the bouncey zone

Today I ordered a black MacBook from Amazon. They have a $100 rebate, which leaves room in my budget to add more RAM. It should be here in 2 months according to the confirmation email. Sometimes Amazon is a little too conservative on the shipping dates.

I didn’t think black looked very good in pictures. But when I saw it at the Apple Store, I just couldn’t stop smiling. The size, weight, and surface material reminded me of my old ThinkPad T23, the best Windows PC any employer has ever issued to me. The store’s MacBook had a distinct Apple character though.

The white one looked okay too. The contrast between shiny white shell and pale grey interior was slightly annoying, but I’m used to it with my current iBook. It didn’t jump out and say “BUY ME” but I think it would do the job.

I’ll let you know how well the BlackBook works. For now, here’s a comic strip that sums up my pre-order dilemma quite well. [Joy of Tech #823]

MacWorld’s Rob Griffiths has been thinking along similar lines. [What price MacBook beauty?]

More information from Apple: [MacBook]

Last Saturday Dana, Scott, and I sold soap at an SCA event — Beltane Games at the Barony of Namron.

Beltane is an old Gaelic holiday involving bonfires and maypoles. The modern SCA version has those too. The event was not meant to be an endorsement of ancient religions, though. (See the “Policy on Religion” section of the Organizational Handbook.) It’s all about bringing the history of medieval Europe to life again.

Incidentally, it’s hard to light a bonfire after two days of rain. The weather was very British. But eventually it was blazing, thanks to some medieval gasoline, and the party could start.

Unlike most SCA events, this one was not about serious contests of one-on-one combat. The focus instead was on fun and games. Caber toss, spanghewing, axe throwing, wench races, tug-of-war… I won the spanghewing last year, so this year I stood aside and let others play.

There was also a brewing competition. Unfortunately, I didn’t enter that contest either. The required documentation for my black cherry mead stayed home somehow. The mead was a bit young, so it’s probably better to wait anyway. At least my friends who tried it informally all said they liked it a lot.

Business was better than I expected, considering the number of people there. We made enough money to pay for our new booth-style tent. More importantly, we made contact with many potential customers. I really should buckle down and get our online catalog working, so we’ll be ready when they want to order more soap.

The weekend after next is another event, this time at the Barony of the Eldern Hills. We’re making arrangements to attend — with the soap.