I brought a new kitty-cat home yesterday and I don’t mean the fuzzy variety. I purchased my very own copy of Leopard from my local Apple Store!

I did debate going last to the Apple Store last Friday night at 6pm, when they launched their latest and greatest operating system, but I hate crowds and I hate people and quickly thought better of it. Besides, did I really need a free tee-shirt?

When I bought my first iMac, nearly 3 years ago, it came installed with Panther, but a few months after that, I upgraded to Tiger, which I ran on all my Macs until yesterday.

Tiger is a great OS, stable, easy and intuitive to use and it brought me 2 and 1/2 years of computing bliss. Leopard appears to be the next logical step in the development of OS X.

The “300 new features” Apple keeps touting is probably a bit of an exaggeration, but over all the changes appear to be welcome.

I spent yesterday upgrading my 3 main systems, my new 24” iMac, my MacBook and my Mac mini. Each system took around an hour and I upgraded, rather than clean-install or archive-and-install. Apple software tends to be stable and trustworthy, plus I had the weekend’s field reports online to warn me of potential installation hazards.

One of the issues flagged up by the first installers, was something called Application Enhancer, a 3rd party framework, utilised by some 3rd party software. This framework causes a conflict in the installation which bricks your Mac, leaving you with the dreaded blue screen of death! Updating to the latest version of Application Enhancer will prevent this and if its too late, there are fixes posted on the net which show you how to remedy the situation.

Only one of my Macs, the Mini, had AE installed and I caught it before upgrading, so no worries there. The Mini was the first system I upgraded, because at a year old, it’s the oldest of my 3 systems.

The upgrade was a breeze, the installer walked me through a few screens, rebooted from the DVD and presto-change-o, it rebooted into Leopard, with all my original settings and files right where I left them.

After that, I did the iMac, which was extremely quick, around 40-45 minutes from start to finish. I followed that up with the MacBook, which took a little over an hour.

As each system booted up into Leopard for the first time, I had the chance to explore the new system. The first thing you notice is the login screen has a new background, the Leopard desktop photo. That makes a nice change from the plain blue background, though I know there’s a simple Terminal command to change it.

The systems all boot up faster under Leopard. I don’t really know how Apple do this, it was the same with Tiger. Applications also seem to launch faster and in general all three systems seem slightly more responsive.

I like the new look, the change in folder icons, the slightly translucent menu bar and the redesigned dock, all work very well. The Stacks concept is also very cool; when you click on a folder in the dock, the contents are quickly revealed for easy access. Put your Application folder on the dock, if you haven’t already and you’ll have a very quick, easy way to launch any App you have installed. It’s simple and clever.

Speaking of simple and clever, the new-look Finder window is much better too. The sidebar has been reorganised and is much more useful, with groupings that make exploring your hard drive and other computers on your network that much easier.

Coverflow, a feature added to iTunes last year, is now part of the Finder and it makes browsing through files a painless task. Even better is QuickLook, which does exactly what it says on the tin - select an item, hit the space bar and you can see just what’s inside the file, whether it’s a text document, spreadsheet or video - it’s all preview-able!

By far the most useful new addition to the Finder is the screen-sharing function, something I do quite a bit with my Mac Mini.

My Mini is connected to my LCD TV and I use it primarily for media, music and video. When I want to download something on BitTorrent, I normally control the Mini from my iMac via an open source program called “Chicken of the VNC”, but I don’t need to use that any more, because a better, version of it is now part of the OS.

The screen sharing is fast, faster than Chicken of the VNC, but by far the best thing is it can reproduce my Mighty Mouse’s right click. I could see how this function would be of use to people with family and friends who have Macs, you can effortlessly control their machine and show the person on the remote Mac how to do something, without too much trouble. If you have more than one Mac on your home network, I’m sure you will find this a useful tool.

The other major change I’ve noticed while using my Mac Mini is the completely redesigned FrontRow. The user interface now matches the Apple TV, it’s more responsive and reacts to the remote control faster. It’s also organised more logically and you have finer control over media playback. This is a very solid and welcome upgrade, especially for me because I use FrontRow so much.

Another welcome change is the new Downloads folder, which is a new category of Home Folder. It lives on the Dock and I’ve already set up my BitTorrent client to use it. It means never having to hunt around for a downloaded file again, that’s a very good thing!

In general, all of my Apps are working well, as is everything on all three computers and I’m liking everything I’ve seen so far.

I’ve yet to get my head around Spaces, the virtual desktop tool, though I can see how it would be useful to manage and run groups of related applications. I need to experiment with it a bit.

My one disappointment so far is Time Machine, which I haven’t set up yet. I upgraded to the new Airport Extreme last summer, in anticipation of Leopard and Time Machine, because of the AirDisk function. AirDisk is the ability to attach a USB hard drive to the Extreme and have it function as a network attached storage (NAS) drive and use it for Time Machine. Apple touted this function right up until recently and then all references to it disappeared.

I’m guessing that the functionality is still not working properly and at some point, it will be added back to Leopard. I hope so, anyway. Until then, it will only work with drives attached to each Mac, locally and that makes it just too involved and expensive. My plan was to have one central drive working with Time Machine on all 3 Macs and I’m probably going to wait for this feature before setting up this great new automated back-up system. It’s a minor disappointment and one I am sure they are working hard to address.

If you’re considering an upgrade to Leopard and any of the new features appeal to you, then go for it! It’s solid, stable and adds lots of cool new features to your already very cool computer! Apple will continue to tweak Leopard over the coming years, with bug fixes and new features, just as they have with Tiger.

Rumour has it that Tiger is due for an update as well, which means Apple will continue to support it for some time to come. That means there’s no rush to upgrade to Leopard, but there’s nothing stopping you from taking that next step in Apple’s OS evolution! Follow in the hippy’s footsteps and you’ll be running the most advanced operating system in the world!

Here is my slightly delayed, but finally complete review of my brand new iMac!

Two weeks ago, I took delivery of my brand new, shiny, superfast iMac. It’s my second iMac and 5th Apple computer in the last 3 years. You could say, I’m a bit Apple-mad!

You could be onto something if you did…

I fell in love with my last iMac, I’m talking serious techo-geek devotion. The previous one I had was a 20”, 1.8mhz G5 model, which I still have and is still going strong. I might try to sell it, or it might become the media centre in the bedroom. I haven’t decided yet.

The system replacing my old iMac, is a 24” aluminium, 2.8mhz Core Duo Extreme model, with 2gb of RAM and a terabyte of hard drive. It’s quite a technological leap from my old one.

First of all, it’s big…considerably more screen real estate than my 20”, around 30% bigger I think. The screen is glossy, the same as my MacBook and I do like the way it makes things look. It’s very bright and the colours are very deep. The downside is that it shows smudges very well, but Apple give you a cloth to keep it nice and shiny. I haven’t found glare to be a problem and I do have a double-window right behind me.

It’s also considerably thinner and sleeker than my previous model. The ports run along the bottom of the back and not along the side.

It is also much quieter than the last one, with the fans barely audible.

I prefer the aluminium case much more than the plastic. It has a more substantial look and feel.

I miss the sleep light, which has been omitted from this version. I liked the way it pulsed, almost like a visual version of snoring.

Unboxing my new computer took no time, as it lifts out in one piece. All I had to do was connect the power cable and plug it in. I also had to put batteries into the wireless mouse and wireless keyboard, but that wasn’t complicated either.

I plugged a firewire cable into my new iMac and my old iMac and used the Setup Assistant to transfer all my data and accounts and that was the only hitch I experienced. The old iMac rebooted about 2 and 1/2 hours into the process and I had to start again from scratch. Had that not happened, with would have only taken 3 and 1/2 hours to transfer around 120 gigabytes of stuff.

When I finally started OS X on the new iMac, my desktop looked identical to the old one in every respect. My desktop picture was there, so were all my files, applications, home folders, even my login photo! It worked perfectly and was relatively painless.

It was actually kind of strange, having a brand new computer, but it looking and responding like the old one.

My new computer is lightening fast, and will only get faster when I max out the RAM to 4 gigs. It was a bit pricey to do that now, but in 6 months of so, it will be a lot cheaper. Even with only 2 gigs, it still performs exceptionally well.

I’ve played with some of the new applications that shipped with my iMac and from what I’ve seen, I’m very impressed so far. The new iPhoto ’08 is amazing and a giant leap forward for the program. I’ve also had a look at the new iMovie, and I can see the direction they are trying to take with it. I think, in time, it will be regarded more highly than it is now, but it will take several revisions to get to that point.

I haven’t had a chance to use the other iLife app’s yet, but will get there eventually. I have used Final Cut Express and Logic Express and both run exceedingly well. I’m going to be upgrading Logic Express to the full version of Logic Studio 8 in the not too distant future, which will give me the full version of everything in Apple’s audio production suite of software.

I’ve also been test driving iWork ’08 and I like it very much. I’m using Pages right now, to write this and I think I’m going to drop MS Office in favour of it. I’ve also used Keynote and think it is very powerful, yet simple to use and could see using it for simple animated graphics again in the future. I’m going to buy a copy of iWork before my trial runs out.

Overall, I’m glad I upgraded my desktop system. I can see huge performance gains already and I really do appreciate the extra screen space. Leopard is shipping later this week and I’m sure it will run like a dream on my new machine.

I have to admit it, like my most people last January, when Steve Jobs showed off the very first iPhone, I wanted one. Badly! I had deep gadget lust of the strongest variety!

I followed his keynote speech, almost live via websites offering blogged coverage and before he was finished, I was clutching my credit card in awe of this new device, ready to plunk down whatever was required to have one in my hot little hands, as soon as humanly possible.

And then reality kicked in and the distortion field lifted and he pissed all over my party by telling me they would go on-sale in America only, sometime in June. As a north London based hippy, that was no good to me!

I could have imported one, while praying for an unlock solution so I could use it on a network here, but that seemed quite risky. Prayers were answered and unlocks were made available, but Apple has already turned the key, relocking all the iPhones with one lone update. More on this in a moment.

They said the iPhone would launch in Europe towards the end of 2007 and sure enough, Uncle Steve came to Ol’ Blighty and announced you could get one on O2 in November.

My current contract runs out in January and is on another network, which is no big deal. I don’t mind switching networks and I’ve done it before, just to get the handset I wanted. If I was that desperate, I could buy myself out of my current contract a couple months early, so I could make the big switch.

So what’s holding me back? What’s changed since last January when I was salivating so much for an iPhone that I needed to wear a drool-bucket under my chin?

Over time, I’ve identified a few key things that I would need the iPhone to do, before I switched to one.

1) 3G - for me, this is a deal breaker. My current phone is 3G and I do use it to occasionally surf the web, using the Opera Browser. No walled-gardens for me! As great as the iPhone’s browser and user interface is, and it looks amazing, surfing over Edge at slower speeds would piss me off. And while I know I could surf over Wi-Fi, when available, the fact is that where it is mainly available in my life, my home and my office, I’ve already got access to computers. Outside of those two key locations, Wi-Fi is not that readily accessible.

2) Storage - What really muddied the waters for me is the iPod Touch. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks weighing up the options between these two devices. The main striking difference is the amount of storage available in both the iPhone and the Touch, with the Touch offering twice the flash memory, in a thinner form factor. When the iPhone reaches 16 or 32mb, then I would be far more tempted.

3) Installing 3rd party applications - When Stevie J said that developers could only create app’s using Web 2.0 nonsense, I had hoped this was meant to be misleading and in time, the iPhone would be cracked and hacked, much like the AppleTV and the Sony PSP and it wasn’t too long before 3rd party app’s started appearing. The iPhone dev community has been very busy creating some very useful and fun programs to run on the iPhone, which certainly made the platform much more appealing. Apple slammed the door shut on these hacks this week. Even more worrying is that the iPod Touch seems even less prone to opening up, and this to me, defeats the purpose of both devices. By crippling them and locking them down to Apple-only app’s, they are being limited to such a high degree that it is putting me off.

What’s the point of having a multi-function, multi-touch, magic device in my pocket if I can’t make it do all the things I want it to do, that I know it can do. It’s my new toy and if I want to expand its capabilities, I should be allowed to! I take the same risk whenever I install an open-source or beta program on my computer! Why can’t I do the same on my pocket computer?

That’s what these new devices really are, they are pocket PCs, being sold to us under other i-friendly names! Don’t we deserve the right to do what we want with it and not have the mother-ship brick them with an intentionally constructed update!

That’s what happened this week, when Apple released its most recent iPhone update.

Look, I can understand Apple wanting to lock the iPhones to the carriers that have exclusive deals with them. I have had cellphones which were locked to a carrier, though after the contract period, it is fully within my rights to have the phone unlocked. Apple should be offering the same functionality, with iPhones. Once your contract period has elapsed, they should offer an unlocking service, so you can move the phone with you to another carrier, if you so choose. Don’t worry, Apple, you could always charge for this unlock, do it through iTunes and it would be like getting free money, everyone wins!

The other thing this update did, was it closed the backdoor used by the dev community to install app’s on the iPhone. This was totally unnecessary and pointless. Why have they devalued the iPhone this way? They say its to protect users from substandard software that could harm the iPhone. What a load of crap!

Hello, Apple spies. I know you keep track of what’s being written about you on the internet, even by weird hippies like me, so here goes: Why not create an approved developer’s kit for the iPhone? Even better, let people submit app’s to you and if they don’t harm the iPhone, make them available via iTunes. Create a new section, called iPhone add-ons, which are made up of approved app’s, created by the dev community. You could take donations for some, charge for others, share the revenue with the creators. Who knows…I bet there are people out there in Cupertino, who have written some cool shit for the iPhone that would love to share them with the world! Give them the chance!

Look, I’m going to buy an iPhone, eventually, but the iPhone I want is 3G, with more storage and an open architecture that allows for me to install additional app’s as I see fit.

You should open up the iPod touch as well, it shouldn’t be crippled and it should offer all the functionality possible. Why can you edit contacts on the touch, but not iCal events? You can do both on the iPhone and it just seems arbitrary and stingy.

Apple, I am one of you biggest fanboys, I have tons of your kit already and think its some of the coolest stuff I’ve ever owned. If I’m questioning my purchases, then something is indeed very wrong. I should be at the head of the queue to buy an iPhone and I am dragging my feet until the next generation and maybe not even then!

Sort it out! Give everyone the iPhones and iPod Touches they deserve!

Sometimes, I feel the need to post something even when I’ve got nothing to say.

Of course, that’s not strictly true, because being a bit of an opinionated loud-mouth, I always have something to say.

What I mean is, I’ve got no particular topic in mind today, but I still feel I should make my presence felt.

Can you feel me?

If you can, I’ll have to charge you extra. Did you think all of this hippy goodness was for free?

Nothing in this world is totally free! Right now, as you read my page, my nanobots are copying your hard drive to my array of servers in my hidden, underground lair. Soon, all your secrets will be mine and I’ll just have to charge you a small, monthly storage fee to keep them safe. You wouldn’t want anyone to know about all those size 17, lady’s shoes you’ve been ordering from the internet. No one’s going to ever believe they’re for your mum!

I don’t want you all to be disappointed when you bop over to my site and find the same crap you already read. I want to be able to greet you with some crackin’ new content!

Its not like there aren’t plenty of subjects worthy of mentioning here and now, like the situation in Burma, the defacto ban on cigarette smoking in your car, or even my long wait for my new iMac, but I just can’t be bothered.

Well, actually, I could briefly mention my new iMac. I ordered a 24″ 2.8Mhz Intel Core Duo Extreme, with 2gb’s of RAM and 1 terrabyte of hard drive, with a new wireless keyboard and wireless Mighty Mouse. It’s going to be very shiny and fast. I can’t wait! And as you can see, I have my priorities straight!

It shipped around 6 days ago and still no sign of it. What’s even more annoying is the tracking website I used appears not to be working! I wish it would arrive!

Like I said, I don’t really have much to say. I bet you believe me now!

I’ve now had my brand new, shiny, lickable, 2.16 Core2Duo, 2 gig, black MacBook for 2 weeks and man, oh man do I dig it!

What’s not to love? Apple have outdone themselves in the design and execution of this very high-end consumer laptop. I’ll say it right now, for those of you considering a laptop purchase in the near future…buy a MacBook and you won’t go wrong!

I’ll also state, for the record, that I am a big fan of Apple products. I owned an Apple computer back in the mid 80s (an Apple //c for you true geeks out there) and returned to the Apple family in 2005, with the purchase of a 20” G5 iMac. It was the smartest and coolest purchase I ever made.

I saw how amazing Mac’s operating system, OS X worked, how stable, easy to use and intuitive it all was, I was sold.

Once I put my entire music collection into iTunes, I knew I was onto something. When I synched my contacts with Address Book and my diary with Calendar, all paired with my Bluetooth phone, in less time than it takes to brew a cup of tea, I knew my life changed.

Apple makes the things you actually want to do with a computer, easier. Like set up the system. Edit video. Store and organise your music, or photos. It all just works, right out of the box.

For example, take my new MacBook. Guess how long it took to go from the time I signed for delivery to the point where I was online, looking at the Google homepage on the gorgeous 13.3 inch LCD screen?

6 minutes and that included unboxing it slowly and carefully. OS X walked me through the set-up process, set by step, including joining my existing wireless network with straightforward ease.

If computers intimidate you, or you’re tired or wrestling with bullshit Windows preference screens and Bios settings, come over to the light! You’ll never see that dreaded “blue screen of death” again.

My shiny new MacBook replaces an iBook that I sold a few months back.

The iBook I had, the 2nd to the last revision sold, was a good, solid little laptop and had the MacBooks not come along, I would still own it. It was a very portable size, reliable, and easy on the eye, but the MacBook just offers more.

A faster processor, a better brighter screen, built-in iSight, magnetic latch, MagSafe power adaptor, thinner, lighter and it came in black – I had to have one!

The design is very sleek and minimal, and typical for Apple. I paid the extra for black, which many of you will think is silly. You can get a similarly spec’d white one for around 70 or 80 quid less.

What can I say? I like the black better, so I spent the extra money. Racing stripes don’t make your car go any faster, yet people pay extra to have them put on. Is this any different?

Using the MacBook is a dream. It is very fast and responsive and I especially like the “multi-touch” trackpad that can sense when you are using 2 fingers or one.

Tap the trackpad with 2 fingers and you produce a right click, which is a revelation for me. I use context menus quite a bit and being able to reproduce a right click with one hand on a laptop is a very good thing. Drag 2 fingers on the trackpad and the display scrolls, up, down or side-to-side if the applications allows. Very cool.

I wasn’t sure how I would like the glossy display, but after using it for 2 weeks, I think it is great. I was concerned about glare and seeing my face smugly reflected back at me, but this is not the case. The screen is so bright; even with the brightness reduced to conserve battery power, that it remains stunning and sharp.

I downloaded some trailers from the Apple site, in glorious 720p Quicktime HD goodness and they played back without a stutter and looked positively amazing!

I haven’t done much with the built-in camera, but I’m not much of an internet chatter or webcammer, so this is not surprising. When I was setting up my user account on the MacBook, PhotoBooth came up and I was offered the chance to take a photo, right then and there, to use as my login and system picture. A cool feature, that shows you right out the box, how user-friendly this computer is.

The magnetic latch clamps shut with a satisfying, firm thud and the MagSafe power adaptor literally leaps from your fingers into the socket on the MacBook when you bring it very close.

Battery life seems decent, I’ve had the Bluetooth turned off, but the wi-fi on most of the time and I’m getting nearly 5 hours.

Rip a CD, or play a feature length film from the hard drive and you can see the battery drain faster. I’m guessing you could probably watch 2 feature films back to back on a full charge, but if you’re concerned about using it on a long flight, they do sell a MagSafe airline power adaptor as an optional accessory.

As far as everything else goes, what can I say? It’s a Mac, it’s as stable and solid as my iMac and that goes for the hardware and software.

I’ve been on OS X for coming up on 3 years and I have never had a system crash. I’ve had applications crash, sure, but the actual operating system doesn’t go down with it. I don’t know anyone with a Windows computer who can say the same thing.

I ran Windows at home for years and I still use it where I work. I was never a fan, but now that I am a Mac-head I positively despise it! I restart my PC at work repeatedly, because it’s always crashing or freezing. When something goes wrong, the IT guys (who seem to travel in pairs these days), spend a lot of time scratching their heads and going off to thing about what the problem is, rather than actually fixing it.

Look, if you like Windows, and you think its great, and you are happy with it, fantastic and well done you! But if you’re like me and you think it is bloated, messy and about as stable as the SS Poseidon on New Year’s Eve, then I implore you to investigate Apple computers.

Have you ever met anyone who enthuses over his or her Windows PC? Or Windows? Find someone else who has a Mac and ask them if they like it. Prepare to have them go on and on, in glowing terms just as I have.

There’s a reason why people are enthusiastic about Apple. The toys they sell live up to the hype. Have you got an iPod? I bet lots of you do. Do you love it? I bet you do. Well, Apple computers are even better than their iPods!

Got an iPhone? Want one? I think we all fall into one of those two categories, with the second one currently being the larger of the two. Wouldn’t a matching Apple computer be nice?

You have no reason to fear Apple; Steve Jobs is your friend. He makes stuff to make your life easier; to make your life better.

Bill Gates makes stuff to complicate your life and frustrate you; at home and at work. He is very successful at this, that’s why he is the richest man in the world. You don’t have to buy what he sells; yet you do, anyway.

Apple computers are not more expensive, when you factor in all the software you get. I have read countless comparison studies done on comparably spec’d systems, with similar software packages and the Windows version always costs more. By the time you add all the extra crap you need to bring a Windows PC up to the level of a Mac, you’ve ended up spending a lot more money.

Let me describe my current home set-up:

- My 20” iMac, my main system, a desktop. I use it for surfing and writing, some downloading and I dock my iPod with this system, so it has my mobile music library on it. I also use it for my serious heavy lifting, like video editing on Final Cut Express and recording music on Logic Express. The G5 processor is showing it’s age though, especially compared to the MacBook and even my MacMini, so if the rumours are true about a major overhaul to the iMac line…I could be replacing it sometime soon.
- My MacMini – connected to a 32” Sony LCD and my stereo, it also streams music to two Airport Expresses. Used for all things media, it has my complete music library (my tunes, plus Mrs. Hippy’s), it also handles all film and tv downloads, streaming video content and video playback. This system gets used a lot, I like my media

- My shiny new MacBook – surfing on the sofa while watching TV and all of my mobile computing needs. I write on-the-go and it will be going to work with me. Now if I can access the company wi-fi network, my work-porn needs are solved!

- Airport Extreme – brand new, purchased with the MacBook. Only set it up a couple of days ago and I have to say, the set-up was a bit Un-Apple. I’ll do a separate post on this, but in the end, it’s now working flawlessly.

- Airport Express number 1 – used to be my wi-fi hub, it is now in my bedroom, connected to a set of speakers, which receives music from iTunes via a wi-fi connection and is rebroadcasting my wi-fi network upstairs. I think that’s called WDS.

- Airport Express number 2 – Is in my kitchen, connected to a 2nd set of speakers. All this one does is receive music.

- My 60gb black video iPod – holds my entire music collection and a few videos. I can’t say I have used the video very much, but as a music player, it sees loads of use. I have a dock in the car that is an FM transmitter, which lets me play it thru the stereo. It’s a Macally FM Cup and it works very well, even in central London.

I’ve edited films, turned them into DVDs, recorded songs with real musical instruments and MIDI, I’ve written 2 novels and blogged my motherfucking socks off, all on Apple computers.

I can play the same music, at the same time, throughout my entire house. It makes blitzing the place with the Hoover a lot more pleasant!

I’ve been recommending Apple systems to all my friends for a little while now and every single one of them is grateful.

If you take my advice too and end up all grateful, a little gift wouldn’t go amiss. This hippy likes presents, so please send me something cool and preferably expensive! Just post it off to “the hippy” in north London and let the postman do the rest. I’m famous, just like Santa Claus, I’m sure the package will reach me just fine!

I know it’s the summer and I do give a lot of space to Big Brother, but that’s not the only thing I do here on my website. I’m all about a whole lot more!

Politics, society, drugs, philosophy, and consumer electronics are among the subjects I spew drivel on; there’s a little something for everyone. Well, almost everyone. I’m sure there are some people who don’t find me to their particular liking.

They can fuck right off. It’s the rest of you, I’m interested in and more importantly, that should be interested in me!

This is going be one of those rambling, unfocused posts. I thought I should warn you right now, up front, so you’re not surprised when you work it out for yourself.

I’m starting a long run of nights at work this evening, so I thought I should pop around and do something. Anything is better than nothing, or is that just with sex?

It’s actually been a rough couple of weeks around my place; we had to put one of my cats down. He had cancer in a big, nasty way and there was nothing they could do for him. Well, they tried what they could, but when they opened up his little cat belly, it was filled to the brim with tumours. To spare him any further suffering, we had the vet put the little guy to sleep. Mrs. H was there when they did it; I couldn’t face it.

My poor dead cat was one of the nicest, friendliest, coolest cats I ever had the privilege to know and I am missing him terribly.

He wasn’t that old, only around 13 or 14 years and his illness was as sudden as it was unexpected. I rushed him to the vet’s on a Saturday afternoon and he was gone the following Tuesday.

Now, if he were a human, it wouldn’t have been as swift or merciful because we don’t like to spare people from suffering. Just ask my Dad, who from diagnosis to demise, had around a year of treatments and setbacks before experiencing a rather drawn out and unpleasant death. Oh wait, you can’t ask him, can you?

We treat our pets with more dignity than we do each other. Where’s the sense in that? When my time comes, and I do hope it is later rather than sooner, perhaps we’ll have seen sense and legalised euthanasia. If it’s good enough for the Swiss, why can’t it be OK for the rest of us? Otherwise, I’m going to have to start a special contingency fund, for one final trip to Geneva or Zurich, for when my time does come…closer. It seems like the only sane response to an otherwise insane world!

Have I brought you down with all this talk of death and such? Sorry, but now you know where my head’s been for the last couple of weeks. Thank god for soft drugs. If there were a god, or soft drugs.

But hippy, there are soft drugs and you are puffing on them right now.

Oh, yeah.

So besides missing my dead cat, watching BB and working, what else have I been up to?

Not too much. I had a drug-hell experience with some legal highs I’ve been getting online. I’m not going to tell you what they are or where you can get them, because I don’t want to see them banned. I’ve even debated mentioning this at all, but as the experience swallowed several days of my life, I thought it would be a fun story to relate.

I discovered a new range of legal highs a few months ago, though I’ve been aware of their existence for ages. After reading many favourable reviews of this line of pills, I decided to take a chance and placed an order.

I tried them, I liked them and I ordered more. And then I ordered even more.

And then, I had my drug hell with them. I took around a dozen of the little suckers in a continuous 30-hour hedonistic binge and drug orgy, before collapsing into sleep for around 6 hours.

That’s a day and a half.

When I woke up, I was down, aching and still exhausted and I was greeted with loads of text messages, voicemails, emails and other assorted forms of communication, asking if I was lying dead in a puddle of my own sick.

Thankfully, on this occasion, I wasn’t.

I then had a few days of feeling quite low and run down. It was totally self-inflicted, so I’m not asking for anyone’s sympathy or pity. This is who I am; this is what I do. Sometimes.

Rarely, actually. I haven’t had a drug-hell in ages.

The thing with these particular pills is they are very fucking good. They are the closest I’ve had that approach an E-like high. Taken in moderation, there is no real comedown or other side effect. Taken in large quantities, like a total twat, will not end well.

Yes, I was a total twat.

No one is certain what the magic ingredients are in these pills, but those who have tried them, love them. Maybe a little too much as I think they are seriously addictive. Think cocaine-addictive!

I haven’t had any since my last experience and I can’t say I have any definitive plan to try them again any time soon, but never say never. I still have some and at some point, I might reconsider, but I will not over do it. Moderation is indeed, the key.

Again, sorry I’m not telling you exactly what I took, but the less attention these pills get, the longer people will be able to enjoy them. Just because I went a bit crazy with them, doesn’t mean others shouldn’t be able to have the choice to enjoy them too.

I finally broke down and ordered a new laptop last week and guess what? It’s an Apple!

I hemmed and hawed for months on which model to get, and waiting for the next big update, and blah, blah, blah and quite frankly I just got tired of not having one. My writing has been suffering because of this gap in my computer arsenal and I finally decided, fuck it, now is as good a time as any.

Both lines, the MacBook and the MacBook Pro were recently updated, and the mythical ultra portable doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon (although now that I’ve bought one, it is probably a week away), so I went for it and placed my order last Wednesday and it already shipped on Friday.

I chose the black MacBook, with the only build to order option being extra RAM, I’ve doubled it to 2 gigs. I’ve gone with the stock 160gb 5400rpm hard drive, because I decided the extra speed was better than 40 extra gigs of storage – the 200gb model is only 4200rpm. It’s a Core2Duo, 2.16 and I topped it up with Apple Care.

I’m looking forward to its arrival, which should be in the next week, or less. They ship them from Shanghai, which is a long way from north London, but it’s still fairly impressive.

Once I get it, I’m going to carry it with me everywhere. If you invite me over, I’d bring it along, as long as you’ll let me access the internet on your wi-fi network! You see, it’s not just those little pills I’m addicted to, I’m hooked on the internet as well.

I did consider the MacBook Pro, but the significant additional cost was not justified by the “pro” features, in terms of my rather modest needs. Also, the 15.4 inch model is fairly big, in my opinion, to be lugging around, where the MacBook’s 13.3 size adds to it’s portability.

So that’s the last fortnight or so this hippy’s life. Wow, what a whirlwind of drama, emotion and big ticket purchases! I bet you can’t wait to see what happens to me next!

I’ll be back later in the week, with more BB bullshit, plus I’m going to start dealing with some of the requests you’ve all sent me. One subject has been most popular with all of you and…I’ll let you all know what is in my next entry!

It’s just over 2 years since I abandoned my old beige box and upgraded my life to an iMac. I’m still very glad I did; a day doesn’t go by that I don’t congratulate myself for my bold decision to switch.

I’m serious. My iMac has brought me more joy and pleasure than any other device I’ve ever owned. It is such an elegant machine, so simple and clean in design, yet at the same time a complex, multi-functional computing device, capable of a myriad of functions, each performed flawlessly.

It’s a deep and enduring love, as I’m sure you can tell.

Sometimes, even when it’s sleeping, I just glance over at it, sitting quietly in the corner, on my desk and I can’t believe how good it looks. I’ve got a 1.8 G5, 20” model, which is now several revisions out of date and I still feel this way. The newer models are slimmer, faster and more powerful, but mine still does the job reasonably enough.

The only thing connected to my iMac is the power cable, everything else from network connectivity to the keyboard and mouse are all wirelessly attached. It’s a neat and tidy little set-up.

But beyond the design is the functionality and at the heart and soul of that is Apple’s operating system, Mac OS X.

I started out briefly on Panther, 10.3, but not long after I switched, Apple released Tiger, 10.4, which is what I’m still on today. Leopard, or 10.5 will be released soon and I’ll upgrade to it fairly quickly as well.

Why do I love OS X so much? Let me count the ways!

For starters, I’ve never had a system crash. I’ll say that again, I’ve NEVER had a system crash! I’ve not had a single one in over 2 years. The only time my system gets restarted is when I’ve had to run an update to the OS that required it.

And I don’t just mean my iMac either, I also had an iBook for over a year and I’ve had my Mac Mini for around 6 months; none of them have crashed.

OS X is well designed and intuitive and it has so many amazing things built into it that you can do just about anything! I’ve never found a computer to easy to set up; you can literally have one out of the box, configured and online in ten minutes or less. I had the Mini running after around 5 minutes of de-boxing. Let me see you do that with Windows!

Things just work on a Mac. For example, I’m on my third mobile phone since I switched over to Apple and each phone interfaced with OS X effortlessly. I can send files, including cameraphone snaps back and forth using Bluetooth; I sync all of my contacts between the phone and Address Book and all of my iCal events sync as well, again over Bluetooth, so no cables for me!

Here, let me really blow your mind:

My Mac Mini is media hub, handling all of my digital video and audio. As well as playing back video on my 32” Sony Bravia, it plays my entire iTunes library through my stereo, I also have an AirPort express in my kitchen, connected to some speakers, so I can groove and cook using AirTunes.

This is where it gets fancy-smancy….I use Salling Clicker installed as a java app on my Sony-Ericsson k800i mobile phone to control the Mini over Bluetooth. What this means is I can wake up the Mini, choose a song, or playlist, and basically have full navigational control of iTunes, wirelessly, remotely and without disturbing whatever is on the tv or touching the keyboard/mouse. Oh and I get full colour album artwork on the phone’s screen too.

How cool is that? Or did I lose you?

The range of Bluetooth is good enough that I can still control the Mini from the kitchen, so if a track comes on I’m not down with, skipping it is just a thumb-flick away!

Pretty much anything you plug into a Mac will work, old keyboards, mice, external hard drives, printers, DV cameras with Firewire ports, you name it!

Creativity is where a Mac really excels. Audio and video come naturally to a Mac and right out of the box too. GarageBand and iMovie are powerful tools to get you started but again are simple to use. You also get iTunes and iPhoto for organising your media and iDVD for burning your own.

No, I don’t get a commission; I just genuinely like all these toys.

I’ve talked other people into switching to Apple, just as someone convinced me to at least consider the possibility. People always thank you when you do.

My old PC, a fairly nondescript Dell was way past it’s sell by date and it was time to consider replacing it. Right around the same time I starting thinking about buying a new one, Apple introduced it’s first flat screen iMac. I think it was around August 2004.

I remember reading about it at the time and thinking how cool it looked, but not believing that a powerful computer could be housed in a form factor so impressively thin. I didn’t really give it that much thought after that.

As I continued my research into a new computer of the PC variety, a colleague at work told me I should take a look at what Apple could offer. I did, I took a very good, long hard look and I liked what I saw.

I learned loads; about the operating system, the hardware, PowerPC processors, you name it. I discovered just how good and how powerful an iMac could be. I wanted one.

It finally arrived in February of 2005 and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. Everything I tried to do with it, it did, without any hassles or headaches. There were no drivers to install, no scary configuration screens; it just did everything I wanted.

Once I tasted my first bite of Apple, I wanted more. I bought the iBook, I bought an iPod, I bought the Mini, I sold the iBook and now I’m waiting for the next refresh to buy another laptop. Please let them come soon; I’ve been waiting for months!

Since becoming a Mac-head, I’ve discovered many other people who belong to the cult of Cupertino and each is as evangelistic on the subject as me. Owning a Mac is like belonging to a secret club and we’re all thrilled to be members. At least there’s no secret handshake.

Mac’s are on the cutting edge of design and technology, they’re made from the best components and will give you years of good service. And when things go wrong, and they might as is the case with anything hi-tech, Apple are surprisingly good at sorting it out for you and yes, I know that from experience.

Would I ever consider switching back to Windows? Not in a million years! Not for all the tea in China! Not even for a go with your sister!

Once you’ve used a Mac, you would never want to go back to Windows. Everything is easier and more intuitive, why would anyone want to give that up?

I guess you can tell I’m glad I made the switch.

Does my Mac do everything a PC can do? Yes, of course, but that’s not the question you should be asking.

Does my Mac do everything better than a PC? Oh yes, and more!

If you’re thinking of switching, you owe it to yourself to make that leap. Once you do, you won’t look back!

PS

Here’s a full resolution photo I took on my phone the other day, the k800i. Enjoy!

Click image for full size.

Hey, hey and ho, fucking ho! The hippy is here to sort out all your gift-giving dilemmas. That is, if you’re shopping for someone who is supercool!

I’ve got a few recommendations for you and there’s still time to order them all online and receive them in time for the big day!

I’ll start with a book that is well worth giving to anyone who appreciates the vast complexity of human emotions.

- Post Secret – the book
I’ve championed this blog before and I’m still a big fan. The artist solicited people’s secrets, anonymously via postcards. They’re actually quite moving and I’ve been on the brink of tears more than once checking out his website. The book is a well-put together collection of postcards; some that have been on the site and others that are brand new. It would look great on anyone’s coffee table and I was very happy when it recently became available to purchase in here Blighty.
- Post Secret – the website
- Post Secret – the book (via Amazon UK)

It’s a worthy project, which has genuinely touched people, so please buy a copy and support the artist, Frank Warren.

Now for a musical suggestion, two CD’s that I like very much:: Muse – Black Holes and Revelations and the Killers – Sam’s Town.

Muse has been a favourite of mine for quite a while now and their latest album does not disappoint. This is big, anthemic music performed with passion. If you like hard rock with an intelligent edge, this is the CD for you!

The Killers second album is also a winner, but I was a big fan of their first, Hot Fuss, so no one should be surprised that I dig this one too. It’s got a very traditional rock and roll feel, but with electronic textures that keep it in the 21st century. Big in the UK, not so much in the US, which is weird because they’re from Las Vegas. Give it to someone who just likes good music!
- Muse – Black Holes and Revelations (via Amazon UK)
- The Killers – Sam’s Town (via Amazon UK)

I’ve selected Amazon for the book and the CDs as they’re very reliable and they can still ship out to the UK before xmas!

My friends at Everyonedoesit.com have a huge selection of gifts for the hippy in all of you. Besides having one of the largest selections of legal highs available in the UK, they also are one of the best distributors for all things RooR – this hippy’s favourite glassware.

They recently started stocking the classic RooR glass water pipe and I’ve just ordered the three-piece model for myself. It’s coming tomorrow! And at only £65, it won’t break the bank either! RooR, quite simply make the best glassware in the world, so if you need a gift for someone who enjoys alternative smoking methods and substances, this is the pipe for them!

EDIT stock quite a big range of RooR goodies, with something to suit every budget, from the mini-steamroller right up to RooR’s collaboration pieces with Shiva glass, that do actually cost an arm and a leg, but are gorgeous!

You can also check out EDIT’s extensive selection of legal highs, with a flavour and effect to suit almost everyone’s tastes! At the moment, I’m still favouring Spice Gold, which costs a bit extra, but has quite a kick. It mixes especially well with weed too!

And finally, EDIT also has a selection of xmas gift boxes, again in sizes to suit everyone’s budget. They even do a line from RooR!

I’m a big fan of EDIT and have been for years now. I shop with them, a lot and they are fantastic. I should also mention I’m an affiliate of their’s, which is why you see their adverts on this site. But I wouldn’t give them space on my website, if I wasn’t 100% behind what they do!

Ok, now onto the big gift, for that someone special. Choose Apple!

I love my Apple toys, I’m typing this on my iMac right now and my new Mac mini is sitting under my Sony Bravia. I just sold my iBook, to make room from my next laptop, either a MacBook or a MacBook pro, I haven’t decided yet!

The easy choice from Apple is an iPod, though you do need to choose a model. I have to say, even though I don’t own one, I think the 2nd-gen, 8gb black nano is the best one in the line-up. A friend of mine has one and it is pure sex and plays music too! If you hold one in your hands, you’ll want one!
The new iPod shuffle is also a little devil of a music player; as small as a matchbox, holds around 240 songs and only costs £55 quid. What’s not to love?

I’ve got a 60gb iPod with video, which has since been replaced by the 80gb version is also a fantastic piece of kit, though it’s the most expensive one they make. What can I say? I’ve got good taste.

By far, the best thing Apple is selling at the moment is their MacBook. Everyone loves them and they’re expected to sell several hundred thousand of them in the run up to xmas. You can still order one online and probably get it by xmas, or you could just walk into any Apple shop and walk out with one. You do need to pay for it first!

So there you have it, the hippy’s helpful holiday shopping guide! I hope it’s helped someone out there decide what to get someone special!

And if you’re shopping for this hippy, I’m really hoping for a green xmas…so just get me an ounce or two of skunky bud. I’ve been a very good boy all year, you know!

Here’s a treat, I’m blogging from my office.

I haven’t done this in ages and ages; I’ve been keeping my secret online life separate from my professional world.  What’s different tonight? I’m bored. Bad for me, but good for you guys!

I’ve just strapped on my iPod and I’m grooving to the new Muse album, “Black Holes and Revelations” and if you haven’t bought it yet, shame on you! I’ve been a Muse fan for a while and their latest release sets the bar quite high, it is an instant classic. Favourite track: “Starlight”, which is the current single.

I saw Muse’s set at the Reading Festival on television and it was fanfuckingtastic. Matt Bellamy, the lead singer/guitarist was phenomenal. I’d love to see them live. Even better, Mrs. Hippy saw it too and now she’s become a fan, but of course, she has good taste. She picked me, didn’t she?

Musically, I’m also digging the latest Outkast album, “Idlewild”, which is also the soundtrack to their upcoming film of the same title. Speakerboxx/The Love Below” is a tough one to follow, but the boys from Atlanta have come up with another winner.

Other things I’m grooving to recently include the debut album from “The Automatic”; Razorlight’s latest and “The Kooks”. I’ll also admit to liking Snow Patrol’s latest single, “Chasing Cars”, but don’t tell anyone! Sometimes, I can’t help myself with occasional flashes of poor taste!

Since Big Brother ended, I’ve had more time to watch some of my old favourite shows, a few of which are ending for me soon.

I’ve been well into the final series of “The Shield”, which is a wickedly gritty cop show with one of the best anti-heroes to grace my screen in ages. The finale airs on Channel Five this Friday night and then that’s it.

I’m loving the latest series of Deadwood as well, which will also end soon, except for the threat of a couple of feature length episodes to come, to tie the story up.

Deadwood is amazing, with high production values and a higher budget, but what works for me the most are the richly drawn characters and the intricate dialogue. The salty language is almost Shakespearean in its complexity, but please don’t let that put you off.

But by far, what I’m enjoying the most is the second series of Lost, which for me will also be ending soon. I’ve got the penultimate episode waiting for me on SKY+ when I get home in the morning and then in a fortnight, the feature-length series finale will air.

The 3rd series of Lost starts in the states in the beginning of October and I’m planning on downloading it from one of the naughty sites. And why not?

It won’t air here in the UK until at least January, if not later and I’m tired of stumbling upon spoilers online that take away from my enjoyment of the surprises.

And what will I be downloading it on? My brand new Mac Mini that I’m ordering when I get home in the morning! They were just refreshed with faster processors, so the time is right to buy one. I wanted to see what Apple would announce at their “It’s Showtime” event before I did and to be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed.

Codenamed “iTV”, Apple have announced a video streaming device, which will be available to buy early in 2007. While it looks good, it’s not really what I’m looking for to complete my all new digital lifestyle, so it’s Mini-time! I can’t wait.

When I first hooked up my iBook to the my Sony Bravia, I was blown away by the quality of the image on my 32” TV and I decided in seconds I wanted to get a Mini to be my media server.

The Mini will handle all of my video downloads, it will be my musical jukebox and it will also receive digital terrestrial TV. The ability to record off-air TV is especially cool, as I will be able to export the recording to my video-enabled iPod and take the programmes to work with me. Cool-a-rama!

I’ve also got a big stack of books sitting at home, awaiting my time and attention, but there’s not point in cataloguing them here, as I haven’t read any of them yet. Soon, I will have the time and I’m going to be a word-junky.

The biggest news is one of my non-hippy related projects is nearly completed and ready to move into it’s next phase, and I’m getting ready to start a couple of more. No moss growing on me!

What I need now, more than ever is a literary agent and I really should be doing something about it. If any of you knows of one, that would like to make 10% of my prospective, future fortune, please put them in touch. And no, I’m not joking!

Hey ho hippyfans!

Sorry for the longer than usual gap in posts. I’d love to blame it on something as exciting as a trip to a desert island, or a drug-induced coma, but sadly the truth is more mundane than that.

My iMac has been in the shop for the last few days, though thanks to my iBook, I’ve still been online.

So if I’ve still been online, why haven’t I posted?

Simple, I’ve been suffering from tech-stress!

In the last 3 weeks, all of my major Apple gadgets have suffered from some sort of problem or issue. They are all resolved now, so my tech-stress levels are returning to normal.

Before anyone thinks this is going to be some sort of anti-Apple tirade, think again. I have nothing but praise for how they have handled my technical troubles.

Firstly, my Black 60gb iPod with video developed an odd problem; when I connected it to my computer, it didn’t show up on the desktop or in iTunes. The iPod itself worked fine for playback, but it wouldn’t synch or charge via the dock connector.

Because my iPod is engraved, the only repair option I had was to use Apple’s collect and return service. All of this was under my original warranty, so it only cost me in time without it, but no dosh at all.

Apple sent UPS to collect the iPod, complete with all the packaging and labels required.

The UPS guy even waited a few minutes while I boxed it up. The next day it was back with the mothership in the Netherlands, the problem was diagnosed and a new one was shipped out from their factory in Shanghai the day after that.

If it weren’t for the recent terror alerts, I would have had the replacement much quicker, but as it turned out, I was without the iPod for 10 days. Not bad.

I’m not sure if the replacement is brand new or reconditioned, but it certainly looks and feels new. I was so impressed with the service I received that I bought the Apple Care plan to cover it for another 2 years. If something else ever goes wrong with it, I know exactly what to expect.

My G5 iMac is around 18 months old and I still love it.

Around a year ago, Apple identified an issue with my model of iMac that involved the Logic Board and power supply and extended the repair period by an additional 2 years on top of their warranty. Last week, I realised my computer was suffering from this known issue.

The fans were running fast, the temp was high and hot and finally, I started getting distorted video and weird crashes. Last Wednesday I took it into my local north London Apple Store.

I had my first ever appointment with a Mac Genius and I was impressed. He checked out my iMac, booked it in for the repairs and even ordered the parts he thought might need replacing. It turns out, it didn’t need everything he sent but better safe than sorry.

On Friday, the online status of my repair said it was complete, but they didn’t phone me. I was really missing it, so today (Monday) I went in to collect it. The repair was finished, but they wanted to clean it before I picked it up, so I wandered around for half an hour and when I returned, it was boxed up and ready to go.

It’s running cooler, the fans are quieter and the video looks great. Also, they did an amazing job of scrubbing it up, it looks as good as it did when it was new…even the keyboard!

So again, Apple came through for me.

Now, my problem with my iBook is the same one affecting 1.8 million other Apple laptop owners, the great Sony battery recall of 2006. Apple was quick to announce this and even though they haven’t had that many reported cases of overheating, they’re replacing all those batteries for free!

As I was using my iBook extensively in the last week, while the iMac was back with the mothership being repaired, I noticed the battery wasn’t holding it’s charge as well as it used to and considered ordering a replacement. Now I don’t need to, as I’ve registered for the recall and should receive a new battery for it in the next month or so.

Again, I’m pleased with the outcome.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s stressful when your essential toys go funny and I’ve been missing my iMac like mad.

I was able to back-up all my important data; the elements of my all new digital lifestyle, before I took it into the shop, but it’s still never easy to part with your computer.

I’m glued to my screen most of the time, when I’m home. If I’m not writing, or surfing the net, I’m using it to waste time with music and video. I’m attached, addicted, whatever you want to call it. I’m glad it’s home, where it belongs.

I want a black MacBook and am going to get one at some point in the not too distant future.

I’ve offered Mrs. Hippy the iBook, which is only a year old and pristine condition and if she passes, I’ll sell it at a decent price. I may already know someone who would grab it, though I would love to see Mrs. H take it. She doesn’t really get my love of all things Apple and I think it would put her on the road to understanding why they are so damn good.

I also hope to be ordering a Mac Mini soon as there’s a refresh expected in the next fortnight, if you believe the rumour sites. I always believe the rumours; life is more fun that way.

The Mac Mini will get connected to my Sony Bravia and stereo and act as my media server. I’ll move all of my iTunes on to it as well as using it to download video from the net. I’ll also be able to receive and record some digital terrestrial channels on it, which will be extra cool because I can export the programmes for playback on my iPod.

And then my 2nd Airport Express, which is currently connected to my stereo, for streaming music from the iMac, will move into the kitchen, to connect to my brand new Logitech mm50 (black) speakers, that I picked up last week. They’re rather wicked and I’m blown away by the sound!

My all-new digital lifestyle just keeps getting better and better and better! And this ends what amounts to a two-handed geek-speak wank that probably put most of you off!

Normal hippy service will resume soon!