Smooth Harold, The Blog of Blake Snow » pc

Recent published works: Dell Games / Alienware

Blake — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:35:39 +0000

In addition to contributing stories to all corners of the web (except the dirty ones), I recently began penning a thrice weekly column for Dell Games / Alienware. If you like PC games, or ever thought of using a PC to play them (including HD ones), the column chronicles the high points of the platform without the overkill found elsewhere. Behold. (RSS here)

Caffeine for Mac is awesome; potentially addictive

Blake — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:26:03 +0000

Like Click To Flash or Flash Block, Caffeine is a must for portable Mac users. With this tiny program installed, your monitor won’t dim unless you say so by clicking an icon on the menu bar. First discovered in December (thanks, Matt!), it’s just the shot my portable video needed to stay awake. There’s also a PC version.

What’s the best small business accounting, bookkeeping software for Mac?

Blake — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:25:54 +0000

I want to completely transition to Mac next month, having preferred my PowerBook to my Windows desktop for three years now. Only problem: after hours (and I do mean hours) of research, I can’t seem to find a viable alternative to QuickBooks Online, which only runs on Internet Explorer 6 or higher, and therefore unavailable on Mac.

I’d prefer not to run Boot Camp to quickly invoice someone or receive payment. Any ideas, small business Mac users? You’re my only hope, as a lack of accounting software is the only thing holding me back from fully basking in the Macintosh waters. Thanks in advance.

Apple still defining its competitor better than its competitor

Blake — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:31:02 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

And by better I mean more convincingly, funnier, and with more style — whether that definition is accurate or not is up for debate.

DISCLOSURE: I operate both Windows XP and Mac OSX machines.

World of Goo is blowing my mind

Blake — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:22:49 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

I downloaded World of Goo yesterday on Wii, and it’s crazy good. Played for like four hours already. If you like clever writing, brilliant puzzles, Tim Burton visuals, or Danny Elfman music, you must get this game. Something special like this comes only once every 1-2 years — don’t miss it.

Amazingly, the game was created by only two people. It is available as a download on Wii for $15 or on PC for $20. A demo can be downloaded here.

Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” ads underwhelm

Blake — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:49:46 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

The above ad is better than the Seinfeld mashup, but it doesn’t make using a PC feel any cooler. Plus, the soft response to Apple’s “I’m a Mac” ads only make me think of Apple, not Microsoft. Sorry, but again, this is fail.

This is a brilliantly funny Mac ad.

Blake — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:43:00 +0000

Link

NOTE: I run XP on my desktop and OS X on my PowerBook.

Have you upgraded your RAM lately?

Blake — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:47:00 +0000

I finally maxed out my RAM capacity (2GB) on my 2004 desktop PC during this the last week of summer. Up from 1GB prior, the thing is now smoking! OK, not really smoking, but it’s running smoother with added zip.

My local apps now pop open with haste, and I’m convinced the internets load faster in FireFox as well.

With a video card upgrade sometime next year, I’m hoping I can get some added mileage from my trusty 2 GHz Compaq Presario. Have you upgraded your RAM lately?

[RAM courtesy of Crucial]

New iMacs arrive; Apple disses Dell

Blake — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:47:00 +0000

Novell spoofs both PC and Mac with Linux

Blake — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:53:00 +0000

Not the most creative ad-parodies, but still funny… assuming you know your Linux history. Sadly, not many people do, so not many people will get the new Novell ads. The second one is the best.

Click here to view the embedded video.