April 2008

Sorry for the unnecessarily titillating title, but look at this machine! The new model iMac is now available, and it's a beauty!

You have to admit, it's easy on the eyes

I love my current iMac (now "old"), and I don't really need a new computer, but I want this one anyway. It has the same slim, all-in-one design as the previous iMac. All of the guts of the machine are hidden behind the beautiful screen, and there's no external box to deal with.

Plus, it has brains

The iMac comes pre-installed with the iLife suite of applications, including photo organization and editing software, movie-making and DVD-creating software, and a music composition program. It also has a built-in iSight camera for capturing photo booth style funny faces, making video blog entries, and video conferencing with friends and family.

And a great personality

The thing I love most about the iMac is that it's so easy to use. It works right out of the box, and it recognizes and plays with most of my peripherals without any extra setup or drivers. That goes for my printer, scanner, USB piano keyboard, bluetooth phone, digital camera, etc. I haven't had that kind of experience with any of the Windows PCs I've used.

Want to see more?

See the official site for more iMac photos and technical information. And hey, stop drooling. :-)

I heard about this local company on the evening news last week, and I thought I'd mention it. It's called ChaCha®, and the Carmel, Indiana-based online search service is winning awards and fans while it's still in beta. How does it work? Unlike the big G, which uses computers to perform searches, ChaCha uses real people. Users can call (1-800-2CHA-CHA) to voice their questions, or text queries (242242 or CHACHA), for free from just about any cell phone. You can even use ChaCha on Twitter (@chacha). Each question is routed to the appropriate ChaCha Guide, depending on the subject, and answers are returned within minutes. There are over 30,000 active guides throughout the United States, with hundreds online at any given time, and the service is available 24x7. This sounds pretty cool, and it's backed by some big investors. I can see ChaCha becoming a huge mobile app, once word gets around! It's more interactive than Google, accessible without a browser, and seems especially suited to the Twitter/text generation of on-the-go users. Of course, the human touch will also appeal to people who are weary or leery of computerized services, and just want to connect with a real person! Have you tried ChaCha? What do you think?

Sorry, honey (my husband is an attorney). I've taken a couple of those "Would you survive a zombie invasion" quizzes, and it doesn't look good for me. I'm not a runner, don't have any guns, and would have my kids slowing down my escape. Yep, I'm pretty much zombie food. One of the brains over at PrawfsBlawg has written about the legal implications of executing your zombie escape and survival plan. Author Geoffrey Rapp explains the importance of being...

... conscious of potential legal ramifications of shooting zombies in the head, breaking and entering stores to gather canned goods, and otherwise engaging in all manner of batteries, trespasses and conversions.

Of course, it won't matter to me... But if you're in good shape, know how to score a headshot, and can hole up safely until the invasion is over, you might have to think about what will happen post-zombie-apocalypse. Good luck!