So Long, 2009.

It's been an incredible year, filled with so many blessings and wonderful people. Thank you so much to everyone who allowed me to be a part of documenting their lives' events. I eagerly await what's in store for Twenty-Ten. Happy New Year!

--Chris

Pajama Day

Conspiracy Theory

Say what you will about Apple. About how great and solid the OS is, about how awesome everything they do makes you feel. Whatever. I have a MacBook Pro 13" and feel more than a little frustrated at the big A right now. Where to begin?

The main reason I bit the bullet and went Mac was that I was assured I'd be able to run Windows on Boot Camp just as if it were a Windows Machine. In fact, I was told at the Apple Store, the MacBook Pro was a better Windows Machine than most actual Windows Machines. How quaint a thought.

in actuality, Windows just doesn't work very well on a Macintosh. Oh, you're able to install the OS on a drive partition, a process that's actually fairly straightforward and simple. Inserting the OS X install disc, once booted up in Windows, will install all the Apple drivers needed for the machine to function. And this, in my experience, is where the Apple turns sour.

A little background. At the office, I manage five computers of varying age and running various flavors of Microsoft's OS. The main two art computers run Vista, the secondary office computers are Windows XP, and the brain of the embroidery machine is a Windows 98 system. High tech, I know. At home, my wife and I have only ever had Windows notebooks. All this to say, I have extensive experience with Windows in all its forms and know, for good and bad, exactly how it should run. And I've got to say, it runs great more often than not.

Not so running Vista or Windows 7 on the MacBook Pro. I've tried using them both and have been completely let down.

Spare me the jokes and jabs about Vista. It's a great operating system. WIndows 7 takes it a step further, adding a fine polish to an already great system. But here's the deal. I have had to format and reinstall both Vista and 7 no less than three times EACH on this expensive hunk of Apple core. Crashes, freezes, constant disc checking at startup. And finally, in the most extreme case yet, total system failure. No operating system found. Lovely.

All the while, the OS X side of my Mac continues to run quite well, smiling smugly at poor unfortunate Windows. All of my other Windows computers work fine. Very rare crashes and certainly never any system failure errors. Where am I going with this?

Drivers.

These magic little bits of code are what makes, say, a keyboard or a webcam work properly within an operating system. Typically, whatever company that makes the hardware will release the drivers to make the hardware work with the OS. So what company is it that makes the drivers for, say, a Macintosh, that would allow Windows to run properly on said system?

Why, Apple of course. And now we get to the conspiracy theory portion of my post. Why in the world would "Windows-sucks-get-a-Mac-we-run-perfectly-without-any-crashes-or-viruses" Apple want Windows to run smoothly? They wouldn't. They figure if people decide to run Windows on a Mac, the experience should only solidify the stance they've taken that Windows is a glitchy, malfunctioning, hunk-of-junk. And that is exactly what they deliver when Windows is installed using Apple drivers.

It just doesn't work. Volume on the Windows side is half of what it is in OS X. The processor gets up to about 96-100 degrees when in Windows, while in OS X it stays around a cool 60-78 degrees. Battery life is abysmal while in Windows but superb in OS X. The trackpad is jittery and far too sensitive in Windows, but smooth as glass in OS X. See how much better Mac is? The thing is, none of this is Microsoft's fault. The drivers that should make all this Mac hardware work with Windows are MADE BY APPLE.

OK, calm down, Chris.

So that's my conspiracy theory for the day. Apple could release newer and better drivers to make Windows work more smoothly on their hardware, but they won't They don't want Windows to run smoothly, and why would they? Just don't push it as a selling point if you're not going to get behind it and make it work right.

Built in Projector?

Engaget.com has a posting about the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj (what is with camera model names?) a 12.1 megapixel point-and-shoot with a, wait for it, built in projector. Huh? Is that something anyone would really want or need on a point and shoot?

(Photo credit Engaget.com)

I guess it would be a cool thing to whip out at parties, but I can't see anyone using it more than once or twice before the novelty wears off. Maybe I'm wrong. It's happened before.

And as for the model name? If you're going to build in a projector the least you can do is call the thing something awesome like "Super Projecto Camera X-Treme." Make people be afraid to NOT buy the thing.

The Best Camera

I've heard it said the best camera in the world is the one you have with you. I'm finding this to be more and more of an accurate statement since I've been a dad. I don't always feel like lugging around my DSLR, but I always have my iPhone. While lacking in overall quality, most photos taken with the little 2 mega-pixel built-in camera can be sufficiently "fixed up" with photo editing apps available for the iPhone.

For the photo shown, I snapped the pic in the shade and used an application called "Photogene" to convert to black and white, crop, and adjust contrast--all before the photo ever left my phone.

The real value of a shot like this is that I captured a moment I would not otherwise have captured. I didn't have my Nikon, or even my wife's Coolpix with us, but I did have my phone.

Easter Bunny

My wife and I took our boys to see the Easter Bunny and have their picture taken with him (her?). I suppose the purple hair bow lends itself more to female. I always pictured the Easter Bunny a fella, but who am I to say? The boys were amused and intrigued that giant rabbits apparently exist.

Asus Eee PC 1000HE

Disregard my last post. Not only did I decide we needed a netbook, but the one we needed wasn't even the HP Mini described below. I bought my wife an Asus Eee PC 1000HE. Another great name *rolls eyes* by a computer manufacturer.

Pros:

The 10" screen is brilliant LED, much brighter and richer in color than any of the other netbooks we compared.

Features a slightly faster Intel Atom N280 processor at 1.66 GHz, rather than the Atom N270 (1.6 GHz) found in most other current netbooks.

The keyboard is chiclet style (space between the keys, ala MacBook), making typing much easier. I notice only a slight difference when using this keyboard and the one on my MacBook Pro.

Multi-touch trackpad. This aspect of the trackpad is useful, but not as responsive as offerings from Apple. Two fingers up or down will scroll accordingly, and moving fingers apart or closer will zoom in and out. The touch controls are do not feel as refined as on the MacBooks.

Surprisingly good performance. Boot time is quick, and programs are responsive. Even iTunes, that bloated beast of a jukebox, runs almost as good as on the MacBook Pro. Shocking.

Easy access to RAM and hard disk bay.

Cons:

WIndows XP. I know a lot of people swear by Microsoft's last gen OS, but it feels clunky, outdated, and ugly compared to Vista (and especially when compared to Windows 7).

1 GB of ram is not quite enough for using several applications at once. We upgraded the RAM to 2 GB for about $29.00.

Lack of optical drive. This is common to all netbooks, however, and can't be held against this particular model.

Small trackpad. Despite having multi touch capabilities, there's no getting around the fact that the trackpad is tiny. Tap to click is too sensitive by default and I found myself accidentally clicking everything in sight until I got the feel for it.

Wrap:

A great, highly portable machine for under $399. Great for web, music, some light photo editing (though screen size is a major limitation here), and casual gaming. I recommend using a bluetooth mouse, due to trackpad size constraints.

Netbooks

I'm intrigued by these mini laptops dubbed "netbooks." At the core, they are simply small, low-powered laptops that run Windows XP instead of Vista. Typically under $400.00. Most brands (including entries from most major manufacturers) come in either 8" or 10" screen-sizes and typically have from 512MB to 1GB of RAM, although most support upgrades to 2GB.

Now, by all accounts I absolutely do not need one of these little machines. Why, then, underpowered though they be, do I feel drawn to them? I don't need one. I have to keep reminding myself of that.

The one that truly stands out in my opinion is the HP Mini 1035NR. Catchy name, right? Anyway, when comparing these things, keyboard size can be an issue. They HP Mini's keyboard is quite large and perfectly usable compared to many others. I don't need one of these, even though it would make a perfect Hulu.com watching medium when hooked up to my living room TV.

I don't. I really don't.

Got a Mac, Went Back to Windows

So as anyone who’s read any of my previous posts knows, I like Windows. I never had any major issues with Vista like everyone else (who may or may not have actually used it) seems to have had.

That being said, I needed a new laptop. The one I had been using was a few years old and getting a bit bogged down with my workload. So I bought a brand new Windows machine from a major PC manufacturer who will remain nameless. The moment I opened the shipping box, I knew I would be less than happy with my new purchase. The casing was cheap plastic, the bezel around the screen didn’t fit flush against the edge—highly disappointing to say the least. So I did what any consumer with half an expectation would do and sent the sucker packing.

Note that none of this, of course, was the fault of Windows.

Now where do I go? Having been burned by one of the leading makers of PCs, I decided to do the unthinkable and buy…a MacBook Pro. Hey, it can run Windows, I said to myself.

After using the hardware and OS X Leopard for about 2 months, here’s where I stand. I love the computer itself. The aluminum casing is sturdy and aesthetically pleasing. I love the keyboard with it’s spaced key configuration. The LED glass screen is absolutely stunning—too good, in fact, as I have a tendency to underexpose my photos due to it’s radiant brightness. All in all, the machine is incredible.

OS X on the other hand, is a nightmare. Even the simplest of Windows tasks (like merging two folders for example) is impossible in this operating system. Maybe it’s just a preference thing, but for me, Windows is the superior platform. Thankfully, installing Windows is a breeze using Boot Camp, and it runs very well on the hardware.

The best of both worlds.