Homestead mailing list

[Bevanron <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Tim Oppenheim wrote:

> Hi, Bev

> Obviously they are lighter so they are easy to move around. Combined 
> with WiFi you are no longer tethered to a desk, move outside on a 
> pretty day or work from the couch.

WiFi is wireless internet, right?  No such thing exists anywhere near my
home.  Cell phones don't even work out here.
Internet aside, the one thing I would likely do with a laptop is to use
it out in the pasture when we have star-parties since I could load it
with astronomy software.  I saw a commercial about a laptop-workbook?
that is waterproof, and I would need something like that to protect it
from the dew fall in that instance.  Was that product just a novelty, or
any there many 'moisture proof' laptops out there now?  My guess is that
they would be a whole lot more expensive, too.  I am thinking, too, that
I could carry the computer with me to the closet during storms to pass
the time in there.  I'd journal and wouldn't be so stressed about
whether or not I was about to die. :)
By the way, <g>, I did a doubletake on the phrase "work from the
couch"....LOL...it's such a foreign concept to me...Sometimes I do sit
on the couch and fold clothes, but if I were doing that, I wouldn't be
on the computer.

 With a laptop your computer space
> is greatly reduced...you will be able to use your desk again for 
> something other than computer storage.

That is the big draw, for me.  I could actually go with a smaller desk
instead of this corner monstrosity.


Not to mention they all come
> with built in battery back up. Your son in law is right about 
> upgrading, but when was the last time you upgraded the hardware on 
> your desktop? Most all will be much more capable than an older 
> machine that own know.

I got a computer in the early 90's and got online about a year after
that.  In 1998, my brother came down from Iowa and went to upgrade my
W95 to Win98 and during reformat, everything fried cuz the computer
battery was low.  He felt so bad that he rebuilt everything and shipped
me a new computer-motherboard, the works.  I don't remember how much RAM
I got with that initially, but I am now maxed out at 256MB, and have
been for 2 years now.  We upgraded two years ago when we had a drive
crash and burn.  I lost almost everything as I did not have a CD burner
at that time.  I do now, however, and I back up everything.  Lesson
learned.  So basically, I am using the same keyboard, same monitor, and
same case as I was in the early 90's.  I'm still running Win98, locked
in at 256MB RAM, but we now have an 80GB hard drive of which I only use
12 GB of space, even after 2 years.  Most of what I save is text as
opposed to a lot of games, music, or images, although my photo
collection is growing.
One of the reasons I am afraid of getting a new computer is because all
my other stuff is so old that I am afraid I will have to upgrade all
kinds of software in addition to the hardware.  For example, I like
Office 97 with Word 97.  I have tried the later versions and did not
feel comfortable with them.


> On batteries, less voltage means smaller (physically) batteries. 
> which are almost all lithium ion. LI batteries generally last between
>  500 and 1000 recharge cycles, before they give out and at that point
>  they are hazardous waste and need to be disposed of properly. Most 
> manufacturers will now take them back for disposition.

Note my other question in another post about battery use and life vs. AC
adapter use.  Are the batteries expensive to replace?  Do they just
suddenly die, or do you get some kind of warning first, and if they do
just suddenly die, does it cause damage to the system?  I have never had
anything with a lithium battery that I know of, so I am unfamiliar.


Compared to a
> tradition CRT and a 300 watt constant power supply in a desktop the 
> energy needs of a laptop are tiny in comparison. Lastly, when they 
> reach the end of there useful lives a laptop is simple less material 
> that have to be dealt with...compared to a desktop. I highly 
> recommend the dual operating system new MacBooks

I've never owned a Mac, obviously, so please detail this Macbooks thing
for me.

> Also it's hard to take your desktop to your local coffee shop and 
> surf with a nice latte.

I have been to a coffee shop about 3 times in my life, and I am a coffee
nut.  I just refuse to pay that much for something to drink.  I don't
even think there is a Starbucks or other coffee shop in my town.  At any
rate, I don't see myself taking my laptop anywhere off the property.


> Tim
>
> PS ( thanks for coming back)

Thanks, Tim....I feel so stupid asking all these computer questions
which seemingly don't belong on this list, but if it saves me time,
money, and energy to upgrade, and I gain more knowledge about computers
in general, then I guess it's okay.  I just feel so technologically
impaired and out of "the scene".  I guess that's what happens when you
start aging and can't keep up with the advancements in technology.
I was thinking about the role technology plays or doesn't play in
homesteading.  It's kind of a double edged sword....you want to use
technology to eliminate technology....lol..like that induction stove
thing...using electromagnetism to heat reduces electricity overall.
It's paradoxical.
I am appreciative of all the input I'm getting...I am sure it is boring
most of the listers who are more adept with these things.

Bev

--
erthnsky AT bellsouth.net  BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm      NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W