Northern Voice 2008 is a “personal blogging and social media conference” held annually at the UBC Forestry building.  It is a opportunity for the community to get together in either break-outs (Friday) or structured presentations (Saturday).  Lots of representation from commercial sponsors (including some that I’d rather weren’t… not mentioning any names but they sound like wamcity ;)).  Looking forward to Photocamp from Kris Krug, should be today but not sure when.  Also very interested in Matt Mullenweg’s presentation tomorrow.  Matt is the founder of Wordpress and is apparently an excellent speaker.

Like the rest of them, I will try to blog as we go.  UBC Wireless is up (I’m there now, duh) so as long as the rest of the posters don’t hog the bandwidth I’ll be able to :p.

Hopefully *just* ahead of John ;).

Fairly small, and thin of course.

And it looks like the underside can act as a coaster - they think of everything :p.

Got it – seemed like a while but really it came at least a week before it was supposed to.  John of course jumped on the fact that he got his 3 hours before mine without paying for expedited shipping, so kudos to him for being more “jacked in” to the Apple world.  Me, I’m just glad it’s here.

Really thin and light.  Surprisingly sturdy too, which is of course good news.  First boot-up was a bit slow, but I would think that’s normal as it had to config a bunch of stuff.  Once it’s finished charging I’ll give it a spin and see how it goes. 

Really looks nice, even compared to the iPhone it’s thin (yes, that’s a dent on my iPhone – dammit!).

So without sounding like a fanboy, so far I’m pretty pleased with this.  At the absolute least I’m not going to tire of it very quickly – and coming from me that’s saying something ;).

All the unboxing pics are on Flickr.

It is available for various browsers, including IE, Firefox and Safari.  I have tried the IE and Firefox ones and I can say that the IE one is a disappointment when compared to the Firefox add-on.  IE only offers a 2D view and a slideshow, while the Firefox version really shows off the wall function (Flickr credit to t-dot-s-dot):

Download and install this add-on and go visit your favourite Flickr page, a Google Image search result, and more.  They even have a Wordpress plugin so that it can be incorporated into a personal site as well.

As many already know, Apple introduced a new notebook to their lineup on Tuesday. The MacBook Air is a sub-portable, very thin and light, and fills a niche that Apple has not yet competed in.  There has been a lot of text already on the unit, so I thought I would give both a quick overview and some links to other sites to make reading up on it a bit easier. 

Overview

• Thin thin thin, from .16-.76″ (40-194mm) – it slopes to thinness on all edges to make it look even thinner than it is
• Light, only 3 pounds (1.36kg)
• 13.3″ LED backlit screen with 1280 x 800 resolution – nice widescreen display, same as the current MacBooks
• 1.6Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor – shrunk down specially for the Air
• 80gb 1.8″ hard drive – same drive as in the iPod Classic
• Full size keyboard – backlit with ambient sensor, too!
• Large multi-touch trackpad – multi-touch gesturing a la iPhone, very interesting to see where this goes
• 802.11n wifi support
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Comes with Leopard and iLife ‘08 (as do all MacBooks)
• $1899 CDN
• The “uber-Air”, 1.8Ghz with a 64gb SSD instead of a hard drive is available for $3248 CDN – ya, sure….;)

Pros

• Size and weight
• Style
• Multi-touch trackpad
• LED backlit screen
• Backlit keyboard

Cons

• Price – the curse of early adoption
• Performance – would have been nice to get more for the price, but still decent
• Battery not removable – not usually an issue as most people don’t carry spares, but it should be mentioned
• RAM not upgradable – again not a huge deal as it comes with 2gb
• Tiny mono speaker – this is kind of annoying but I can understand why they did it
• No built-in drive – thin costs, especially this thin.  At least there’s an external for $99

Unknowns

• Sturdiness – it is made of aluminum which will no doubt help, but it’s so thin I have to wonder about warping and how delicate it is
• Heat – there is a fan inside but metal does conduct, so I’m wondering about heat sitting on my lap
• Scratches/Scuffs – again, it’s aluminum so I’m curious.

Competitive Products 

• Dell XPS M1330
• Sony Vaio SZ series
• Apple MacBook Pro 15″
• Apple MacBook 13″
• ASUS (various models)

My Thoughts

Well, first off, I ordered one so that pretty much says what my final opinion is on it.  There are competitive products out there (see above) but the Macs themselves do have one thing going for them that the rest don’t – they can run OS X and XP (and Linux of course) if desired.  That leaves room for a lot of flexibility, to say the least.  When comparing the MacBook Air, Pro and standard with each other it basically comes down to size (and price in the case of the Pro).  The Air is considerably lighter than both the Macbook and the MacBook Pro, which for me is a major factor.  I expect to be carrying this thing around in a backpack frequently when taking pictures, being out and about, etc. and it’s funny how a few pounds can make a big difference.  Not to mention an inch or more of thickness when the pack already has a camera, lenses, and more.

Overall I am going with the Air because of its size and because it’s a Mac, it’s that simple.  I want convenience and flexibility and for that I’m willing to give up a few cycles on a processor and I guess a few hundred dollars.  A fringe benefit is that this thing is slick looking and sometimes that is justification as well since I probably won’t get tired of looking at it or showing it off for quite some time!

Linkage

• Apple – Specifications, overview and Guided Tour
• Macworld – Hands On With the MacBook Air
• Forbes – Into Thin (MacBook) Air
• Gizmodo – Hands On
• Inquirer – Apple launches MacBook Air
• ExtremeTech – Photo slideshow
• Crave – Photos: MacBook Air
• John Biehler’s post on his upcoming MacBook Air

I’ve been told my Air will ship on Feb. 6th and should arrive by the 13th.  As soon as I have it in my hands I’ll post my impressions, photos and whatever else I can think of ;).

OK, Thanks to John we are now on Wordpress.  What does this mean?  Who knows ;).  But we’re going to find out over the next little while – stay tuned!

Reason #10 – Most Of Your Accomplishments Are Invisible
The computer guy never hears anyone tell him, “I just want to let you know … everything is working fine!”The reality is that people call the computer guy when something is wrong.As a computer guy, if you work really hard to make everything work the way that it should, and things work fine, then people believe you don’t do anything. Everything you manage to get working correctly or do perfectly will forever remain unnoticed by computer users. They’ll only ever notice that you do anything when something isn’t working correctly, and you are called upon to fix it.

Reason #9 – Every Conversation You Have Is Roughly The Same
When the computer guy dares to mention what he does for a living, the typical response is, “I have a question about my home computer…”Or when the computer guy first hears about a widespread problem within the computer network he’s responsible for, he can barely begin to assess the problem before a dozen other people call to report the same problem.Or when the computer guy explains a certain process on a computer to a user who is incapable of retaining the process, he will inevitably need to reinstruct the user of this same process — indefinitely.

Reason #8 – You’re An Expert Of Bleeding-Edge Technology Products, Aren’t You?
The computer guy often finds himself in situations where someone is asking him for advice on a pending investment of the technological variety.“I heard about (some hardware or software product) that can do (something desirable) for me. I brought you these (advertisements/reviews/printouts) because I wanted your recommendation. Which would you buy?”Although the inquiring person sincerely trusts the computer guy’s judgment over their own, in almost every instance the real objective of these meetings is to ensure their own immunity from making a risky purchase.If it turns out to be a bad investment, and they cannot get (the hardware or software product) to do (anything desirable), then you will be their personal scapegoat — “But honey, the computer guy said I should buy it!”

Reason #7 – Your Talents Are Forcibly Undervalued
Thanks to the constantly declining price of new computers, the computer guy cannot charge labor sums without a dispute. If he asks to be paid what he is worth, he will likely be met with the “why not buy new?” argument.That is, desktop computers are always getting smaller, faster, and cheaper. It’s possible to purchase a new desktop computer for under $400. If the computer guy spends five hours fixing a computer and wants $100/hour for his time, his customer will be outraged, exclaiming “I didn’t even spend this much to BUY the computer, why should I pay this much just to FIX it?”

Reason #6 – You’re Never Allowed A Moment’s Peace
The computer guy is so prone to interruption that he rarely finds an opportunity to work on his own problems. This is because:

1. Computers never sleep.
2. Computer problems aren’t scheduled.
3. Every problem takes time to diagnose.
4. The computer guy can only give one problem his full attention.
5. Each user believes their problem deserves attention now. Consequently, the computer guy has a 24/7 obligation to keep critical computer systems running, while simultaneously juggling everyone’s problems. He’ll often need to forfeit any opportunities to tend to his own needs for the sake of others — because at any moment, of any day, he can be interrupted by someone who wants to make their problem his problem.

Reason #5 – People Ask You To Perform Miracles
The computer guy is often mistaken for someone who possesses the combined skills of an old priest and a young priest. I’ll sum this up easily by example:“No, I really can’t recover any files from your thumb drive, even if you did find it after it passed through your dog.”

Reason #4 – Your Assumed “All-Knowing” Status Sets You Up To Let People Down
There is no common understanding that there are smaller divisions within the computer industry, and that the computer guy cannot be an expert in all areas. What makes things worse, is when the computer guy attempts to explain this to someone asking for help, the person will often believe that the computer guy is withholding the desired knowledge to avoid having to help.This is somewhat related to the next reason:

Reason #3 – You Possess Unlimited Responsibility
The computer guy is expected to solve problems. It is difficult to determine the boundaries of that expectation.Some of the oddest things that I’ve been asked to do include:1. Use pirated software to undelete important company files.2. Create an Intranet, after explaining I didn’t know how to.3. Teach someone how to hide their pornography collection.Solving problems can range from replacing batteries in a wireless keyboard to investigating why the entire building loses power at the same time every morning. Resolutions can necessitate weaving a 50-foot cable through a drop ceiling, or wriggling under a house on your belly to add an electrical outlet.Reasons #4 and #3 boil down to this: no matter how often you want to play the role of a hero, there will always be circumstances that test the limits of your ability to be one. It’s difficult to judge when helping someone means doing something immoral, and it’s even harder to admit you are unable to solve someone’s problem — and chances are, that someone will view you as incompetent because you were unable to help them.

Reason #2 – A Life Of Alienation
People only talk to the computer guy when they need him to fix something. Also, when the computer guy approaches a user, they’ll hop up out of their chair under the presumption that he’s there to fix something — as if it would never be expected that he only wants to strike up a conversation.The fact that the computer guy never gets a moment’s peace can also practically force him to withdraw into solitude. His co-workers don’t understand that he doesn’t want to hear about their computer problems during his lunch hour — he does that every other hour of the day. That’s why the computer guy eats lunch alone with his door closed, or goes out to eat every day — not because he’s unfriendly, but because he needs to escape the incessant interruptions.

Reason #1 – You Have No Identity
It’s an awful experience when the computer guy shows up at a neighbor’s doorstep with a plate of Christmas cookies, only to have the child who answered the door call out, “Mom, the computer guy is here!” He begs for an identity that is not directly associated with computers, but “the computer guy” label walks ahead of him — it simply cannot be avoided. I was given a name and I’d love to be addressed by it.