5 Months with the EEEPC. An interim review. By a female user

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Last Christmas, I gave her an EEEPC, but the very next day, I wanted to take it away (because I wanted it for myself). (with apologies to Wham)

In the past I have discussed the reasoning for buying an EEEPC: form factor, operating system and price were certainly the most important considerations. I knew that my significant other wouldn’t be interested in a dual core processor, an enormous hard disc or copious amounts of ram, as all a laptop should do (for her) is email, browse the web (including flash), watch movies, listen to music and synchronize her Ipod. And do it safely. A tall order? Obviously not, as the little EEEPC has been doing this quite happily ever since. So, after 5 months, I asked the best girlfriend ever for an interim review.

FB: What kind of laptop(s) did you use before? B.G.E:  An IBM thinkpad running XP and a G4 Ibook. The former because it was given to me by my employer and I let my IT department deal with any windows related problems, the latter because you gave it to me. Both did what they were supposed to do.

FB: Did you have any problems with the EEEPC’s unusual GUI? B.G.E: No. None whatsoever. It’s self-explanatory and easy.

FB: Did you have any problems with the EEEPCs applications? B.G.E: The original Skype version that was distributed with it crashed and was unusable, but after updating it, everything worked fine.

FB: Are you happy with its multi media capabilities, and what do you do with it? B.G.E: I generally use it for the BBC’s Iplayer and have watched an ripped .avi movie. Quality is astonishingly good for a machine that size, but head phones improve the experience enormously.

FB: Did you have any problems using its networking interfaces? B.G.E: No problems with both Wifi or ethernet.

FB: Do you use it for productivity purposes? B.G.E: I am looking forward to use it away from my desk more frequently in the future.

FB: Are there any limitations in your user experience due to the EEEPC’s size? B.G.E: Some people may mind its screensize and the fact that you have to scroll horizontally much more frequently than with bigger laptops. The trackpad goes on my nerves and could be better. An external mouse enhances the experience immensely.

FB: What’s the best about the EEEPC? B.G.E:  It’s cute looks, its size (it easily fits in my handbag) and people want to talk to you about it in cafes.

FB: What’s the worst? B.G.E: The mousepad.

FB: Thank you. B.G.E: Thank You.

Finn, Runga, Dobbyn. Heaven.

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While I am the first man to step forward to say that New Zealand is not the paradise that most Europeans believe it is, the musical output of this community the size of South London is impressive. The recording of the 2000 tour (and a 2002 London gig, I believe) of these three veterans of Kiwiana Pop is especially gratifying, as it combines the sparse melodies of Bic Runga with a ‘best of’ Dobbyn’s oevre and some of the best of Tim Finn’s three decades of music (including his solo work, Crowded House and Split Enz). Together with a tight band of musical mercenaries they sing, whistle and hum together and created an outstanding album that showcases the best of New Zealand’s recent musical heritage. All three are songwriters with an outstanding ability of capturing their touching lyrics in ultimately hummable songs that linger around in your brain for a long time.

Even if you have no idea who these people are and have never been to New Zealand, Together in Concert is an excellent introduction into this culture’s musical culture and apart from that a damn good album.

Blue Jeans Cable II: I told you so.

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Ok, so there’s more to this blog today than rabbit pics. Shame that. Anyway, as I predicted, mainstream media is now picking up the Kurt Denke story. But even though he’s on vacation, he has given an interview on the matter.

Of all media outlets, he chose the Free Software Magazine.

Give that man a medal.

T5. It’s not pretty. Not at all.

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These days I feel very, very sorry for the employees of BA. Especially those working in Terminal 5. When, 2 days ago, our friendly captain finally flew us out of Aberdeen and Heathrow, he was quite optimistic that we would arrive with only 1 hour delay. But then the rainclouds hit London, and we put into a holding pattern over Heathrow. After finally landing, we waited twenty minutes parked in front of our gate waiting for someone to switch on the guidance system and man the airbridge. A clearly exasperated captain sounded very cynical during his last cabin broadcasts. Poor bloke. When we finally got off, we were 2 hours late and I had missed my connecting flight. Inside T5 things felt very unfinished. Screens weren’t working, cables were dangling freely around. The three BA members organising me a flight with a different airline were sounding very hopeless.

One said he feels like a clown in a circus of Shatnerian proportions and the only thing left for them was smile.