A waste of bits and bandwidth

Welcome to the Sevenapril Best of 2007 review where we’ll take a look back at the best posts of 2007!

A year ago, I started a post about year one as a Mac owner…

I’ve had my beloved PowerBook for about a year now. Here is what I have learned.

A computer is a computer no matter which OS you run. Of course this one has never crashed but apps do hang once in a while. There are things I miss from Windows and I’ve been using Ubuntu and Fedora Core at work and they’re pretty cool as well.

I dislike that Apple hasn’t provided an ‘Empty the Trashcan’ button, nor a ‘Restore this item’ button when dealing with deleted files. The Finder isn’t the greatest file manager but it’s much more stable the Windows.

Apple hardware is simply gorgeous. The backlit keyboard, the crisp display; the attention to detail is just beautiful.

That was as far as I got before getting distracted by who knows what. I’ve been staring at the draft for a year and here I am at two years. It’s safe to say that this is the best computer I’ve ever owned. I paid through the nose for it but so do BMW owners and you don’t see them complaining.

I was giving thought to upgrading recently but have since decided against it. I could certainly get good money for my PowerBook as they hold their value really well but I really don’t need it. I’m not the geek that I once was; I have a laptop and a dedicated media PC connected to the TV. Not the four machines that once used to keep my apartment toasty and do all sorts of dedicated and wonderfully geeky things.

Plus, I have many other things to buy like new sheets, flatware, ‘real’ furniture, matching towels, shirts with collars, sensible shoes and one of those bed skirt thingys who’s utility to this day, baffles me. Apparently I we really need one. “Um, ok…”

To be fair, MiHwa is all over the whole LCD TV thing. I bristled at first even though I like the idea. My trusty Samsung is still going strong but it is the size of a dishwasher. Now that the computer is connected to the TV, I’m all for an LCD. The only debate now is over size with her wanting a much larger one than I think is required. Perhaps she’s trying to tell me something…

We still need to get her an iPod and a laptop. I’m dismayed that she doesn’t want a Mac but I still love her. At times I wish I could be happy with a PC. $1000 buys a smoking laptop and I know Ubuntu would go on there with no trouble at all. Still, as much as I love Ubuntu it wouldn’t be a Mac.

So I will soldier forth with my PowerBook. There isn’t a day that passes where I don’t appreciate some little detail about it. Someday I will buy a new one and I’m sure it will serve me equally as well.

FIA Statement

An extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council was held in Paris on 13 September, 2007. The following decision was taken:

“The WMSC has stripped Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of all constructor points in the 2007 FIA [tag]Formula One[/tag] World Championship and the team can score no points for the remainder of the season.* “Furthermore, the team will pay a fine equal to [tag]$100m[/tag], less the FOM income lost as a result of the points deduction.

“However, due to the exceptional circumstances in which the FIA gave the team’s drivers an immunity in return for providing evidence, there is no penalty in regard to drivers’ points.**

“The WMSC will receive a full technical report on the 2008 McLaren car and will take a decision at its December 2007 meeting as to what sanction, if any, will be imposed on the team for the 2008 season.”

The full reasons for this decision will be issued on 14th September 2007.

*Points gained by other teams so far this season will not be affected.

**No McLaren representative will be allowed on the podium should a McLaren driver win in any of the remaining races of the 2007 season.

The FIA is out of control, leveling a $100 million fine again [tag]McLaren Mercedes[/tag] because one of their engineers was in possession of [tag]Ferrari[/tag] technical documents. If this isn’t evidence that Ferrari can do no wrong in F1, I don’t know what is… Why has Ferrari not been brought before the council for allowing the sport to be brought in disrepute? It was their engineer who started this whole mess in the first place.

Ron Dennis, who has never shot from the hip in his life, had this to say…

Ron Dennis is about the only public figure that I would be giddy to meet. He values integrity and honour above everything else and lives to race much like Patrick Head and Sir Frank down at Williams. The penalty will sting but money is never an issue at McLaren.

I’m sure a McLaren appeal with be forthcoming. I just hope it doesn’t get the team booted out of the 2008 championship, whish is a very real possability. Look up draconian in a dictionary and you’ll see the FIA headquarters…