This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Monday, October 7, 2019

Computer Connection? ( #BOTB Results )



       I'll be keeping this post short and basic.   Looks like my Lenovo desktop computer has gone kaput.   I really can't complain since I inherited it from my late stepfather in 2012 and he'd had it for a couple years prior to that.  I guess I shouldn't complain about a good computer that has given me seven years of reliable service.  I'm going to miss that good old computer.

      For now I'm using my wife's computer, but that is going to have to be a very short term solution.  My old notebook computer kind of ground to an interminable state of slowness and is no longer functional.   I guess that means New Computer Time!  Any suggestions?

      What I want to find is not only a basic warhorse for composing blog posts, looking up stuff, taking care of business, and checking emails, but also something good for doing home music recording and some video editing.  Currently I'm doing research regarding this, but any input from those in the know might be helpful.

       Any thoughts?  In the meantime my online activity will be drastically curtailed until I find the best solution for me.  Maybe if this crash was destined to happen then this might have been a good time for it.  Still, I'd rather not have to deal with this expense and computer search.

       C'est la vie!

Rainbow Connection Battle

         My most recent Battle was between The Carpenters and Willie Nelson performing The Muppet Movie song "Rainbow Connection".   What a great turnout for a fight to the finish Battle!  At first it looked like Willie was going to take a handy win and then the Muppet fan club must have entered the fray to bring them up to the leader. 

         As some of you also indicated, The Carpenters did a lovely version though it was a bit saccharine like sugar infused maple sugar on sweet hotcakes.  That was my take as well.  I thought Willie gave a more genuine performance that exuded more sentiment than sweetness.  My vote goes to Willie and that brought the final tally to a tie vote.   I'm okay with that since that means the race was pretty even...



Final Vote Tally

The Carpenters                13

Willie Nelson                   13



Next Battle on Tuesday October 15th

         Well, this will happen hopefully as long as I can resolve my computer situation.  I will do what I can until then.  Why can't they just make computers that last forever...

          What kind of computer do you use?   How long have you been using it?   Where have you found to be the best place to buy a good new computer?


25 comments:

  1. We each get a new desktop every 3-4 years. Our laptop - well, the silly thing just wouldn't die, even after over 10 years of use. But it was a beast so my husband finally got me a slimmer, lighter new Dell. All our computers are Dell and we've never had one die.

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    1. L.Diane, at my former workplace we also had Dells. We got pretty good performance out of them and customer service was responsive when we needed them.

      Lee

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  2. Replies
    1. Lost, I want the best I can get for what I can afford.

      Lee

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  3. I was in the same boat. After having a MacBook I just didn't want to go back to a Dell. Dell's are good but I was used to a Mac for five years. I fought with myself about cost and really didn't want to take money out of savings for a new laptop. I got mine fixed, meaning new guts. Lots of memory. Updated out the wazoo. It will buy me some time to save for another, because we both know they don't last forever.

    Good luck on choosing.

    Teresa

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    1. Teresa, I'm hearing that Macs are especially good for music production.

      Lee

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  4. I went Mac in 2006, when Windows Vista was causing multiple problems for everyone. I bought a Mac Mini, because it was relatively inexpensive and allowed me to use my existing keyboard, mouse, and monitor. I replaced it about six years later to take advantage of 64-bit technology. It's been reliable and I like the operating system much better.

    I had an opportunity a few years later to buy a Vaio laptop for under $100 (I had all these points I had accumulated on my Sony Visa card). It ran Windows 7, which wasn't a bad operating system, and it was reliable. Then I tried upgrading it to Windows 10, and that turned out to be a disaster, so I formatted the hard drive and installed Linux Mint. I still have it, but haven't used it in a while, because I got a MacBook Air either late last year or early this year. It runs beautifully and is my "outside the house" computer.

    Pretty much every Windows machine runs pretty much the same, so I would go to Best Buy or Staples to get a new one, because you can usually get a good deal. I have a Micro Center nearby, but the closest to you (and the only Micro Center in California) is in Tustin...

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    1. John, Tustin is not too far, but I'll probably look someplace near to me. I've used Best Buy in the past--as well as the late Circuit City, R.I.P.

      Lee

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  5. Sorry to read about your problem. I like Dell best.

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    1. No thoughts, Dell seems like a favorite of many.

      Lee

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  6. We have a Gateway on Windows 7 home premium. Needless to say, I won't say anything against it...

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    1. CW, I wouldn't know except that I used to have Windows 7 on my current computer and it served me well until I decided to switch to 10.

      Lee

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  7. You might want to try an Etch-a-Sketch.

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    1. PTM, ah, there's a great solution. Don't know that it would do well with my music aspirations.

      Lee

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  8. Sorry about your computer issues. I am a Mac person and have been from the first computer I ever owned in 1996. I have a desktop and a MacBook Pro that is several years old and was a refurbished model when I got it. Macs are expensive but if you get a refurbished one, you can get a deal and you can still get the Apple Care warranty on it so just in case...Good luck!

    Janet’s Smiles

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    1. Janet, Mac is up there in my interested list.

      Lee

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  9. Sorry about your computer woes! I've only had laptops; HP, Toshiba and currently Lenovo (Thinkpad), which is the most expensive, but also the best one. Costco, Staples and Best Buy all have good selections.

    Your BOTB result was a surprise, as I thought Willie would win easily.

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    1. Debbie D, I forgot about Costco. I'm due for a supply run there so maybe I'll check them out first.

      Lee

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    2. Costco is usually a bit less expensive and they also offer extra warranty time for free.

      Delete
  10. Lee,

    Isn't that something both of our battles in ended in a tie. This is the first for me, I think. In the past I usually broke it but I stopped pitching my ballot into the box and just let everyone else decide. It makes things a whole lot easier for me, I tell you. :)

    I'm sorry to hear about your computer woes. We made the move slowly to Apple computers in the early milleninum. We have an old MacBook Pro that's slow but still works beautifully. I use a iMac (destop) which I absolutely love! It was a Christms present from DH a few years ago. We got it directly from Apple since we wanted to customize some of the features. Apple rarely has their stuff on sale but sometimes you'll find special offers at places like Best Buy where you'll get a gift card when you make a purchase. Speaking of BB, then that's the place to look at Window based computers if that's more of your cup of tea as reference then find what you want then if you can check a few places online to see if what your store has it for is a good price or not. Some places like BB or Apple offer 12 or 24 month financing at 0% interest if you pay it off on time. That's a very cool deal if you don't want to fork all that money over at one time. We've done that many times. The thing to consider with going Apple is you get a lot for your money including lots of good, usable software - Pages (like Word), Numbers (like Excel), Garage Band which has to do with mewsic and I know little about, iMovies for editing or creating movies clips I barely know anything about this but it's a cool app, and a few others programs that fail to come to mind. I'm dealing with Mucinex DM hangover today. Gosh, I hate this feeling of being loopy! Hopefully tomorrow I'll have my wits about me again. We'll see. Anywho, I hope this helps and wish you the best of luck in finding the right system that works for you.

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    1. Cathy, I'm inclining strongly toward Apple, but I've had many years of good service from my desktops that I've owned over the years.

      Lee

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  11. Helluva Battle, LEE!

    They don't get much better'n that. It seems several of us had really super-tight BOTB races this time.

    I really hated having to vote against my favorite singer, Karen Carpenter, but I'm nuttin' if not honest about my likes, dislikes, and preferences. It was almost inconceivable that I would ever vote against Karen, but sometimes even the inconceivable occurs.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

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    1. STMcC, I thought this would be an interesting match for you especially. Sometimes though the best isn't always the best in every perspective.

      Lee

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  12. My primary computer is a secondhand 2013 MacBook Air, and my older computer is a secondhand 2007 MacBook Pro. The older one is mostly a backup when things go wrong with the newer one, or when I needed Word before getting it on my newer computer. I've been with the Mac since OS 1.0 back in '84, and couldn't imagine not using it (though I wish the "updates" of recent years weren't so geared towards mimicking the look of an iPad vs. an actual desktop!).

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  13. Having done battles frequently with my computer, I feel your pain.
    Time to upgrade, Lee. Hard to make that leap. We go to Best Buy, mainly because they have a "geek squad" that really walk the customer through issues, can call them any time.
    Apple or Windows 10. I'd go with Windows, it connects easily with most users. Apples are more expensive, have great graphic and resolution. My daughter & hubby have Apples for that reason. I use my computer for writing.

    When you figure it out, leap into technology!

    ReplyDelete

Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.
I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

For Battle of the Bands voting the "Anonymous" commenting option has been made available though this version is the least preferred. If voting using "anonymous" please include in your comment your name (first only is okay) and city you are voting from and the reason you chose the artist you did.

If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

Lee