Even in the Quietest Moments…

Having been in iBook country for the last three weeks on the road, I decided to just keep on Mac’ing when I got home. So I shut off my PC and moved it to one side of the desk, plugged the ergo-keyboard into the iBook, and I’ve been using it as my primary work machine all week long.

The most noticeable benefit of this move? It’s quiet in here! My PC is not a particularly noisy one, but it has a fan and a hard disk and together they sound not unlike a colony of bees. While not particularly annoying or noticeable in the foreground, I’ve come to realize that the cumulative effect of living in the PC noise-o-sphere for hours at a time is brain-numbing.

My iBook has no fan, and it has a very quiet hard disk, and so essentially, but for the sound of typing, my office is quiet. It is a wonderful silence, and my productivity has increased and my anxiety decreased considerably.

Ob-tangent: I believe I actually uttered the phrase “we are so there!” when Dave told me that Supertramp was planning an eastern Canadian tour. Dave and I, by coincidence, share a love of Supertramp from our youth. The only concert I’ve ever been to that could properly be called a Concert was at Exhibition Stadium for the Famous Last Words tour. It was awesome (!).

Alas, Supertramp was not in the cards for me this time, as Johnny and Jodi had the gall to get married the weekend the band swung through. Oh well. It was a wonderful wedding, and I’m sure they’ll have another farewell tour. Supertramp, I mean.

Comments

Johnny's picture
Johnny on September 14, 2002 - 08:27 Permalink

In spite of your attempts to blame me and my wedding for your not being able to hear ‘The Logical Song’ in all its glory, I offer you salvation: Supertramp are playing here in Vancouver on Monday night. If you want to fly out you can stay with us for as long as you want.

Steven Garrity's picture
Steven Garrity on September 14, 2002 - 16:37 Permalink

I work on a Dell Inspiron laptop as my primary computer both at home and at work. I have a docking station at work and use a good external keyboard, mouse, and monitor. The Dell has a fan, but is much quieter than most desktops. This was one of the best benefits of my switch from a normal desktop.

Before I got the laptop (which is great, but weighs a ton — Dell calls it a ‘desktop replacement’) I had been working on a desktop. When I switched, I kept the same keyboard, mouse, and monitor at work. If it weren’t for the silence and the docked laptop the the side, I wouldn’t be able to tell I wasn’t using the desktop.

I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a desktop.

Jevon's picture
Jevon on September 14, 2002 - 17:15 Permalink

I’ve been doing the same with my new laptop. Like Peter, Mines a mac, but it has a fan (Powerbook), but the fan never comes on because the dock I have for it keeps it very cool. The best part? Monitor spanning. e-mail, IM and iTunes on the LCD,. IDE’s and browsing on the monitor.

Andrew's picture
Andrew on September 15, 2002 - 00:19 Permalink

I’m running a PC (AMD 1.53Ghz) and the noise is not that bad. My regular fan (to keep me from over-heating) is much times louder…

Alan's picture
Alan on September 15, 2002 - 13:37 Permalink

Egad! — no other word fits — Supertramp!!! Now, there’s the critical distinction fifth-cousin-in-law. I was unable to buy their albums as my Strangers and Clash would have dissolved in that presence.

Stephen DesRoches's picture
Stephen DesRoches on September 15, 2002 - 18:42 Permalink

In July I got a new system at work and as for desktops go I have been extremely impressed with the sound level of the IBM Net Vista. I remember it being the first comment I had after using it for the first day.

However my home computer, I can hear the fan and the hard drives. It’s usually loud enough that instead of using stand by, I shut the system down when not using it.

Alan's picture
Alan on September 15, 2002 - 22:47 Permalink

(trying to shut down italicizing) Having said that I found a supertramp 45 in my collection — a nice A&M records copy with a A&M sleeve: I think it is “…Quietest Moments” Who wants it — you or Dave? Wrassle for it.

Rob Fletcher's picture
Rob Fletcher on September 16, 2002 - 14:06 Permalink


One night this scared me, so I think I should share it. iBooks do have fans. But they only come on when they reach a certain level of toastiness. I was playing Warcraft 3 like a geek on my iBook a while ago, and it ran a little hot. The fan is sorta noisy on it, but it only comes on in extreme conditions. Like a 3d-intensive game.