odd hopefulness...

[katster]

Two things.

One, I doubt anybody does, or I'd ask in a more private fashion, but does anybody here work for IBM or know somebody who does that might be able to help me out? I'm probably going to end up with a Thinkpad as my laptop (I miss Macavity, and I trust IBM) and if there's somebody who could help me make it a bit cheaper, that person will be loved forever. ;)

Two, does anybody have an old hub so I can connect two computers in one room together? I'd normally use my wireless router, but that needs to be put in a more central place in this house (my room's off to one side instead of in the middle in the new place) and I have two desktop machines that need Internet connections. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, it just has to be as cheap as possible.

Thanks in advance.

Comments

[ladycalliope.livejournal.com]

You wouldn't happen to be part of your alumni association, would you? Stanford Alumni Association has a deal on ThinkPads right now, but I don't think it's very good. $1299 (plus tax and shipping, I'm sure) would get one:

Intel Pentium M 740 1.73 GHz
256 MB (installed) / 2 GB (max), 40 GB, CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo, Wireless, 14.1" Display

The lowest end iBook is a little bit slower and smaller than that, with twice as much RAM built into it for under $1000. $friend at Cal could probably get you the next level up for $1200 when you include the educational discount.

[katster.livejournal.com]

It really depends on the model as to whether that's a good deal or not. For some of the R series, it's about what I can pull online, for the T, it's not bad. (IBM's a bit pricey, and I freely admit it, but Macavity stood up to the worst I could deal to it, survived abuses a laptop shouldn't take, and still kept valiantly working until the end.)

As for the Cal alumni association, I paid the first installment towards permanent membership and then between grad school and other things, haven't really had the money to continue. It's one of the first things I want to do when I get a real job. But i made a quick poke around the site and didn't see anything.

Hmmm. I'll think about Apple s'more, but I'm still kinda iffy, even though I know it's based on Unix and all of that.

-kat

[neverupdated.livejournal.com]

Dunno which model you're looking at...

http://www.techbargains.com/tellafriend2.cfm/54566/best_price_thinkpad_sale_cheap_sale_wholesale

lenovo has their Sale of the season on Thinkpad notebooks Exp 12/31

$500 off 3.5lb Thinkpad X41 Tablet Centrino Notebook Pentium M 753 1.2Ghz 256MB/40GB 12.1in screen 3yr warranty now $1499 with free 512MB upgrade

$550 off 4.5lb Thinkpad T43 Centrino Notebook Pentium M 750 1.86Ghz 512MB/40GB 14.1in screen, CDRW/DVD, 3yr warranty now $1399 with free 512MB upgrade.

HTH

[katster.livejournal.com]

Heh! Perfect!

In fact, perfect enough that I went ahead and did the ordering. ;)

-kat

[phenyx.livejournal.com]

I have an old hub. Where do you need it?

[katster.livejournal.com]

poke me on IRC next time you get a chance.

-kat