G4 v G3 iBook

First a quick note about the new iBook:
I am quite impressed by the jump in performance, I think the five hundred dollar outlay was very well spent. It’s a bigger performance increase than the move from an original G3 233 to the 400Mhz G4.. I suspect its because the G4 400 was first used with OS9. So I was comparing OS9 on a 233 G3 with a OS9 on a 400Mhz G4. I saw a definite performance increase but it wasn’t spec-freaking-tacular. Why? I don’t think OS9 took the same advantage of the G4 chip that OS X does so the difference is magnified. It’s also a bigger jump than when I upgraded my G4 with an OWC upgrade and that was a pretty big jump (note:if you’ve got an upgradable G4 500Mhz or less, don’t hesitate, upgrade)

The only problem I’ve run into with the iBook is the speakers spewing static. It’s weird, sounds very much like a loose speaker wire, and it happens without regard to the volume setting (for you freaking morons out there let me translate: irregardless of the speaker volume). I’ve been searching around the web for others having this problem and so far come up dry. I suspect a call to Apple may be the remedy but I really REALLY hate calling those folks. Not that they aren’t unfailingly polite and competent but because it is a reflection of my ineptitude. Every time I’ve talked to an Apple person on the phone they’ve been better than any other phone support I’ve ever encountered.

The bad thing, the very bad thing about calling Apple is the admission of failure. Placing a call is an is tatamount to saying: “I don’t know enough to fix this, can you please fix it for me?” I hate that. I like to fix things myself. I like the feeling of accomplishment, I like looking at the end result and I hate asking strangers for help. How do it yourself crazy am I? Well, I was thinking about getting a vasectomy, just a thought rambling around in the vast empty space between my ears, and I suddenly found myself wiping a screwdriver down with isopropyl alcohol and eyeing a hammer. Glad I stopped myself, it would have been unnecessary. Once you have a kid you’re too freakin tired to mess around. At least I am. Though I still maintain the process would have probably worked.

My iBook fixit process: firewire mode, erase the drive, fresh system install, reboot. I figure if that doesn’t fix the problem its gonna need those tiny screwdrivers and the internals are just too tight for me to mess with. (Yep, ended a sentence with a preposition, think I’ll go Tyler Durden and beat the crap out of myself).

I keep telling myself no more Mac stuff, then I just can’t help myself. Now read the next part slowly but I have found pictures of the first G5 styled iMac. These aren’t some artistic conception, this is the real thing. I promise you these are the first pics of a G5 styled iMac:
Click on pic, hop on pop. the whole deal
Sure it still has a G4 processor but you gotta admit that its the thing a lot of people have been wanting: It’s a cool looking headless vowel-Mac! On the other hand Apple isn’t in the business of customizing computers to individual users and if you went around and collected all the stuff people wanted out of the next iMac and actually incorporated them you would end up with one undeniably crappy product. Don’t think so? Check out the ULTIMATE iPOD

Click on the pic, its a link.
Point being that trying to please everyone is a mistake, Apple just needs to make a great product.

And speaking of that I am seeing persistent rumors of an iMac with a detachable screen. Supposedly the motherboard sits behind the incorporated LCD. The whole mess is detachable and you can input stuff via the monitor cause its touch sensitive. Rumors, by their nature, are worthless. This rumor is especially bad because it’s freakin hopeless. If the wizards of Macness could actually cram a G5 in a portable monitor (read: the often disavowed tablet) then a G5 laptop would be easier than Madonna. In the imortal words of Dana Carvey imitating George Bush “Naaa Gonna Happpen” Well that’s my prediction.

For what it’s worth

which is zero

At this point most folks are expecting the Bailey memorial links. And Lucy never moved the football. Nope the Bailey section is now called:

Bailey’s Big old section of respectful links

Because Bailey is, most emphatically, not dead. I know this cause Bailey sent me a whole slew of links. I can’t give them all out once but this one is pretty good:

Football meets Muscle relaxers

Bailey purports to be Canadien. Probably true, he’s pretty damn funny and I’m fairly sure Canada’s biggest export is comedians. Only one way to know:
Bailey take the quiz and post the result!

I’ve got a bulldog, he’s old now but at one time he was pretty vicious. I never could understand it but Patton wanted to kill every animal he saw. If I was walking him and he saw another animal he’d drop his shoulders, slink way low and try to shoot at them like some sort of ground based missile of death. With people he was fine but it was the first time I realized dogs can be killers. I also noticed that all the other animals ran behind houses when I walked him. Of course hyenas would be better.

Game Bailey didn’t pick but gets credit for:
Bubble

Todd Long Countdown:
15 days.
Bailey’s special present:
Proposal

cks/BL tridiot rating: we’ve got the 5% penalty, plus the length of the blog, plus the fact that I opined on macs. The end result: 129.54%