• Passed Driving Test
• Sat Leaving Cert
• Graduated Secondary School
• Passed Leaving Cert
• Bought First Car
• Got in First Major Car Accident (not my car)
• Sold First Car
• Started College
• Acquired a Morris Minor
• Started a Relationship
• Started a New Job
• Left College
• Acquired an Ambulance
• Bought Second (much better) Car
• Experienced the Irish Healthcare System First-Hand
• Got Blind Drunk Countless Times
• Bought a Goat (for charity)
• Dylan Moran LIVE!
• THE SNOWMAN
• Featured in an Article for Irish Times
• Went Clubbing with Former Year-Head!
• Joined Facebook
• Sold Most of my Website Portfolio
• Had my First Cigar
• Wheels in Motion for my Truck License

(Click for larger version)

So if you’re a student in either Second or Third Level and you run a blog, get yourself listed.

Since my last post on the subject in March my needs and tastes have somewhat changed. I no longer want cheap and cheerful, but instead I’d prefer to opt for something in the premium end of the market. The higher end MacBook Pro’s and iMac’s are certainly whetting my appetite, it’s just that it’s quite difficult to get a hands on experience of them anywhere in Dublin. Well I’ve used quite a few MacBook Pro’s, but the new 21.5 & 27 inch iMacs aren’t readily available, in fact the 27″ is in such demand that Apple can’t keep up the supply. I will more than likely be ordering in the next week or so, but I have to make up my mind first…

The new revision iMac appeals to me firstly as it’s an all in one with some serious processing power and has a fucking huge screen. It’s been revised with the new Intel i5 & i7 processing chips. It could handle everything I throw at it with ease, and has loads of screen real estate. Only downside is the portability aspect, and that they’ve been experiencing some screen issues in the 27″ i5 & i7 versions.

The 15 inch MacBook Pro is the portable alternative. Specifically the 2.66GHz & 2.8GHz models. It comes with two graphics cards in the higher end models and could handle what I throw at it. It’s machined from aluminium and feels quite sturdy due to its unibody construction. The only downsides are despite the fact it is portable, I will be reluctant to take it to some places do to the wad I’ve laid down for it, and secondly it’s due for revision in January 2010: the base MacBook Pro 13 inch units probably getting the Intel i3 processor, the 15″ & 17″ models getting the Intel i5 and possibly i7 processors.

So firstly should I go for an iMac or MacBook Pro? And if I go for a MacBook Pro should I order now or wait until the revisions in “Early 2010″?

Bear in mind I am intensively inpatient and the computer would be used for Photoshop, Coda, iPhone SDK, Java SDK, Word Processing, and other bits and bobs (Email, Web Surfing, Twitter, iTunes) … probably all at the same time

The other version was taken offline or some reason, so here’s a pictorial view…

I am finding it increasingly difficult to scrape by, mainly as there is a massive delay in the Maintenance grants and the fact that part time jobs are pretty much nil in Dublin city, so seeing as I have no regular income from employment, I am using my savings to just get by — food, travel etc. I’m slowly squandering my ‘upgrade’ fund (money to buy myself a laptop for college).

Pretty soon if the grants don’t come through, and as my savings account diminishes I may be forced to leave college due to financial constraints. I have already given up all ‘luxuries’ — I haven’t been for a night out in quite a while & I no longer have a car as I no longer drive because:
– parking tariffs are extortionate in college
– insurance rates have increased dramatically — especially for recently qualified young male drivers
– I pay for monthly rambler tickets, so fuck it I’m going to make use of them
– driving in traffic for more than 40 minutes gives me intolerable lower back-pain (since my accident)

I know that I am not alone. Quite a few students I know are in the same financial situation, where they simply cannot afford to hold on in there in college if the maintenance grants do not come through in the next few weeks. It’s bad enough that fees have soared and the resources slashed, but to rub salt into the wounds by denying grants will cause uproar as they’d be picking on those who cannot afford college without subsidisation — which is quite a lot of people, myself included. And since the colleges aren’t more than helpful once grants are refused, it could see a lot of people having to leave. They seemingly expect you to have €1500 in your back pocket within days or you’re gone.

That’s enough from me. Don’t want to seem like I’m being a moany bollocks…

I have recently become quite a fan of Linux, Ubuntu to be precise, using it as the primary operating system for one of my laptops (Dell Latitude D640). I chose to remove XP Pro from the laptop as I found it to be very choppy and laboured even whilst using the bear essential applications (Firefox, Pidgin, TweetDeck, McAfee, Notepad++). Despite the fact the laptop is a decent spec for the requirements — 2GB ram with 120GB harddrive, it can barely handle being on standby with XP! So the decision was made to port over to Ubuntu, following the success on the laptops predecessor (Dell Latitude D610). I like its clean no-frills UI and its easy customisability and being Linux the terminal is just so handy. But most of all it’s free.

Of course I could never see myself migrating away from Windows, as it is the primary OS for my main system, but for browsing on the laptop Ubuntu has served me well. It also takes pride of place on my server with Ubunto Server edition. The only thing that could have me migrating from Windows is the possible arrival of a Mac in the coming weeks.

Canonical have recently released the latest version of Ubuntu, 9.10, or Karmic Koala to the masses. Having played with it, let me assure you that it is a rocket compared to 8.10 (Intrepid Ibix). Kind of like the difference between Vista and 7 although without as wide of a margin between the two I’ve installed it temporarily on my main system via Wubi, Ubuntu’s Installer for Windows which allows you to install and uninstall Ubuntu as if it were an ordinary Windows application, very handy, and have been playing with it for a couple of hours prior to the installation of it on my laptop once I burn the ISO onto a CD. And if I get around to it, maybe I’ll update my Dev Server from 9.04 to 9.10 — installing Ubuntu on my main system made me realise that one of my harddrives is filling up fast…

Download Ubuntu

Photo by renaissancechambara (cc)

Prior to moving to O2 I was a very satisfied Vodafone customer, and I only ported to O2 as Vodafone wouldn’t touch my iPhone with a barge pole — it was a pain in the arse as I wanted to utilise my iPhone’s 3G internet features. So O2 were my only port of call to get a somewhat satisfactory use from my iPhone — that was until the data plan exceeds the paltry amount allocated and you’re charged a princely sum from O2 to continue using the service.

It is without a shadow of a doubt that O2 have abused their position of power with the iPhone — but who can blame them? They’ve been left with no competitors for the iPhone in Ireland, and with the product being in such high demand they seized their opportunity and got away with it. A witty business sense of Supply and Demand came into effect. O2 can’t seem to keep their stockists in stock of iPhones, as it would appear that they leave the shelves as quick as they’re stocked.

Hopefully since the O2 exclusivity contract for the iPhone expires shortly, and now Vodafone have now joined the band wagon of iPhone carriers the end is nigh for the O2 iPhone monopoly. Consumers will be able to get value for money, and a choice between networks.

Photo by zone41 (cc)

Lets hope that Vodafone don’t get up to their usual tricks of branding their carried mobile phones which doesn’t nothing more then restrict and aggravate the user. Any former Vodafone branded Sony Ericsson K800i owners will know what I mean. I also hope that there will be severe competition between O2 & Vodafone for iPhone users. Afterall such undercutting can only benefit the user getting more for their money. No more having their bank accounts raped monthly by O2 for a scarce service, a third world comparison to our UK counterparts.