Marco: Do we look reasonable to you? Mal: Well. Looks can be deceiving. Jayne: Not as deceiving as a low down dirty... deceiver.

'Out Of Gas'


Buffistechnology 3: "Press Some Buttons, See What Happens."

Got a question about technology? Ask it here. Discussion of hardware, software, TiVos, multi-region DVDs, Windows, Macs, LINUX, hand-helds, iPods, anything tech related. Better than any helpdesk!


Deena - May 23, 2008 3:30:45 am PDT #6353 of 25501
How are you me? You need to stop that. Only I can be me. ~Kara

It has Vista on it, so I think at only 2G of ram it will be really slow for you.


dcp - May 23, 2008 4:01:45 am PDT #6354 of 25501
The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.

Sophia, I bought almost the same thing back in December for $900, and I'm pretty happy with it, even with only 2GB RAM. The most graphics-intensive thing I do with it is play DVDs and streaming video MS Flight Simulator, and it works fine for that.

The major differences between my P205 and the one shown in that ad is that mine has the Intel processors and a web cam. The AMD version at the time was priced at about $750, so the price you are seeing now is 1/3 off for the refurb. and the march of time.

You can probably get more machine for the money if you settle for a 15" screen. I wanted the 17" screen because the 15" screen with the wide aspect ratio has no more vertical room than my old 14" Sony. One penalty to the larger size is the weight -- more than 7 lbs. One advantage -- I like the full size keyboard, with the separate number pad.


Sophia Brooks - May 23, 2008 4:13:50 am PDT #6355 of 25501
Cats to become a rabbit should gather immediately now here

Thank you. Really slow is sort of relative. I currently use my cell phone to access the internet at home!


Rick - May 23, 2008 4:25:57 am PDT #6356 of 25501

If I were looking for a really cheap laptop to have in my house, go on-line and perhaps use word and excel occasionally, would this do? Could I possibly find one cheaper?

Sophia, as I recall you work for a University. If so, make sure that you check on your school's deals with manufacturers. Often cheaper.


tommyrot - May 23, 2008 4:35:17 am PDT #6357 of 25501
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

Inside an FBI Computer Forensics Lab

The experts at the FBI's newly accredited Regional Computer Forensics Lab in San Diego have already helped solve murders, child porn cases and robberies. They're among the best in the nation at pulling evidence from hard drives, cellphones and memory cards.

There are now 14 such labs in the United States, with two more coming online this year. Last year, the FBI labs collectively performed more than 13,000 forensics examinations. The San Diego lab alone handled more than 1,000 requests from 40 law enforcement agencies in 2007, including 171 child pornography cases and 160 murder investigations.

...

Cellphones can be a treasure-trove of forensic evidence. In one case, a man was robbing a store when his cellphone rang. Captured by a security camera, and studied by the lab, the robber's unique ringtone eventually led to his conviction.

Heh. Also, duh.


Sophia Brooks - May 23, 2008 4:42:15 am PDT #6358 of 25501
Cats to become a rabbit should gather immediately now here

Thanks Rick. It looks like we get a substantial discount on Apple (which is what I want, but still Too Much Money), and a 12% discount on Dell, which actually doesn't help much-- although I could get a pink laptop!


Miracleman - May 23, 2008 5:01:30 am PDT #6359 of 25501
No, I don't think I will - me, quoting Captain Steve Rogers, to all of 2020

I need to retrieve it from San Diego but I still have a C/PM computer with an 8" floppy drive that is in a plywood case. It was still working last time I checked but that was quite a few years ago.

Ah, yes, the good old days.

Charles Babbage and I used to discuss number theory and chicks while filing the teeth on the gears of his Difference Engine. It was I that directed him towards the efficacy of steam as a motivator for his calculatory Devices, though he thought me mad. I finally convinced him after a particularly long discussion in a pub resulting in fisticuffs and my directing him to a chirurgeon for a cure for syphilis.

Little known fact about Babbage: SLUT!

It was this, rather than his much advertised Personality Difficulties (e.g. his propensity for accosting organ-grinders and beating them about the groin with a stout walking stick) that, I think, led to his failure to complete his Difference and Analytical Engines. The man, while indubitably a genius, could not Keep It In His Pants and would chase down and bugger anything with an appropriate orifice. This was kept out of the Papers, of course, in deference to his status as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. Also, he had dirt on every publisher in London.

But I digress.


tommyrot - May 23, 2008 5:06:25 am PDT #6360 of 25501
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

Heh.


Gudanov - May 23, 2008 5:21:45 am PDT #6361 of 25501
Coding and Sleeping

With memorial day coming up you might want to check Best Buy and/or Circuit City ads. They may have a pretty good sale going for the holiday.

I have a cheap Toshiba laptop with 1GB of ram and it does fine for basic stuff like surfing and office apps. I had intended to upgrade to 2GB right away since memory doesn't cost much, but I just didn't need to. It has Vista home premium.


Consuela - May 23, 2008 6:42:24 am PDT #6362 of 25501
We are Buffistas. This isn't our first apocalypse. -- Pix

I didn't own a computer until I was 25, but when I was in junior high I programmed in Basic, in yellow tape on a computer without a monitor. Just the yellow tape.