Time will be tight, for both of us. Trying to juggle work, family, money-making hobbies, and school is going to be a wicked good lesson in time management, if nothing else. While the physical campus is in the southwest US, we do have local libraries, numerous coffee shops, and now a Barnes and Noble to run to for some solitude from the hyper and, often, screaming kiddos. While we’re both anxietous to see how everything jives together, we’re also totally stoked.

Reader Input:

For a while now, I have been in love with the concept of complete computing mobility, taking my work and virtual office with me everywhere I go. So, I figured this would be a great time to jump on it, and in doing so will be purchasing a new laptop to cover both my school, personal, and business needs. However, I can’t seem to make up my mind as to what I want exactly. Oh, I have a good/rough idea of the specs, I’m just trying to decide on what screen size I want to go with.

When I graduated from high school a bought a 17-inch laptop, a beast of a machine that could have easily doubled as a drive-in movie theater screen. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but it was big nonetheless. Too big, in my opinion, and weighing in at about 10 pounds was a pain to carry around anywhere. And it was pretty thick, too (NOT an MB Pro, unfortunately). So I have kind of turned off of the uber-large laptops on the market. Granted, many of today’s high-end 17-inch laptops (such as the MacBook Pro) are thinner, lighter, and more easy to carry around, but do you really need that much visual real estate?

I currently have a 15-inch Mac Powerbook that I rarely use (slow performance issues…wonder why?), and I have found that size to be quite workable for a variety of things. The screen size is more than adequate for your simple word processing tasks, and it’s pretty decent for photo editing, design, etc. Plus, it’s fairly light-weight, easy to carry, and a good lap size as well.

My wife used to have an old 12-inch Mac eBook that she absolutely loved and subsequently missed when it “kicked off.” In fact, I loved it too — it was small enough to [almost] fit in your back pocket, lightweight, and above all, downright cute. It was perfect for word processing, chatting, surfing, etc. But I don’t feel that a screen that size is really conducive to such activities as graphic design and photo editing.

What I will need this computer for:

• Simple word processing
• Graphic and web design
• Photo Editing
• Business computing and accounting
• Video conferencing and online meetings

Do any of you graphic/web designers and/or photographers have any input, recommendations, or personal experiences to share that will aid me in choosing the correct uber-machine this time around?

Sites like eBay and Craigslist have revolutionized the way we buy products. Instead of going to the one electronics store in town (or the next town over, if, like me, you live in the middle of nowhere) and paying whatever they charge for a particular item, we can now get whatever we want from anywhere in the world, often at a great cost savings. However, along with the convenience of the Internet era comes the downside of the market it being flooded with less-than-reputable sellers and cheaply made products. Places like China and Hong Kong have become almost a joke on many photography websites and forums, and there is almost a strong stigma associated with anyone who purchases photography equipment from overseas.

Several months ago (probably going on 5-6 months now) I was in need of a couple photography items, mainly a remote shutter release for my camera and a few other items that I cannot for the life of me remember right now. At the particular time I was in no rush to get them quickly, and I was looking to save money, so I turned to eBay and began searching for the cheapest options I could find. And, what do you know? China and Hong Kong pulled through as the champions on the lowest end of the price spectrum (yeah, big surprise there). So, I made my purchase and waited for it to arrive (like a week and a half to two weeks….way too long if you need something quickly). I paid about $5 (including free shipping) for my remote shutter release (similar to one pictured in this post), and I have honestly been very pleased with its simple, yet reliable, functionality so far. Will it break down one day? Sure. But whose to say that it’s lifespan would have been any shorter than a remote purchased in the US for $25?

Please note: I am not advocating purchasing your equipment from China, but rather simply sharing my own experience with doing so.

Do you purchase any of your equipment from overseas sellers? If so, what? What has been your experience? If you are adamantly opposed to cheapskates like myself and the act of buying from overseas, take a moment and share why.