Random Ramblings of the Sixth Kind

Post by **Marduk** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:36 pm

bobtheenchantedone wrote:Update: that's why there's this brown spot growing on the bottom of my computer. And it's cracking. Also, the motor for the disk drive doesn't work. Also, the battery won't charge suddenly. Crap crap crap.

No Bob! I would offer to fix it, if it were a desktop. But laptops are immune to my tinkering. Here's hoping you get a situation resolved right quick, and stay with us online!

Giovanni Schwartz · Post by **Giovanni Schwartz** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 6:54 pm

Nooooooo! Bob, don't leave! What would we do without our favorite admin? (Sorry C. bob's been around longer. [ =)

yellow m&m · Post by **yellow m&m** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 7:34 pm

Marduk wrote:So, taking a break from writing final papers, and I turned the tv on for a bit. It is some strange show called "Phineas and Ferb" (maybe someone here has heard of it?)

All I have to say is, I am soooo lost....

I LOVE that show. So much awesomeness. I haven't been able to see it in ages, but one day...

Post by **bobtheenchantedone** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 8:11 pm

Considering there are three other working laptops, one working desktop, and two iPod Touches in the house, all with internet access, it's pretty much guaranteed that I'll still be around. I'm just worried about my work, which is so much easier when I can sit on the sofa with my laptop. Also there are all sorts of pictures and things that are only on this laptop.

I'm considering asking my friend for a loan, but she's already paying most of our market fees...

Post by **Marduk** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 8:16 pm

I hope you aren't thinking of fixing it. With all that you've said is wrong with it, it probably is just better to transfer those files to one of the other computers, or an external hard drive, and let it die. How old is it?

Post by **bobtheenchantedone** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 8:26 pm

About four years. But I can more easily afford $300-ish to fix this than buying a new laptop.

Except I will be getting a grant in the fall (assuming I actually, like, sign up for classes and stuff), and my brother's laptop will be paid off in the Bookstore by then, so dad's account will be free to give me another interest-free loan. So maybe then.

Dead Cat · Post by **Dead Cat** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 8:27 pm

yellow m&m wrote:
Marduk wrote:So, taking a break from writing final papers, and I turned the tv on for a bit. It is some strange show called "Phineas and Ferb" (maybe someone here has heard of it?)

All I have to say is, I am soooo lost....
I LOVE that show. So much awesomeness. I haven't been able to see it in ages, but one day...

I am beyond addicted to that show. I must sing at least one song from it every day. If you have any particular episode cravings, just look up Barlowgirl101 on YouTube. I've been having a lot of cravings lately...

Post by **C is for** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 8:56 pm

Giovanni Schwartz wrote:Nooooooo! Bob, don't leave! What would we do without our favorite admin? (Sorry C. bob's been around longer. [ =)

No offense taken. I often go out of my way to be the obnoxious admin.

Sorry about your poor laptop.

I thought mine was dead for a long time, but it's got a second (or third?) wind and now I plan to keep it indefinitely. So there might...be hope...

Giovanni Schwartz · Post by **Giovanni Schwartz** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 9:09 pm

bobtheenchantedone wrote:I'm considering asking my friend for a loan, but she's already paying most of our market fees...

Is this Goober, perchance? What's up with her?

Also,

bobbo wrote:But I can more easily afford $300-ish to fix this than buying a new laptop.

I could find you a nice deal on a laptop, for approximately $300 for a decent quality machine brand new, if you give me a week. If you're interested.

Giovanni Schwartz · Post by **Giovanni Schwartz** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 9:59 pm

There are currently 25 people on line. And 19 guests.

Post by **bobtheenchantedone** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 8:48 am

Thanks for the offer, Gio, but I doubt a new $300 computer would be a Mac and that's the only kind that gets to exist in our house.

And no, it's not Goober. I don't get to talk to her very often any more. She moved to California and doesn't have good internet access. I've sent her a couple of letters, but we mostly just post something on Facebook every now and again.

Giovanni Schwartz · Post by **Giovanni Schwartz** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:43 am

bobtheenchantedone wrote:Thanks for the offer, Gio, but I doubt a new $300 computer would be a Mac and that's the only kind that gets to exist in our house.

And no, it's not Goober. I don't get to talk to her very often any more. She moved to California and doesn't have good internet access. I've sent her a couple of letters, but we mostly just post something on Facebook every now and again.

Oh, so you're a PC hater. :p

But that's okay. We can still be friends.

Post by **bobtheenchantedone** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 12:53 pm

Giovanni Schwartz wrote:
bobtheenchantedone wrote:Thanks for the offer, Gio, but I doubt a new $300 computer would be a Mac and that's the only kind that gets to exist in our house.

And no, it's not Goober. I don't get to talk to her very often any more. She moved to California and doesn't have good internet access. I've sent her a couple of letters, but we mostly just post something on Facebook every now and again.
Oh, so you're a PC hater. :p

But that's okay. We can still be friends.

Yes. Yes I am. : D

Unit of Energy · Post by **Unit of Energy** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 1:36 pm

I off to fail a final in a class that I will have to retake and there is only one professor who teaches it. At least I don't get the impression that he hates me.

Post by **Marduk** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 2:51 pm

I built my desktop for just under $1000. A friend of mine bought a mac at around $3000, at around the same time. Mine can compute his under the table. Also, it has never had a virus or shut down unexpectedly, his has. Multiple times. True story.

Giovanni Schwartz · Post by **Giovanni Schwartz** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 4:20 pm

Yes. PC FTW.

Post by **Laser Jock** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 4:29 pm

Marduk wrote:I built my desktop for just under $1000. A friend of mine bought a mac at around $3000, at around the same time. Mine can compute his under the table. Also, it has never had a virus or shut down unexpectedly, his has. Multiple times. True story.

I believe it. Unfortunately, direct comparison of Macs with other computers is difficult. They usually have features that are uncommon elsewhere (and which Mac fans put high value on), while lacking options that are easily available elsewhere (and which Mac fans usually don't care about, although you might). Prime example: OS X is only (officially) available for Macs, and Mac fans would generally rather commit seppuku than use anything else on a regular basis.

The result is that you can almost never convince Mac fans with the kind of comparison you're trying here.

The majority have rather different priorities than you do, and most of them involve spending extra money for polish, convenience, etc. (For instance, your statement that you "built" a desktop implies that you bought the components separately and assembled them. That's not even an option for a Mac, and most computer users [Mac fans or not] have neither the experience nor the desire to do so, even if it would save money.)

To put it slightly more diplomatically: Mac fans like Macs because they fit their preferences better. (That's a tautology, but it seemed like it might still be useful to point out.)

On a semi-related tangent: it's been rather disheartening to me to realize that almost no one argues from a logical basis. In the vast majority of cases, people make a decision for emotional reasons and then use logic to try to support their decision. The result is that no matter how broken you prove their logic, they won't change their decision, because logic wasn't the real basis anyway. It makes debate, or even discussion and problem-solving, very frustrating. (I don't claim to be immune to this, but I do try to see and avoid it.)

Post by **Marduk** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 4:39 pm

Laser Jock wrote:On a semi-related tangent: it's been rather disheartening to me to realize that almost no one argues from a logical basis. In the vast majority of cases, people make a decision for emotional reasons and then use logic to try to support their decision. The result is that no matter how broken you prove their logic, they won't change their decision, because logic wasn't the real basis anyway. It makes debate, or even discussion and problem-solving, very frustrating. (I don't claim to be immune to this, but I do try to see and avoid it.)

Gonna pull at this thread for a bit, since debating Macs vs. PCs is not my cup of tea (despite me bringing it up in the first place. However, you were right in your assumption LJ, I did assemble my computer from seperately purchased components.)

I find this to be somewhat true, but not entirely. What I've come to realize more is that since often the values we have are the results of years upon years of evidences, (note I'm using the term liberally; the term here meaning the information we have come into direct contact with, most people will put more stock in the anecdotal evidence of a good friend than mounds of empirical data) it takes years of counter-evidences to prove to them sufficiently to the contrary. For example, lets say someone is the victim of a violent crime by a Hispanic. Despite knowing many Hispanics who have not committed violent crimes to this individual, the one incident is weighted higher than the empirical evidence. Can this person be disabused of their fallacious belief? Absolutely. But not by showing them that their 'knowledge' is based on emotion rather than logic. This will only weigh a small amount in comparison to the traumatic experience. Rather, through years of associating with Hispanics who work hard to show said individual that they are good, kind people, it will eventually be corrected.

It would be foolish of us to attempt to correct a lifetime of incorrect principles with a single argument, no matter how well constructed. But it would be equally foolish for us to assume that our evidences are of no value, and not to even attempt. We must start them on the long journey of acquiring true knowledge, knowing that ultimately we can only assist a single step's worth.

Tao · Post by **Tao** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 5:51 pm

Laser Jock wrote:On a semi-related tangent: it's been rather disheartening to me to realize that almost no one argues from a logical basis. In the vast majority of cases, people make a decision for emotional reasons and then use logic to try to support their decision. The result is that no matter how broken you prove their logic, they won't change their decision, because logic wasn't the real basis anyway. It makes debate, or even discussion and problem-solving, very frustrating. (I don't claim to be immune to this, but I do try to see and avoid it.)

Agreed. Sadly it seems there are primarily two factors behind prolonged arguments, first, as Laser Jock mentioned, people making a decision for emotional reasons and then using logic to try to support their decision and those who never even make the attempt to bring logic into the fray.

Post by **C is for** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 7:14 pm

Giovanni Schwartz wrote:There are currently 25 people on line. And 19 guests.

It's always fun when everyone online is hidden. We're a bunch of italicized anti-social people.

(Actually the reason I'm never online is I'm embarrassed by how often I frequent the forum, and I don't want everyone to be able to see.)