My first Mac tower (OS 9.x) lasted more than 15 years and I’m still considering having it repaired. Though I did graphics and Web design at Cornell University on faster new Macs, I rarely thought my old home Mac was too slow, or not powerful and flexible enough. In all that time, I never once HAD TO defrag my disk (at home or work), though I did have to reinstall OS 9 about three times due to system crashes, maybe ’cause I did not defrag(?). But I lost no doc or image files.
My current Mac is a 3 year old PPC Mini that cost about $550. I use my old CRT, scanner, and printer, and am on a rural dial-up connection.
I use my PC (Win2000) ONLY when I must, which is becoming very rare. It will no longer go online, because (I think) it was bombed with an online virus.
Why I adore my Mac OS X Mini (10.4.11 Tiger):
* Just out of the box, I was using it within about an hour or less. I am on it about 2-4 hours most days. It immediately recognized my old peripherals.
* It is stable, stable, and stable.
* I am able to use my old OS 9 software (on the new Macs, you cannot, but you can run Windows— for a price).
* iPhoto (which comes with the computer) is a superb photo and image visual database, easy to use and capable enough that, with 10,000 images in it so far, lets me find any photo I need quickly, and any category of photos I want (Keywords and Smart Folders). Drag and drop and I’ve got the pic.
* The same can be said for iTunes, AppleWorks (like MS Office, but simpler, and recently improved and renamed), Airport, Firewire, and a host of other applications and capabilities that come with the Mac, some of which I use only once in a while— but it’s great to have them. I find the Email app and Safari browser are excellent, altho a few websites (e.g., bill-pay sites) do not reliably support it, so I use Firefox for them.
* There are many free or low-cost (innovative and intuitive) shareware applications on the Web (Iusethis.com, VersionTracker.com, Apple.com) that give me many added options and capabilities. The great news is that you download the software file, plunk the .app file into your Applications folder, and you’re ready to roll. The only big$ app I have bought for it is Photoshop (and may buy DreamWeaver).
* I am easily able to transfer files to/from my PC using a flash drive or an Ethernet connection, and have rarely had trouble opening any transferred file on either of them, except .wmf image files.
A Mac-friend of mine shares his DSL connection with a PC laptop and with his iMac thru a low-cost router and the wireless Airport.
* It gives me a few prompts and messages I don’t really need, but nowhere like the PC does. If I were still ambitious, I have the option of turning those few Mac prompts off.
* When an application goes bonkers, I can Force Quit it and continue on my merry way.
* I am constantly discovering new capabilities of OS X and the Mini.
* and finally, I find that the PC is mechanistic and robotic in screen appearance, and wants a lot of attention. Perhaps the PC is great for engineers, but the Mac feels visually rich and built for a poet.
The downside:
* The older Mini’s do have a problem with low-voltage feed to a CRT, which makes the screen darker and off-color. When the temperature of my mini hits 86 degrees, that corrects itself.
* Older scanners built for OS9 may not run on Mac OSX reliably, if at all.
* For backups, many add-on hard disks will work, but for rebooting a Mac from a hard disk you need a Firewire drive that is certified OS X compatible.
* I would not recommend the Mini for a professional Web or Graphics designer (I changed careers), but for general use, it’s tops. I WOULD always recommend a Mac, however.
I have been hard at work reDIYing the DoDesignDIY.com site, and now it’s online. It has been redesigned to enable your faster scanning for items of interest and for page printout onto an 8.5×11 sheet. DIY projects of more than one page have been summarized on their site page and detailed illustrated plans are provided as downloadable Acrobat PDF files. New sections have been added, for Green Living, and Aspire!— unique DIY Challenges— projects you might want to tackle, many of which could form the basis of a small business. By June 30th, a Readers Forum will be added.
Assuming you use an LCD computer monitor and are not a hard-core computer geek, here’s a place to set up your computer that is simple, will take up little space, and costs very little. It is easily built into any prefab floor-standing bookcase that is at least 5 feet high and 2 feet wide and at least as deep as your keyboard plus 1 inch (about 9+ inches) It also requires that it has adjustable shelves. Ikea anyone?
View this and access the Acrobat PDF illustrated instructions HERE. Take a look at the other projects and info at the DoDesignDIY.com site while you’re there.
Here, in upstate NY where I live, the soil is hard clay and rocky. Over 20 years I have always planted a veg garden, if only to grow tomato plants, and sometimes chard, acorn squash, wax beans- all pretty expensive in the supermarket.
Each time I would manually re-dig the garden, experimenting with raised gardens, soil enhancement and the like. It’s getting old now and I rethought the whole process to come up with the “Veggy Garden Machine”, which has turned out to be a success with lots less labor (except at first). In succeeding planting seasons, I remove the old plants, add some fertilizer and topsoil, and replant with very little hard digging. Alter this scheme as you wish; it’ll be more fun.
If you have similar intractable soil, try this. You will be able to establish raised, well drained, garden beds that you can easily reuse every year, that contain strategically enhanced soil, that almost waters itself, and that supports your tomato plants well (mine grew to 5 feet and more). My pictures should give you a good idea of what it’s like, and my instructions following are exhaustive. The total garden size is 12-14 feet square or in diameter.
View it and access the Acrobat PDF illustrated instructions HERE. Take a look at the other projects and info at the DoDesignDIY.com site while you’re there.