>> All my geeks and computer nerds -- and especially the Mac geeks -- I need your advice!

I have recently Come Into Money (I never thought I'd be able to say that), and while I'm socking a big chunk of it away, and (most likely) using a bit of it to secure a new apartment, I'm also using some of it to get myself a new computer. My current Powerbook (i.e. the greatest computer I've ever owned) is simply getting too long in the tooth -- I got it back in March of 2002 and it's only got a 667 mHz processor, 512MB of RAM (which it looks like it would be difficult to find an upgrade for), and a 30GB hard drive, plus it's chipped and dented and such. And though Apple claims otherwise, I fear putting Tiger on it would be too much of a strain. So: time for a new computer.

But which beauteous Mac product to buy? That's where you come in. After the jump are the specs and total costs of the three contenders for My New Computer. I'd like you all to offer your opinions and help me narrow it down to the box I'll spend the next three years of my life with.

A few notes: I intend to upgrade any computer I buy with an additional 512MB of RAM (for a total of 1GB), which I'll install myself (they say it's totally easy... *gulps nervously*). So all of the machines outlined below come with the standard 512MB. Apple totally overcharges for pre-installed RAM, so I'll save around $70-$75 by ordering sticks from Crucial instead. (If you have experience with a more reliable or cheaper RAM dealer, let me know, but Crucial seems pretty well-recommended -- I asked on Ask MeFi a little while ago.)

Also, depending on which computer I get, I have the option of either selling this one (though it would pain me to do so, as I'm very attached to it), or keeping it. So the question of "Should I sacrifice portability for an iMac G5?" is not black-and-white -- I have the option of keeping this computer as a portable travelling device, and since it has Airport and (a very old ghetto version of) Microsoft Word, it would serve me well in that capacity. I'd have to serve my music library from a machine with a larger hard drive, but them's the breaks, and if I'm travelling I'd have my iPod with me anyway.

So without any further ado, the contestants are:

iBook G4:

• 512MB DDR333 SDRAM built-in
• 100GB Ultra ATA drive
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• Keyboard & Mac OS X - U.S. English
• 14-inch TFT XGA display
• 1.42GHz PowerPC G4
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 w/ 32MB DDR video memory
• AirPort Extreme built-in
• Bluetooth 2.0 built-in

Subtotal: $1,449.00
+ 512MB Crucial RAM @ $68.99
Total: $1,517.99

Advantages: Cheaper than iMac (and also portable); much cheaper than Powerbook.
Disadvantages: Least powerful processor and smallest screen of all three options. And definitely the least pretty. (White gets gunged up so fast!)

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iMac G5:

• 512MB DDR400 SDRAM - 1 DIMM
• 250GB Serial ATA drive
• SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD+RW/CD-RW)
• Apple Wireless Keyboard & Mouse + Mac OS X - U.S. English
• 17-inch widescreen LCD
• 2GHz PowerPC G5
• ATI Radeon 9600 with 128MB DDR Video Memory
• AirPort Extreme
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

Subtotal: $1,634.00
+ 512MB Crucial RAM @ $67.83
Total: $1,701.83

Advantages: Most powerful, largest hard drive, largest screen. Also very pretty for a desktop computer.
Disadvantages: Not portable. I've always been a laptop guy, and it's a hard psychological barrier to break through...
Extra Note: If I wanted to keep the exact same specs and make the jump to a 20" screen (which is awfully big), the machine (with RAM) would total $1,926.83 (i.e. $225 more). If that sounds like a reasonable idea, say so when you comment.

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Powerbook G4:

• 512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 1 SO-DIMM
• 100GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 w/64MB VRAM
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9700
• 15.2-inch TFT Display

Subtotal: $2,399.00
+ 512MB Crucial RAM @76.74
Total: $2,475.74

Advantages: More powerful, better screen size (widescreen ratio), and more aesthetically pleasing than the iBook; portable where the iMac is not. Pretty much the perfect balance of screen size, weight, and portability.
Disadvantages: Less powerful than the iMac; quite expensive. Also, the design changes since my current Powerbook's days are, IMHO, a step down -- having the ports on the back (as opposed to the newer version's placing them on the sides) is much cleaner, and the black keyboard is much more striking. (Can't complain about the sexy backlight on this one's keyboard, though.)

I must admit, I'm not completely lost at sea here. My impression is that I should suck up the loss of portability and get an iMac, since it's the most powerful of the three and is also a pretty damn good deal in comparison. Does it look different from where you're sitting? Do please let me know.

Also, if you can think of any convincing reason why I shouldn't buy a color 60GB iPod alongside this new computer, let me know about that, too. At the moment, my own arguments are that I already have 49GB of music to put onto it, and it can only really hold 55 (of course, my current iPod only holds 37); also, at the rate the iPods get refreshed, it almost seems foolish to ever buy a new one at all, if that makes sense -- it seems like on the very day a new one is released, we're hearing about a bigger and better model down the line. That said, Apple seem to have decided that 60GB is about the largest capacity your average consumer wants for music, so unless the rumored video iPod would have an 80GB drive -- and there haven't been any leaks about orders for those from the manufacturers -- it looks like sixty's the biggest we'll get for a while.

Sound off, people!

>> I feel like the cold front that just swept into NYC should have a name, like a hurricane. Not because it was particularly intense or violent; no, I just want to know who I should address these flowers, chocolates, and gushing declarations of thanks and undying love to.

Seriously. So nice out. Finally.

>> What can I say? It's not a very bloggy time for me at the moment. In every possible way, I'm smack in the middle of a transitional period -- there are virtually no aspects of my life that I can make a definitive statement about right now, since everything's in flux and could well be different tomorrow. If that makes for a boring blog, well, I'm sad to report that it also makes for a life that's less than perfectly thrilling, especially since the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel doesn't seem to be getting any closer (or it certainly isn't approaching at any predictable rate). Don't be mistaken, my life isn't unbearably shitty right now or anything (well, most of the time), but it's also not a barrel of laughs. I'll keep you posted if something happens to me that I can actually talk about...

>> This is just a quick note to say that I heartily endorse Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, one week after everybody else did. I very nearly lost my shit during the sequence with the squirrels. And there were more than a few moments when I was clearly the loudest person laughing in the (full) theatre (and laughing in an annoying way, of course).

Note to self: Re-watch Big Fish on my sister's on-demand cable this weekend, since I recall really enjoying it a whole lot (unlike everyone else I know, who had reactions ranging from tepid enjoyment to full-on dislike) and I want to see if it holds up. (Another note to self: Watch all the awful shit you can't fathom paying five bucks to rent, too. Stay up late!)

Also, does anybody want to see Nine Songs next weekend? It probably sucks, and it's playing at the (spit spit gag) Angelika, but I'm intrigued on principle. And the guy is hot. (God, looking back on that paragraph, I'm turning into my ex. Woof.)

>> On my way back from the gym tonight (yeah, I went, though I really should've worked my abs harder), I glimpsed the poster for My Date With Drew in the Greenpoint Avenue station and randomly wondered if Fab ever teases Drew for having been romantically linked to Tom Green. Then I thought, huh, that's the first time I've thought about Tom Green in a long, long time. I wonder how he's doing.

Then, two stops later at Metropolitan Ave., a guy who looked exactly -- and I mean exactly -- like the hypothetical older brother of my friend Phil got on the train (shirtless) with his friend and proceeded to explain to said friend exactly who Tom Green was. Which was bizarre, since (a.) they only looked a couple years younger than myself, and I find it odd to think that anybody of that generation wouldn't have heard of him, and (b.) there was absolutely no reason that I could see for them to be talking about him at that moment.

The universe is very, very odd sometimes.

>> I haven't been to the gym in a week (due to apartment hunting, parental visits, and a few other time-occupying distractions). I have to go tonight to get back on schedule. But I just had a soul-destroyingly busy day at work and am in a puddle on the office floor. I fear.

Send medical attention. And electrolytes.

>> 
I know a hurricane joke probably isn't in the best taste right now, but it's kind of impossible to look at this and not laugh. Am I right?

Damn, that's one mean kid. Wonder who pissed him off.

>> Thankfully all of my friends and acquaintances in London seem to be all right in the wake of the bombings there this morning. It's terrifying and infuriating and awful, obviously... I don't know what else to say, I'm still somewhat stunned. Two of the explosions took place right next to the NYU In London campus I used to attend, including one in the tube station I often used (Russell Square). Considering that the war in Iraq broke out while I was studying there, it was phenomenally lucky that something like this didn't happen while I was living there; to be quite honest, I was expecting it just about every day.

Hopefully the casualty figures won't tick up too much higher...

>> ...God is punishing me for my "Total Man-Babe" crack earlier. When I woke up this morning my face was peeling (I didn't think my sunburn was that bad at all -- my back got hit harder and it's not peeling -- but apparently my face thought otherwise) and I had a zit on my upper lip. I honestly looked like a fucking zombie. Uncool (Despite zombies generally being considered cool). God, I'm going to have to buy some kind of froofy exfoliating nonsense, aren't I... please, Lord, don't ever let me turn into That Kind Of Gay Boy.

>> Back in the city. It was a lovely weekend down in Florida, filled with iMac play (it is so hot and I want one), sun, surf, sand, Dairy Queen, and most crucially, good friends. Sentimentalism alert: I know some really awesome people, and I don't see them enough, because they are scattered across the country, but when timing brings us together it's absolutely wonderful to be with them. And this weekend reminded me that some of them are totally kicking my ass in the creativity department at the moment, and I really ought to rise to the challenge.

On a completely separate topic, I need some advice: Gentlemen of New York City, where do you get your hair cut? I'm definitely due for a trim and I'm thinking I might want something along the lines of a Totally New Look rather than the usual Supercuts buzzjob (as satisfying and affordable as it is). Do any of you guys go to "proper" haircutting joints, and if so, what are they (and how much does a cut usually cost)? Please, help me in my personal quest to be at least five degrees hotter on the Total Man-Babe Fahrenheit Scale before the end of summer. (I'm still working out, and I've got some new clothes, and I've got more than a head start on a tan, so this haircut thing is the one major crucial element of the mission that I haven't set to work on yet.)