For less than $5 a month you can have space on a web server. For a few bucks a year you can have your own domain name. With a computer at the public library and a plain text editor you can then publish a website that can be seen more or less all over the world. THAT IS PUNK ROCK. It just requires a tiny bit of knowledge and effort to do your own thing. You should do it.
My 7 year old 13″ Macbook, which is on it’ second battery, will no longer take a charge. Not – at – all. Totally dependent on power chord now.
If I weren’t in the middle of a bathroom remodel and still need to buy an expensive shower door and a new crapper, I would be on my way for the replacement about…right…now.
Maybe in a couple of months. For now, the Chromebook, iPod Touch will let me get by.
People who enjoy music spend a great deal of time procuring a sound system that is fantastic, that has a huge sound, that performs.
I’m the same way. I love a good, rich sound.
But there’s something comforting about a small radio. Especially at night. Maybe it is the memory of hearing my dad’s bedside radio in the other room late at night, but I love to have the radio on at night. I love to have it on in my office when I’m working on something, or when I’m out in the garage. In the car — give me my iPod.
I love this radio. I got it a couple of years ago. It’s a nice radio that pics up short wave bands too. So if there’s nothing on regular radio, I can always find some kind of crazy stuff from who knows where. The crazier the better. I don’t like to listen to political talk radio. I think it is one of the biggest problems of our country, as it inflames peoples opinions against each other. When I say “crazy”, I mean conspiracy talk or crazy religious stuff, or just a good eclectic music show. Sometimes I like to just have it on a foreign language station via short wave.
One thing about radios though. If you want a radio that will have long battery life, don’t get one with display like this. It uses too much power. A standard old school transistor radio will last forever on the same batteries. They are actually not super easy to find these days, so if you have one take care of it.
OK, I’ll admit I use some old technology. But damn, I got some bitching to do.
It will make me feel better…
Oh yeah – this post has some bad words in it, to reflect my state of frustration. If you don’t like to read such words, I invite you to get the hell of my blog right now. K? K.
Now, you might be somewhat justified in pointing out that 7 years is pretty old for a laptop. That’s true. Congratulations – you have correctly assessed that factoid. HOWEVER — why, after me making no changes whatsofuckingever, does my setup for video not work anymore?
Out of 1 MacBook, one several-years-old Mac Mini, a Toshiba Windows/Shit PC, and $250 Google Chromebook, guess which device is operating as advertised? Yep. The cheap-ass Chromebook. It is limited in its function, but for its function is does great. No goddamn virus protection extortion racket. No shitty software. If this thing could edit video, audio, and hold my music, I would kiss all this other shit goodbye.
But sadly, as frustrated as I am finding some of the Apple products and software, they are still infinitely better than any PC available. The cheapest MacBook Air is better than any PC laptop you could get Santa to team up with the Devil and Einstein’s Ghost to build you. I may have to save up for one.
All this being said — Aikido and Skateboarding were awesome today — and this is all that really matters.
I don’t usually just post links of stuff to purchase, but here are a few things on massive sale right now that would be good for a podcaster/videographer.
This digital audio is on massive sale, and it a really good one.
This is the one I use, the Tascam DR40. It is a fantastic device, as you will see if you look at my podcasting links. Also on HUGE sale at Amazon.
Finally, this is the USB Microphone I use. It is the “old” model, and thus on bigtime sale, but the newer version just has a headphone jack. Other than that, the old one is the same. Great sound for this microphone. Plugs into the computer. Simple.
I’ve written quite a lot about my Google Chromebook. I’ve had it a few months now and continue to enjoy it. It is light, boots up fast, and works pretty well. I’ve done most of my blogging from the Chromebook, plus a little digital image editing. For evening web-surfing and blogging it is my machine of choice. As I’ve stated before, I don’t really watch movies on it because it’s screen isn’t great and the video card (or whatever it has) isn’t super good for streaming HD movies. But it will do in a pinch for standard definition, and I’ve done that bit while on trips.
This is the 11-inch Samsung Chromebook, which cost $250. So for that price I of course understand and accept the device’s limitations. It does what I purchased it to do, and not much more, but that is fine.
I have considered buying a Nexus Table too. They have really nice screens and work very well.
However, these devices are lacking in one area very critical to me. Content creation.
Since Google hasn’t developed their own really good video and audio editing apps for the devices, they simply are not up to the challenge of podcasting or video editing. I’ve tried all the apps available for the Chromebook, and they all suck. Sorry, but they do. I’ve searched and read about this issue as it applies to the Nexus tablets, and it appears to be the same there too. They seem to be great for surfing the web, playing game, and watching movies — content consumption — but simply are not equipped for content creation.
So other than replacing my burnt-out Kindle Touch, I think that 2014 will be a year of Zero Technology Acquisition. Unless my 2006 MacBook stops working, I will most likely stick with the tech that I already have. The only item I can see myself buying would be a replacement for that, or a new digital camera should my current one poop out on me.