Also your whole argument about using VM Fusion to run Windows is also unsound. Why buy a mac to run windows? Leopard, Tiger and Panther are all inferior to Windows XP, and now Vista (the patched version of course).

Let’s compare Macbook with a thinkpad T400

Macbook = 5.1 pound
T400 = 4.38 with 9 cell battery (10+ hours of battery)

Macbook = Integrated video card that has poor drivers in Leopard
- Cannot play any game made after 2006 at all
T400 = Hybrid graphics (integrated when on battery, dedicated when plugged in)
- T400 can play all the latest games in low settings

Macbook = White and ugly with shitty 1280 x 800 screen
- Granted you can pay $150 for a black paintjob
T400 = Black and professional looking with 1440 x 900 LED Backlit screen

Thinkpad is built with roll cage metal design whereas the macbook is made of cheap heavy plastic. Lastly, The T400 can be had for the same price if not lower than macbook.

Now, some of you may say the Macbook Air is the latest best notebook ever, I present to you, HP Voodoo Envy 133, which is THINNER and LIGHTER than MBA. For similar price, it blows MBA out of the water, and it looks much better.

It has been proved many many times over the last decade that PC > mac. If you don’t believe so, you are just dense or in denial

I’ve always been a fan of your work – addressing the issues at present that apply to most of your readers’ everyday lives. With that said, I would like to bring an added perspective to the issue and counter some of the “irrational” claims of commenters.

First off, the laptop debate. Think of a laptop as a textbook (most are about $100), that lasts 4 years long, for 3 quarters a year, and 4 classes each quarter. I started my Freshman year with a black MacBook and a 20″ LCD. Like Paul on the clutter issue, I ditched both and bought a MacBook Pro 15″ – couldn’t have been happier. My advice; invest in what will help you succeed in your academic career – cut corners by not buying as much Starbucks.

I think the external hard-drive is a no brainer for anyone. Take your pick between disk space or physical dimensions. I have a Iomega 2.5″ 120gb firewire drive that gets ported around in my bag with me.

The backpack topic is a personal preference. If you like backpacks, The North Face dominates campus (for a reason). If you like messengers, Timbuk2 is good choice. I also work full time doing consulting so I’m on the road a lot and spent some extra change to get myself a Waterfield Cargo bag (www.sfbags.com) and have not looked back – extremely nice quality and rugged.

Briefly on the TV issue. I took a old 17″ LCD I had at home, bought a $15 Viewsonic N5 signal converter on eBay and wallah, I have a TV. It plays TV cable, my roommates Wii, and takes up no room at all. (my wallet and keys get stashed on the LCD stand when not in my pocket). No reason to bring a 35″+ bohemath – the guy down the hall will have one for Halo, just make good friends with him and use his :)

Mini-fridge. Get one.

Something Paul didn’t mention that definitely should. OFFICE CHAIR. Find a cheap one at Staples ($60) or other similar store that is 1) comfortable, 2) durable, 3) adjustable, 4) stain resistant. The desks are cramped, but the chairs are even worse. Most are wooden and can get extremely uncomfortable. If you want to go without, be sure to ask yourself and reconsider a month after arriving.

The about wraps up my comments on the issue :)

Btw, I’m in my second quarter Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA.

They sell them at the bookstores here and are $10 max and so convenient and nice to have especially for late night labs or TA sessions across campus where walking at night alone is required. It’s always nice to be prepared.

You don’t have to be technologically savvy to use it either. :)

Another reason to read the rules, I know for a fact that a wireless router would be useless here. If ITS sees any wireless signals (even if you aren’t broadcasting your SSID, they will find it and tell you to turn it off. I went with a smaller printer (only like one foot by 4 inches by 4 inches because the rooms are so small) but didn’t bring one at all this year because while it costs $.04 per page to print in the ITS labs, the CS labs are free. Also, I found that having a flash drive would have been pointless because we can upload files to online space that the school gives us (it is either 100 or 200 MB) and the CS department gives students 1/2 GB (soft/hard) of space to store projects on (you can ssh in).

Also, I didn’t have a TV for the entirety of my first year and now that I have one, I never watch it. You can find much more entertaining stuff on the internet (if the school is going to give me 14 Mb/s I might as well use it). Also, make sure your alarm clock is loud enough to wake you up and a flashlight that doesn’t need batteries is much better then one that does. Also, people who aren’t engineers probably won’t need a graphing calculator (I have gotten by with my regular scientific calculator).