was an able enough Kate, and Petrucchio was.... well, he was good, but he seemed rather a wussy guy to be playing Petrucchio. The rest of the cast did well enough too. Overall, I guess it was enjoyable, but it lacked something: not enough controversy (consider the play) or dealing with the interesting themes, and not enough pizzaz. Not to say it was lackluster - it just didn't seem to be enough.

So in summary, an acceptable TTOTS is a less interesting one.

Oh by the way, someone needs to tell them where the thermostat is located. The entire audience were using their programs to fan their faces in the theatre because it was stinking HOT in there.