Uncharted Waters

Being on unusually good terms with my bank at the moment I decided the time had come to think about a new PC. I have a Dell Dimension 4500S. I chose that particular model because you can stand the CPU on its side to save space. I've noticed of late that the DVD/CD-ROM drive doesn't always work properly in that position, so it's taking up considerable room on my desk.

I checked out Dell's website, and considered the Inspiron 9100: "The ultimate Desktop-Replacement with the flexibility of a notebook". Of course, you always get less for your money with laptops, and as I'm not on the move, it is, in a sense, redundant.

Next I checked out the VGCV2S.CEK from Sony. I was very tempted by this beautiful machine, but then I read a rather dismal review by one of the 'poor bloody infantry' (aka end-users). Although I came across only one disgruntled Sony user, I didn't find any 'gruntled' (LOL) ones. I thought it was best to go with what I know, and I have no complaints about Dell, quite the reverse.

I went back to the Dell site, and had just about configured the system I wanted, but had a couple of queries, so rang them up. Last time I rang, they were all Irish; now they all seem to be Indian. A lot of call-centres are moving to India. Why? Well, whatever reason businesses might give, in my not-so-humble-opinion (and that of many others) it's because they can pay a good deal less than the minimum wages laid down by the EC.

I spoke to a very pleasant woman who answered my questions and then gave me her direct line so that I could order. I said that I would place the order online, as I wanted to think about it a bit more. She then told me that it wasn't safe to order online as my credit card details could be stolen. I understand why she did it: I'm sure she needs every bit of commission she can get, but I couldn't help wondering what Dell would think if it knew its agents were telling potential customers that its secure website wasn't!

I hummed and haahed a bit more, and then I decided to sail into uncharted waters. I am so sick of WinD'OHs. I had problems after downloading Service Pack 2 for XP (who hasn't?!!!!) and have already had to download a patch. So I laid in a course for Apple, and there I fell in love. The object of my desire is the iMac G5. I didn't rush, though (not much!), I read a few reviews, and one person said that it's better to buy the eMac which does much the same for much less dosh.

I rang Apple, and the voice at the other end was Irish. Better still its owner was from Cork. My father came from Cork, and the accent is unmistakeable.

I asked about the eMac versus the iMac, and she said it would be better to go with the iMac. I was so-o-o-o-o glad she said that. She very kindly steered me away from some expensive and unnecessary options (I tend to get carried away) and knocked £70 off my 40Gb iPod. The only downside? I have to wait until the end of October. Oh, will this month never end?

It's not quite uncharted waters: I had the use of a Mac once, but it was so long ago that Apple was no more than blossom on the tree, hehehe.

I have a good feeling about this (uh-oh): all the Mac users I know are besotted with their machines.

On Starving

I fasted for Yom Kippur yesterday. It nearly killed me [G]. The last two hours were the hardest, and I was kept going only by fantasies of what I was going to eat that night.

That's not entirely true. At some point during the day I had some sort of epiphany. I had approached the fast in a very poor frame of mind, but suddenly something clicked into place, and I was so happy that I was fasting. And there was a sense of being linked with Jews all over the world.

I had the stopwatch out (slight exaggeration), and the first thing I had was a long, long drink of water. It is advisable to break the fast with a little plain rice and a cup of tea, or something like that. It is certainly not advisable to have a toasted cheese and onion sandwich and ice cream. I can vouch for that. It was lovely at the time, but I felt ill for the rest of the evening.