1992casey

I physically can't use most laptop keyboards. Laptops suck ergonomically. Either the keyboard is too high or the screen is too low. There's no way around it unless you're able to hook up a separate keyboard/mouse or monitor. It's just the nature of the beast. However, I don't get why all laptops seem to slow down (ie, get bogged down) within 2 years. This is just speculation, but maybe it's because technically, laptops are healthier if they're not used on your lap. Ideally, they should be placed on a hard surface. I first ran across this information when I read my MacBook Pro manual: it says that if the computer feels hot, you should get it off your lap and onto a hard surface. Apple tech support told me that they don't recommend using notebooks on laps at all. A web search produced results saying that heat issues affect all "laptops." It's not an Apple thing. Your lap is a soft surface that can interfere with air flow. If you look at it, it should be noted that no manufacturer refers to these computers as "laptops." They're called "notebooks" or "MacBooks" or whatever. The Apple tech support guy said that Apple refers to them as "portable devices." Given all this, there's no false advertising involved. At home, my MacBook Pro sits on a "breakfast in bed" tray ($15 at Target). That's nicer than putting it on my lap anyway. For traveling, I went over to Lisbon Storm, Screen, and Door and bought a piece of plexiglass, 1/4 inch thick, that slides right into the computer bag. It cost $5.97, including having it cut. They also sanded the corners to prevent the possibility of damage to the bag. It totally covers heat issues when I put the computer on my lap. In additon to not feeling heat on the case, software that reports temperatures in various parts of the machine indicates that I'm covered. Getting back to endaround's original question, I think he's on the right track when he wants to invest in the graphics card and power supply. However, I do like the 6MB L2 cache that the faster processor offers.

Apple doesn't yet offer a computer that allows you to write on screen. People around here know I'm going to recommend a Mac, and I've gotta tell you that I absolutely love my new MacBook Pro. At $2,000, however, it's definitely pricey. The 13" MacBooks are cheaper and may have all you need. There's definitely a size advantage if you're going to be carting it around. I'm not sure that you can connect an external monitor and see different things on each screen (like I can with the MacBook Pro); you might want to ask about that. Also, there are actually two different types of MacBooks. The cheapest model is in the older polycarbonate case; the newer and more expensive ones are in aluminum cases and have the nifty new trackpad. If you're concerned about screen size, keep in mind that OS X offers the Spaces option. You can spread your work across up to 16 different "screens." You switch by using the Spaces application or by holding down Control while hitting arrow keys. To run OS X, 2 GB of RAM should be plenty; I'd recommend more if you were considering Windows. Hard drive space depends on what you want to do. I've noticed that the biggie is if you work with movies. I haven't done that myself, but one of my friends eats up hard drive space that way. As a side note, the new version of OS X coming out later this year [OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)] is supposed to be faster and take less RAM and hard drive space than the current OS X 10.5 (Leopard). To compare models, I suggest downloading Mactracker. Along with information on other Apple toys, it has information on every Mac ever made. (Yes, there's a Windows version. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif) The only information that the current version of Mactracker would lack is stuff on the newest low-end polycarbonate MacBook that came out within the past week. And here's a bit of trivia for future reference... "Mac" and "MAC" have two different meanings: MAC/Mac. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

I'm not a fan of special store warranties and I almost never buy them, but I happen to have one on the monitor I purchased from Circuit City. I'll have to see if it's still going to be honored in some way or if I'm poop out of luck.

I thought you could only sign 3 type A free agents? I believe the limit is a percentage of free agents on the market, meaning it could vary from year to year.

It was a different chart that ranked everything in just about the same order. The only difference was that everything had correlations that were just a bit higher. I believe BA was a bit over .8, OBP and SLG were a bit over .9, OPS was around .94 or .95, and the nouveau stats were basically in the .96s.

On top it all, the desktop was loaded with WINDOWS ME! Ugh. Windows Malignant Edition should have never been thrust upon anyone. It's a pain for even the technologically adept. If someone's older and has never used a computer, the biggest favor one could do for that person is to recommend an iMac with everything wireless. Besides not needing to learn how to run several malware programs before learning anything else, the only cords one has to worry about are the ones that plug into the electrical outlets. The only concern is changing the keyboard and mouse batteries when the computer yells at you to do it. Most people can master that. The big issue I've had is convincing my dad that when he lives alone in a 3,000 square foot house (not counting another couple thousand square feet in the basement), he should have a phone in every room, even if he's rarely in said room.

Maybe there should be a requirement that voters be 60 years of age or older. Lou Chapman, where are you when we need you? Bud Lea is still around. He should be voting.

And channel 669 will only work if you have the Sports Pack activated (that's another $12/month fee). Extra Innings channels are something like 725-740 or so. Likewise, if you live in Brewers territory, the Brewers will also show up on the Extra Innings channel even if it's supposed to be blacked out. Since it's the same feed that you're entitled to anyway via Channel 669, you're not getting away with anything by being able to tune in on the Extra Innings channel. (If you're watching other games on Extra Innings, watching the Brewers in the 700s makes it handy to use your up and down channel button.)

What TSack27 says applies to DISH, too. For whatever reason, when the switch isn't flipped to make a Brewer game available, it's not surprising to come to the in-game thread and find that both services are screwed up.

I'm not sure how old is old, but I've been much more frustrated by those that most would consider young. A few weeks ago, I stopped at a Milwaukee area Radio Shack to pick up a crossover cable. In the effort to find one, two confused employees in their 20s tried to tell me that all Ethernet cables are the same. No, they're not. I found the right cable, showed the employees the various packages, and explained to them when they're supposed to sell a crossover cable and when they should be selling a patch cable. They're totally not interchangeable. That Radio Shack experience was an exception; they're usually pretty good. Best Buy employees, usually in their 20s and 30s, are another story. A few weeks ago, I overheard an employee in his early 20s telling customers that a Mac computer is difficult to use. It crossed my mind to jump in with a diatribe (centered on dealing with malware) that would have made him look pretty dumb, but I refrained. He was already looking pretty dumb on his own, and I think the potential buyers could see that. Last week, I was looking at an external hard drive that connected via USB, Firewire, and ATA. I wanted to know what kind of cable I'd buy to connect via ATA. As he had no clue, his response was, "Why would you use anything other than USB?" I should have said, "because it offers that option and if I knew how much I might be investing in a cable, you might sell me the thing," but I was too nice.

Brewers games tend to be easier to find on DirecTV. Most of the time, they're on channel 669. There are a few games per year when they're on another alternate channel. That's usually when they're on WMLW and FSN-WI is carrying another live game. Members report that on DISH, the Brewers tend to jump channels on a game to game basis. That's probably not a big deal if you learn the drill.

Iirc instead of 'valuable', it's that OBP correlates to runs scored 1.6-1.8x more than SLG. I'd have to find the chart I remember seeing, but I believe OBP and SLG correlate to runs scored almost exactly the same, with SLG getting an ever so slight advantage. OPS would do better than either, with some of the more advanced stats edging it out--again, ever so slightly. I think 1.6-1.8 (or whatever) is a factor that would tweak the accuracy of OPS to make it a bit better.

Back on November 1st, it was requested that the "Brittle Ben" stuff cease:

But I admit I know nothing regarding baseball arbitration, but in other types of arbitration comparables are used all the time. The comparables are others in a player's service class (same number of years of service) and those in the next service class (one more year of service). Fifth year arby cases can also be compared to free agents.

Anthony Witrado voted for Sanchez. As for the 5% cutoff to remain on the ballot, it would seem to make perfect sense, but with the incompetence that this uneducated group of voters has shown annually, I would think that's an awfully dangerous power for it to have.

Firefox problems are almost always related to something that's gone awry in your Firefox profile. Try replacing it. Before doing this, back up your bookmarks by exporting them. That way they'll be handy to be imported into the new profile. Some references: Firefox profiles Managing profiles Profile folder Profile manager

Add Bob Uecker's call of Robin Yount's 3,000th hit to Marc Newfield of Dreams' list.

They're back to showing a game from the 1989 ALCS. Of course, camera work keeps improving, but it is so nice to watch a game without music, sound effects, and odd visual effects.

Just got back from a week in St. Louis. Eating in Missouri is done at one's own risk. There's no restaurant inspection to speak of. Google Chrome is insanely fast, but trying to quote someone on this board is pretty screwed up. Chrome and Safari users should choose the bbcode editor. Hit the Account link in the navigation bar, hit the Preferences link, choose the bbcode radio button under Editor Type, and hit the submit button.

Divide runs by 10 and you get wins.

Divide runs by 10 and you get wins.

If you're dealing with a keylogger, it'll pick up every keystroke. There's no way to tell what you have without some kind of telltale identification that you could use for googling purposes, though.

Methinks the Tony Gwynn comment was a blue text type of post without the blue text. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

What's up with number 51?

You might want to check out Baseball, Box Score Baseball, and MLB.com At Bat (all free). When I looked last fall, about half the teams had apps, too. The Brewers weren't among them.