Greg Hartnett

Much to my enjoyment, I received my new laptop this morning. As I am beginning the transition from a PC environment to a Mac environment, I downloaded the latest version of ecto a few minutes ago.

From a cursory glance, it looks even better than w.bloggar, my previous content publisher. I am looking forward to the rest of the surprises along the way.

Now that I have a feedreader for my RSS subscriptions, I have yet another application that gets slammed whenever I am away from my computer(s). I am only subscribed to a handful of feeds, 35 or so, and upon return from my absence, I am swamped with unread posts.

I came across a post Feedreaders Need a Vacation Feature - seems others feel the same way I do. Lightbulb moment??

The beauty of the digital camera. We took a hundred or so pictures, but I have chosen the following as representative of the whole. It was a good time…

Apple claims that the PowerBook G4 tops the power laptop category. With superior graphics, the new SuperDrive, and a handsome 1-inch thin (only 6.9 pounds) casing, the PowerBook G4 sets the standard for power computing on the go.

Luckily, I will be able to pet one to the test. I finally bit the bullet yesterday, and oredered my very own. Though she comes at a lofty price, I am anxious to see how the Apple performs, and eagerly anticipate leaving my days of Windows behind me. Thus far, I am very pleased. I ordered it yesterday directly through Apple, and received notiication of shipment earlier this morning. With any luck, it will be here for me Monday morning. Let the fun begin!

Returning from an almost-three-week leave from the office, I feel excited to return to the daily routine. Though it is nice to get away, recharge the batteries, and spend quality time with my family, I find myself longing for the calm of the routine. My kids will benefit from being home, as their sleep schedules have gone haywire.

Luckily, I am fortunate enough to be one of those people that loves to work. I should qualify that by saying that I love to work for myself - I was never much of a company guy when I was working for the man, but now that I am the man, it is an entirely different story. I find that I can be working for twelve, fourteen, or even sixteen hour days at the blink of an eye.

Now that I am back, batteries fully recharged, I plan on making up for some lost time. I am sure that my email will take a day or two to go through, some fires will need looking into, and people will definitely need direction. Thank goodness I have great people “doing the needful”…

Even though I currently reside in the fine state of New York (where I was born and raised), I guess the old saying is true. Now tha I find myself in San Francisco for the first time in 18 months, I feel right back at home. It is nice to see the freaks on Haight, the fog over the hills, the sun downtown, and a plethora of peace-loving Americans.

I missed you San Francisco…

On the day of my 35th birthday, I sit in San Jose getting ready for the third day of the Search Engine Strategies conference hosted by Search Engine Watch. Last nite, we were all lucky enough to be invited to the Googleplex for the annual Google Dance. It was pretty cool - I almost felt like Charlie from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. However, I did not see any umpa-loompas. Maybe they were in the data storage area tweaking that algorithm…

Today, after some networking and palm pumping, I plan on spending a nice evening with my wife, followed up with a bash at Lounge 8 hosted by WebmasterRadio - good times.

Looks like I am going to have to adjust my personal budget a bit. Beginning early next year, I will need to allocate an additional $10/month to the Howard Stern fund. In Demand Networks announced today that they will be airing uncensored Howard early next year, with cameras beginning to capture footage ASAP. As it stands, with my pending Sirius subscription, and the now-pending In Denamd subscription, I am into Stern Inc. for approximately $250 per anum. Money well spent - I love you Howard. Don’t lose your damn mind Artie.

I came across this flash movie today while searching for new sources of media. The flash is “Let Them Eat War”, put together by a guy named “Stranger”, and featuring music by Bad Religion.

The movie may be disturbing for some - Let Them Eat War

I also found a new site out of it - Take Back the Media

Not really a delight - just an opportune time to quote Ron Burgundy. I have no idea why, but my Inspiron 9100 runs with the jets kicking all day long. Approximately a dozen or so times a day it really gets going and sounds as if she were a plane getting ready to come in for a landing (maybe I am stretching it a bit) - volume level not quite that of a landing jet, but the same overall sensation. The engine thrusting forward a bit, then gently easing off as it comes in smoothly.

I was hoping that by now I would have my phat PowerBook G4, but we decided to make a small hardware purchase for an employee, and wait a quarter for new laptops for the bosses. For the time being, I am having Boy Wonder save the contents of my current aptop, and wipe her clean. Maybe that will keep the decibel level a notch or two lower.