I'm leaving today for a week in San Francisco where I'll attend the GDC (Game Developers Conference).
I'm not a big fan of the event, I'm more a Siggraph kind of guy. It's not that I'm one of those pricks that thinks that graphics in games is everything, it's that I just don't care so much about game business. When I play games (rarely nowadays) it's regardless of their graphics (Mario Kart on DS !!).

Anyhow, it will be an interesting experience, with business meetings and I'll get to meet some cool people !

Gettign into the subject... I like to take notes as the conference goes. This time around I wanted to go to the conference with a shiny new Apple laptop. I was ready to buy the MacBook Air even before it was announced (!). At the announcement I was pretty interested: "Wow... the thinnest notebook ever !! And it's pretty light too..." or is it ? As it turns out, my current Vaio SZ is not much heavier than the MBA !
Sure it's not as thin, but it's just as large.. and it doesn't cost anymore than I've already paid ;)
One problem that I have constantly is lack of battery life. I forgot how much is it in "stamina mode", but it's definitely not more than 4 hours. I'm always begging to plug my computer somewhere at those conferences.. it's a pain.

So, I decided against the MacBook Air and I instead bought an extra battery for my current Vaio. Swapping battery (easily, unlike for the MBA which requires a screwdriver) is hopefully going to be good enough.
Sadly the battery was incredibly expensive.. about 21,000 yen, or $194 !! The long-life one was even twice as expensive !!!!
For a little more I could have bought an Eee PC instead.. which I really wanted to buy, but unfrotunately it's all sold out in Japan 8( (also the battery life is only 3.5 hours..).

In conclusion, I think that Apple missed big time by not releasing a cheap and small sub-notebook.
Recently I gave to my mother my old Vaio C1/VN which she loved. In fact, she insisted to get it once she realized that I wasn't using it anymore. I've never seen her so interested in getting a computer ! And I realize now that she was right.. size is (almost) everything ! That thing with more RAM and with a larger battery, kicks the MacBook Air's ass !
Fack those large items, fack being thin (or being fat 8).. that's a joke, fack that 13 inches screen !!
Maybe it's that most Americans are 2 meters tall and weight between 100 an 200 Kilos.. so for them a MacBook Air is indeed a sub-notebook 8P

Anyhow, time to start finish packing !!

Phack packing !
P.S. I'm also packing a company-provided DELL monolith 8( ...but hopefully I'll soon get a decent personal Vaio 8)

I guess I'm a fan of id Software. Steve Jobs used to snob games but now he invites John Carmack at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2007 ! It's nice to know that id Software keeps supporting the underdogs (the Mac in this case, but also OpenGL from a while ago).  read more »