To Mac or not to Mac, that is the question...

Since I did so well at the Christmas sale this year, I have decided to bite the bullet and get a new computer. I have been using my current laptop as a paperweight for the past 6 months and only using it when absolutely necessary. I have been conducting all my work via my iphone (email, blogging, surfing, etc). The sale on Saturday will give me just enough money to buy a new computer without having to use a credit card. I have decided that the way I want to go is to get a Mac Book Pro. The only thing I have not decided on is what size. They have a 13” model now, but I am waffling and might decide to go for the 15”. I am just not sure if I would actually notice the difference. I am by no means a techie, and there are a few system differences that I just don’t know if I would even notice if I had them or not.

This is the list of Why I want a Mac:

-fantastic battery life (13” has a 10 hour battery life per charge, and the 15” will last 8-9 hours). My computer is currently only running on battery power....pain in the u know what, and it only lasts 1.5 hours per charge.

-backlit keyboard – I love the fact that I do not have to turn a light on to work on the computer.

-excellent screen resolution

-magnetic power cord connection – The reason my current Lappy is not working as it should is the fact that the power cord connection is broken. I have to use my parent’s old one to charge a spare battery while I work. You might ask why I don’t just use their computer....The screen is broken (has a big blue stripe running through it) – both of these issues are not worth the repair costs to fix. The magnetic connection is in itself genius – no more tripping over the cord and potentially damaging the laptop.

-No virus issues

-I can run pc stuff on the mac

-the software included with the computer is actually useful and works.

-Lifespan – Everyone I know that has a Mac has had theirs for way longer than the PC users I know. Therefore the cost over time is actually less for a Mac.

-My opinion, and it is just my opinion, but from what I can tell, you can do way more creative stuff on a Mac. I need to be able to create promotional material (cards, invites, posters) and it just seems that it will be easier and BETTER on the Mac.

 

If you are reading this and are currently using a Mac, please feel free to comment on this. Let me know if you have any suggestions on hardware/software, or if you think that I might not actually need a Mac, that would be appreciated as well.
I have 2 weeks to mull this over. I should have all my sale proceeds by then and I will be off to the Mac store to test drive them, pepper the blue shirted smurfs there with questions and hopefully make a decision and hand over my hard earned cash.

New Shapes

I was at the studio on Sunday, and was working with a new (to me) porcelain. I am not a fan of it yet, and in response to it's lack of workability, I decided to make some bowls that take this lack of workability into account. The walls are straight, with a slight inward angle, and the rim is thin and wavy, which will hopefully look nice when glazed in a clear glaze. These bowls acutally have a nice, clean look to them, and have a mountainous feel. Maybe working with this cranky body will have a nice side effect...a new shape that is fun to make, and not the same old, same old.
Again, pics will follow. I will see if I can get them trimmed up tomorrow, and then take some shots of them "in progress".
My laptop's power port is not working right now, and so I have been using the battery from the laptop my parents loaned me to power my laptop while their laptop is charching my battery and vice versa. I guess the next step is to find a cheap monitor so that I can use the PC tower they gave me, and use that instead of my laptop. I checked out getting it repaired, and it will take 2-3 weeks as it would need to be sent away. I don't have that much patience, or time to be away from the computer, so I will tough it out, and wait to get a new computer after I find a new job...