I've been looking at the
Mac mini and drooling over it. I've actually been thinking that it might be the most affordable way for me to get more computing power — my three-year-old laptop is finding it hard to keep up with the graphics work that I need to do now; I don't have the space for a large desktop, and I don't have the cash for a new laptop.
I'm thinking that if I wipe my laptop and re-install only the necessary stuff, I'll get better performance. But even if I do, the weight of my laptop is causing me lots of problems — major neck- and shoulder aches, subsequent headaches... you get the idea. I can't carry it around anymore unless I have a good reason to, simply because it hurts so much.
I guess my 10Gb iPod is a good compromise in that I can carry large graphics files around. I
do need to buy a retracting Firewire cable for it though. Going to try putting Firefox and Trillian on it so that I can use my preferred programs anytime, anywhere.
But first I have to clean off my laptop. And my room. And I have to wait for D to get his new laptop at work so that he can pass me
his iPod, so that I can get the data on the laptop backed up.
I hate when all your tech gets old all at once. I just got a new mobile, and I'm starting to feel the age of my Palm, laptop, camera, and iPod. Not that they aren't all more or less serviceable with a little work, but it's the 'little work' part that annoys. It's hard to deal with the tech envy, but I don't want to get into trouble money-wise for stuff like this. So for once, I'm trying to be good and not to buy the things that I want simply because I want them.
I sometimes daydream about a windfall, and plan what I would do with it. I would pay all my bills, put aside a little for investment, and buy some new tech, I think. Maybe some nice clothes and all the little things that I want but can't afford. It sucks to be a student and not have the money to do these things. I guess this would be more or less what a grad student's financial situation would be — not supported by parents, but not earning real money either.
