New Laptop
New Laptop

I recently posted about how to buy a new computer.  First, you need to think about balancing wants versus needs.  My second post was about the new laptop category of cheap and lightweight netbooks.

Why should you choose a basic laptop?

If you are highly concerned about cost, portability, battery life and not as concerned about optical drives  ((DVD/CD drives)) , screen size, or keyboard size you probably want a netbook.  It will probably run you between $300 – $500. ((Photo courtesy of Ciccio Pizzettaro))

If cost-be-damned you just must have absolutely everything, well, then get yourself a high end laptop. ((Scroll to the bottom for my pic k.))  The sky’s the limit with a computer like this.  You can configure an Alienware laptop that will make Deep Thought hide its processor in shame for $5,000.00 or so.

If you are concerned about cost but just cannot sacrifice optical drives, screen size, or keyboard size, you probably want a basic laptop.  A basic laptop is all about compromises.  You get the hardware you need from a desktop, but without the thin, light, elegant, and portable design.  These laptops typically weigh between 6 and 8 pounds and cost between $600 and $1000 or so.

There are so many nearly indistinguishable computers in this category, there is no real point in suggesting a particular laptop.  Just about every manufacturer has several choices for basic laptops.

I 3 Huckabees is the worst movie ever made
"I Heart Huckabees" is the worst movie ever made

Life’s too short to watch a bad movie.  ((Like “I Heart Huckabees” the worst movie ever made.  Just go to YouTube.com and do a search for “I don’t heart Huckabees” to see what I mean.)) Unfortunately, the only way to really determine whether a movie is bad is to wait until the end credits roll. ((Photo courtesy of Scootie.))

I have a simple rule about watching movies that has saved me countless hours of agony.  I don’t care about reviews, awards won, who’s in the movie, what’s going on in the movie, or what’s about to happen.  If I’m not entertained within 30 minutes, I shut it off.  ((Fifteen minutes for a TV program.))

Before I created this rule I sat through innumerable movies in the hopes that they might somehow get better.  Eventually I came to the realization that the people who made the movie boring me cannot be trusted to improve the movie before its end.

Don’t believe me?  Try and think of one good movie that bored you for the first half hour.  ((I can only think of one movie that falls into this category: Unforgiven.  Cinematography, acting, blah, blah, blah.  The movie was just barely worth it for the last fifteen minutes.))

What’s the worst movie you’ve seen?