#12 Have something published

Status: Published

I originally intended for this to mean an article or some other piece of writing, but I'm pretty chuffed I now get published on a regular basis in the form of advertisements I create for work.

I'll be taking a course on Adobe InDesign next month so I can learn the proper way to put these things together. In the meantime, they're designed rather crudely, but the end result generally works.

Here's the first one I did; it's an ad encouraging best practices for farmers whose fields become muddy in the spring after the six months' worth of snow melts.

For those interested, my current project is a series of ads educating residents on living with urban wildlife (here's a recent one I did on magpies).

#68 Buy a laptop

Status: All Macced out

"I hate Macs. I have always hated Macs. I hate people who use Macs. I even hate people who don't use Macs but sometimes wish they did. Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui." — Charlie Brooker

The wonderful Charlie Brooker - who, I should point out, is right about everything - once brilliantly slammed Macs and Mac owners.  A year ago, I would have been completely on his side.  But for some reason, something changed.  Or, rather, I needed a change - I don't have the huge issues with PCs and Windows that some people have, but I just felt like something different.

So, a few weeks ago, I found myself myself marching home from West Edmonton Mall with nearly $1,500 of MacBook under my arm. The laptop was a wise investment.  For instance, I'm making this blog post while sprawled out on the couch.  Imagine trying to do that with a desktop computer; hard drive propped up against the couch leg, monitor balanced precariously on one of the couch arms, mouse tucked somewhere down the back with the remote control... it'd be madness!  So a laptop has taken my laziness to uncharted heights. Hooray!

I'm still going through a few teething issues.  As Charlie Brooker wrote, losing a mouse button is like losing an arm.  I still feel that way.  It's a bit tricky to leave two fingers on the touchpad and then click in order to achieve the same function.  Two mouse buttons feels like evolution; one feels like amputation.

And was it only me that kind of enjoyed the little dog who gave you tips in Word?  Yes, the paperclip was pants, but someone else must have liked that doggie?  No?  Just me?  Oh.

Anyway, thrilled with the MacBook, but I wouldn't have been disappointed to have gone down the PC route.  After all, it's the same thing in a shiny new tin (pictured below).