So I’m getting a new laptop. I just ordered it from Dell today, and it looks like it’ll be here within a few weeks. I can’t tell you how stoked I am about this. I’ve been wanting a new laptop for a while, since my current one has been getting on in years (and getting cranky at the same time). Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice laptop. It’s a Toshiba Satellite A45, but it just doesn’t do what I want it to do, which is namely games. The integrated Intel graphics don’t cut it with anything better than Half-Life or The Sims, and the paltry 512MB of memory makes it hard to do anything without having to sit and wait for it to do…nothing at all. It’s gotten worse in recent months, which is why I sprung for the Dell.
The new laptop is a brand-spanking-new Inspiron E1505. I know, it’s a Dell, and everyone tells you to stay away from them. But I’ve read not one, not two, but three separate reviews from computer magazines saying how nice the E1505 is. Besides, I got to customize it completely. Can’t do that with Sony or HP. Anyways, I managed to keep the expenses under a grand, but I just had to have the 256MB ATI graphics card to satiate my gaming needs, and the dual core processor should make for less downtime waiting for programs to open up.
The one thing I’m not liking, though, is the fact it comes pre-loaded with Vista. Now, I’ll be glad to finally get my hands on a copy of the new OS so I can see how it works for myself, but I’ve been hearing bad things about it with regards to games running horrendously slow or not working at all. This is actually not Microsoft’s fault. Instead, it’s the fault of hardware manufacturers for not getting Vista-compatible drivers out and ready for when Vista launched. As it is, most drivers are still in beta and cause a lot of compatibility issues. All things considered, I’d rather have XP Pro installed. But I think I’ll just try my hand with Vista. For every person who says Vista causes them problems, there’s another who has no problems at all. As I like to say, it’s usually a case of PICNIC: problem in chair, not in computer.
Anyways, once I get the laptop, I’ll be sure to write a full review for your viewing pleasure once I’ve played with it sufficiently
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Last night, I went out and saw 300, the Spartan ballet of death movie that’s supposed to be the first blockbuster hit of the year.
In short: it was.
I walked out of that theater with a smile on my face. No, not because I’m a creepy person who loves decapitation and nude women dancing around, but because that movie was everything I expected it to be. It was action-packed to the max, and the slow-down, speed-up sequences were evocative of the Matrix movies, but with less silly plot lines. There was even a nice little subplot featuring the Spartan queen, battling political corruption (and slimy councilmen) at home. This is definitely a movie I’d recommend people to see.
Was it stylized? Oh yes. But that was just another thing that made it worth seeing. You don’t go to the movies to learn history. You go to be entertained. 300 was definitely more of a fantasy film with some of the elements in it (9 foot tall God-kings, executioners with bone-saws for arms, etc.), but they just made the movie that much cooler. I don’t know why, but I have a thing for “last stand” type movies, which is probably why I liked the movie so much. If I had a little star rating thing, I’d give 300 five stars out of five. Because I’m cool like that.
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What, if I may ask, is the big deal with March Madness brackets? I mean, seriously. I’m seeing them everywhere. Even Facebook has bracket action going on. It seems absurd, especially since the odds of picking all the right college basketball teams in the right order are pretty slim. Of course, I don’t much care for basketball in general, so it’s easy to see how I can miss out on the excitement of March Madness. The last time I cared about that was back when a favorite team of mine was in the Final Four. They didn’t make it to the final championship, and my favorite teams have yet to even be included. Heck, look at Washington. They had a fairly good season and even qualified to be included in the tournament, but they were left out completely. The closest thing to a home team I have now is Washington State, and there’s no way I’m rooting for anything from that school.
Meh, I was never a sports guy. I don’t even watch the whole Super Bowl. I watch for five minutes after the kickoff, for five minutes before the game ends (which in sports-time means 30 minutes), and the halftime show, but only if it looks like a good one. In other words, yes on Prince, no on Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson. I know, it’s hard to believe, but I did actually miss the wardrobe malfunction. Good thing, too. God knows how much my ears would have bled listening to those two…
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I don’t write on this blog half as much as I would like, and that’s mostly due to a lack of things I want to write about, not a lack of motivation on my part. I blog as a reaction, mostly. I read some story that really gets my ire up or hear about some magnificent technological achievement that I need to share, and then I write about it here. But there are times when no such stories abound. What’s a raving genius to do? I suppose I could always rant about Ann Coulter (there’s someone who stirs up trouble by blowing her nose the wrong way), or copy Engadget or Slashdot stories (come on, who doesn’t?), but this blog is about being original. All this stuff is completely original, and originality doesn’t pop up every day (or every week for that matter).
Well, it seems I’m making a blog entry out of how I haven’t been writing blog entries. Funny how that happens, isn’t it? Anyways, another reason why I’ve been lax in writing is college. The past couple of weeks have been intense, as my professors have been gearing up for the close of the quarter. I only had one final test (amazingly), but I also have two rather lengthy essays to write, one due tomorrow and the other due Thursday. I’ve got time a-plenty to be writing them, but that just makes it worse for me, the master procrastinator (who’s here writing on his blog instead of writing an English paper). I suppose I’ll hunker down and write something soon enough.
So did this post really have a point? No, not really. I mean, it’s not as if I was going to announce the impending doom of Mad Rants or something like that. Sorry if I made it seem that way, but I don’t plan on quitting on this blog until I forget to renew my hosting, or the world ends, or the ninjas finally get me. I may not have much to blog about, but I’m going to blog about it nonetheless! Have a nice day, a’ight?
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I’m trying out a new ad service called Auction Ads, which displays eBay auctions based on keywords I choose. Check it out below!
