i’m on a gadget buying/selling binge, getting the right ’stuff’ for our new life out here. most of the stuff is the same ol’ same ol’….computer, tv, etc.
the new gadget on the block is a gps. i’d been perfectly happy looking up directions online (because i’m *always* near a computer) and then writing it down or emailing it to my phone. but now we have this new garmin c330 (got a sweet deal on CL, of course) and it’s a whole new world. it’s preloaded with maps of the entire US, and 5 million “points of interest” (gas stations, atms, shopping, food, entertainment, etc). and unlike every other service where you’re nickle and dimed to death, there’s no monthly cost to be tracked by the satellites. totally free.
amo is well on her way to *driving* (talk about a whole new world) and this will undoubtedly help her out a lot.
Top five GPS Navigation Systems
one of the main reasons i wanted to return to the bay area was for the sheer beauty of the area. i feel like i didn’t get outside enough in the past. plus, i want to experience it with amo so she can appreciate the difference from nyc. new york is the greater ‘city’, hands down…but it’s hard to escape it, and the surrounding areas aren’t all that exciting.
step 1 was to both get bikes and a bike rack for the car, so we can make quick getaway trips. done.
first week, we did a nice warm Saturday ride to downtown and then along the waterside at the embarcadero. had lunch out back at Pier 23.
then we did muir woods and saw the ancient redwoods, just 40 mins outside the city. stopped by muir beach and saw pink starfish. amo pet some horsies.
last Sun was especially warm, and we just headed into the city with a general plan to rollerblade in golden gate park. started with lunch & a stroll in lower haight. walked thru a park and happened upon a random art project – making art tiles that will be used to pave some streets. got to the park and started blading, and came upon a random dance party outside the de young museum. full on djs, sound system, fat beats. happy people, chillin, drinkin booze from open containers(?!) in the sun.
personally, i’m excited at all the options, living here. and we’ve hardly even scraped the surface…
goodbye macbook pro: i sold my mbp a few weeks back. it was a tough decision, but work had just given me a brand new thinkpad t60 (2ghz core duo, 2gb ram) and now that we’re not in nyc anymore, i don’t expect to be going online at cafes so much. (yes, i do actually consider whether i really *need* all these computers) plus, apple’s expected to refresh their laptops with core 2 duo chips within a few wks, so i figured i’d dump it while it’s hot.
hello imac core 2 duo: wasn’t but a week later that apple announced the core 2 duo imacs. the imac used to be a clear consumer model (much lower powered than the power macs), but nowadays the line is blurred. they’re almost as powerful as the new mac pros, you just can’t expand the imacs with internal cards & drives. but with external firewire & usb20 devices, it almost doesn’t matter.
i was initially set on the new 24″ model…but again sense got the better of me and i settled for the 20″ ($500 less). the smaller size also lets me keep it alongside my dell 24″ lcd as a dual-display. 3500 pixels wide – it’s hot.
pc magazine gives the 24″ imac 4.5/5 stars
my boss’s staff meeting constists of
* 14 indian men
* 2 indian women
* 2 asian men
* 2 asian women
* 1 white male (the boss)
