I picked up a Mac Mini at the local Apple store and converted it into a home theater PC for use in my entertainment center. The only extra item needed to make it all come together was the proper display & audio adapter. Now I’m able to use services like Hulu, Netflix, and iTunes on my primary television while reclining comfortably on my couch.

Granted, the only extra thing I needed was the display adapter, but I also chose to upgrade the hard drive. I replaced the factory 320gb drive with a 640gb Western Digital Scorpio drive, effectively doubling my storage space. Considering the amount of digital video content I’ll be storing on the computer, it seemed like a wise decision. As with most Apple computers, they design them so that the average consumer cannot replace or upgrade parts themselves. To that I say, “Ha!” The inside of the Mac Mini was a bit tight and cracking the chassis open required some sweat (and a putty knife), but it ended up being a fairly straightforward endeavor. To give you an idea how long this project might take, I took a time-lapse video.

Why do I wear blue surgical gloves while I film this video? For one, I bite my fingernails (bad habit, I know) so I prefer to hide them. Secondly, I don’t like getting hand oils all over sensitive electronic components.

I think I’ve finally begun to see the light. I used to view Twitter as a farce; a simple distraction to keep morale up during a day of work. After all, what was the point? When I first started using it, the service was largely a vehicle for friends to exchange goofy little updates about themselves. Feeding the cat? Tweet it. Varnishing your footlocker? Tweet it. Initiating a multi-million dollar diamond heist? Tweet it. Despite this, Twitter continued to evolve. While it still serves as a melting pot for all the world’s experiences, it also serves as an excellent way to stay up to date on news tidbits.

While I do share tweets with friends of mine (which also show up in the top-right corner of this website), I largely use Twitter to keep up on news and interesting people. By following SonyPlayStation, I’m able to stay informed about the latest game releases and PS3 firmware updates. Meanwhile, AdagioTeas, keeps me up-to-date on the tea inventory at my favorite online tea retailer. It’s actually useful! Who would have thought? My only gripe is that not enough of my friends use Twitter, so I’m largely left reading the tweets of people I don’t know on a personal basis.

Because of the increasing usefulness of Twitter, I found myself requiring tools that would circumvent my increasing need to visit the website a hundred times per day. For the longest time, I used an iPhone app called Twitteriffic ($5). This worked fine for my limited use, but as my needs increased, I found myself wanting more – especially an application for my desktop computer. And so, about three weeks ago, the great Twitter software shakedown began.

At first, the field was large. For the iPhone, I was considering TweetDeck, Tweetie 2, Twitterific, and Echofon. The desktop computer side of things was a bit smaller with just TweetDeck and Echofon. At first, the selection was whittled down quickly: I found the desktop version of TweetDeck far too complicated and annoying, so Echofon easily won out. On the flipside, I found the iPhone version of Echofon to be a bit on the light side, so that was dropped almost immediately. Twitterific held onto the crown for about two weeks, until I decided that TweetDeck and Echofon offered far more features, while being easier to use… and that is where I stand right now. I’m still debating between TweetDeck and Tweetie, as both apps are almost equally weighted with pros and cons. If someone held a gun to my head and told me to pick one, I might lean towards Tweetie, simply because I like it’s minimalist design, but both apps are otherwise in a virtual dead heat.

  

Left to right: Echofon, TweetDeck, and Tweetie 2
(Click to Enlarge)

That about concludes my Twitter software spiel. I would review each individual program and explain their merits, but I think this blog post would end up being a solid 2000+ words in length. Just know that I’m a picky guy and each Twitter client is examined for their presentation, color scheme, ease of use, and chunkiness (in other words, less bloated = better). If nothing else, I hope this list will help to point someone in the right direction if they’re looking for a good Twitter client.

Also, if you’re a Twitter user, keep your eyes peeled for FlyTags. That’s me.

Advancing battery technology makes me a happy guy. I’m always glad when the gadgets I depend on are able to operate for longer periods of time. However, I don’t like it when I’m forced to sacrifice accessibility to achieve this. A good example? The Apple iPhone. There is no user-replaceable battery. If your battery craps the bed, you have to take the phone to Apple and get a replacement. Now, I’m sure that with a little research and technical diagrams, I could probably replace the battery myself, but the average consumer will not get to enjoy this luxury. That’s bogus.

Now it seems that this trend is becoming more mainstream. Apple has converted it’s entire MacBook line of computers to use sealed batteries. This is also true of some Dell laptops. Their argument is that by doing this, they are able to fit larger batteries into the computer, thus extending battery performance. This is absolutely true, because sealed batteries don’t require casings, exposed electrical contacts, clips, etc. But is sacrificing user-replacability really worth the extra hour or two of charge time? To me, it isn’t.

I have never used a laptop battery to the point where it needs to be replaced, nor have I ever had a defective battery. In Apple’s mind, I fit their user profile. I am someone who has never needed to replace their battery or purchase additional batteries. But, you know what? I like having the piece of mind and control that a user-replaceable battery offers. I bet that doesn’t show up in their study.

I like knowing that if my battery dies, I can easily replace the part myself. I don’t need to hand my MacBook over to a “Genius” (a term that is, in reality, quite variable) at the Apple Store and pray that they handle it with care. I hate it when someone I don’t know handles my $1800 notebook computer. Call me a control freak, but knowing what I know about computers, I also have come to realize that there are a lot of inept people out there. Wearing an Apple logo doesn’t make someone more trustworthy.