Once more unto the breach dear friends . . .

So, without realizing, it's been a year since I posted on this blog. I guess part of that is a factor of life - it happened. Rather than try to catch up on a year's worth of events and details of my life, I'm going forward regardless. Instead of the introspective and self-reflective blog I tried to make in 2006, I am going to write something that is truer to myself here in 2007. What will follow in the days and weeks to come will be my thoughts on video games, technology, tv, movies, and of course life as I live it.

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Today, I want to talk briefly about my newest purchase, which is plugged into my laptop as we speak. Yesterday, I purchased a 4gb Sandisk Cruzer Micro USB Key from Best Buy. Already owning several keys in differing sizes of storage capacity, I purchase this one based somewhat on size but mostly on price alone. There is a sale this week, and the 4gb model is selling for 50 bucks! The 2gb model retails for $75, so that right there should be an indicator of how good a deal this is.

I'm using this USB key mostly to try out a new feature in Windows Vista - Ready Boost. Having only just started using this feature, I cannot report fully on its uses and usefulness yet, but will talk more after I've had a chance to really test it out. In a nutshell, Ready Boost allows you to plug a memory device (USB Key, SD Card, etc.) into your Windows Vista PC and use the capacity of the device (up to 4gb) for what basically amounts to extra virtual memory for the system. Apparently, I can significantly speed up performance - I'll have to see how functional it is in real world terms.

I use my laptop all the time now, what with taking notes in class 5 days a week, and want it to be as versatile and useful as possible. I purchased a Toshiba Satellite P105-S6104 several months ago (just after classes started for the semester) and have since upgraded it. I installed additional RAM, bringing the system up to 1.5gb of memory; and, I installed a copy on Windows Vista, the newest operating system for the unit. I will talk in future posts about Vista and its benefits and drawbacks, but suffice it to say that I love a lot of what it does. In many ways, the operating system seems to complement many of the features of my laptop. In fact, my only complaint about my laptop at all is the battery life. Being a dual core PC, I didn't expect too much, but usually I get between 2 to 2&1/2 hours before needing to plug in. I am currently looking to purchase an extended battery for the PC, but am trying to weight all my options first. As it stands, I don't think I could get more than 3 hours out of even the extended battery, so I'm not sure of the point right now.

Anyway, that's it for today because it's almost 70 degrees and I'm going outside to enjoy it!