TechOnABudget: Tech Geeks on a Budget Lifestyle

Check out the Oct. 27 issue of the TV Guide U.S. Edition. There is a Redeem code for a free iTunes download of the “30 Rock” 3rd season premiere episode.

I bought MacJournal as part of the recent MacUpdates Bundle and started playing with it over the past weekend. One of the features that interested me the most about MacJournal is its ability to post a journal entry to a variety of blog types. I just went through the simple MacJournal blog entry configuration wizard. This entry was created to test the actual blog posting process. If it works, this $34.95 application will impress me more than it already has.

I spent a chunk of the weekend looking for a reasonably priced desktop PC to replace the eMachine T6420 that died last week (probably a system board level problem). I was all set to buy a Dell Inspiron 530 desktop for a bit over $500 until I saw the shipping cost. For some reason, Dell.com insisted that the only shipping option available was overnight for $109. Paying 20+% of the system’s cost for shipping didn’t sit well with me. So, I emptied the cart and started looking again.

Then, I noticed a paper mailing from Costco about items on Costco.com and noticed that they had a bunch of desktops including the Dell 530 model I abandoned on Dell.com. It turns out that Costco’s one-size fits all configuration was much better than the $500 config I had earlier. For $599, Costco.com delivers 4GB RAM, 500GB HD, media card reader, USB speakers with a 2 year warranty that includes onsite service. My configuation over at Dell for $499 just had 2GB RAM, 250GB HD, no card reader, no speakers, and a 1 year warranty (no home service). And, Costco.com’s shipping cost? $19.99. So I’m getting much much better specs and warranty for $620 from Costco compared to the $610 I would have paid by buying directly from Dell.com. Both configurations include a Core 2 Quad 6600 processor, btw.

Sure, it will be weeks before I see the PC from Costco.com vs. a few days from Dell. But, that is ok.

My eMachines T6420 died about 10 days ago. Looks like a system board problem and, quite frankly, not worth the cost and effort of replacing an out-of-warranty motherboard. So, I’m in the market for a low-cost desktop PC to replace it. Consumer Reports (Sept. 2008 issue) has a bunch of computer picks in various categories. The three listed in the Budget category are the Gateway GT5670, Dell 530S, and eMachines T5254 (FYI, eMachines was bought by Gateway which in turn was bought by Acer). I have a real problem with them recommending any eMachines model. And, here’s why. I’ve bought five (5) eMachines desktop PCs since 2002. They were the clear price leader with what seemed like decent components in them (for the price). The problem is that I’ve had major component failures in four of the five in that time period. Moreover, these were the kind of failures that I have not seen in PCs from other manufacturers in the same time period.

For example, the photo above is a section of the motherboard of a eMachines T1840. It quite literally fried. Capacitors all over the motherboard erupted and look like the cluster pictured above. I tried to contact eMachines to say: Hey, I know my PC is out of warranty. I am not asking for repairs. But, you should be aware that you may have a safety issue should this model go up in flames. All I received back was a form email pointing me to their replacement parts ordering page. I have never seen any other motherboard in a PC purchased during this same period have this kind of problem. I’ve also had three (3) CD or DVD drives fail in various eMachines PCs. And, I think I’ve had memory DIMMs go back in three of five eMachines PCs too. I have not seen this kind of problem in the various Dell PCs I’ve bought and used over the same time period. On the other hand, all three of my Dell Latitude notebooks have required motherboard replacement during their three year warranty period.

So, my objection to the Consumer Reports pick of the eMachines T5424 has nothing to do with its specs or price. However, after a series of component failures (including the spectacular capacitor flameout in the T1840), I know I’m not going to purchase another eMachines PC.

If you enjoy superhero comic books and get a kick out of The Simpsons TV show, head over to the blog…

Springfield Punx

…right now.

If you’re a tech geek, you probably think about ways to use tech gadgets for everything including your kids’ pets. Here’s how I use an infrared thermometer to check if the outdoor temperature where my daughter’s pet rabbit spends the day is cool enough to be safe for him.

I never got around to buying the 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd generation Asus Eee PC mini-notebook. Now, I’ve got a new project starting up. And, I want a mini-notebook to haul around with me so I can truly work anywhere without lugging a lot of stuff. My Macbook is great. But it is 5 pounds and really wide with is 13.3″ widescreen (I hate those widescreens that sacrifice pixel height, btw). So, I the last day considering the Asus Eee PC 900 and 1000 series devices (both Linux and Windows XP based models). I briefly considered the HP 2133 Mini-note since Costco.com sells the Suse Linux version for $499.99. Costco.com surprisingly also carries two Asus Eee PC models. But, the HP’s poor battery life, sluggish performance (compared to the Eee PCs), reported WiFi issues with the Linux version scared me off of it (again). So, I’m now considering the Acer Aspire One which clocks in at $379.99 at Amazon (I’m checking around for better prices/deals).

I’m trying to download the ISO for the Linpus Linux Lite that runs on the Acer Aspire One to get a feel for it. But, the estimated download time is showing as another 15 hours. So, I may not waste the electricity to download the 674MB ISO file.

I don’t watch MTV (does anyone???). So, I didn’t realize that the well thought-of Invincible super-hero comic book is series on MTV now.

Invincible: Episode 1

It is NOT an animated show as far as I can tell. Comic book panels are shown on the screen and actors provide a dramatic reading of the dialog with speech bubbles being displayed as the actors voice the dialog. iTunes has a 18 minute behind-the-scenes available this week as a free download. You can find a slightly lower-res stream at the MTV link above.

I don’t recall reading the comic book myself. But, I think it may be a PG-13 type storyline.

The series website is found at: InvincibleSeries.com

This is kind of interesting. I ordered something online the other day. UPS processed the package first and then handed it off to the US Postal Service (USPS). I knew that UPS actually handled orders for a number of firms in the sense that they actually handle inventory in addition to shipping. But, this is the first time I’ve seen a packaged handed off from UPS to USPS for the final delivery.

One of the many things I found, while cleaning and reorganizing my home office for the past couple of weeks, was an unused $25 Borders gift card. These things used to be great up until a few months ago because they could be used to purchase items from Borders.com at Amazon.com prices when Borders used Amazon as their sales conduit.

I decided to purchase a couple of things through Borders.com because I had the gift card and a $5 coupon specifically for Borders.com (seen above). So, I tried to apply the coupon before applying my gift card. The problem is that when I did that Borders.com told me Better discount already applied and ignored the coupon code. Although Borders’ prices are higher than Amazon’s across the board, they do discount items below retail prices. Apparently, this coupon only applies to items that are sold at retail prices. In other words, it is essentially useless and worthless. So, I just used my gift card. Since Amazon offers better prices for every item I compared, this will be the first and last time I order from Borders.com.

They were better off being associated with Amazon for web sales, IMHO.