whaddya want, mack? i ain't got all day ...

well, actually, it's a mac i want! or rather, i'll need a new mac computer soon - my internal hard drive is destined to fail. :-(

having worked in the disc drive industry, i am privy to the funny noises they make. hard drives are really mechanical devices which perform a technical function. they also spin, which implies spindle bearings. and spindle bearings make a particular noise when failure is imminent.

and i have heard That Noise! hallelujah brother! i predict that my internal hard disc will fail within one year. the time to change it out is NOW. it never pays to wait once you have heard That Noise.

i did check about a replacement drive with apple. the short answer is that while possible, it's not worth it to replace the drive. there is no larger capacity drive available for my model of mac mini, and i am filling the one i have, albeit slowly. the drive is only 60GB, and i have about 38GB of data ...

then i thought of a new mac mini. mine has been so good to me that i would want another. checking both online, and with a good friend who works at apple, i am opting for an iMac instead. i was thinking of a mac mini + giant monitor + peripherals combo, but it's cheaper to get an integrated iMac:

3.1GHZ 27" iMac with internal AMD Radeon graphics

the machine comes with 4GB of ram, and i won't need to add more. there is a 1T internal hard drive, and a cd/dvd reader/burner - cool! the wireless mouse and keyboard come as standard equipment.

i'll most likely bring my mac mini to diane's house, and add it to her network. that way, i can have a real UNIX system at diane's, and not have to complain to her anymore about how much i hate windows. :-)

thanks go to my friend john who works at apple. his knowledge of their products made choosing the right machine VERY simple. i appreciate the insight and help very much.

update: i've already picked up the machine at the apple store in los gatos! it'll be installed at home this weekend. :-)