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doubtingtom · Oct 11, 2003, 08:06 AM

Since I've just dropped all this hard earned money on a new powerbook and have had so much time to think about what to do with it (I am awaiting its arrival in Japan) I began to wonder if it was worth it.

Do I really need that 1ghz G4 to do the things I do on a computer? That got me thinking, with 900mhz iBooks to Dual G5s, what are we doing with all this computing power? So I want to know what the ONE coolest or most creative thing you use your powerbook for. There are obvious things to use a computer for like budgeting and word processing, and if that is the absolute coolest thing you do, then share that, but I am hoping to get ideas of just how to max out my new purchase.

My one thing:

1. Publishing a weblog because I secretly want to be a humor writer like David Sedaris or Dave Barry. Too bad my name doesn't start with a D.

Blackstealth · Oct 11, 2003, 08:28 AM

When it arrives (next week with any luck) I'll primarily be using my 15" to work in Director and Final Cut when I'm away from the office.

fat mac moron · Oct 11, 2003, 08:34 AM

Originally posted by doubtingtom:
Since I've just dropped all this hard earned money on a new powerbook and have had so much time to think about what to do with it (I am awaiting its arrival in Japan) I began to wonder if it was worth it.

Do I really need that 1ghz G4 to do the things I do on a computer? That got me thinking, with 900mhz iBooks to Dual G5s, what are we doing with all this computing power? So I want to know what the ONE coolest or most creative thing you use your computer for. There are obvious things to use a computer for like budgeting and word processing, and if that is the absolute coolest thing you do, then share that, but I am hoping to get ideas of just how to max out my new purchase.

My one thing:

1. Publishing a weblog because I secretly want to be a humor writer like David Sedaris or Dave Barry. Too bad my name doesn't start with a D.

Start digging into iMovie & iPhoto... I bought my Mac originally just to get away from Microsoft but after playing around with those 2 applications I was hooked!

I ended up buying a Sony F717 digital camera in August, which I've used to shoot over 1gig of photos with (and those were just the SAVED photos! I delete far more than I keep). I *just* recently started working with iMovie and I've sorta hit a glass ceiling so I'll probably upgrade to Final Cut Express + Soundtrack (using gov discount). I've made a few DVDs with iMovie/iTunes/iDVD of some vacations I recently took... Um, I maintain a web site and having access to PHP + MySQL locally on my Mac certainly helps with its development. I'm currently working on another movie, importing clips and establishing a timeline... Still need to work on the music though. I'm also in the middle of writing a "white paper" on the Mac's computing environment...

As far as the computing power... Yeah, exporting a 4 minute 3ivx encoded QuickTime movie still takes me 10 minutes or so. Working with 2540 x 1720 2 to 4 meg pictures comsumes a lot of processing power too...

macndave · Oct 11, 2003, 08:57 AM

Originally posted by doubtingtom:
So I want to know what the ONE coolest or most creative thing you use your powerbook for. There are obvious things to use a computer for like budgeting and word processing, and if that is the absolute coolest thing you do, then share that, but I am hoping to get ideas of just how to max out my new purchase.

As you would expect, this is a very subjective topic, but I will share the two coolest things I've done on my PowerBook.

1. Before my Mother passed away this year, I spent time with her cataloging and scanning pictures of her, my family and her friends from over a 70 year period. I interviewed her to find out more about her life, made a couple movies interweaving pictures and video. Then made a DVD. Unfortunately, she did live to see the end results, but it was great spending time, talking in detail with my mother. I don't think I would have ever known that she had played on a semi-professional black women's baseball team (she was a catcher).

2. My best friend and her husband had their first child last year. So, I've been working on a project of pictures, audio captures of her crying, laughing, baby talk, videos and the such. I plan to make a DVD for her first birthday, then hopefully, something similar for the next few years. It will be a timeline archive of sorts of her childhood.

I know there a many mac users doing VERY cool things with their macs (software development, film editting, sound production, grant proposals, writing news articles, creating websites, you name it - if it is a form of communication, it is being done by someone, somewhere on a Mac. But the two projects above have been the most connected I've been to my PowerBook on an emotional, communicative sense...and that is cool to me.

Agent69 · Oct 11, 2003, 10:21 AM

Porn, dude. Porn.

LfGrdMike · 10:37 AM

I work on my web site on fish keeping, which will be up soon. I have used the PHP and MySQL open source technology. Layout is done in CSS 2 because CSS 3 will be out soon. I have used XHTML for structure on the pages. I have implemented a form system to add, and edit, (and soon to delete data) from the MySQL database. I have implemented a very advanced fish profiles system. It searches fish by genus, region, classification, and common name. I am also working on a very nice gallery. I have read many books on web design, and I think I am pretty damn good at it for a college student.

I have learned to take pictures of my tank without them coming out crappy. I turn all the lights out in the room except for the aquarium light. It has to be during the night time for pure darkness. Then I turn off the flash, and the pictures come out very nicely. My camera should be listed in my signature. I am very pleased with it. Also iPhoto does a good job organizing them for me. I have also implemented a PHPBB forum in my web site. Its been a project I have been working on for a year. Now I can work on it from my powerbook over my LAN. and thats great because i can just sit on my bed and work on it now. Unfortunately because of all the homework exce-tera I am not able to work on it as much as i would like too. However, my studies are more important.

I love my music! So I got an iPod below, and use iTunes extensively. The new music store is awesome, and you should definitely give that a whirl. Like others have said you can do anything on a mac, but you can do it better!

I use BBEdit for creating my web sites www.barebones.com version 6.5

I use Microsoft Office a lot especially Word

I also got photoshop. and use it occasionally.

Next thing coming is Mac OS X Panther, and soon TechTool Pro 4.

iApps I use are: iTunes and iPhoto

I use Safari as my default browser.

Apple Mail is what i use for email. I stopped using entourage awhile ago.

hazelnutcoffeeg · Oct 11, 2003, 10:35 AM

i'm a switcher awaiting the arrival of potential.

after fooling around with them in the store and seeing iphoto and idvd, oh and the backlit keyboard, i was hooked.

i plan on using it to write.

i hope to use it to learn how to build websites.

i bought it because it seemed so much more conducive (sp?) to being creative in general.

i've been looking at the little emac to get my mom into technology too. she hates the bulk of PC's. i think she'd hate windows too. i want to get her a mac so she can design her quilts on it, scan in pics of the finished products, and archive her work. i think the mac would be so much easier for her.

LfGrdMike · Oct 11, 2003, 10:38 AM

Macs are the best platform to be creative in all areas on. I could never create a web site on a PC that would be no fun. Im serious lol I dont know why. Well cause PCs suck hehe.

I mean BBEdit is the best program EVER. Like the slogan says "It doesn't sucks" and thats the truth. Not to mention all those free apps you get on macs. Macs just are the best and always will be.

LfGrdMike · Oct 11, 2003, 10:40 AM

Plus there are great open source projects I already listed ones I use.

You can find installers on versiontracker, but you need to install apple dev tools

www.php.net
www.mysql.com

A LOT more too these are just the ones I use.

ngrundy · Oct 11, 2003, 01:12 PM

Depends on what you do but some of the different thing's I do on my laptop include

- graphics touchup and webpage design images into usable templates

- write backend scripts in php and perl for automating system admin stuffs

- my uni assignments for comp sci, including php, mysql, perl, c, java, word processed assignments, shell scripting.

- wireless network setups

Some of the places my laptop has been.
- The top of mt wellington at 10pm at night looking for wireless networks over hobart, tasmania
http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/h...cfm?SiteID=405
http://www.tasmaniasouth.com/hobart/mountain.html

- up a 80ft mast on the top of Guy Fauwks testing wireless links

- many a house roof

- sitting at the end of Oppossum Bay with a dish pointing 10km over the Derwent River to kingston surfing the internet and listening to MP3's over an 11meg wireless link

Do i use all the cpu power, some times i do, some times i don't really depends.

RooneyX · Oct 11, 2003, 01:34 PM

I'm a screenwriter. No other details for you.

CobraNT · Oct 11, 2003, 01:57 PM

1) Design web / e-commerce sites.
2) Design & layout magazine ads for High Performance Automotive magazines.
3) Surf Macnn.com
4) Reply to posts about what I do with my PB

Super Glitcher · Oct 11, 2003, 05:07 PM

Waste lots of time posting messages on macnn

iomatic · Oct 11, 2003, 05:41 PM

Slightly ot:

How do you utilize PHP and MySQL on a laptop, and automate it such that you're not just copying databases over (or do you? how?) from your PowerBook over to a server environment? Permissions issues?

Thoughts? ideas? Post in a new laptop/server development thread? Thanks!

Originally posted by fat mac moron:
Start digging into iMovie & iPhoto... I bought my Mac originally just to get away from Microsoft but after playing around with those 2 applications I was hooked! I ended up buying a Sony F717 digital camera in August, which I've used to shoot over 1gig of photos with (and those were just the SAVED photos! I delete far more than I keep). I *just* recently started working with iMovie and I've sorta hit a glass ceiling so I'll probably upgrade to Final Cut Express + Soundtrack (using gov discount). I've made a few DVDs with iMovie/iTunes/iDVD of some vacations I recently took... Um, I maintain a web site and having access to PHP + MySQL locally on my Mac certainly helps with its development. I'm currently working on another movie, importing clips and establishing a timeline... Still need to work on the music though. I'm also in the middle of writing a "white paper" on the Mac's computing environment...

As far as the computing power... Yeah, exporting a 4 minute 3ivx encoded QuickTime movie still takes me 10 minutes or so. Working with 2540 x 1720 2 to 4 meg pictures comsumes a lot of processing power too...

voyageur · Oct 11, 2003, 05:59 PM

I've taken to travelling with my 12" PB and digital camera. I can download my travel pix and view, sort and identify them immediately, rather than wait till I get home after two weeks (and forget what they were about).

I have an iPhoto slide show ready to show folks as soon as I return, while it's fresh in my memory.

fat mac moron · Oct 11, 2003, 06:00 PM

Originally posted by iomatic:
Slightly ot:

How do you utilize PHP and MySQL on a laptop, and automate it such that you're not just copying databases over (or do you? how?) from your PowerBook over to a server environment? Permissions issues?

Thoughts? ideas? Post in a new laptop/server development thread? Thanks!

I'm a lite MySQL user, but in my case I set up the database on my laptop, built the php pages to access the database & futzed around with it until I got it working properly. Then I just did a database dump and uploaded it to my web server and imported the SQL dump. I'm *SURE* there are easier ways, but it was a pretty simple project and I would've spent more time working at the problem than working on the solution.

jetta_gt · Oct 11, 2003, 10:14 PM

I use my iBook for about 8 hours a day to develop PHP/mySQL applications. I actually run the mySQL DB on the iBook, this way I can develop apps without a web connection. I know this is a powerbook thread, but people were asking about mySQL, so there ya go!

The first basic content management system that I built on my iBook can be seen at:

cloudcitydigital.com/selfaware

I am rehualing the whole system to be object oriented and modular, Version 2 should be done sometime in January.

s0litude · Oct 12, 2003, 01:14 AM

I use the FORMAC Studio TVR as a TIVO, saving TV shows to my Powerbook so that a) I can watch them later, or b) make dvds for myself or to let other people borrow in case we miss the show.

Also, I use it for organizing my music and video games.

cobra27 · Oct 12, 2003, 02:42 AM

Originally posted by Agent69:
Porn, dude. Porn.

Ya, we all have that one time or another....but WHAT is the coolest thing you did with it? Now that is the question.

beijinger · Oct 12, 2003, 02:47 AM

Though as an investment banker I am only creative in putting deals together and do "financial" engineering, but Macs with OS X just makes emails, surfing, powerpoint and every other mundane and daily chore that much easier and enjoyable. Yes, I have an ipod and use itunes and iphoto and idvd too, but ultimately, you don't have to do any fancy "creative" graphics or video stuff to just enjoy the neat humanized operating system here.

aapljack · Oct 12, 2003, 04:02 AM

Wardriving! I have never been able to do it before. I had my laptop on on my way home from work with Macstumbler running to see how many wireless networks I could pick up. I found about 10 and about 7 of them were wide open. I pulled over and checked my e-mail at one point. Kinda cool!

-b

YoungTurk · Oct 12, 2003, 08:09 AM

Apple said it all in a feature they did on me:

Trial by Firewire:

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/article.../02/zavaletta/

stevesnj · Oct 12, 2003, 10:31 AM

Check this out what these guys are doing with their Macs...page 2 especially

http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/20073.html

doubtingtom · Oct 13, 2003, 07:23 AM

Yeah, I always read the pro articles, though they are usually using some pretty impressive hardware (either Apple, or third party add ons).

Funny, Apple doesn't feature the 12 inch iBook in these stories

Or better yet, someone using an old Blue and White G3... everyone seems to have the latest and greatest...

Spheric Harlot · Oct 13, 2003, 08:10 AM

music on a 12" Powerbook.

A 867Mhz G4 is just *barely* enough.

-s*

variable06 · Oct 13, 2003, 08:23 AM

Music as well, on my 12 inch...Word for writing lyrics, and Pro Tools and Soundtrack for mixing and editing.

Jason

baglunch · Oct 13, 2003, 12:10 PM

17" rev a albook

I use it daily for:

video editing
motion graphics
website development/updates
image rendering

I've used it to collaborate with other people on various projects where being able to have your work with you really made a big differece. I've also used it during an event i hosted where i did a quick garbage edit of the footage from the day's activities so that everyone was able to preview the festivities at the end of the day.