[cpd2009]

In other news...

Patsy is now hooked up to my HDTV, and it's all looking good. I just need to find a bluetooth gaming pad and I'm all set. I have Steam installed, and it's currently downloading Pinball Arcade. I have it installed on Lilly already, but it's really such a great pinball simulator.

As for Ruby, I'm currently mulling plans on placing her in storage until I can find a use for her. I found out that I can deactivate the licenses of my purchased Magix programs. I could do this for Music Maker/Studio as GarageBand fills my audio recording needs well. I'm undecided on Magix Movie Edit 2015. iMovie works for basic editing jobs, but I have to convert my AVI files to MP4 first and it's not suited for YouTube Poop videos. The best software would be Final Cut Pro X, but it's $499. I would have to start saving up again for that.

I'm also thinking of using Lilly for my main computer along with handling audio recording and basic video editing. I would keep Ruby around for the more advanced video editing if I choose not to pursue FCP X. That would be cumbersome since I would like to use Lilly with DVI video output. I can switch between DVI and VGA on my monitor, but I would need to keep another keyboard/mouse nearby. I have a KVM switch, but it's VGA only. DVI KVMs are expensive.

This will take time to sort out, I feel. That's not even counting what will become of Greta and Pablo if I decide to go for a Macbook Pro.

In short, I think I'm finally converting to Mac OSX for daily use. That's not to say I will get an iPad and iPhone. I won't go that far since iPad/iPhone is still far too limited for my tech tastes. I'll still be an Android user, plain and simple.

[huckleberrypie]

My birthday this year was significant, as it was my 50th. The milestone seems important. However, I don't remember the day itself! Hah!

It is indeed an important milestone in one's life. In other news, my Aunt Gloria informed me of a certain Strawberry Shortcake doll being sold at a discount, and while they're willing to buy one for me, they're worried some of my folks would be ticked off at it.

Hmm... so some of your folks don't really approve of you acquiring SSC stuff? Or am I guessing this wrong?

They do know that I'm into SSC, my dad included. It's that my aunt is a bit worried about the doll not boding well with some of my folks.

[cpd2009]

They do know that I'm into SSC, my dad included. It's that my aunt is a bit worried about the doll not boding well with some of my folks.

By not boding well with some of your folks, what do you mean exactly? Do they see an issue with the doll?

[Blackberry Bun]

I'm guessing mainly because dolls are more related to girls, and other than Prudie we're all men, right?

Anyway, as for the question I asked, I myself would also answer 2, but unlike you all who seemed to pick the answer without much thinking, I hesitated for quite a while before coming up with the decision. I value the things I have dearly, and while they indeed can eventually be replaced if lost, all the works that I have to do, and the fact that not all of them would be the same, felt... unimaginable. That was why I thought option one was not really bad since I'll just be done with everything.

[cpd2009]

I'm guessing mainly because dolls are more related to girls, and other than Prudie we're all men, right?

Anyway, as for the question I asked, I myself would also answer 2, but unlike you all who seemed to pick the answer without much thinking, I hesitated for quite a while before coming up with the decision. I value the things I have dearly, and while they indeed can eventually be replaced if lost, all the works that I have to do, and the fact that not all of them would be the same, felt... unimaginable. That was why I thought option one was not really bad since I'll just be done with everything.

It is true that there are material objects that can never be replaced. It could be one-of-a-kind family heirlooms, or old photos, or in your case, your artwork. With the advent of digital technology, you can preserve your artwork in some sort of storage medium like a flash drive or cloud storage so if the physical articles get lost, you will still have copies at least somewhere.

And yes, there is still bit of a social stigma if a man admits he likes SSC or MLP in public places or even with your own parents. The tired norms of separating boys and girls toys is still pressing on, though there are efforts to bring those barriers down. I think Target stores are going to stop separating toys by gender pretty soon since girls aren't always into pretty pink princesses, and boys aren't always into aliens and robots. Toys are toys, and people should respect what kinds of toys they like no matter what their gender is.

[huckleberrypie]

And then there's this stereotype of men being creeps or pedophiles as well, hence why some are turned off at them owning dolls and whatnot.

[cpd2009]

And then there's this stereotype of men being creeps or pedophiles as well, hence why some are turned off at them owning dolls and whatnot.

Very true. Sad, but true.

In regards to my Macbook quest, I decided to wait. Greta is still a rather good laptop, and while I don't use her much anymore (being my travel PC), I just upgraded her RAM this past summer. And seeing as how I reactivated my Steam account, I can install Pinball Arcade on her too and put her Nvidia GPU to good use.

I shall keep Greta until she needs replacing, at which point I will get a Macbook. Ruby will go into storage once I get the Magix software deactivated and her GTX 730 extracted.

[cpd2009]

If you know me, plans always change. First, I have been using Lilly as a main computer for about two weeks.

Pros:
OSX El Capitan is not as bad as people say it is.
Safari is a wonderful web browser.
Mac App Store is also not too bad.
The built in programs such as GarageBand and Mail work well and are easy to understand.

Cons:
File management is still not as good as Windows. You still need to manually arrange every folder or else they look like a jumbled up mess.
iMovie has been dumbed down quite a bit from the excellent 2011 version. It also cannot use AVI files without converting them first.
You still can't uninstall programs. It's supposed to be just dragging to the trash, but it leaves config files and other junk behind.
Window management is still not as good as Windows. Mission Control helps, but there needs to be a dedicated taskbar for minimized windows.
Safari has no Windows version anymore. Why is this? Safari is probably the best web browser I have used with Firefox coming in a close second.

After sending a email question to an illustrator regarding computers and design work, I'm rethinking this now. I'm thinking of returning to the previous setup (Patsy for daily use, Ruby being the powerhouse), and hooking up Lilly to the TV. Lilly wouldn't get as much use being a video player and pinball simulator, but I got a gamepad for that.

And to be honest, I kind of miss the familiarity of Windows. Mac software is good, but it's expensive. I already own software suites that are just as good if not slightly better. I wouldn't mind switching to Mac OSX for daily use, but having so many computers, it makes it hard to decide sometimes. And it makes me seem like a lunatic constantly changing setups and whatnot. But, it's how I always been. I like experimenting with computers, and usually, I end up realizing what worked before was the best solution.

The good part is that I don't view Apple as a bad company anymore. Their products are expensive and they like releasing new iPhones every year, but in regards to OSX and Mac computers, they aren't bad at all. Just different. An acquired taste I guess.

Oh, and the Greta plan is still in effect.

[cpd2009]

Well, it appears MS is going to ramp up the Win10 offers quite a bit...
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/29/9639414/microsoft-windows-10-automatic-update-recommended">http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/29/9639 ... ecommended</a><!-- m -->

It seems bad at first, but according to MS, the offer to update to Win10 will only appear once, and there will be no forced upgrades to Win7 or Win8 users.

I hope this remains true. If not, then I will no doubt switch to Mac full time. IMO, it's great that Win10 brings back the start menu, but the overall look of the UI is just bland to me. And I don't need Cortana, or any other digital assistant.

[cpd2009]

Well, I had a good halloween, helping out my folks with their haunted house. Lots of scares had by all.

Now, it's time for me to swap graphics cards. Patsy needs that GeForce GT730. Pinball Arcade runs fine on her current GeForce 210, only at low settings. Set the ball reflections on high, and multiball can be problematic.

I think the GeForce 210 will do just fine for Ruby anyway.