Sun 22 Jun 2003
What I've learnt from a Mac Meet-up
Category : Commentary/whatilearnt.txt
I've not attended any of the previous meet-ups before because my iBook battery's shot - it can't last 5 minutes without power I learnt so many things, I'll take a while to sort it out. I think just about the most important is being introduced to this site for digital cameras ("Digital Camera Reviews"). My three-year old Kodak broke down just before the meet-up and I bought a Canon IXUS 230 to replace it. But I found that the image definition wasn't as good as the Kodak's. It may be what was traded-off for a smaller size - the IXUS is just a fraction of the size of the Kodak and has a consequently much smaller flash. Anyway, I learnt enough that there's a lot more to know before buying a digital camera. Next time, I'll be better prepared and save a lot of money. But for now, I traded the Canon back for a higher-end IXUS 400. The image quality is so much better this time and I'm already so happy with its size. I've always wanted a camera that can slip into my pocket and that is quick to start. I remember seeing once an old lady at Chinatown sleeping on the lap of Ronald MacDonald. It was such an arresting image. Next time, I'll have a better chance of capturing those moments. Next, there were lots of little tips that were too small to mention but they all build up to make the Mac a joy to use. I'll never forget Yezdi slipping a Bluetooth connector into the USB port of my iBook and showing Eric, who's got a new Bluetooth-capable Sony Ericsson, how to sync it using iSync. I was going "That's my address book", and I thought they were all going to get sucked into Eric's handphone. But you've got to see it to see how the digital hub idea all makes sense. Then I learnt that Kristian ("hey, Kristian, come on over to the meet-up and I'll give you a Cocoa tutorial") is not in Singapore. That's the net, dissolving time and distance. And I learnt that it doesn't matter if you don't kow a single soul there (just ask You Meng), but you're warmly welcome simply because you use a Mac. To all the good guys, and ladies (Airani and Hai Hwee), thanks. I learnt a lot and, most of all, that the best way to "get" the Mac culture is to attend a Mac meet-up.
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