So, alas, the MacBook won't be quite free as the IRS will want their pound of flesh ...

Get out?? That shows you how loyal I am, I found my beloved and I looked now further. My T22 does have this nifty connector on the rim for a camera, but I do love those built-in ones on the rim. Thanks for the info

If it's really a pound they want (and not GBP, or £), then I should get some lipo done on my waistline! That's also why the Australia trip the same station was giving out wasn't too good of a deal. They had specified the estimated retail value as over $12,000 for a 7 day trip to Oz for two. Coach airfare, $2,000 cash and tickets to a concert and that's it. No hotel, ground transportation or meals was included. If you ask me, that is way too high of an estimated value to be given to the IRS.

Ah, this talk of IRS taxes just lit a bulb... I tracked down the official rules for the Macbook contest:

http://radioalice.com/pages/272507.php?


So, the 13.3" 1.83Ghz machine it is. And a couple of hundred $$$ tax hit next year.

Okay, here's a pic of the new baby next to one of my T23s...

(99KB)

If you look closely you will get a laugh (or be shocked) that I have a Mac forum opened up on the T23 ! I can't seem to get the Airport wireless in the Macbook to connect to my ancient Netgear ME102 access point. Have spent about two hours fiddling around with it and I've given up for now... Besides, I've got to wash the dishes in the sink before I go to bed (promised the wife I'd clean up the kitchen). Will post more about this later tonight or tomorrow morning...

BTW... Here's the question I was asked for the contest (you have watched the video I linked in my earlier post, didn't you?):

"What is the first line of engraving in the trophy shown in the video?"

Somehow I like the T23 way, way better ... don't know why

Ray, have you worked on OSX before? I like some (not all) aspects of it. I hate the look and feel of buttons though - too much eye candy imho.

Have not gone deeper into the OS besides playing with a couple of the bundled applications (GarageBand, iChat, and of course, Safari). This is on my iMac (also runing OS X); I haven't gotten around to doing anything "useful" on the Macbook yet. Previous to these two systems, I have not used an Apple since the Apple II days. The feel of the keyboard is... different. Not quite as bad as an old IBM PCjr "chicklet" keyboard but strange-feeling nevertheless. I keep finding myself trying to tap the touch pad in a click or double-clicking motion (like I can do on my Gateway), but nothing happens . I do miss the dedicated PageUp, PageDown, Home and End keys.

Navigating the UI seems pretty easy. Everything appears to be easily accessible. There's a lot of the "cool" graphical effects when opening and closing applications which I could really care less for. The one problem I'm having is configuring the wireless settings. I remember having the same problem when I first turned on the iMac, but then I found out that the WEP key needed to be preceeded with a "$" (to signify a hexadecimal string). That does not appear to work (or be needed) on the Macbook. It's supposed to have an Airport Extreme card and I'm thinking that might be the problem. My Netgear ME102 AP is real old; only 802.11b. I'll have to look at the iMac tomorrow and see how it has been configured. If the Airport Extreme is not compatible with my AP (there may be a recent driver upgrade from what I've read), then maybe it's time for me to upgrade my wireless system to at least 802.11g. I have plugged it into my network hub and I can access the net that way but I'd really prefer to be wireless.

The T23 is nice but I still miss the USB 2.0....

edit: One thing I just noticed... the Macbook power cord (with the neat magnetic coupling) is very short when compared to the standard IBM AC adapter. Along with the power block that sticks out too far from the wall, this could use some improvement.

They do make an odd couple, don't they? The Mac almost looks fake somehow, like it is plastic, at least from this distance. The entire top and keyboard looks like one big mold, where on the T23 you can see each separate key. It sure is WHITE!

So hey that's great Ray, you do dishes

edited to say - enjoy your prize.

Ray,

Macs are so easy to use, a caveman can do it...errr...

So much for being user friendly.

Not that the macbook has OS9 on it, but I was using that yesterday- I couldn't get anything accomplished. I will be ignorant and continue to compare my mac experiences with OS9<...Ick.

Either way, you've got a semi-free $1K laptop. Congrats!

Ray,

Your T23 looks like it just out from the factory. The Pentium III sticker looks brand new. By the way, what model is that?

As much as I wouldn't mind having a newer Mac (ie. excellent for video editing), I don't think that I could stare at it very long, because that white is almost blinding....atleast in the picture it is.

If I were to go out and buy a Macbook, I'd make sure it was a black one. I can't stand white as a laptop color. White for a desktop is fine because a desktop will never show as much ware as a laptop will. I guess you can't beat winning a laptop though.

The whole thing feels like one big plastic block. I was surprised by the apparent density of this system. The 2647-N16 (2/02) shown weighs 2287 grams, the Macbook 2290. Yet the Macbook is only 1/4" wider, 1/2" less deep and 5/8" less thick. The base doesn't flex at all but the display bounces back-and-forth when the front edge of the laptop is lifted and then set down, or when you simply open up the system and take your hand off the lid.

The "whiteness" is not that all blinding but I can foresee the day when it will look... well, used. I would have preferred the black one like Stargate199. Hmm.. do you think I should paint it?

The one thing I already miss on the Macbook is a PCMCIA slot. I like to transfer the pictures off my SD and CF cards via PCMCIA adapters. Guess I'll just have to use a USB cable.

Once I figure out how to get some video onto this thing (my Panasonic MiniDV camera has a Firewire port), I'll see how easy it is to edit a couple of clips together. I promised the morning DJs at KLLC that I'd send in a short video made with the iSight camera. The promotions director that I talked to yesterday didn't know if the five winner's names will be posted on their web site, so hopefully they'll put up my video. Especially if I make it sound like an "advertisement" for the station .

If you are artistic, I think it would look swell painted with the gorgeous design of that shirt you have - with the birds! That way you could probably sell it on e-bay for a fortune.

Very hideous. I say paint it too.

Need help setting up a video?!?!?! I am FULL of ideas...

For the video, who will wear the wig Steve? The black laptop or the white laptop??

Ron

Well I finally got the wireless thing figured out. It seems like you have to enter the encryption key and then turn off the Airport card and turn it back on

Here's the result:

(122KB)

Next up: learn how to make a video and then send it to the station. (No thanks Steve, I don't need your blonde wig...)

That's the same combination of laptops I have with me in Iraq. A T23 and a white MacBook.

I'm bringing both home (actually in Kuwait now in route to Wisconsin) and will leave them BOTH home and bring my new X60s back with me.

Nice combination, isn't it? .

Answering a Special Request for "Ron the Skeptical":

(189KB)
(113KB)

A sharp eye will count 15 systems, although one of them is a ringer. Can you spot the non-T23 unit? Not-too-useful hint: It's a T21.

Still having problems with the Airport card in the Macbook. After the first time that I was able to get the thing signed on to my access point, I powered it off and have not been able to re-connect since then. From reading a couple of Mac forums, it has happened to others so maybe I'll haul it down to the local Apple Store and see what they say.

Is the T21 on the 2nd row, 2nd from the right?

I might not know which one is the T21, but now I know which one(s) wears the shirt!

Thanks Ray.......

Ron

No, but you did pick out the only 13.3" LCD among the group. It's a 866Mhz T23 with a red tinit startup problem.

A more useful, but very obscure hint... The T21 is a 850Mhz model.
Another hint: Don't even consider the systems that are running PC Doctor or memtest86+. They are all T23s. Look at the ones with the black Windows desktop....

OK, my last attempt before I make a fool of myself: the bottom row, 2nd from right?

And what are the Turbo C++ like DOS program windows that I see on the screens of these machines? Some specialised testing program IDEs?

Sorry, I added a second hint in my last post which you may not have seen... To expand a little bit on that hint:

The 850Mhz T21s came equipped with SXGA+ screens, something I did not know until a couple of months ago. I found that out by reading through the tawbook.pdf file. All of the listed type numbers that had those processors also had the higher resolution screens. So there, I've given out one of my tips when searching eBay.

The "blue screen" programs are PC Doctor for DOS or memtest86+, both diagnostic programs I use on all my Thinkpads. PC Doctor was (and still is) supplied by IBM for troubleshooting all kinds of hardware problems. There are slightly different versions of the program for each family of systems. memtest86+ is designed solely to check the memory and can be used on any PC.

And no, the bottom, second from the right is not it... . The T21 ringer is at the top left. The icons on the desktop are smaller and closer together than the others. The other SXGA+ systems are front and center (behind the shirt and where my 'tiel is perched) and bottom row, far right (although the backlight is kind of dim).

I need to correct this item... In my haste to open up the box and pull the laptop out, I saw a strange electrical cord. It didn't make much sense to me what it was for, but now I've figured it out. The little power brick has a removable 2-pin plug (it slides off). When that plug is removed, the provided extension cord slips in and adds 6 more feet.

Also, the Airport card does not have any problem connecting to my work Linksys 802.11g AP (I'm on it right now). So I guess it means an upgrade to my home wireless system is in order...