New Addition

Our family is now the proud owner of a brand new iMac.  I feel like I got a great deal since I found it on Craig's List and it was still in its shipping box.

I had several motivations for this purchase:

1. I wanted a home server. I used to leave on an old computer running Linux, and that computer was very old (I built it in 2000) and I don't think it was very energy efficient.  iMacs use mainly laptop components which should consume less power.
   
2. I wanted a computer that acts as a file server for all of my video content.  I can't keep all of our home movies stored on my MacBook Pro, and getting out an external hard drive every time I wanted to access it was irritating.  The iMac has a Firewire 400 and a Firewire 800 port, plus a gigabit ethernet port, so accessing an external hard drive attached to it over the network should be very fast.
3. I wanted a computer for the kids to use.  Kyla plays games on my laptop or Becky's regularly, and I'm always afraid that they will get damaged (my wireless Mighty Mouse was almost a casualty).  If they use a desktop computer the risk is really only to the keyboard and mouse.
4. I wanted something that looked nicer.  Becky and I have been cleaning out a lot of old junk, and my old setup in the den was something of an eye sore.  The iMac replaces the following components: a large beige PC tower, a black PC tower, a big 19" beige CRT, and a dark gray speaker and subwoofer set.  The iMac's all-in-one design takes up far less space and is much prettier.
5. I wanted a homogenous Mac environment.  The more you use Apple's products, the more you discover synergies between them.  Also, since the kids will be using this computer, there is a real virus risk if they use Windows.  Don't worry Microsoft, I'll be running a legally purchased copy of XP via Boot Camp and Parallels on occasion, plus I bought Office 2008 (which is pretty nice).

I strategically proposed this purchase to Becky at the same time we found out we were getting a healthy return from the IRS.  After the purchase of the TV, she is due for a purchase herself, though we both would like to save and invest the majority of our recent positive cash flow, which is why I was motivated to find a bargain.

Mouse Resurrected

So since writing my last post about my dead Mighty Mouse, I had decided that I would buy a new one despite its shortcomings.  After spending some time with a normal mouse I found myself really missing the Mighty Mouse's scroll ball which is very smooth and goes horizontally.

After the Macworld keynote which didn't include any mouse-related announcements (none were expected, but I was just making sure) I was finally ready to order a new one, when it dawned on me that I ought to see if there was anyway to bring my broken mouse back to life.  I discovered a site that describes how to disassembly a Mighty Mouse, waited until the kids went to bed and got started.

The tools required were a razor blade and a flathead screwdriver.  After getting it taken apart I found the small plastic piece that protrudes down from the mouse's top cover and contacts a button on the mouse's base.  It was bent and not properly contacting the button, so I bent it back, put the thing back together, and my mouse is back!

It's an awesome feeling knowing that I just saved myself $70, which is better spent on other things... I'll go into that later.

The Mouse That Died

Kyla often plays online Flash games using my Mac. She isn't very good with the trackpad, so I let her use my mouse instead.  Over the holiday weekend she dropped my bluetooth Mighty Mouse on the floor and it broke. She's only three and I should have known better than to have her use my $80 mouse (now they're only $70, but that's what I paid).

So now I'm left wondering what kind of mouse I should replace it with. Most people don't really pay attention to what type of mouse they use, but a mouse is the main means by which we interact with our computers and a good mouse can be significant productivity boost.

One of the most baffling moments in my career was when I was at a client who had just issued me a brand new high end, dual-Xeon workstation... along with the very cheapest ball mouse on the market. This was really stupid.  Why have me use some $2,500 monster computer with a $5 mouse whose ball would get constantly stuck and required several minutes of my time every week to pull the thing apart and clean it? The extra $15 for a decent laser mouse would have been quickly recouped since I was an hourly consultant.

I don't know whether I should get a new Mighty Mouse, or go with something more exotic like the Logitech VX series.  The Mighty Mouse wasn't perfect, it felt like half the time it didn't register a right-click correctly and bluetooth is overrated since I always had to re-pair it after the connection was lost, but after having gone without it for about a day I realize how often I used the horizontal scroll, and I don't see anything comparable in other mice.

If I do go for another Mighty Mouse I might wait a couple of weeks since conventional wisdom dictates that you shouldn't buy any Apple products prior to Macworld.  I haven't yet heard of any rumors regarding a new mouse, but after following keynotes for a few years now I know that there is typically at least one thing revealed that the rumor sites didn't catch wind of.

Welcome to High Definition

Finally, I have HD.  I now own a 52" Samsung flat-screen LCD that supports 1080p resolution. This is a big step up from my 32" tube television, but I figured that since I don't buy televisions often, I ought to buy something that would keep me satisfied for a long time.

I really wanted to get TiVo HD, but the CableCARD doesn't support On Demand, which we use from time to time (especially for Kyla's cartoons).  Instead I've got the latest Motorola cable box/DVR.  It's definitely a lot more responsive than the old cable box, but after enjoying TiVo's intuitive user interface for over three years I'm really nonplused by my replacement for it. For now TiVo will live on upstairs in our bedroom while I figure out whether or not it is still worth the extra $13 per month (I should have bought that lifetime plan).

The Samsung's picture is awesome.  I've watched some 1080p movie trailers on it (I hooked my MacBook Pro to it with a DVI to HDMI cable) and was blown away by all of the detail I could see.  I also watched a couple of DVDs on it and they look so much better than on the old set, but this is partially because I'm using component video cables for the first time with my DVD player (my old TV supports component video but I only recently figured this out, silly me).

If either Blu-ray or HD DVD were winning the format war I would pony up for an HD player, but as far as I can tell they are still neck and neck. If I were to buy one today I would probably go with HD DVD because they are far cheaper and Blu-ray is struggling with three different standards, but for now I'll stay on the sidelines. I'm still really enjoying watching the DVDs I already have and I can get HD movies via On Demand. Perhaps by the time the war is over we'll be downloading HD movies online (got to love the Highlands Fiber Network).

Unfortunately the TV didn't make it for Becky's birthday party (though it would have been a big distraction while we were toiling away with party prep), but at the party I described our big purchase to one of our friends who informed me that we would be hosting a Super Bowl party this year.

Go Seahawks!