Other
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Sep 25, 2008
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Palm Zire 71 - Wendy bought me this for Christmas in 2003 because I had mentioned in passing that it would be cool to own a multipurpose gadget that could used as a phone, mp3 player, camera, etc. This Palm device was one of the first handheld devices to have a camera, so she thought it would be great. The camera was really low resolution, so I didn't use it much. But the device itself got me into the idea of PDAs in general, which influenced my purchases of cell phones in the future.
Magellan eXplorist 200 - I bought this handheld GPS device used off Amazon for about $65. I attempted to use it for a few weeks, but was utterly disgusted by its speed, usability, tiny black and white screen, lack of a keyboard, and overall uselessness. I ended it up selling it on Amazon for about $90, which was thoroughly satisfying.
iPod Classic 80GB - Wendy and I found this on an empty beach in New Jersey. No one was around to claim it, so we kept it. It's a little scratched but otherwise completely functional. It's an awesome device, is great at organizing music and podcasts, and has great battery life.
Garmin eTrex Vista HCx - I finally decided to try a new GPS device, and this one is great. The battery life is excellent, and it's easy to connect to a computer and transfer tracks and waypoints. It doesn't do many things, but the few things it does, it does well. #gadgets
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Computers
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Sep 25, 2008
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Gateway Pentium II Desktop (1998) - Windows 98, 400 MHz, 10 GB hard drive, 128 MB RAM
Compaq Armada E500 Laptop (2000) - Windows 98, 650 MHz, 10 GB hard drive, 64 MB RAM
Dell Dimension Desktop (2004) - Windows XP, 1 GB RAM
Dell Inspiron 600m Laptop (2005) - Windows XP, 1.4 GHz, 60 GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM
Dell Dimension 4400 Desktop (2006) - Windows XP, 2.4 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 75 GB hard drive
HP NC6400 Laptop (2007) - Windows XP, 1.83 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 60 GB hard drive, 14.1" widescreen LCD
Dell Optiplex GX620 Desktop (2007) - Windows XP, 3.4 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 2 150 GB hard drives, 24" widescreen monitor
Asus EEE PC 1001P Laptop (2010) - Windows 7 Starter Edition, 1.67 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive, 10.1" LCD
Dell Latitude E6410 Laptop (2010) - Windows Vista, 2.4 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 149 GB hard drive, 14.1" LED
Dell Precision T7500 Desktop (2012) - Windows 7, 2.4 GHz, 12 GB RAM, 465 GB hard drive #gadgets
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Phones
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Sep 25, 2008
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Motorola T720 (Verizon)Date Purchased: June, 2003 Price Paid: $150 Current Status: Sold on eBay for $40
This was my first cell phone and a major step in my level of commitment with Wendy, since we started a 2-year family plan when we each got one of these phones. The price was pretty steep, especially considering the phone didn't do much other than voice calls. Samsung SCH A530 (Verizon)Date Purchased: March, 2005 Price Paid: $0 Current Status: Sold on eBay for $75
I got this phone from a friend for free. Wendy's phone broke, so I gave her mine and got this one. I only used it for a few months because it was nearing the end of my contract. It was an incredibly small phone that worked well. Palm Treo 650 (Cingular)Date Purchased: June, 2005 Price Paid: $370 Current Status: Sold on eBay for $110
This was my first PDA phone, and it was a good choice. It was also my first experience with a different network, and it was largely positive. I didn't use the data network until the last few months of my contract, but it really opened my eyes to the possibilities of cell technology. Palm Treo 700wx (Sprint)Date Purchased: June, 2007 Price Paid: $310 Current Status: Sitting in a closet
The experience of switching to Sprint was one I'd like to forget. The phone, however, is pretty good. Similar to the Treo 650, but with Windows Mobile instead of a Palm operating system. Palm PreDate Purchased: June, 2009 Price Paid: $200 Current Status: Sitting in a closet
I was fortunate enough to have my contract up for renewal right when this phone came out, so I jumped on the bandwagon. It has a bunch of cool features and is fun to play with, so I'm pleased. HTC Evo 4GDate Purchased: February, 2011 Price Paid: $180 Current Status: Sitting in a closet Samsung Galaxy S IIIDate Purchased: December 2012 Price Paid: $100 Current Status: In use #gadgets
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Faux Mexican comparison
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Sep 25, 2008
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I've been into faux Mexican food lately, so here's my comparison of three popular chains:
Qdoba - I got a standard chicken, peppers, onions, and cheese wrap, and it was one of the worst food items I've ever attempted to force down my gullet in recent memory. I'm usually good about finishing my food because I don't like to waste money and I can usually put up with bad-tasting food simply to get rid of my hunger. This was the exception. I actually stopped eating my barf wrap and threw it the hell out. My rating: 0/5 stars
Chipotle - I mentioned this place a few weeks ago and my feelings haven't changed. I got the chicken, peppers, onions, and cheese wrap, then the next day I got the steak, peppers, onions, cheese, and rice wrap. I asked the wrap-maker to skip the rice, but he apparently didn't hear me. But it might've been the best rice I've ever eaten. The cilantro really brings it all together. And the wrap-makers do everything right in front of you, which makes the whole process very transparent and comforting. My rating: 5/5 stars
La Salsa - I'm not sure how big of a chain this is, but there's one about five minutes from where I work. Again, I got the standard chicken, peppers, onions, and cheese wrap, but I was surprised to find it also came with broccoli, corn, and other assorted vegetables. The thing is, they make the wraps somewhere behind the counter, so I didn't know what I was getting until I took the first bite. I like the idea of the extra vegetables, but it just didn't taste right. I'm probably going back tomorrow to try it without all those veggies. Update: I went back and got the steak, peppers, onions, and cheese, and I asked for no extra vegetables. The end result was just ok. My rating stands. My rating: 3/5 stars #food
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