jramble

For all those who have been wondering, here are the differences in the sizes between a regular clementine and a mini clementine.



I should have included a grape too.

I was offering recommendations for purchasing a netbook as a present for Christmas (ssshhhhhh, don't tell) and thought I would post it in case it would be helpful to anyone else.

There are a gazillion different models of netbook out there but most of them have roughly the same specs.  They mostly all have a 160 or 250GB harddrive, 1GB of RAM, Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter Edition.  They mostly all have wired 100BT networking and at least WiFi 802.11g.  Some of them will have WiFi N.  They'll all have two or three USB ports and an option to connect an external monitor.  They all have some sort of webcam.  Most of them will use either the Intel N270 or N280 processor and have Intel 950 graphics.  And, oddly, each manufacturer will have a zillion different models that are very similar.  

Since they're all very similar I think the three most important things to look for are finding a good manufacturer, a good keyboard and good battery life.  Some people talk about the screen too but I've kind of found them all to be about the same in newer netbooks.  I definitely wouldn't go any smaller than a 10" screen.  Most new models are 10" or greater anyway so it's not really an issue any more.  Either Intel N270 or N280 processor are fine.  They say that for most netbook uses most people won't know the difference.  Either Windows XP Home or Windows 7 Starter are ok although if given the choice between the two I would go with Windows XP Home because it's not as stripped down as the Win7 Starter.  If given a choice between XP Home and Win 7 Home I would definitely choose the latter but I doubt anyone is given that choice!

So, what to look for:

Battery:  They usually come with either a 6 cell or 3 cell battery.  With the 6 cell you can expect 7 to 8 hours of battery life and with the 3 cell: 3 or 4 hours. 

Keyboards: They are still smaller than a regular keyboard but only slighly (mine is rated at 92% size) and are easy to type on.  The trick is to make sure you like the key style to type on.  I can't really type on the 'chicklet' style for instance.   Also, watch for the placement of the extra keys: backspace key and arrow keys.  On some keyboards I've found them in unusual spots or different sizes and found it awkward to type quickly.

Brands:  My netbook is an Asus and I'm partial to them but other good brands would be HP (which apparently has a sizable Canadian precence so if a repair is needed there's a better chance it will be fixed in Canada) and Acer or MSI are also highly rated in the netbook world.  Toshiba has a good name in laptops.

As for specific recommendations, I would suggest these from the ones they currently have for sale at Futureshop (they'll have different colours):

Asus Eee 10.1" Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz Netbook (1005HAB-BLU003X) - Blue - English
$329
This is roughly the one I have.  Is uses the slower processor than mine but does have 6 cell battery.

HP Mini 10.1" Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz Netbook (110-1118CA) - Black
$380
This model has the 6 cell battery

MSI Wind 10" Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz 9-Cell Netbook (U123-003US-IBN2801G1) - Blue - Web Only
$349
This one uses the slightly faster N280 processor and has a 9 (nine) cell battery.  It's only available over the internet though.

Toshiba Satellite 10.1" Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz Netbook (NB200-00C) - Blue
$429
It has the faster processor and a 6 cell battery. It uses the 'chicklet' style of keyboard.

Acer Aspire 10.1" Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz Netbook (AOD250-1821) - Black
$299
This is a very common model.  It has the 3 cell battery so will only last about 4 hours between charges but has a nice keyboard.

Of course in 8.6 seconds all the models (and the URLs) will change so it will be a whole new ball game...

It seems that people thought regular clementines were too big...

so they invented a mini clementine.

I don't think they should stop mini-izing them until they're the size of a pea.

Grand Opening Liquidation Sale

It happened too quick to even notice it open...

I can't be the only one who's creeped about a character eating his own hand...

This is all I'm saying: don't skip all the fun now by saving for the future.  And, happily, someone at Wired agrees with me.

The word for this is hyperopia: an excess of farsightedness. In a 2006 study, Kivetz asked respondents to think about a moment from the previous week when they had to choose between work and pleasure; then he asked them to rate how much they regretted their decision. The amount that people regretted either working or relaxing was pretty much equal. But then he asked a second group to think about a similar moment from five years earlier. This time, people's regret over working was more than double the regret over playing.

The Carlton Theatre is about to close.  While the decor has left much to be desired they always played interesting little movies.  Several of our WDDM film events have been held there over the years.   From a blog post about the closure:

"...the theatre has provided valuable screen time to small Canadian distribution companies (Mongrel Media, Films We Like), hosting obscure international films for extended runs enough that would allow them to build an audience through word of mouth. The closure of the Carlton, long predicted by the city’s cinephiles, can be attributed to the same '80s-mall-chic decor that drew audiences in its early years — with the cinema's fine programming undermined by its ruddy carpets and lacklustre sound, the Carlton's soon-to-expire lease marked the final blow to the multiplex’s legacy."

Well, finally the Kindle is coming to Canada.  I did think we were being snubbed but apparently it was all about making a deal with a wireless carrier.  I love reading ebooks and while I'm not about to pay $260 for a book reader I'm expecting that this move will spur some nice healthy, price-reducing competition.  While I did read (and report) recently that ebooks may not be the slam-dunk ecological leader that I thought they were, I still find it way more convenient to have my books on the PDA rather than dealing with hundreds of paper books.   For sitting around the house having a dedicated device with a larger screen would be wonderful.  But, I don't want to be spending more than $75 on the thing.   They can make money from selling the books, don't be greedy.  ;)   Didn't they learn anything from Gillette?

This article suggests that the internet is causing us to have shorter attentions spa...

This is interesting.  I had assumed that switching to reading electronic versions of books was more ecologically sound but this article suggests that it ain't necessarily so:

Other than pushing the "cool" factor, one of the main selling points being made by marketers of eReaders
is that they are greener than print. It is little surprise that the
common view held by consumers who don't know the backstory is that
going digital means going green and saving trees. Many are in for a
rude awakening. When subjected to "cradle-to-cradle " Lifecycle Analysis eReading is not nearly as green as many naively assume it is.