6 Million Dollar Computer - Better, Stronger, Faster

Well, that was fun.

Rather than sending the my busted laptop back to IBM and waiting a week, I decided to try to re-image it myself. The laptop comes pre-installed with a utility for that, so it actually went surprisingly well. I lost every program I ever had on it, but at least I could turn it on. I could even access the Internet. That is, until the 'net connection in my room died the other day. Thankfully, it didn't take long to come back on.

Anyway, once the machine was up and running, I put back all the files I had recovered, and had to set about reinstalling things. At this time, I have:

-Firefox
-McAfee
-the HP software that came with my USB mouse
-VLC Player
-Realplayer (Honestly, I didn't want to, but this video I have to watch for a class can't be accessed without it. Seriously.)

In addition, I got some nifty new gadgets. For one, I didn't have my Office '03 disk with me to reinstall, and was afraid I'd have to go home and get it. But then, something happened. I don't know if it was because of fate, dumb luck, or Ask.com being psychic, but however it happened, I stumbled upon a nifty little open-source project called OpenOffice. Happiness and free stuff ensued. If anyone reading this doesn't have Office and doesn't want to shell out 200 large to Bill Gates, I recommend trying this out. I've only used it once, and I'm already in love with it.

Second, I installed Skype. I just started today, but I'm liking it so far. I finally have a decent use for my fancy-pants headset, and I might just save some money on my wireless bill if I can get my family to use it. Anyone who wants to talk to me, my skype name is, of course, danmayerisgod.

Also, I finally got around to getting a webcam, which I will use to traumatize you and your loved ones with naked pictures of myself soon enough.

So, all in all, things are coming along. I still didn't re-rip my cd collection yet, and I might not for a while. Other than that, my laptop is doing well. Just a few more minor programs and plugins to go, and my computer will be, if you'll excuse the cliché, fully armed and fully operational.