mmm, a desire to buy... stuff...

[ibneko]

Only 'cause my iBook doesn't have audio in, so I can't plug in a nicer microphone to record lectures and other stuff with..

Behringer UCA202 USB Interface:
http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--BEHUCA202
RCA in/out, optical out, monitors/headphone out, volume control for monitors.
for $35 shipped.

vs.

Griffin iMic2 USB Audio Interface:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=202151596&SearchEngine=PriceGrabber&SearchTerm=202151596&Type=PE&Category=Comp&Gad=0&dcaid=15890
in/out 3.5mm stereo mic/line, toggle switch for mic/line setting.
for $31 shipped

--
problem with the Behringer one, is that I'd have to carry an extra RCA->3.5mm adaptor, if I'm going to be carrying that around. But optical out would be awesome. And volume control for the monitor out? I guess.. it'd be more useful for at home, tape->CD conversion things...

Comments

[jaiwithani.livejournal.com]

I've been tryong to record lectures with my laptop. But some profesors hate technology...oh and the built-in mike is what you'd expect for built-in mike quality.

[ibneko.livejournal.com]

Mmm, yeah. Although my built-in mic is actually pretty good. It's just that... it's hard to pick up audio sometimes, especially since the mic faces me, and some larger lecture halls are designed not to reflect sound from the back. (Other, older lecture halls, on the other hand, do quite nicely. I sat in the back of the class last semester, and recorded most lectures and found that one could hear the professor decently clearly.)

...although this post was mostly just my desire to use my credit cards to buy stuff. Again. ^^;;;

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

Well, if your cards are feeling lonely and unloved, there's always a MacBook Pro.. ^_^

Actually, maybe it'd be worth seeing what kind of prices you could find on one of the "HD" PowerBooks from last autumn, now that both the 15" and 17" models have their Core Duo counterparts out - the used value of the PBG4s must've fallen a bit as a result. Bigger screen, underlit keyboard (which is very, very swish =:), more recent GPU and more VRAM.. if you could find one at a good price, it might be worth selling the iBook and picking up that instead.

(True, the 17" is physically larger, but it still fits in my old laptop bag. And 1680x1050 is really nice..)

[ibneko.livejournal.com]

Nngh, don't tempt me. ^^;

Although, actually, I don't think I would pick up an used powerbook, unless I could get AppleCare with it. And I'm kinda too lazy to figure out the whole selling thing. (Hm, pretty sure I can't transfer the AppleCare from the iBook to the PowerBook... believe it's "attached" to the serial number.)