New Computer Diary – Prelude

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Why I need to order a new Mac.

I write books about computers for a living. That’s a blessing and a curse.

It’s a blessing because I get to buy new computers and related hardware (like cameras and scanners and printers) and software to keep up with technology. I can write most of this stuff off as business expenses because I actually need them to get my work done. Some of this stuff is really cool, so using them is almost like playing with new toys. I also often get prerelease software, so I can work with it before anyone else.

It’s a curse because I have to buy new computers and related hardware. I don’t get most stuff for free. And because I often have to buy new hardware right after it comes out — when the prices are highest and their problems haven’t been identified yet — they’re costly and sometimes problematic. My goal is always to buy a computer that’ll last at least three years so I don’t have to do this too often.

And if you think working with beta software is fun, try running Office 2007 on Windows Vista four months before the scheduled release dates. Not only did I have to buy an expensive computer just to run this software on — Vista has some pretty serious system requirements for all those pretty graphics — but I have to struggle to work around bugs and incompatibilities caused mostly by unavailable driver software updates.

I have three computers I use for work, as well as a laptop for business and home use:

  • Dual Processor G5My production Mac, which is currently a 2-year-old Dual G5 tower, is the computer I sit at when I’m writing. It has a 21″ Sony monitor (the old, heavy CRT type) which is really great when I’m doing layout on Visual QuickStart Guides and Visual QuickProject Guides. It also has all the built-in and attached equipment I need to get my job done, including three printers, a scanner, and numerous mobile devices like cameras, digital video cameras, iSight cameras, external hard disks, and more.
  • G4 eMacMy Macintosh test mule, which is currently a 3- or 4-year-old G4 eMac, is the computer I run software on when I’m writing Mac books and articles. I like the all-in-one design of the eMac and the price when I bought it was within reason. When I bought it, it had the bare minimum I needed to get the job done: a G4 processor (at the time, G5 had just come out), a SuperDrive (because I often need to write about creating CDs and DVDs), built-in modem, networking capabilities, and adjustable screen resolution. When I went wireless last year, I installed an AirPort card. This computer was the machine I used to run beta Mac OS software for my Panther, Tiger, Word 2004, Excel 2004, WordPress 2, and QuickBooks 2006 books. Maybe even my Jaguar book, although I admit I can’t remember that far back.
  • Dell LatitudeMy PC test mule, which is currently a Dell Latitude D820 laptop, is the computer I run Windows software on when I’m writing Windows books. (The computer recently replaced a 4-year-old Dell Dimension tower, which was really showing its age.) This computer is loaded and it isn’t by choice. As mentioned earlier in this entry, I needed souped up graphics and a fast, modern processor (or two?) to run Vista with the Aero Glass effects. It has a CD writer but not a DVD writer, although it will read both. (This became a rather ironic thing when I downloaded the Vista beta from Microsoft’s Web site and had to use my Mac to create the DVD I needed to install Vista on my PC. It worked. Of course.) I’m hoping this computer, which cost me a small fortune, will last at least four years.
  • imageMy business/personal laptop, which is currently a 12″ PowerBook G4, is the machine I keep at home and take on the road with me. It’s used for e-mail and blogging these days, although I sometimes use it for podcasting. And, every once in a while when I need to do a presentation, I plug it into a projection monitor and do demos. I love the size and configuration of the computer, although I admit that the 40GB (really 37 GB, but who’s counting?) hard disk is a bit small. I recently had to offload a bunch of music and podcasts just to make room for some other stuff. And with only 640 MB of RAM and 867 MHz of processing power, it sometimes slows to a crawl when taking on heavy-duty tasks like sound conversion and iMovie visual effects. I also noticed that its fan starts more frequently than usual these days, like its always hot and bothered.

Why all these computers? Well, I’ve found that the best way to write about a software product is to run two computers side by side. The test mule runs the software I’m writing about. My production Mac runs the software I’m using to write — normally InDesign or Word. I perform a step on the test mule, take a screenshot if necessary (which is automatically dumped over the network to my production Mac), and write about what I see on my production Mac. Not only do I have the benefit of seeing what I’m writing about as I write, but I can keep that test mule in pristine condition. In fact, it’s common for me to reformat the hard disk and reinstall all system and application software I need to write about each time I start a new project. I really do use those two computers just for work.

I used to buy a new production Mac every two years and a new personal laptop every three years. Earlier this year, however, when my production Mac was only a year and a half old, the motherboard went on it. I faced a tough decision: fix it (at a cost of about $700) or put that money into a brand new Mac and throw this one away. But it still had a lot of life in it and there wasn’t anything really better to trade up to. So I fixed it. And life went on. It’s still serving me faithfully, running all the software I need to run. Keep in mind that I don’t update software unless I need to — for example, I’m still using Photoshop 7 (don’t laugh!) and InDesign CS (not CS2).

I can usually get 3 to 4 years out of a test mule. My old PC test mule lasted about 4 years (at least). I think the G4 might be close to 4 years old now, too. I basically keep using them until I have to upgrade — in other words, until the software I need to run needs more processing power than an old mule has.

Every once in a while, the moon and stars align in such a way that I need to buy two (or, heaven forbid) three computers all around the same time. This is one of those years. I absolutely had to get a new PC to run Vista with the Aero Glass effects. I went with a laptop because I’m trying hard to downsize my office and make it something I can take on the road. A laptop test mule is just the thing. Close it and stick it on a shelf when I’m not using it. Throw it in a bag when I decide to get some work done on the road. Why the hell didn’t I think about that before?

Of course, I do hate the keyboard on the Dell PC — it’s so awkward after years of typing on the PowerBook’s wide open keyboard. And I had to buy a wireless mouse for it, mostly because I can’t seem to find the right track pad drivers for use with Vista and the track pad tracks very slowly, no matter how I set it. But I don’t use the computer every day (and hope I never need to) so it really isn’t such a hardship. And the video on that machine really is incredible. It should be, considering it’s the newest in my stable.

As for the Dell Dimension tower…well, I still have it. It runs Windows XP and as soon as I’m done with these two Windows books I’m working on, I’ll use the laptop’s restore disk to bring it back to factory settings. That’s when I’ll be donating the PC tower, along with its ancient Gateway monitor, to my local library.

And the stars have also told me that I need a new Mac test mule. Why? I’ll need to run Leopard, the upcoming version of Mac OS X, pretty soon now. While I’m not sure whether it’ll run on a G5, I’m pretty sure it won’t run on a G4. And besides, I have to write about Boot Camp and that’s going to require an Intel processor Mac.

So that’s why I need to buy a new Mac — to run the upcoming new stuff.

imageIn keeping with my downsizing plan, I decided that I wanted to get a Mac laptop. After struggling and finally succeeding in understanding the differences between a MacBook and a MacBook Pro, I decided on a MacBook Pro. 15″ monitor, 1 GB RAM, SuperDrive (need to write about iDVD a bit), 100 GB hard disk. This is going to be one hot computer.

Which makes me wonder…will it replace the 12″ PowerBook G4?

Part of me says no: a test mule is a test mule. It sits in my office, turned off, waiting to run software I’m writing a book or article about. It doesn’t get personal data files; its hard disk is often reformatted and restored to factory settings — or at least the current OS.

But I admit that it’s going to be hard to keep using this G4 when I have Core Duo (is that right?) processor laptop with almost twice the RAM and more than twice the hard disk space and processor power sitting around, waiting for me to tickle its keys. I’m actually kind of hoping that I don’t like its keyboard, so I won’t want to use it more than I have to.

But there’s no way in hell that I’m buying two new Mac laptops this year.

We’ll see what happens. Need to make the big purchase first.

Antelope Canyon

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An incredible slot canyon near Page, AZ.

Antelope Canyon from the airAntelope Canyon is a narrow slot canyon, about 1/4 miles long, that carves its way through a huge sandstone rock formation that would otherwise block Antelope Wash. From the air, it isn’t very impressive at all — just a wide, sandy wash with a big rock in it — a rock that happens to have a slit carved down its middle. (This shot was taken in September, from the south looking north.) But from the ground, it’s something amazing. A cool, isolated retreat from the desert heat.

At least it would be if it weren’t such a tourist attraction.

In all fairness, you can still get a feeling of isolation at Antelope Canyon. Just find a quiet spot somewhere in the middle of the slot and wait there patiently until the tour groups walk through and come back. You’ll hear the echo of voices, sometimes hushed, and see the laser pointers of the Navajo guides pointing out what the gringos want to see: the Liberty Bell, the bear, Abe Lincoln’s profile. But even that fades away as the guide leaves her charges to explore on their own. Most folks don’t last long. It’s a beautiful place, but where are the gift shops? Few stop to appreciate what they’re seeing — the force of water cutting through stone over thousands of years. When they wander back out to the tour truck, they leave the canyon in silence for you and the dedicated photographers who have also waited. Enjoy this fleeting moment; another tour truck is on its way.

Antelope CanyonI’ve been to Antelope Canyon twice. I think I took this photo on the first trip. I didn’t have a tripod — which is highly recommended for photography — on either trip, but I still managed to get one or two clear shots.

I also got to experience the quiet calm of the canyon for a few moments as I leaned up against one of its smooth, cool walls in the shadows and watched the rays of light play on the dust particles hanging in the air. I jotted down these notes in a small notebook I had with me, trying to capture the feeling of the moment:

Sandstone swirls [smooth]
Carved cracks open to the sky
80,000 years
Cedar trees from 40 miles away
An owl’s nest
Echoes in German
A cool seat
Fine pink sand
The floor rises and falls
Too dark for photos
Shafts of reflected light
A bird calls far above [insistent]
Tumbleweed hangs overhead
The light turns the paper blue
Here comes a breeze
A shower of sand
Stripes
Let your eyes adjust and all is revealed.

The best time to visit Antelope Canyon is midday, midweek, off-season. Although midday is good for photography and popular with tourists, there are always fewer tourists on weekdays during the off-season months. I’m willing to bet that March and September are good. I’ll try it one of these days and let you know.

New Excel Book in Progress

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After two months off from writing, I begin work on an Excel book revision.

Creating Spreadsheets and Charts in Excel: Visual QuickProject GuideI dove into a revision of my Creating Spreadsheets and Charts in Excel: Visual QuickProject Guide book today. I actually got the first chapter — all 16 pages of it — done.

If you’re not familiar with the VQJ (as Peachpit calls it) series, it’s pretty simple. Written for raw beginners, the books use a lot of full color illustrations, large text, numbered steps, and callout lines. Each book in the series is only 144 or 168 pages long — this one weighs in at 144 pages. It’s not the least bit intimidating for any reader.

The first edition of the book covered Excel 2003 for Windows and Excel 2004 for Mac OS. The two versions of Excel are virtually identical, so it made sense to do one book to cover them both. I think I did a good job giving each platform equal space and showing screenshots from both platforms when they were significantly different.

The idea behind the series is to present a project — in this case, creating a budget spreadsheet, duplicating it for multiple months of information, consolidating the months, formatting the spreadsheets so they look good, creating a chart, and printing. All the basics are covered in one project, presented over multiple chapters. The first chapter covers preliminary stuff like interface elements and terminology. The next chapter is where we start creating the spreadsheet.

Creating Resumes, Letters, Business Cards, and Flyers in Word: Visual QuickProject GuideI have two books in this series. This one is doing very well and has been translated into at least two languages. The other book — take a deep breath if you plan to read the title out loud — Creating Resumes, Letters, Business Cards, and Flyers in Word: Visual QuickProject Guide (I had to look it up; I can never remember the title of that book), isn’t doing quite as well. I like to think it’s because people don’t really want to create all those things. But it’s probably because the Word book market is full of titles and this 168-page tome just doesn’t stand out enough on bookstore shelves.

Creating Spreadsheets and Charts in Microsoft Excel 2007: Visual QuickProject GuideThis Excel book revision is not cross platform. Tentatively titled Creating Spreadsheets and Charts in Microsoft Excel 2007: Visual QuickProject Guide, it covers Excel 2007 for Windows only. (It always amazes me when Amazon.com knows what one of my books will look like before I do.) To write it, I not only had to get my hands on the Office beta, but I also had to get the Windows Vista beta, which my editor wanted running on the computer for all the screenshots. Without Vista, he claimed, the book would look outdated right away. He’s right. And although I wasn’t too thrilled about running beta application software on beta System software, it seems to be working pretty well. Of course, I had to buy a new computer to run all this stuff. My ancient Dell desktop machine would have dropped dead if I tried installing Vista on it, especially with the new graphics-intensive interface. The new Dell Latitude 820 laptop I bought to replace it is handling everything with ease. It should for what it cost me. But with luck, I won’t have to replace it for 4 to 5 years.

Office 2007 is no secret. You can see screenshots and all kinds of training material on the Microsoft Office 2007 Preview site. You might even still be able to download a beta. It’ll run on Windows XP and Vista, so you don’t have to do a double beta like I did to run it.

Over the years, many have complained that Office doesn’t change much with each new version. You won’t hear those complaints this time around. Microsoft has completely reworked the interface. The menus and toolbars are gone, replaced with something called the Ribbon. Click a Ribbon tab to view groups of commands. Click a command to invoke it. Or click a tiny button in the corner of a group to display a good old dialog box.

The new design does appear to be easier for newbies to grasp. But I think it’ll frustrate the hell out of seasoned Office users — at least until they get used to the interface. There’s logic behind it, so if you think about what you want to do, you can figure out where to find the buttons or menus you need to do it. And all the old keyboard shortcuts still work, so if you’ve been using Office applications for years, you won’t be at a total loss in the new version.

Of course, all this has me wondering whether they’ll use the same interface in the Mac version of Office when it gets updated. That would be almost sacrilegious. After all, didn’t Apple invent the interface so widely used by Mac OS and Windows programs? I can’t imagine a Mac program without a menu bar that starts with File and Edit. I guess time will tell.

What’s good about all this for me is that people will need a book to learn the new versions of Office applications. They can’t just use an old Office book to work with the new version. With luck, that’ll help book sales a little. After all, I have to pay for that fancy new computer, don’t I?

Stay tuned for more information about this book as it is completed. It will definitely make it to stores at the same time as Office 2007 — heck, at the rate I’m going, I should be done with it by the end of the month.

Hell Season is Over

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Who says Arizona doesn’t have seasons? We have five.

While I was away in Kingman last weekend, the heat broke and monsoon season — also known as hell season — ended. The humidity dried up to nothing, glasses of iced beverages stopped “sweating,” and the nights became cool enough to open the windows and leave the air conditioning turned off. The mornings are pleasantly cool right up until late morning — and sometimes throughout the day, if you stay in the shade.

In fact, I didn’t even run the air conditioner in my office yesterday. I kept the windows open on either side of the building and placed the floor fan in a position to help that cross-ventilation. I left the windows open overnight, so this morning, I should have cool, fresh air to breathe while I work.

I’m a fresh air kind of person. If given a choice between fresh air and air conditioning, I’ll take the fresh stuff most times. The only time I won’t take the fresh air is when it’s 100°F or higher with that touch of humidity that makes you sweat in the desert.

One clue that monsoon season is over is the complete lack of clouds. Take, for example, yesterday’s time-lapse movie of the view out my office window. The only way you can tell that it’s a movie is the movement of the shadows and ocotillo branches. (Click the Play button to see the movie. You must have QuickTime installed to view it.)

The high today is forecast for 85 in Wickenburg (according to the National Weather Service), with a low of 60. During monsoon season, the low seldom gets lower than 80.

So hell season is over and the autumn season is beginning.

To me, autumn in Wickenburg lasts from the last day of monsoon season (usually in mid-September) until Thanksgiving. October is always the best autumn month. Warm but not hot in the daytime, with low humidity and gentle breezes. Sometimes a bit of rain. Perfect for gardening, hiking, and other outdoor activities. At night, it cools down, but doesn’t get cold. You can throw on a sweater or jacket and do outdoor things without feeling a chill.

We always encourage our east coast family and friends to visit in October. Of course, October is also the best month in New York, where autumn colors peak and the temperature is perfect day and night. In Wickenburg, the only fall colors we have come from the cottonwood trees, and they don’t usually get to the peak of their autumn splendor (yellow) until November.

Winter lasts from Thanksgiving until early March. The worst of it is usually between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The days are still warm — this is Arizona, after all — but the nights are downright cold. In Wickenburg, nighttime temperatures in the 20s are not unusual. During the day, it might be 75°, but as soon as the sun slips beyond the horizon, it’s like someone turned off a heater. All the warm air escapes through the atmosphere. You can actually watch the mercury drop on a thermometer — perhaps 20° in an hour. The coldest time, of course, is right before dawn. Then the sun comes up and the desert warms for the day. This is also the second most rainy season, good for at least an inch or two during the three or so months.

Spring comes sometime in March. The days aren’t too much warmer, but the nights seem to be. Desert plants start to bloom or send out new branches or other growth. It gets very dry — April is normally the driest month here. By April, the days and nights are perfect — although some people who don’t know the rhythm of the desert seasons might think temperatures in the 90s are hot. Nah. Stay in the shade, enjoy the dry air. If you do need to go out in the sun, wear a hat and sunscreen.

April is also the best month for camping in Arizona. I’m hoping to verify that next spring.

Summer starts in the beginning of June. That’s when daytime temperatures exceed 100° pretty much every day. But it’s still comfortable in the shade, primarily because the air is so dry. Yes, it is a dry heat. And if you don’t understand what that means, stand in the shade on a June afternoon, at around 2 or 3 PM (the hottest time of the day), with an iced beverage. You won’t feel hot and there won’t be a drop of condensation on the glass. And at night, it’s still cool enough to keep those windows open.

Sometime in July, hell season begins. I distinctly remember its start the second or third summer we were in Arizona. It was July 4 and we were in town, waiting for the fireworks show to begin. I realized that I was sweating. The humidity had begun, bringing the most brutal of our five seasons with it.

Don’t get me wrong — monsoon season isn’t all bad. The storms that come, usually in the afternoon, are just incredible to watch. Clouds build, lightning flashes, thunder shakes your very soul. Rain comes down in buckets — if not where you’re standing, then certainly within view somewhere nearby. Dry, sandy washes turn into streams and rivers, sweeping away anything in their path. The desert gets the moisture it needs to survive and desert plants and animals soak it up until the next rain. A day or two after the first storm, the desert turns green with freshly sprouted grass. The dust that covered plants and rocks has been washed off and everything is clear and crisp and beautiful.

But it is hotter than hell (or at least pretty close to it, I bet). You’ve probably heard the joke about why Arizonans don’t go to hell when they die. It’s because they’ve already lived there.

Monsoon season goes on for at least half of July, all of August (the worst of it), and the beginning of September. And that brings us to autumn, which we’ve just stepped into here in Wickenburg. And I plan to enjoy every moment of it.

Helicopter Calendar

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I order my office calendar far in advance.

Last year, I waited too long to order the helicopter calendar that always hangs in my office. It was sold out and the publisher ran out of stock. I got stuck with a frog calendar that I bought in mid-January. (At least it didn’t cost very much.)

This year, I ordered early — last week in fact — to round out an order at Amazon.com for a pair of DustBuster batteries. The batteries and calendar arrived today.

I’m disappointed. Brown Trout, the calendar publisher, usually has much better photos than these. Most of them were taken from the ground of a helicopter landing, taking off, or just sitting there. Three of them are of Grand Canyon tour operator helicopters (a Papillon Bell 206L, a Papillon Bell 407, and a Grand Canyon Helicopters Eurocopter EC130) and I’m willing to bet all three photos were taken on the same day at the companies’ respective landing zones. Papillon Copter 9 (which I flew several times; it’s a utility ship and rather underpowered when compared to the others) is obviously doing its takeoff run, the 407 is sitting on the pad, and the Ecostar is probably landing. Four photos were taken from the ground or some high place looking up at the helicopter, so you can see its underside. And, if I’m not mistaken, all of the photos were taken in Arizona.

You can see twelve better photos of helicopters in a single issue of Vertical magazine.

But since Brown Trout seems to be the only helicopter calendar publisher, I’m pretty much stuck with this calendar.

And it is much better than the frogs.