Before I start work at the new place, I plan to get myself a Gadget. This is 20% reward for finally having enough guts to leave, and 80% security blanket. The tools of my trade are technological, and dang it if I will let myself start my new job empty-handed. The way I look it, I need all the help I can get.
The question is: what should I get? Should I stick with what I know and trust, i.e. Acer and an Windows Operating System, or go with something new, i.e. a MacBook 2.0 GHz? Should I get a full-blown laptop, or will a Palm TX suffice? These are a few needs I hope the new Gadget will be able to meet (apart from its role as a security blanket).
1. Presentations
I want to be able to teach using slides. I realise that perhaps this is being too idealistic (no time, no projector), but it feels so much better to be able to be able to have bullet points, pictures, diagrams, whatever, to illustrate what I am trying to say. I'm just used to and confident about this method of conveying information.
2. Information
It is a digital age and there is so much information out there, if you only know where to look for it. I need information and I need it fast. (I also need an online dictionary because my spelling is horrible.)
3. Software
I have come to rely on Photoshop, Excel, PageMaker, Adobe Acrobat, Konfabulator, Calculator, Outlook, Word and Protopage to cope with simple tasks such as organising my life, making brochures, newsletters, calculating figures, creating charts, making PDFs, etc. Software is expensive, and if I switch operating systems, I'll have to start from scratch.
4. Speed & Stability
See point 3. I want a fast machine so that I can have three things open at the same time without having to reboot. (I have 11 tabs and 2 applications open as we speak). And I want it to last a long time. Acers are amazing in that aspect. They rarely break down or have configuration conflicts. There is also a really fast turnaround time if you need to send your machine in for repair. I've seen my friend deal with the Apple Customer Care. Although they eventually replaced the faulty machine, the process was neither easy nor fun.
5. A wow! factor
I want more than a workhorse. I want something that makes me smile and feel confident about what I can do with the machine. I want to be able to do more than what I can do with my current computer and to be able to do things that I didn't think I could do. I want to be surprised.
I and my machine are one.
Monday, February 05, 2007
The Gadget Post
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3 comments:
may i suggest getting a laptop with enough RAM to run Windows Vista. not sure what that is. but here at my work, they put Vista on my machine to get my opinion (i'm an IT trainer) on it. like with all things new, it has its issues; which are being worked out daily. and since ive installed the final version, with office 2007, i havent had any issues. i think it has the best of both mac and pc worlds. office 2007 and vista surprise me daily. and, of course, there's always google to pick up where most OS leave off.
emily (i'm in virginia, i found your blog two summers ago, after googling "why we sneeze when we see the sun"... been hooked ever since.)
Hi Emily! Nice to meet you, finally! :) I've known that you existed since way back (see this post in Jan 06), and I'm honoured that you've chosen to keep coming back.
Thanks for your comments on Vista and Office 2007. I'm curious that you describe it as "the best of both mac and pc". Now I want to go check it out! :) In any case, I will seriously consider bumping up the RAM on the machine I get..
sweet. lookin forward to hearing your opinion. :)
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