I did on line window shopping for computer accessories this morning. I looked at bags for carrying my Macbook at the Apple store on-line. I also looked at microscopes at that on-line store. I surfed Futureshop and Best Buy looking at data projectors and PSP accessories. I also went to the iSkin web site and looked at the Neo PSP case and also the keyboard cover for the Mac USB keyboard. I did not buy anything for myself. I did buy on ebay an iBook battery for my comrade who bought my iBook. She will pay me back some money later today possibly for this battery but I won't have it in the mail for a week or two.

I have been admitted to the study of systems science at the graduate school level at the University of Ottawa.

I am so happy that I have been accepted into a graduate level program. I have wanted to go to graduate school since 1981. In 1981 I picked Carleton at the undergraduate level over the U of O at the undergraduate level partly because Carleton had a computer science school. In the end, I studied statistics and legal studies at Carleton. But now it is finally on to graduate school at the U of Ottawa to study systems engineering. I am starting to teach myself C++ and will also study some JAVA this summer on my own to prepare for this fall, when I will study SYS5130 Systems Optimization and Management.

I sold the iBook I fixed up. I got money for this sale to cover costs. I micro loaned it to someone from my radical union. I changed the admin account to her name and added an account for her that automatically logs in. So that is one more computer project cleared out of here as I clean up.

Email on the Macbook

I used a second email account with my regular ISP to set up the Mac Mail software on the Macbook. I did this while testing email links on the crystal computing web site. These links still need to be updated on some pages of that site.

I carried the Macbook with me all day but did not use it until I got home.

The powerbook was completely set up then delivered. I also gave a brief one hour lesson in its use.

I updated system 10.3 twice until it was updated to 10.3.9. I then installed Illustrator and tested a zip drive with the laptop. The laptop was delivered about 3:30 PM yesterday and the fellow paid the first of six 50$ payments for it. It was a nice machine to work on. I set up his printer to print from Microsoft office. I got positive feedback from the seller of this laptop. I now only need to pay off the credit card debit incurred by this transaction. I also loaned this fellow a copy of Mac OS X Pather for Dummies as he has not used a Macintosh computer with OS X before. So this book will be his reference and guide book.

The Powerbook is working today. I got it to start up and I am updating the software today. I will take it over to the fellow I bought it for later today.

More bad luck and some good luck with computers

I was trying to install Debian on the PC 325 server but failed. That is more bad luck, as I think this machine which once costs 260$ and functioned as my Fedora machine and Red Hat before that and functioned as my WinNT machine, is now useless and I should throw it out. I do need to clean up around here a bit. The good news is that yesterday I bought another magenta ink cartridge and my network printer is working again. I had some problems with the new magenta cartridge I had bought previously. But the one I bought yesterday seems to be fine. Although it was not properly wrapped from the store. There are so many corrupt businesses out there including the school bookstore that finding quality is hard and not a default event

I may have broken an Apple Powerbook today installing X11. I bought an Apple Powerbook used on ebay and it arrived today. I installed Mac OS X 3.0 Panther and then X11. I then was updating it to Mac OS X 3.9 and it crashed. I may have run out of hard drive space. I can't seem to restart it now.

The new Macbook is getting a few smug marks but nothing permanent. It has also gotten a few coffee stains. I have used iChat, Skype and Second Life on the new Macbook and the eMac. I have also used the new Macbook on Via Rail trains now.

Between falling asleep early Monday morning and now early Tuesday morning another day has passed. I did not use the Macbook today. I did buy it Hotspot access for 4$ per month for 90 minutes per month. This is from the Hotspot brand from Rogers. I did not do much work on this eMac either merely turning on email and web surfing and the various communication softwares such as Fire, Skype, and iChat.

In fact, today I focused on assessing the cost of getting a data projectors, screen, and High Definition cable box. The total cost would be 1500$ at today's prices. I would have to use credit to get these at the moment. I have saved up 50$ so far for this project. By the end of the month I hope to have saved up another 50$.

I did attempt a Fedora Core 5 install on the IBM PC server but this only installed the Symmetric Multiple Processor kernal and my machine won't boot this properly.

I am using iWeb now, Garage Band and iMovie. I also started to use iWork and actually bought a copy of iWork 06 for my family. I believe in the immediate family including my father and brother and their spouses there are five mac users. I also installed Microsoft office X and iWorks 05 on Friday night. This is all on the new MacBook.

With the new MacBook I am trying not to keep too much data on the hard drive. Instead I am burning large amounts of data such as iMovies to DVD and then trashing them on the MacBook. I have also copied all school, volunteer, and work documents from my eMac but did be careful to not copy encrypted documents so that I won't have problems trashing these documents when needed.

I successfully installed WinXP on the Macbook. I phoned microsoft and they gave me another product key for WinXP. The service was excellent. I had some hiccups with installing WinXP and probably needed to retry it six times or more. But within 24 hours of getting the Macbook it was dual boot. Within about 30 hours I had bought the first accessory for it. I bought a foof sleeve for it from a local mac user.

I am trying to win a powerbook on ebay for a friend. We don't want to pay more than 200$ which means buying a lombard just might be possible. We might have to pay a little more than 200$ when we pay the shipping and duty at the border.

I sold a Quadra 800 to a father for his son to learn programming on. I also gave them my copy of ThinkC for the Macintosh and a a ThinkC library book, I also gave a computer self help book titled Learning C on the Macintosh. The first Macintosh book I got was a C programming book to learn C by building a project. I should try that out on my eMac in my office and see if I can learn some more GUI level C. I read the Learning C on the Macintosh book while on a boring shift at work. The father paid me 20$ which paid for the Macbook sleeve.

I received the Macbook laptop today. I began to install software and test out the multimedia features of the new machine. I am just about to install WinXP using Apple's Boot Camp beta software.

Data Projector

I am trying to save up money for a data projector. My goal is to save 1,000 dollars in ten or twelve months and also wait until data projectors are cheaper and do more for the same money.

I did one practice run with SAS data from the Uniform Criminal Reporting data for the USA for the year 1980. I tired to predict officer assaulted by number of all assaults. There was a corelation but there were also violations of assumptions. I used a different part of SAS. In fact, this time I tried the SAS guided analysis module.

I got the Mighty Mouse and it is so good on the eMac I might get a second one for the Macbook as well. They are only about 60$ from the Apple educational store. First I will try out the Macbook trackpad. The Macbook should be here on Monday. If I miss the delivery I will pick it up on Tuesday because I have Tuesday off except for a doctors appointment later in the afternoon. I am though working on Monday for one hour in the afternoon.

I am now tempted to buy a TV that will display computer screens with VGA connections.

Gossip and pros and cons of multifunction tools.

I don't usually write about other people and I try not to gossip about people. But tonight I over heard a guy with his girl friend describing his computer tool kit and all it could do. It seems he was enamoured by his computers and relating this to his girl friend. I think he was trying to associate his love of computers with his love of his friend. I don't think he was fully aware of the effect he was having on his friend.

Anyway I am also shopping for tools at the moment but the only computer hardware tool I am thinking about and have been thinking about this tool for years is the Swiss Army Cybertool. There is a store that sells this locally for 75$. But basically this is some sort of fantasy of mine to have this tool always at the ready for repairing computers. In fact, I have all the tools on this swiss army knife as single tools and in some ways having screw drivers and a nut drivers as single tools is better than having these multifunction tools. The multifunction tools may allow one to carry many tools in a smaller package but the grip and strenght one can transfer to the twist is not as a strong on a multifunction tool, as when one has the same screw driver on a single tool. The tools I am mostly looking for at the moment are carpentry tools. In fact I am thinking of buying a circular saw.

I ordered a new Macbook computer on-line and it has now shipped. I am looking forward to increased functionality in this computer. It is new and has only been on the market for a few weeks. It has a video camera built in. I am really looking forward to that device. It also has a remote control so I can do projections and slide shows away from the machine. It will burn DVD's and CD's. It also has iLife 06 and I want to try out iWeb a new software I have been hearing about although what I have heard has been critical of iWeb. I also will be able to run bootcamp and thus WinXP on this mac. I also was able to afford a Mighty Mouse which I have been meaning to buy for some time now.