E-E-E

Oh, honey, he's teasing you. Nobody has two television sets.

I haven't talked much here about my upcoming trip to Europe with my friends, but believe me, it is still going to happen. I've been making arrangements bit by bit. I've bought a plane ticket and a train ticket already. But since I'm going to be gone for over two months, I felt that there should be something more.

I've decided to keep my job while I'm on vacation. I'm a webmaster here at school. I also happen to blog as a hobby. ("Really?") I also like to take pictures with my digital camera... do you see where this is going?

I need a laptop.

I do have a laptop. I've been using my Dell Inspiron E1505N since I got it almost two years ago. But it's big and heavy. It has all personal information on it, so I'd hate for it to get lost in a foreign country. It was kind of expensive, so I wouldn't want to have to replace it. It's also fragile; I've come close to breaking it while carrying it around.

So, for my trip, I'd need a laptop that's the opposite of all that—one that's small, light, ad hoc, cheap, and sturdy. Fortunately, the market has answered. I am speaking, of course, of that newly popular class of PCs, the netbook.

Since Andy and I will be traveling as a duo for much of the time, we talked about the possibility of buying a netbook together, sharing it during the trip, and selling it after we get back. I did a bit of research and found a barely used one in my immediate area for $250. It had basically everything I wanted: a low-capacity solid-state drive, a Linux-based operating system, good battery life, and of course, small size. It's an ASUS Eee PC 4G, and today, it is mine ours. Craigslist does it again!

Apparently, the woman selling it got it as a gift and didn't want it because she already has a laptop. I can sympathize. I had a hard time convincing myself that I should buy a second laptop, even a cheap one that I would only have for a short time. I figured it would be tantamount to declaring my two-year-old laptop obsolete, and that computer cost too much for me to take it out of service so early.

After using the Eee PC, I've set aside those concerns. The netbook is for casual use only. The 800x480 screen is almost too small for web browsing, and the keyboard is almost too small for typing. (In fact, I haven't switched the layout to Dvorak because I need my fingers to move around more!) It's not the most pleasant experience, but you can manage in a pinch. And dang if it isn't convenient.

So, during our 68-day pinch, it should get the job done just fine. It'll be much better than not blogging, not being able to take lots of photos, and not making money. Now, I'll just have to show it to Andy and see what he thinks. I'm pretty sure he'll like it. Also, he owes me $125.

Here's a fun mashup for your listening and viewing pleasure: Mother of All Funk Chords. (Via Lessig Blog)

Recently, an old portrait that might be of Shakespeare has come to light. If it's actually of him, it would change the little that we know about his life. But those of you who like a little mystery in your Elizabethan poet-playwrights need not be concerned because we'll probably never know one way or the other.