My Least Favorite Shopping

I hate shopping for computers. I do so with the absolute certainty that whatever I buy is far too expensive and already a heap of obsolete shit the moment it hits the shelves. I hate that discounts never are. I hate the sickening fear that comes with not buying a service plan, regardless of its inflated expense. I hate that commerce law has caught up with the internet and people are charging usage tax now, defeating those of us who try to avoid sales tax at any opportunity. I hate speaking with outsourced customer service because, just like the Kids In The Hall phonics sketch, no amount of anglophone-friendly accent smoothing courses actually helps people comprehend what they are saying and hearing.

But I need to because the cooling fan on my lappy is failing.

I am proud of my computer, ol' Penitentiagite. It is four years old and only encountered the first piece of software it couldn't run few months ago. It has been to the bottom of the world and back, surviving both United Airlines and the New York Air National Guard, plus years of gamer torture. I am to understand that this particularly model of HP was prone to spectacular failure of the burning variety but I must have gotten a good one.

Like it's many heretic namesakes that were burnt for failure to convert, Penitentiagite is not upgradable. This is a tremendous failure of laptop design in my eyes. Though sad, I will be returning to the bosom of desktop computing for this reason.

I've generated a few quotes from Dell and HP and it is now time to wander the aisles of Fry's to see if I can build it piecemeal more cheaply.

An Interesting Toss Up...

The Houghtaling will probably shoot me just in case next time I see him.

You scored as Tom Zarek. You began your career as a terrorist, but that was so your voice could be heard. You alone know the right path, and anyone who gets in your way is fighting against the good of you all. Still, you can wait, and you can fight your war in any arena. </td> Dr Gaius Baltar 94% Tom Zarek 94% CPO Galen Tyrol 75% Commander William Adama 69% Capt. Lee Adama (Apollo) 63% President Laura Roslin 63% Number 6 50% Lt. Kara Thrace (Starbuck) 44% Lt. Sharon Valerii (Boomer) 19% Col. Saul Tigh 6% What New Battlestar Galactica character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Do I Has The Odd It Takes?

By spurious_logic's command -  


Name a CD you own that you think no-one else on your friendslist does: Friends of Dean Martinez  - "Atardecer"

Name a book you own that you think no-one else on your friendslist does: "Man Eats Man - The Story Of Cannibalism"

Name a movie you own on DVD/VHS/whatever that you think no-one else on your friendslist does: "The Omega Code" (I DID NOT purchase this, it came with a lot of DVDs)

Name a place that you have visited that you think no-one else on your friendslist has: Ignoring the big obvious icy one, let's go with Middlemarch, New Zealand.

Name a piece of technology or tool you own that you think no-one else on your friendslist has: Spectra Physics W-Head class IV graphics laser (sadly, no power supply)