Desktops

It seems to be popular to talk about the "computers I use" around the 'Net.  There are tons of videos on YouTube showing home offices, gaming setups, workstations, etc.  So, I thought I'd get in on the game.  Though a bit off-key-ish...

Since I tend to be out on the road, I normally work on various laptops.  But, occasionally, when I'm home, I'll fire up one of my desktop computers and do some work.  So...

Here's a shot of my two desktops:

My Two Desktops

The computer I normally use when sitting at my desk is that little silver box sitting under the monitor.  An Apple Mac Mini.  This one's an old G4 model, running OS X 10.5 Leopard.  It's got a gig of memory and an 80 GB hard drive.  I've added a 320 GB FireWire drive (which is hidden behind the monitor).  The screen is an old Acer from a past (gasp!) Windows system.  As are the two speakers peaking over top of the monitor.  The keyboard is an original, "tangarine" iMac keyboard.  And, yes, the mouse is actually an old "tangarine" puck mouse.

I had this system checked out, then set up by the folks of Operator Headgap.  Fine folks, who returned it to me, as they put it, "nicely configured."  (And the big disclaimer:  I'm not affiliated with Headgap, save as a satisfied customer.)

You might notice that other system to the left of the screen.  That's my Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh (or TAM).  The previous owner vastly upgraded it, installed 128 MB of memory, a 20 GB hard drive, and OS 9.1.  And, yes, I do use it.  And, yes, I do go online with it, via ethernet.  Not bad for a 15 year old system.

(As a sidenote, the TAM came to me with a copy of Microsoft Office 97 installed.  I was very happy to accidentally discover that Word 97 was blessed with a copy of the Shankar's Virus, a Word macro virus.   Needless to say, Office strangely disappeared from the system, to be replaced with WordPerfect 3.5e and Appleworks 6.  Better software to begin with.)

All the stuff stacked up on around and on the computers is part of my little Mac collector's stash.  On the keyboard of the TAM is an "Independence Day" Powerbook advertising pin, and an old copy the Apple Systems catalog on disk.  The stack of booklets are bunch of "AppleFacts" information booklets that were distributed to dealers.  These run from 1994 to 1999, and make some interesting reading for have-a-life-deprived people like me.

And, just to be completist, the other side of the desk:

The Other Side

There you go, a really nice view of that puck mouse, and of the Toshiba USB hard drive, along with the powered USB hub, on top of the Mini.  And, back in behind, almost buried under power cords and Post-It notes, is a couple of vintage Mac PowerBooks, a 180 on top, and a 520c below.

And, yes, that is a yellow Dalek keeping an eye on everything...  (For the "2001" fans out there, I missed the miniature black monolith sitting on the other side of the TAM...)