Speaking of laptops, I just stumbled across the coolest one I have ever seen! Some people obviously have way too much time on their hands, but you gotta admit this steampunked ZT1000 Hewlett-Packard laptop is a piece of art. Can you imagine pulling this out at the airport?!

I Googled the meaning of “Steampunk” (yeah, it’s a boring afternoon), and here’s what I found:

Enthusiasts sometimes call it “retro futurism.” You already know the aesthetic if you’re familiar with Jules Verne and H.G. Wells: high technology, viewed from a Victorian perspective. Gears. Brass. And, of course, steam power.

But steampunk is a relatively recent movement, rooted in a genre of fiction that began popping up in the Eighties and Nineties. Modders are an important part of the steampunk scene — artists and hobbyists who modify contemporary gadgets to take on the characteristic high tech/low tech look of a future as it might have been.

More pictures  … Continue Reading »

My laptop’s been acting pretty strange lately. I’ve been quite stubborn about not fixing it, hoping that it would magically solve itself … which, as we all know, is NEVER likely to end well. It’s quite embarrassing to admit, but I really am an internetaholic, and my laptop is my baby. Especially this one: it’s an HP Entertainment Pavillion - really really neat. So anywayyy … I noticed it started overheating a few months ago. I’m quite aware I’ve about killed the poor fans, but I was too lazy to bother. Now it has randomly started cutting itself off, which I’ve noticed mainly happens when the laptop gets crazy hot. I guess it’s some kind of survival instinct? Laptops are smart!

So last weekend, as I was gonna be driving to Greensboro anyway, I decided to make a quick stop at CompUSA. I absolutely hate that store, and I don’t know why I keep doing this to myself. This time I was greeted by Wayne Knight from Jurassic Park, wearing a security guard outfit. Seriously, if you go there, ask him for an autograph. I immediately noticed the giant signs all over the place, marked “SALE - SALE - EVERYTHING MUST GO - BUY ME - BUY MEEE”. I thought “That’s strange! Oh well, I could never keep up with all those sales dates.” And then it hit me that the store was actually shutting down, like, for good! Ah-hah! When a business shuts down, you always get the best clearance prices. So instead of looking for a solution to fix my HP Pavilion, I checked out the new laptops. The prices were nowhere near spectacular, but definitely reasonable. The only thing that bothered me was that all sales were final, and no returns were accepted. Everything did, however, come with a factory warranty. So after having walked through and through the entire store for about 2 hours, I ended up buying a Vaio. “Vaio” … I kind of hate that name. It sounds lame, don’t you think? Anyway, I had set my mind on getting a lighter laptop for a change, as the weight of my HP was starting to bother me a bit. So, good, I decided to buy it. The customer service was total shit, as usual. And as I walked out with my good deal, I thought “Hah-hah! You’re closing down and you deserve it!”

I unpacked the new laptop as soon as I got home, turned it on … and *bam* “type your password here”. What? What? WHAT password? I tried to play it smart and guess obvious ones like “compusa” or “admin”, but noooo, that would have been too easy. It’s like expensive electronics are just not meant to work right. EVER. So I called the store, nobody answered. I thought “okay, fair enough, it’s late, they’re probably closing.” I spent the entire next morning trying to get hold of them, just to get that stupid password. Who sells a password protected laptop anyway? Oh, I know! A store that’s closing down and doesn’t give a fuck. I called CompUSA’s main office, they checked and assured me the store in Greensboro, North Carolina, was still open and that they should definitely be answering during office hours. I tried again and again, no answer at all. Nice! So much for my good deal. I bought it on a Sunday, and there’s no way I had time to drive two hours and back during the week to physically go there and ask them for the damn password. So now I’m stuck with a laptop I can’t use.

I got soooo frustrated with it! I ended up calling my credit card company to charge back the payment. I told them if CompUSA wants to dispute the claim, they can just give the freaking password in their response. So yeah, thank you for screwing up my week CompUSA. It’s gonna take a few yoga sessions to get over this one. It also totally reminded me of:

Dave Chapelle Popcopy

Hahah! Not so far off.