Recall that I wrote about Wolfram Research offering a Home Edition version of Mathematica 7.  A lot of engineering and scientific applications use MATLAB too.  However, the only way to get the cheap edition of MATLAB is to be a student.  Otherwise, you’d have to pay about $2000 for the software license.  I believe that the Mathworks should consider offering a Home Edition of MATLAB too for those who want to tinker with some engineering and scientific computations in a non-commercial setting.

I have this routine for web surfing everyday.  I usually start with Slashdot.org and C|Net News reading the interesting news there.  I then head to ArsTechnica for some more tech news.  Gizmodo is a favorite of mine when I’m checking out the latest gadgetry.  Finally, I check Linux Today to see how my favorite operating system is doing on the planet.

Today’s news is something I also check, surfing the sites CNN.com, Wired, and USA Today.  Once in awhile, I check out The New York Times as well.

There are a number of other sites I check:  PC Magazine, ExtremeTech, Freshmeat.Net for the latest software, High-Def Digest for the latest in high definition gear and software, plus others.

Check out the sites I mentioned above.

Apple recently unveiled a new line of MacBook Pros, absorbing the 13″ laptop model of the previous incarnation.  This means that the 13″ MacBook Pro has FireWire, an SD Card slot, and an improved display.  The laptop battery is also not (normally) user-replaceable: it costs $129 to replace it, about the same cost as a removable battery of the previous MacBook.

There still is a MacBook.  It is the white non-aluminum laptop with upgraded graphics (Nvidia 9400M).

As usual, I feel like upgrading but I am waiting for Snow Leopard and the next refresh of the MacBook Pros, given that Nvidia recently released new integrated graphics chip sets.  Let’s see how I fare resisting the temptation.

At last, there’s a cheap version of Mathematica available now for personal use.  Mathematica Home Edition is only $295.  It’s a 32-bit version of Mathematica 7 available for Windows (2000/XP/Vista), Mac OS X, and Linux.

According to the Wolfram Research web site, this is a full featured Mathematica.  You can also use it for homeworks if you are a student, although it’s cheaper to get the Student Edition for that.  You may not use it in a professional/business setting.

With this reasonably priced Mathematica, many math and science hobbyists can now avail of the power of this software.  I’ve been meaning to get this software for sometime now but it has always been beyond my budget (about $2000+).  Now, it’s reasonably priced!

Every time I am on the computer, our cat jumps to sit on the keyboard.  This is especially true with the laptop.  I’m not sure why she does that.  I heard that cats love computers.

Meow.

At last, Apple announced the availability of a new Mac mini, now sporting an Nvidia graphics chipset like the one in the aluminum unibody MacBooks.

I rushed to an Apple Store nearby to try out the new machines.  They can handle 1080p video very well, especially when compared to my first-generation Intel Mac mini running at 1.66 GHz.

In the coming months, I may upgrade my Mac mini for this one.

Apple Inc. finally came out and said that they’re done with computer product updates for the year, quashing hopes of a new kind of Mac mini.  Perhaps next year then. 

Meanwhile, my 2006 Intel Mac mini is chugging along with a new 320GB hard drive.  The new hard drive has helped improve the performance of the computer a bit.  Also, it gives me more breathing room for other stuff like videos and music.

The backlit-keyboard of the new MacBook turned out to be useful in dark places.  I used my laptop while lying in bed and the lights off.  The AC adapter was not connected so I was running on the laptop battery.  I was able to browse, stream music from the Internet, and check email for 3 hours and 15 minutes.  That wasn’t bad except that it fell short of the 5 hours maximum Apple specified in the specs for the MacBook.

And so continues my adventure with the MacBook…….

There’s a rumor floating around that Apple may update the Mac mini with what’s inside those new MacBooks.  If true, I will be quite happy to upgrade my first-generation Intel Core Duo-based Mac mini (running at 1.66 GHz).  There is still hope yet for the loveable Mac mini.

Meanwhile, my MacBook has been doing fine.  I am now typing in the dark with just the keyboard backlight on.  The backlit keyboard really is useful under these conditions.  Too bad the 2.0 GHz version of the MacBook doesn’t have the backlit keyboard.  It should come standard since I don’t think it is much trouble to include it.

Reading the latest Costco magazine, I found out the VMware Fusion can be had for $ 49.99 on Costco.com.  However, when I went to the site, the price was $59.99.  What gives?  It would have been nice if the price was as printed in the magazine.  Anyway, it is still cheaper than buying it from Amazon.com by just about $3 or more.

I was looking at a couple of sites that sell DDR3 memory for the new MacBook.  On MacSales.com,  a 4 GB kit costs about $129.99.  Meanwhile, Crucial sells theirs for $141.99.  I used to buy from Crucial and I’ve been happy with my purchases.

I was browsing around the social networking sites to check on my friends.  I commented on a few status messages and even had a chat with a schoolmate from college.  I find these sites useful for communicating with old friends, and even some friends whom you meet along the way.

Looks like there are a lot more games coming out now for the PlayStation 3.  This is good news for PS3 gamers.  A dearth of good games that take advantage of the power of the PS3 has haunted the game console for a couple of years now.  Hopefully, these new titles don’t disappoint.

Well, I’m starting to feel sleepy now….whatever……

Since I bought a mini-DisplayPort to DVI-D adapter, I decided to try it out on my 19″ Samsung SyncMaster LCD monitor.

Physically, the external monitor was to my left.  However, by default, the MacBook thought it was to my right.  Then, I discovered that, in System Preferences->Display, you could rearrange the logical position of the screens to match the actual physical configuration.  After correcting the logical positions, everything went smoothly and behaved as expected.  I could move the mouse pointer from the MacBook’s screen to the external monitor seamlessly.  I could then move some windows over to the external monitor as well.

Spaces worked fine too, giving me additional workspaces on the external monitor as well.  I could also move the Apple menu bar to the external monitor if I wanted to.

It would be interesting to have a 30″ monitor that displays 2560×1600 pixels.  It requires a $99 mini-DisplayPort to dual-link DVI adapter though.

Good news!  I just got my new aluminum MacBook this week and I have been using it for Internet applications (email, web, etc.).

The specs: 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB hard drive, Nvidia integrated graphics chipset.

So far, it has been a pleasure to use.  The keyboard is a bit different from what I am used to but I have eventually gotten the hang of it.  Basically, the keyboard is similar to the previous MacBook’s keyboard: calculator-type keys.  Typing is okay as there is good tactile feedback from the keyboard keys.

The LED backlit display is quite bright that it drowns out any reflections on the glass.  I have gotten used to it immediately.  The auto-brightness feature of the MacBook seems to work but can be annoying at times –  while moving the laptop, the brightness changes with respect to ambient lighting.  I have turned off this feature.

Overall, I am very satisfied with this laptop.  I do hope it does last a long time like my current Mac mini.  I’m hoping this is a reliable product.