I've had the computer screen suddenly go black on me before. And hey, I'm a Windows user, and so having everything inside the darn computer seize up on me is nothing new. Especially when Norton This-or-That decides to assert its uptight authority.
But this time, the computer wouldn't let me turn it off, even if I pushed the power button in and held for a count of 10. And it smelled like something was burning.
Now I'm on the laptop, but ooooh, I think my week just got a whole lot more interesting.
Comments (14)
Think of this as a wonderful opportunity to take one of those sleek, though expensive MacBooks for a test drive...I lived off of oatmeal and peanut butter sandwiches for months and months to save up for mine.
I'll sell you a carbon offset to deal with the greenhouse gases that came from your smoking computer. Send me ten bucks, and I won't walk on my grass for a day.
Dumped my peecee's two years ago. I run a completely Mac household - 6 of them in all. Nary a single problem, not a hiccup, not a virus, not a crash. And I have Windows running via VMWare Fusion for the occasional Windows-only program. They've got some great prices at the refurbished store on Apple.com. And the iMac, newly speeded up, is super. My family loves the large screen and super-fast processor. You would be shocked.
Macs are great machines. The only problem I have with them is cost. I built my latest PC myself, with all the newest hardware, for less than half the cost of an equivalent Mac. And in the year I have had it running, the only problem was a dead cooling fan on the video card. But it has a lifetime warranty. Manuf. had it replaced with a new card in less than a week.
Count me as another Mac convert, some three (maybe four) years ago. I quibble some with the claim(s) of high cost. Comparably performing Windows machines are comparably priced, and come with Vista, which according to today's USA Today (I'm traveling, but surprise, it's a pretty good sheet) is a total flop. As for data recovery, take the hard drive out, put it into a powered shell ($30 at Fry's, I think) and USB or firewire plug it into your laptop as an auxiliary drive (make sure, before you do, that you change the jumper settings to "slave" if the drive requires that). Unless the desktop's fault was with the drive, your data will be accessible. Good luck with it all. And if you do convert, get David Pogue's book, 'Switching to the Mac'. You can borrow my copy if that will help.
Charamba, Douro 2008
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Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
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14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
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Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
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Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
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Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
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Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
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Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
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Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
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Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
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Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
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Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
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In 2009: 67
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In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
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Comments (14)
Think of this as a wonderful opportunity to take one of those sleek, though expensive MacBooks for a test drive...I lived off of oatmeal and peanut butter sandwiches for months and months to save up for mine.
Posted by Cabbie | April 30, 2008 4:37 AM
Mac? Geez, I don't think I'm brave enough.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 30, 2008 4:47 AM
I'll sell you a carbon offset to deal with the greenhouse gases that came from your smoking computer. Send me ten bucks, and I won't walk on my grass for a day.
It's a bargain at twice the price. ;-)
Posted by Cousin Jim | April 30, 2008 4:51 AM
I hope vodka does not create any sort of carbon problem.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 30, 2008 4:55 AM
Since I switched to a Mac several years ago, I am definitely not brave enough to go back to a PC.
Try one out. You will be very pleased. The things just don't quit.
Posted by none | April 30, 2008 7:07 AM
Dumped my peecee's two years ago. I run a completely Mac household - 6 of them in all. Nary a single problem, not a hiccup, not a virus, not a crash. And I have Windows running via VMWare Fusion for the occasional Windows-only program. They've got some great prices at the refurbished store on Apple.com. And the iMac, newly speeded up, is super. My family loves the large screen and super-fast processor. You would be shocked.
Posted by mrfearless47 | April 30, 2008 10:36 AM
Your fan may be busted. To prevent overheating your PC auto-shuts off when this occurs.
Posted by Mike | April 30, 2008 11:20 AM
Get a Mac.
Posted by touring | April 30, 2008 11:35 AM
I'll add one more:
Once you go Mac, you never go back.
Posted by none | April 30, 2008 12:03 PM
Macs are great machines. The only problem I have with them is cost. I built my latest PC myself, with all the newest hardware, for less than half the cost of an equivalent Mac. And in the year I have had it running, the only problem was a dead cooling fan on the video card. But it has a lifetime warranty. Manuf. had it replaced with a new card in less than a week.
Posted by Jon | April 30, 2008 3:29 PM
Count me as another Mac convert, some three (maybe four) years ago. I quibble some with the claim(s) of high cost. Comparably performing Windows machines are comparably priced, and come with Vista, which according to today's USA Today (I'm traveling, but surprise, it's a pretty good sheet) is a total flop. As for data recovery, take the hard drive out, put it into a powered shell ($30 at Fry's, I think) and USB or firewire plug it into your laptop as an auxiliary drive (make sure, before you do, that you change the jumper settings to "slave" if the drive requires that). Unless the desktop's fault was with the drive, your data will be accessible. Good luck with it all. And if you do convert, get David Pogue's book, 'Switching to the Mac'. You can borrow my copy if that will help.
Posted by Allan L. | April 30, 2008 4:04 PM
If vodka caused a carbon problem, Algore would hold a mortgage on my house.
Posted by Cousin Jim | April 30, 2008 4:07 PM
switched to mac after three pc's died in three years.
have had the same mac laptop for five years running strong.
completely worth the cost.
Posted by ben | April 30, 2008 8:14 PM
I build my own. PC has never let me down. My 6 run 24/7 (with software that hibernates every sytem after 15 minutes of inactivity from a user).
Using the same monitor on the laptop? I've had a monitor fry, so thought I'd ask.
Posted by max | April 30, 2008 8:59 PM