I guess a lot more of my users are going to be asking me for advice on how to order their new computers. Ugh. I may support desktops day in and day out, but I've never bought a brand new one. MacBook (07), UMPC (06), Tablet PC (04) and laptop (01), yes. I build/rebuild my desktops. I'm better at fixing what the Powers decided the user should have at work; the Dellies had to have been better at getting past the the confused looks and helping the user figure out what he/she should have at home (I can't make them all buy Tablet PCs!). The kiosk-keepers surely wouldn't have started screaming when a kind, hard-working individual said, "So I have to get XP?" after they'd explained for five minutes that Word is a part of Office and doesn't come with Vista. I'm not, you know, saying that I personally know of anyone who would lose it like that...do I hear my feed reader calling me?

HP D530 (small form factor) (no core, no seeds, no peel or appeal)
2.4GHz Celeron processor
768mb RAM (2x128 + 2x256)
120GB Western Digital HD
on-board graphics (my low-profile, 128MB GeForce MX4000 died a few months ago, and I've looked for a replacement, but haven't pulled the trigger)
KHypermedia DVD burner that sometimes works (not right now)
Logitech Marble Mouse USB
19" beige CRT
APC Back-UPS ES 500
Windows XP Pro SP2 (I've got a Vista Ultimate license I'm saving for my gaming PC, but it's just not ready right now)
Piece of junk USB tv tuner (audio and video won't sync, serves me right for trying to cut costs)
Foam mascots: Windows Vista, MSDN Webcasts, Microsoft Office, Innovation Lab, Visual Studio 2005, Splotch, Channel 9, Idera SQL Server, and Tablet PC. They all hang out on the huge monitor and give some color to their drab and cluttered surroundings.

I've actually debated as to whether or not Boot Camp could make my MacBook do better with Age of Empires than my poor, underpowered PC.

I was waiting for this one. Based on the "For him" guide, I half expected a suggestion to buy Desperate Housewives on DVD (I never watched the show, though I'm curious as to what Teri Hatcher's up to these days). I was pleasantly surprised, although that bit about the "first stab at a smartphone" raised my eyebrows a bit. Ok, so the "it's easy to use" comments made me want to smack someone, but I cannot deny that this was overall a good effort. I would like liked a little portable, penable loving and something in a Windows Mobile (you think it's not easy enough to use?). Now someone be so kind as to get THIS female an N800, please! OQO? Naah, just pass me a Fujitsu P1610!

I already know I'm too absorbed in my computer use, so I don't need to play this game.

What is wrong with you people? In a comments section, people give their opinions, and 45 minutes is harsh! Two dinky hours on the weekend is just a nasty tease. I have the internet to thank for my job, and that means I thank for anything my income has provided me.

My parents were extremely diligent, too, so I made sure I sought higher education in other towns and states. Little Gates can, too, in eight years, give or take some months. Then again, if Bill's draconian strictures are needed to keep his child from loosing a film of herself having intimate moments with someone's ex-husband and becoming a sensationalized plague on society, more power to him!

There was a time when people couldn't see why kids had to have calculators for school, and now we see the same lack of understanding about tablet PCs. I, for one, am glad that we have progressed beyond India ink bottles, quills and one-room schoolhouses!

My husband wants it known that he sides with Bill. Good thing I won't take time off from the net to raise any kids :)

Leave my $15/month PCS Vision? For what?

Well, I guess it will be faster than my ePods, but I don't see a need for it (and I happen to love tablets!). Then again, I pretty much don't want CE on anything larger than a phone.

It looks like the cursor doesn't move until the pen hits the lcd; maybe it's a touchscreen.

"A planet full of "...beautiful blond models, possibly descended from some sort of Maxim/FHM breeding program in the late 22nd century" and the picture attached to the article is three guys, a fully-dressed and partially obscured Tasha and the esteemed author? I feel gypped."

Don't be so greedy! Science Fiction and Fantasy is FULL of under-dressed females, and as a female who wouldnt go on any mission or hunt for any magical sword without protective attire, I get tired of it. This picture is fine, thank you.

I ran into the question of sanitizing them last night when I posted to my blog about Inveneo. According to what I read, it's not as easy a task as for a hard drive, because of the method used to write to the drives. It looks like the second-best thing to do to prevent unauthorized recovery is to encrypt sensitive data. If anyone has any better information, I'd love to know.