3146 and counting

I rather like my new computer.

My parents got me a brand-spanking-new 12-inch PowerBook (the Yao Ming model) for graduation, and it finally arrived this week. Now, I know you're all saying that I should've been posting to my blog more, not less frequently, since having this beautiful new beast of a machine presumably would facilitate that process. But, having a nice, ass-kicking, 60 GB hard drive to fill has proven quite a challenge, one that has (and continues) to occupy much of my time.

I spent three days ripping my entire music collection -- about 225 CDs and another 100 or so mp3s acquired over the years. Why, you might ask, didn't I just copy the mp3s I had ripped of everything in my collection at the end of last summer? Because iTunes 4 supports AAC, a fantastic new file standard that compresses slightly smaller than mp3, and with slightly higher quality. So, the 3146 songs I packed in my collection occupied a whopping 11.2 GB of my monster hard drive. That is, of course, almost 2 GB more than the whole hard drive of my iBook could hold, but has left only a modest dent in my new one. Heck, for what it's worth, I haven't yet managed to fill half the space on my new iPod, which weighs in at an awesome 30 GB. I love it! I'm relishing the fleeting moments when I essentially have the biggest, baddest laptop on the market (I'm going to overlook the PowerBook models with larger displays, and don't consider PCs to be part of this special niche). It won't last, but I love it!