I need help from you computer savy ppl, but first a story: We have a storage unit for all my "at-school-stuff" and my Dad thought it would be wise to stick a 19-inch monitor on top of 5 boxes (one of which contained my tower, the other contained my printer, etc, etc). Well one of the boxes caved in and my 80 lbs. monitor fell to the ground and shattered and took the tower and the printer with it. Therefore, my insurance company is paying for a new computer.

Well, the tower still works okay (as far as I could tell in an hour) but Gateway told my Dad that it is highly likely that something will go wrong with it in the future. (Do you guys think that's true?) It fell from about 6 ft. to a cement floor so I was surprised that it even turned on. Do you guys know what kinds of things I should look for to see if it is damaged?

So yeah... my Dad told the insurance company and they said that they would probably cover the tower as well when Gateway gave them an estimate.

Soooo... that means I will probably be getting a new computer, which is why I am seeking your advice.

I am highly impressed with Joel's and Mike's apple laptops, but I just like them because they are "prettier" or in Joel's words "swankier" than the rest. However, I was hoping that you guys could offer me other reasons why you chose the apple laptop?

Also, what is the difference between the iBook and the Powerbook (besides the price)? What's the difference between the combo drive and the super drive? (Please speak in jargon I might understand) :)

Should all other forms of laptops be out of my line of sight? My Dad was thinking about buying a Gateway or Dell laptop? Would it be insane to buy another brand of computer you apple people? If so, why?

I am nervous about going with Apple because they wouldn't fix my iPod after all my pleadings and even after sending it in. (Mike, I told them that I had a friend that had his iPod replaced more than once after having dropped it and this is what the guy said to me, "Well, he must have lied to us because Apple doesn't fix dropped products" I then said something about how rude it is to call someone's friend a lier and how Apple's award winning service sucks and then I hung up. I said it much more politely that I am now... but I am a little upset at Apple- or at list the peon they hired to answer the phones)

In other words, they have not proven to me that they are very reasonable- I mean they tried to tell me that it would be better to fix my iPod for $260 (plus shipping) when I spent $249 for a new one (with free shipping).

Anyway... so there are my reservations about Apple... should I be swayed in a different direction? I figure I am much less likely to drop a laptop than a little-itty-bitty iPod so the service thing might not be an issue. It seems like they would fix anything that Apple had done wrong to the computer, but who knows?

Please share with me your advice.

-boo

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile... nice apology, eh- at least for not knowing whether or not I was missed:)

Anyway... so a lot has been going on and yet a whole lot of nothing that you all would probably be interested in- one measley reason I haven't blogged in awhile.

So I am back in Bryan, OH and have had a week to chill out and try to get things done before I have to go to work for the summer. I've been hanging out with my family and the little kids my Mom baby-sits for. One of them claims to be my best friend- I play along for his sake...

Earlier in the week I went to see the movie "Dogville" with Garrett. It was wierd but good. I love the artistic qualities about the film- the set looked like a mix between a blueprint and a theatre set. The movie looks like it was filmed in a black box theatre. Check out the website for more details.

The theme of the movie (don't worry- no spoilers here) shows the limits of compassion- something that we do not often talk about in Christian circles. I don't know if we really should because things shouldn't scare us like they scare the normal compassionate person. For example, we shouldn't be afraid of getting taken advantage of or getting our head chopped off for going out of our way for someone else- God is taking care of us, so are there really any limits to compassion... Well, maybe- I think that it is sometimes hard to determine what is the most compassionate act one can give another- but that is another major question that needs a context to be answered.

Back to the capital punishment discussion...

I am re-reading "Mere Christianity" since it has been awhile since I have picked it up. This is what Lewis has to say on the issue:

(Forgiveness Chapter)

"Does loving your enemy mean not punishing him? No, for loving myself does not mean that I ought not to subject myself to punishment-- even to death. If you had committed a murder, the right Christian thing to do would be to give yourself up to the police and be hanged. It is therefore, in my opinion, perfectly right for a Christian judge to sentence a man to death or a Christian soldier to kill an enemy. I always have thought so, ever since I became a Christian, and long before the war, and I still think so now that we are at peace. It is no good quoting 'Thou shalt not kill.' There are two Greek words: the ordinary word to kill and the word to murder. And when Christ quotes that commandment He uses the murder one in all three accounts, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And I am told there is the same distinction in Hebrew. All killing is not murder any more than all sexual intercourse is adultery...

We may kill if necessary, but we must not hate and enjoy hating. We may punish if necessary, but we must not enjoy it. In other words, something inside us, the feeling of resentment, the feeling that wants to get one's own back, must be simply killed...

Even while we kill and punish we must try to feel about the enemy as we feel about ourselves-- to wish that he were not bad, to hope that he may, in this world or another, be cured: in fact, to wish his good. That is what is meant in the Bible by loving him: wishing his good, not feeling fond of him nor saying he is nice when he is not."

I hear ya Lewis (and Brian- you seem to make a similar argument that Lewis makes)-- however, I don't know if the distinction between murder and killing is so clear? Lewis doesn't give the distinction. Do you know what the major distinction is Brian? Below are the definitions from the dictionary:

kill: To put to death.

murder: The unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice.

So... not all killing is murder, but what makes killing not murder? Capital punishment is clearly premeditated. What makes this killing lawful? Because someone says it is lawful, should it be?

This seems to be some logical fallacy that I cannot grasp the name of- something along circular reasoning- premeditated killing is not lawful unless the law says it is lawful...

I guess I just do not get it... I understand that if we could figure out clear blame, if we could be 100% sure that our justice system was truely just- then I think that capital punishment would be okay...

However, those are huge if-s-- I mean, who is the one and only true judge? God is the only one who can know, even if we do have DNA samples.

I think that as long as there are mistakes- as long as we can be wrong once about putting someone to death, then we should not take the chance... I mean- if God wants that person dead, don't you think that he will find some way to do it...

Readers, do you see a difference in the word killing and murder? It sounds like murder is a killing with an adjunct- premeditated-- if that is the case, then Christ was telling us that premeditated killing is not cool-- hmm... we sure do think about the death penalty for awhile before we actually give the injection.

I don't know-- I don't think I am quite so set on this issue as I sound-- What do you all think?

night,

boo

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