Have you thought about tethering to your phone?

My boss likes his Verizon 4G thing that is built into his PC laptop, but my Macbook doesn't have anything like that built in. I researched external devices (USB) for a little bit before deciding they all sucked.

I got tethering added to my cell phone account and it's really useful every once in a while.

I assume you are referring to the CFL bulb, the compact fluorescent light bulb.

There is so much energy lost to the production of waste heat (over 90%) in a glowing filament bulb that the amount that goes into producing light is usually rated at less than 5% (it is in the 2-3% range for a standard 100w light bulb).

Just touching a standard bulb when it is on (be careful of getting burned) and a compact fluorescent bulb that is running should convince you of the efficiency difference.

The fluorescent light bulb is not new and the technology well understood. True that the compact models are a scaled down representation, but the professed life of the bulb should be fairly accurate. The life of any bulb is not usually stated as a time period of constant use but of a certain number of hours per day. Filament bulbs are rated to an expected number of total hours and recognizing the number of on/off cycles can put extra stress on the overall life of the glowing filament.

The technology is ever changing and improving. The emitted light spectra is becoming more complete, life length improving, and the route for ease in proper recycling of these bulbs is getting better.

The move to the next technology, light emitting diodes and eventually LED flexible panels and who knows what else will come quite quickly over the next few decades as design and lower cost in manufacturing evolves.

Don't worry about the OS. It's RAM, GHz and drive capacity that should concern you and everything else will fall into place. Get as much as you can afford because newer OS's require more and more RAM and GHz. And as you might have seen with Vista, a lot more that is supposedly minimally required.

Also, unless you need a server, start thinking about replacing the desktop with a laptop. True, Dell has come up with the monitor and keyboard only type of computer that the Mac has done for several years now (and not having that big box is really, really nice!), but I think most forecasters think the desktop is on its way out. Laptops, tablets, etc. are the future. And most importantly, they require much less space and have more easily mobile.

And I apologize for the hardware advice.

Does a 92 cd-ROM drive have gold in it?

I have a WP7 phone. Works for me. Sometimes the route calculation is a little slower than on an iPhone (that might be my service with T-mo), but otherwise, it's pretty solid. It also has a hands-free option, where, once you select your route, you can hit Start, and it'll read the directions aloud to you and re-orient your map each time you get to a turn. Bing Scout can be useful, too -- when you're looking at a map, if you hit it, you can look at local restaurants, bars, cultural stuff, etc. I'm not sure how complete their listings are, but it can come in handy.

I've had a WP7 phone for almost a year now, and I am surprised at how much I love it. To be fair, I had an early-model Android before, and have only occasionally used friends' iPhones. I LOVE the integration with the calendar and my myriad accounts (including work email), and really, really love that it shows me my next appointment and location on my home screen without having to log in. I also use Zune, and that's been pretty seamless too. The Office integration is pretty sweet, too, though I really only use the OneNote feature.

If there's anything I wish they would splurge on, it's a really great camera. My camera sucks (both hardware and software), and I am not holding out hope that the next phone I get will be any better.

Important disclaimer: I do work for MSFT, but my feedback is based on my experience with WP7 and other phones. I have colleagues who are Mac geeks, and swear by their iPhones, so each to their own.

To answer your general question: no, there is no need to wait for Windows 8.

Nobody knows if it is going to suck or not, but my money is on it sucking (a la Vista). I am a fan of Windows 7.

Your current computer that runs XP probably won't run Windows 7 (or 8) very nicely, if at all, so if you want to upgrade, you're probably replacing your whole computer (which is good).

I'd buy a Dell. They make fine PCs and their support doesn't suck too badly. I bought my mom one.

I'm not a pc person , but windows is an operating system, they're not physically changing the machines that run it for windows 8 right? If you get a computer now you can upgrade to windows 8 layer if you want to ( but of course you'd have to pay to upgrade). I'd assume the upgrade would be cheaper than buying windows 8 flat out, but I don't know if it's a huge discount since I haven't had a pc since 98 so hopefully you'll get some pc users chiming in

Are there any programs you use that might have some issues with a new OS? I know that Photoshop OS notoriously buggy with new OS and usually requires some fixes when jumping up ( I usually wait 6 months when Mac releases a new OS to make sure they've fixes everything since it's the main program I use). If you're just using word processing you shouldn't have any problem since those are microsoft programs anyway

Have you looked at 8 online? Are there aspects of the program you're itching to have? If that's the case you may wanna wait a tad. If you don't really care either way then buy now and maybe upgrade later. The main thing is to make sure they're not making programs you use on a daily basis harder to use or obsolete and you're not traipsing all over the Internet looking for new drivers for printers and scanners and updates for all your programs. If you have hardware that needs drivers check out their sites and see if they've listed when things will be available or if they're already windows 8 ready. ( this may be less of an issue for pcs since most desktop equip is pc ready and fights more with macs but it's still worth looking into if your printer is several years old since they tend to get new drivers out for the newer models first. )

Huh, what an interesting question. I wonder if you zoom out a little bit an look at it region-wide if the pattern comes through clearer.

Left side of the dial:

88.5 KPLU Tacoma (NPR / Pacific Lutheran Univ)
89.3 KUGS Bellingham (Western Washington Univ)
89.3 KAOS Olympia (Evergreen State College)
89.5 KNHC Seattle (Nathan Hale High School)
89.7 KWFJ Roy, WA (Bible Broadcasting Network)
89.9 KGRG Auburn (Green River Comm. College)
89.9 KGHP Gig Harbor (Peninsula High School)
90.1 KMWS Mt. Vernon (Washington State Univ)
90.1 KUPS Tacoma (University of Puget Sound)
90.3 KEXP Seattle (Univ of Washington / EMP)
90.3 KUOW Bellingham (KUOW relay for Bham/Van. BC)
90.9 KVTI Tacoma (Clover Park Tech College)
91.3 KCED Centralia (Centralia College)
91.3 KBCS Bellevue (Bellevue COllege - aka BCC)
91.7 KXOT Tacoma (Univ of Washington)
91.7 KZAZ Bellingham (Washington State Uni)

Middle of the dial:

92.5 KQMV Bellevue (Top 40)
92.9 KISM Bellingham (Classic rock)
93.3 KUBE Seattle (Hip Hop)
94.1 KMPS Seattle (Top 40 Country)
94.5 KRXY Shelton ("Hot Adult Contemporary)
95.7 KJAQ Seattle ("Adult Hits")
97.3 KIRO Seattle (News Talk)
97.7 KOMO Seattle (News Talk)
98.1 KING Seattle (Classical)
99.9 KISW Seattle (Rock)

Right side of the dial:

100.7 KKWF Seattle (Country)
101.5 KPLZ Seattle (Mix)
102.5 KZOK Seattle (Classic Rock)
103.7 KMTT Seattle (Adult Alternative)
104.1 KAFE Bellingham (Soft rock)
105.3 KCMS Edmonds (Contemporary Christian)
106.1 KBKS Seattle (Top 40)
107.7 KNDD Seattle (Alternative Rock)

I'd say that as a region, it looks like Western Washington follows the pattern generally, at least on the left and middle. The community, non-profit and college stations tend to be in the low end, and the top 40 in the middle. I don't know if you can make a conclusive statement about the right side of the dial here though.

It's interesting to note however that KUOW 94.9 appears to be the only exception to the rule, a public station in "top 40" territory in the middle of the dial.

88-92 Mhz is reserved for non-commercial radio, which is why college radio is generally down there. As for the rest of the frequencies being loosely arranged by genre, I think that's just a coincidence based on your personal experience (for which Seattle did not hold). I've never noticed that pattern before.

The frequencies in the middle are the most sought after/desirable as you have to cross over them to get from one side of the dial to another. Those frequencies are the most expensive to buy and so are used by companies that are maximizing listener numbers through what is often Top 40 format.

I used to "volunteer" for WBAI in New York at 99.5. They suposedly have a standing offer for the frequency that is, I am told, in the millions of dollars. But they ain't selling.

The frequencies at the ends of the dials are the cheapest to buy and own and so are usually populated with religous, non-profit, classical, etc formats.

SPU is quite open about the water quality in Seattle. Check out:
http://www.seattle.gov/util/About_SPU/Water_System/Water_Quality/index.asp

Irrational fears, by definition, run against accepted facts and reasonable judgement. Mentioning this one particular pathogen as a focus appears to keep you out of being considered generally mysophobic (fear of germs, pathogens).

You know how incredibly remote the possibility of finding this organism is in any functional public water system in this country. Even, if present, you are not at risk of a CNS infection by drinking contaminated water. The organism has to be introduced to the sinus cavity where it can enter through the olfactory nerve. As a general rule (for all possible pathogens), if you wanted to regularly irrigate your sinuses using a neti pot or similar device it would be wise to use distilled or otherwise sterilized water to make your solution.

I grew up in Florida where the lakes are warm in the summer and the incidence of death from this organism was extremely rare. When it did become more known (through a few deaths) the solution was to wear nose clips and stay out of shallow very warm and mucky bottom areas.

The best resource to read is from the Center for Disease Control:
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/faqs.html

I'm not a microbiologist or a water treatment expert, but I know that Seattle's water comes from the Chester Morse Reservoir on the Cedar River and the Tolt River Watershed. Both of which are high up in the Cascades, and cold has hell. A quick reading of wikipedia on Naegleria fowleri  tells me that it is "typically found in warm bodies of fresh water," which I can assure you, the mountain reservoirs where Seattle draws its water from are far from "warm." 

I believe this is the same bug I've heard about that has caused two deaths in Louisiana from people using Neti Pots and inserting the water with the amoeba into their nasal passages, where it has made it's way into their brain and caused their death. As tragic as those deaths are, it's really not something you need to worry about here. The swamps of Louisiana are warm, the Tolt & Ceder Rivers where your water comes from are ice cold. 

If you're planning on using a neti pot, it's a good idea to go ahead and boil the water before you put it up your nose. But the risk of a warm water parasite surviving in our ice cold mountain snowmelt water is probably on par with getting hit by an asteroid while winning the lottery. It's just too cold in them thar hills. 

When I was a kid we used to swim in the Tolt River all the time in the summer, downstream of where the City takes the water out, and I can tell you from personal experience that water is just barely above freezing in the dead heat of August. Your water is safe. No need to worry.

Do get a digital camera to start cataloging your sky observations. You could certainly find an inexpensive small pocketable model that might not be the greatest all around camera (for portraiture, etc.) but would work fine for capturing cloud formations.

Using a polarizing filter in front of the lens can greatly enhance the contrast of the sky and clouds to bring out the details of what you are observing. Most small point and shoot digital cameras will not take an add on filter, but you could easily hold one in front of the lens and rotate it to find the right orientation and snap the photo (get a large enough one to handle and have enough side to side room to cover your camera lens).

I found this Flickr account that catalogued a number of different photo sources from Wikipedia pages on clouds:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/nmthunderstorms/discuss/72157607971729436/

Specifically, you may want to look at the examples of lenticular clouds here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenticular_cloud

You may also want to study the information available through this site from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=cloud_classification

I grew up in Florida where the cloud formations are also often spectacular, moving and changing. Unfortunately, observable blue sky and clouds are a much less frequent occurrence here in the PNW.

There are lots of books available on cloud identification starting with the more basic Peterson Guide series issue:
http://www.amazon.com/Peterson-First-Guide-Clouds-Weather/dp/0395906636

To answer your question I would have to say that you are living in an area where many different cloud formations are observable and you are getting a good look at some of the many types possible. Clouds are indicators of what is happening with many factors in the atmosphere, wind, moisture, dust, altitude layers and temperature. Clouds change because the atmosphere is a moving changing sea of air. This has been a year of more unusual weather patterns due to many factors - this year's La Nina is particularly strong and the undulating jet stream (polar front) has created many peculiar weather patterns worldwide in the northern hemisphere.

Arsenic7 is on the right path with an antenna, but having a Macbook will complicate that. Most of what he linked are antennas that expect to plug into desktop-sized network cards that do wifi. Macbooks don't have anything like that.

First off the good news is, in my experience, Macbooks and Apple products in general have really good wifi antennas in them to start with. Also, make sure your software is fully up to date (Apple icon->Software Update). Do everything it says because they may have firmware for the wifi card or software for the operating system that has (slightly) improved the signal. Software updates are usually a few hundred megs, take an hour or two (depending on internet speed), and you will likely need your power adapter.

I think you have 2 options to boost your wifi:

1) a USB wifi card that has an external antenna. This would add a second (bulky) wifi card to your laptop via USB and you'd plug an antenna like the ones Arsenic7 linked into it. It would be somewhat inconvenient and buying the right wifi card would take some effort, but this is probably the easiest solution. I'd imagine this costs $40-75, or up to $100 for a really nice one. I can help you find the right card in comments if you're interested.

2) A "wifi bridge". You know how you probably have a wifi access point/router with antennas sticking out of it somewhere? You might be able to turn it into a "bridge" which is exactly what it sounds like: it will bridge the connection between the park and your apartment with its antennas.

You would connect your bridge to the public wifi at whatever signal it could pull off, and then your computer would connect to the bridge at full signal.

Not all wireless access points/routers have bridging, some of them name it something else stupidly, some of them make it a hassle to setup, and some of them have worse antennas than your Macbook so the whole thing is futile.

I'd imagine you could go buy a wifi access point with bridging capability for $60-100 at Fry's or $40-60 online. I don't have a specific recommendation off the top of my head, but I sort of like TrendNET's wireless stuff.

There are, in fact, antennae you can purchase to boost your reception.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=wifi+antenna

Though I've never used them, so I have no idea of their efficacy.

Not to bombard you with too many questions, but...

Does it correlate with notifications? Do you leave your wifi on? Can you shut down the wifi and 4G and see what happens? Maybe even try airplane mode and see if it continues?

I use both Documents to Go and QuickOffice Pro on my Android phone. On my phone they are both pretty terrible for editing, but on a tablet you'd have more room.

The biggest headache isn't opening the files, it's seamlessly getting them back and forth. I use Google Docs, but I'm looking to move away from them because of Google's sponsorship of CPAC. QuickOffice and Documents to Go work great with Google Docs, but while QO works with loads of other file storage services (Dropbox, Box, Evernote, etc.) it's not the same kind of seamless experience with your desktop.

Microsoft's answer to docs in the cloud is Skydrive, and while there are apparently Skydrive apps for Android and iPhone, I haven't used them yet. I would expect Skydrive to work perfectly with Windows Phone and any tablets running similar, if there are any.

My biggest problem is actually the need to regularly open a large spreadsheet that's pushing 1 MB and has many, many rows and tabs. QuickOffice already crapped out on me with their latest "upgrade" which added all sorts of unwanted text-formatting options at the expense of being able to open the damn file; I get memory errors now.

Wool, like hair, does not compost well. Neither does cotton.

Wool naturally repels water and so will last for years in a compost bin. Cotton, on the other hand, saturates completely and so also take a long time (but not as long as wool) as it the complete saturation squeezes out air. Cotton will eventually compost if you add enough nitrogen. I don't know about silk but suspect that it, too, does not compost well.

I'd be worried about the dyes, just because the fabrics are organic doesnt mean the dyes are and some contain stuff that you don't want in your soil, since some plants can take stuff from the soil ( there are some environmental artists that make pieces where sunflowers and other plants suck cadimums and other toxins from the soil. If you then ate something grown in a condition like that you'd be getting a dose of the toxins. Not as extreme as a chemical waste dump but you could get some nasty stuff). Also some dyes are set with formaldehyde as well as some screen printing processes. So if those shirts were printed you have the gunk in both the dye and the ink. Not good. Even the environmentally friendly inks are not stuff you want to add to the soil

Check out this link for apps for android tablets:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/235744/the_best_office_alternatives_for_android_tablets.html

and this for ipad apps that handle office docs:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/236371/office_suites_for_ipad_the_roundup.html

Those articles are about 6 months old so ... Microsoft is also working on bringing its own office apps to the iPad. That could be soon or never.

Like ozchick, I use an ipad and use the iWork tools (pages, numbers) to work with office documents. Be sure to put in the front end effort to hook your iWork apps up to Dropbox using the WebDav Protocol or else you'll go mad moving documents on and off of a tablet.

You can work on Word documents in Pages on the iPad. It is a bit cumbersome, and it does not handle large documents very well (slllllloooooowww), but it can be done.

I think what you need to do is create a custom template or use one of the free ones available for download

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/learn-about-templates-in-office-2010-HA101976901.aspx

Although it may too late for your purposes, I swear by a little application called "PureText", which allows you to create a keyboard shortcut that pastes unformatted text into any document or form.
Which is to say, the pasted text will inherit all formatting that is active at your paste-point.
PureText can be downloaded from here:
http://www.stevemiller.net/apps/

Abracadabra!

I don't know the real answer but whenever wod does weird formatting I'll drop the text into a simple type program or an email or something else that won't retain that stuff and re cut and paste. About 70% of the time it zapa what I've been fighting with

If you are sticking with your carrier it makes more sense to do it there, especially If you are at a contract earmark where you usually get some money knocked off your phone for renewing. If you're not at that point it's not as big a deal, but it seems like having to deal with a middle man is a hassle ( who do you go with when there are problems? Usually first stop is your carrier so why put yourself in a position where 2 companies can try and pass the buck off to the other). Do you have a specific phone on mind? If you do you can call and price check it, but unless you're saving over 50 bucks it doesn't seem like it's worth the potential hassle. Usually the price point at retailers seems to be around the same point unless they're doing a super special, I think you'd get more of a deal online, but then you might have shipping ( but with more expensive purchases the greater chance of free shipping). I like doing things in the carrier store because they usually do all the set up and make sure your stuff has transferred and everything is working ( especially if you have a smart phone and aren't too hands on, they'll make you're 3 email addressed sync with the thing way quicker than reading how, make sure your recipt gets sent to your phone etc. )

If you're going because you don't know what phone you want and there's more selection you can go and play with all the phones and then just find one online either at the manufacturers website, amazon or someother place that has multiple sellers or your carriers site if it's a phone they cover, but not cool enough to crowd the store with (and if you're trying to renew with options that's probably a place that will have some discounting) unless you're getting an ungodly deal at a box store with a rebate coupon you won't see for months it's probably gonna work out to prettymuch the same thing

Also make sure the phone you get is covered by your carrier if youre going outside them. It seems a little rarer nowadays now that apple has stopped being stupid and other phones have relaxed being stupid in return, but you really don't wanna end up with trying to fight your network to let your new shiny toy play with everyone else. If you can avoid dealing with customer service you will be much happier in your purchase

Honestly since June 29th, 2007 I haven't spent a single second thinking about cell phone purchases because it has been such a no-brainer to order the best cellphone in existence directly from the people who made it, but...

It seems dumb to add another level of bureaucracy (aka "support") by shopping at a reseller like Best Buy (infamous for their upselling and shitty customer service) or Car Toys.

For that reason, I'd buy from as close to the source as possible, unless there is some promotion going on or something very specific you're after.