Return of the Mac (iMac That Is)

One can get pretty overwhelmed when shopping for a computer these days, with so many companies flooding the market with quality products. First decision: laptop or desktop? I personally prefer a desktop. I am usually not the type to carry a laptop around (other than Sunday's for Fantasy Football, but my teams are so bad this year I want to cry). Also, I like the bigger screen, and superior performance you can get from a desktop. Next decision: PC or Mac? I can't help you here. There are so many factors that go into this. For example, you can get a PC with more impressive specs for half the price...BUT, Mac's seem to have a lot less headaches in their OS. That's a post for another day.

Back to my situation. I wanted a new iMac, but I didn't want to drop a significant amount of money all at once. A colleague of mine suggested financing with Best Buy, so I stopped by the Crystal Lake Best Buy on Highway 14. Unexpectedly, they had 36 month interest free financing on all Apple computers! I did have to sign up for a Best Buy card, but I think the low payments spread over a three year period made it a much easier decision.

The relatively new iMac looks very similar to it's predecessors. However, the processor and graphics card have had serious makeovers this time around (with the base processor being an Intel Core i3 clocked at 3.2GHz). Without getting too much into the details, this unit can perform 50% faster than the previous iMac model (as claimed by Apple). The screen resolution is brilliant, but lacks a Blu-Ray drive. iLife 2011 was just released, but unfortunately, Best Buy doesn't upgrade these units as fast as the Apple Store. I'm hoping they can give me some sort of discount on this new software, considering I just purchased the computer.

Opening the box, Apple gives you only what you need. Power cord, start-up CD's, wireless keyboard (non-numeric pad and no USB ports), and a wireless Magic Mouse. Turn it on, and you are ready to start using within minutes. First impression? This thing is fast. My load times on Yahoo! and flickr are a fraction of what my iMac G5 does (although that's a tough comparison considering how old that computer is). I'm excited to see how this desktop performs once I start running multiple, memory-intensive applications. First order of business is to upgrade the RAM. The unit comes with 4GB of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (remember, this is different than the modules used in the previous versions of the iMac). Ports look standard, 4 USB, Firewire 800, SuperDrive, and an SD card slot.

Overall, I'm excited about the purchase and I'm hoping that this desktop will last me as long as my previous computer. Only time will tell. Hopefully by the time I'm ready for the next upgrade, you will have figured out how to Koreanvent Yourself.

Lincoln Park Apple Store Grand Opening - It's T-Shiiirrrtt Time!

Do you love waiting in long lines while getting drenched in rain? Well, apparently I do. The long-awaited Apple Store on North Avenue finally opened this past weekend, adjacent from the North/Clybourne Red Line stop, with crowd of about 1,000. The incentive: a free t-shirt. A friend and I waited in line for about an hour and 15 minutes, standing in the rain, to get our t-shirts and look around the new store. I was shocked at the number of people there.

While we were waiting, the Apple Store was generous enough to let us borrow umbrellas, and passed out some SmartWater (full of electrolytes). I mean, Jennifer Aniston drinks it, why shouldn't we?

So we finally made it through the line, got our XL t-shirts (c'mon, no options for shirt sizes?), and checked out the new MacBook Air. T-shirts were okay, all black with green leaves on the front, and "Lincoln Park Apple Store" on the back. Maybe I'll wear it to the next Apple store opening, or maybe I'll use it as a parachute because it comes down to my knees.

When we were done, we went across the street to Burger Bar, and a guy I befriended gave me one of the Apple umbrellas that he stole with his wife. Can you say...awesome? Burger Bar was decent, but not spectacular. Milkshakes were $6, but tasted just like a milkshake at McDonald's. Truffle fries were decent, but don't come close to Big & Littles on Orleans. Check it while you are Koreanventing Yourself.

Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens

I bought an entry-level Nikon DSLR a few months ago, and I've only been working with the kit lens (18-55mm). After taking a ton of pictures, I really wanted to get a new lens. The decision for me was between a prime lens (fixed focal length) or a zoom lens with a higher focal length(ex., 55-200mm).

The prime is ideal for portrait shots, while the zoom might be better used at sporting events or outdoors (when taking pictures of things that are far away). Well, I don't have much time to be outdoors because I'm always stuck behind the computer I'm currently typing on, and I don't bring my DSLR to sporting events (drinking beer and screaming fans isn't the best environment for an expensive camera, especially when I'm the one drinking the beer), I went with the prime.

The Nikon 35mm f/1.8G is a relatively cheap lens, but works really well in low-light conditions, has auto-focus, and has great picture quality. I took the picture above with this lens, and I think I can eventually get some great shots once I figure out how to work the settings on my camera. Nikon does a great job with this lens, they also include a lens hood and a nice lens bag. The reviews were solid on this lens, so I bit the bullet and ordered it from Amazon. They were offering a free Tiffen UV filter with the purchase, and I had some gift certificates to Amazon. So far so good. I'm planning to put more pictures on this blog using this lens. Hopefully you can see some improvements in my photography skills as time goes on ("You know, like nunchuku skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills... Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills."), while you're busy trying to Koreanvent Yourself.

D-Link Boxee Box - The End of Paying for Cable?

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Overwhelmed about the amount of video content on the web? A long time in the waiting, D-Link and Boxee have finally set a release date for their Boxee Box, a media center designed to connect to your HD TV and provide an organized venue of videos, music, and social networking.  See details on their site:
http://www.dlink.com/boxee/more.html

The downside for Boxee is that the competition is fierce.  Apple TV priced at $99, Google TV (saw a commercial last night), and PopBox are all entering the market at the same time.  I actually had the luck to win one at one of gdgt.com's events back in May of 2010.  I'm looking forward to receiving it around the official release date of November 17. 

So what is this box? Well, once connected to your TV, it has a very well layed-out menu of content so you can watch your favorite shows, movies, etc., with the touch of a button. Boxee has worked with many providers to make it very easy to use. Will devices like this mean the end for cable TV? Probably not tomorrow, but maybe in the near future. Personally, I'm excited to see how this will change the way we watch TV. Check back soon to see how else you can Koreanvent yourself.

Time to Koreanvent Yourself

Tired of not knowing about cool ish?  Well I think it's time then to Koreanvent yourself.