New addition to the technology family

After leaving Poland on September 23rd, after having Jonathan's real computers with which to upload photos and type blog entries, I just couldn't manage to update on my 7" netbook, a.k.a. "baby laptop." Since my normal Dell laptop has been moody for months (by "moody," I mean that it refuses to turn on most of the time), and unemployed people rely on technology to find jobs, connect with others, and keep themselves entertained, I decided to stop putting off the inevitable and get a new computer.

Except now, as I have loads of time on my hands and not so much money, I went the somewhat cheaper route and decided to build my own computer. Of course, building your own PC is not the cheapest route for everyone. If you aren't picky about the quality of your parts, or you have to buy an operating system separately, it's better to buy one from Dell or HP or something. As it is, though, I had the time and the pickiness and the generous-Microsoft-brother connections to build my own computer.

So, after painstakingly going through newegg sales and combo deals, I picked out my parts and gathered enough courage to hit the "Submit Order" button. I can continue to wonder if more searching on more websites would have led to cheaper parts, but it's all in the past, and I resolve to be happy with what I have.

There were three points where I wanted to cry and send it all back to the store:

1. I opened the box for the case and the front cover had snapped off. After a few deep breaths, I tried to superglue it back together instead of sending it back. And it worked! Problem solved.
   
   
2. After putting everything together, I flipped the switch to the power supply and everything started flashing and clicking. Apparently, this was a bad thing... After deciding I needed a new power supply (thanks to advice from the internet), I took out the power supply and wiggled the wires and tried again, just for funsies. And what do you know, it worked!
   
   
3. When I was sure I had everything right (including a functional power supply), I kept getting a video card error. After much panic and frustration, I just pushed a little harder and the video card clicked in.
   

So seriously, these were my three biggest problems, and they were fixed by supergluing plastic, wiggling wires, and pushing to hear a click.

Now, as I anxiously await the Windows 7 release on 10/22, I'm using the free Linux-based operating system Ubuntu. I don't know much about Linux or command prompts, but I am internet-surfing and document-editing (and blog-posting) at unprecedented rates. And I get that little pinch of satisfaction from knowing it's on something I built on my own!

You've probably read to here (if you've gotten this far) thinking, "...so?" Well, the moral of this story is that building your own computer is totally doable. I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about software issues, but I didn't know the first thing about PC components a few weeks ago. Between the (albeit somewhat outdated) tutorial on PCMech and the manual that came with my motherboard, it wasn't an incredibly challenging experience, and was finished within a 24-hour period.

And now that I'm back to the world of real computing, I'm of course on a strict regimen of hulu, grooveshark. and writing.

Laptop on the fritz...

My big blue Dell laptop may be on its last legs. At least, when I attempted to turn it on several dozen times (and only succeeded hours later on attempt#severaldozen+1), I began to realize that a new laptop might have to be in my very near future.

So, do any readers have advice on a new laptop purchase? Or a tragic story about a laptop crashing at just the wrong time?

This post also serves to tell you that I may be light on blog entries if my laptop doesn't turn back on next time. I do still have baby laptop, but I only have so much patience for typing and photo uploading on something that tiny.

Anyway, I'm off to 台北 for the weekend, but after that, I may be spending my free time on 建國二路, the technology hotspot of Kaohsiung, as I go from shop to shop trying to bargain in Chinese for a laptop I want and can actually afford.

My new(ish) bike

You may remember a post from a month or two ago referencing my spontaneous desire to buy an electric bike in the context of other spontaneous desires. Well, I've become well-known here for my follow-through. In early November, after lots of price-checking and research, I found a used electric bike on a craigslist-esque Taiwanese website, contacted the owner, checked it out, and got myself a new toy.

The bike is about a year old and is the same size (maybe a bit shorter) than an average bike. It's equipped with a lead-acid battery that weighs about 25 pounds, which would render the bike totally impractical if it didn't so handily fit in my building's elevator. With the battery off, you ride it just like a regular bike. With the battery on, you can "rev" the "engine" to about 15mph without pedaling. All this for a mere 5000 TWD (about $165 US).

This means that I can now ride to work sweat-free and fee-free in about the same time as the bus would take. I pass most of the regular bikes on the road, except this one stubborn old man who pedals furiously and manages to pull just ahead. This is by far the best mode of transportation for me. I plug it into the wall for a few hours at night, and voila, I have four hours of battery. An efficient and effortless way to get around, it doesn't require a license and doesn't emit any form of exhaust. The best part? People here think electric bikes are extremely nerdy, so it will probably never get stolen.

And now, a grainy picture of my electric bike.

Earning my reputation as tech geek of the group...

So, because my brothers always had to be ahead of the curve with technology, I got a lot of techie hand-me-downs growing up. Pioneer discmans (discmen?) before I really owned any CD's, bulky 56MB MP3 players before the iPod had even been conceived, and every video game system that was released during the 1990s. Because of their behavior, I was only destined to follow their wired-turned-wireless lifestyles. So now I find myself writing a post on all the cool technology I'm using to stay connected and entertained in Taiwan.

First, a shout-out to my classic and reliable Dell Inspiron E1505, purchased at the beginning of junior year of college. Still going strong and satisfying all of my computing needs. But beyond needs, there are always wants, and that's where the next three products come in.

One of the best pieces of software on this Dell: Slingplayer. Costing less than $100 for the basic version, my handy little Slingbox connects to any cable/TiVo/whateveryouwatchstuffon box and then sends the signals over the internet. In short, a small box is connected to my cable box at home, and I have a small piece of software on my computer that allows me to control and watch the cable box from wherever I have an internet connection. This even entails turning the box on/off, changing the channel, and setting the DVR to record things. Of course, if my parents happen to be watching the same cable box, it can become a very remote control war from 8,000 miles away. Considering I'm a television addict and ABC/NBC/CBS.com don't allow people outside the US to watch their videos, this software will definitely come in handy. For more info, check out slingmedia.com.

The key piece of technology that allowed me to keep in touch with some of you before I had internet in my apartment is my new cell phone, a Nokia N78. A purchase funded by my brothers to replace my long-broken basic Nokia flipphone, this phone has way more features than I'd ever need (FM transmitter?) but a ton of features that are extremely useful (Wi-Fi!). It also has a 3.2mp camera, which has allowed me to forgo bringing my camera (Canon SD-1000) everywhere. A lot of the lesser-in-quality pictures on the blog have been from the phone camera... I realize these images are not the sharpest, but for quick everyday pictures, it does the job. Anyway, with the combination of wi-fi, a Skype subscription, and a great program called fring, I can use my cell phone to make free calls to the US when I'm near an internet connection. No extra fees involved-- I just use a pay-as-you-go Taiwan SIM card.

Finally, my newest, kind of unnecessary, completely awesome toy: an ASUS Eee PC 8G. This little guy has a 7" screen, a very tiny keyboard (with both "English" and Chinese typing), and a basic Linux OS to become the ultimate in convenience for cheap, portable computing. This "baby laptop" comes with Firefox, Skype, OpenOffice, a built-in webcam/mic, and a bunch of small learning/playing-oriented programs. Who cares if it's made for 12 year olds, this laptop will be able to fit in my purse and go more safely to and from school than my big one would. And to prove to you I'm not a huge weirdo, after I decided to get one of these, three others in my program followed suit-- and a few more are now considering it. Four of us went to a sort of technology district and, after bargaining with a dozen different storeowners, we paid 9600 NTD (about 320 USD) each. A great deal, if you ask me... but on my Taiwan teacher's salary, don't worry, I won't be spending like this very often.

And now, I leave you with a picture of the little technology family. Don't worry, I'll have some stories and pictures of what I've been doing in Taiwan soon enough...

(normal Dell laptop on left, tiny ASUS laptop on right, Nokia N78 in front)