Arranged Delirium

One of the most frustrating and frequent technical dilemmas I face regularly involves printing. Any kind of printing. Images, syllabi, assignment sheets, reimbursement forms - you name it, I’ve got problems printing it. Laser or inkjet, I’ve got problems with it.

Now, something that concerns me, is that I’m actually (believe it or not) fairly technically inclined. So, I can find my way out of most of these problems (although admittedly it annoys me greatly since its typically 5 minutes before class). But I’ve had a number of students complaining of their own printing issues as well, so I offer up this decent article from MacWorld that does a nice job of sorting through some common printing problems. My own issues tend to come from driver problems which Apple has tended to address via system software updates, but I think I’ve probably faced each of the examples in the article at least once.

BTW, I also have difficulty photocopying…

Although I’ve been slow to report it, Apple also released several updates to their product line this week while the Technorati were also caught up in the release of Windows 7. Specifically, they refreshed the iMac, Mini, and Macbooks. They also introduced the new Magic Mouse. Of particular note is the 27” screen on the larger iMacs (the low end is now 21.5”) and the power/price point of the Macbook. $999 is very good for what you get.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve abandoned broadcast television via cable or dish for distribution via Internet. I’m doing this primarily through streaming Netflix and AppleTV. But because of Hulu contributors, their fight with Boxee, and their archaic position that folks shouldn’t watch TV on their TV’s, it’s somewhat difficult to access a limited number of shows.

The solution? A $69 cable from Kanex - simply display your web content on your TV. This had been a bit difficult with Apple’s implementation of the MiniDisplayPort - there were adaptors to HDMI and audio but you needed separate cabling. This resolves all that and puts it into one tandem cable. Not as convenient as simply viewing Hulu content via Boxee, but it does the trick…

As I await the introduction of the Apple tablet I’ve been reading a bit about some of the rumors. This article lists a few common perceptions and the subsequent comments make for interesting reading about how folks might use the product. I never cease to be amazed at how so many make the common fallacy of assuming that everyone will use a tool in exactly the same way…

If you’ve been reading Arranged Delirium for a while, you know I’m a fan of Bento for personal database use. They’ve got an iPhone/Touch app out now and Apptell Review. I’m going to go pick it up now and give it a try…