LadyChatterley

btw, where do you shop for second hand electronics.. thanks

If you are staying in Tokyo, go to Akihabara. They've got rows upon rows of electronic shops that go as high as the 7th floor. One day isn't enough. You'll lose track of time in one shop. If you have an itinerary, don't make the mistake of over-staying in one shop. Prices usually have the same range from store to store but it pays to scout before finally buying. Just remember where you saw what you wanted. With no English and roman alphabets, its easy to get confused. And before buying, make sure that you'll be able to use it here.

TIP: Tourists get discounts if you show your passport, and if you've been there for less than 6 months. I can't remember how much your purchase should be to avail of that discount but do ask, and just purchase your goods in one store all at one time.

I was advised by my MAC tech support to wait for a couple of weeks before upgrading to the Leopard. He said there are still glitches that the apple guys are troubleshooting as they are discovered. He actually uploaded it to his MacBook Pro and his programs kept on hanging.

I'm taking his advice. No rush. The Leopard will be there for a while, anyway. Better sure than sorry.

I got my iphone this September from the Apple store in New York for $399 (+tax) and had it hacked here for network compatibility for less than P3,000. With the peso-dollar rate upon purchase, that's about P23,000 only. My nokia N series is more expensive, it turns out.

In the law of economics, I can understand why traders are selling them here for a higher price, and some will actually bite into the temptation of being among the first to own one, regardless of the cost. But having the phone now for a month, I would recommend that you hold on to your quand and wait for the official release that will be compatible to the region (Asia), for the following reasons:

1. It's features are not worth P28,000 or more (the usual selling price of iphone dealers.) Comparing it to a Nokia, or other high-end phones in the market now, the iphone has no bluetooth device. It has no group sending (which I need badly for disseminating info to my staff.) And it doesn't have an FM radio, unlike some mobile phones today. If that will do for you, then get it for the price its worth. Wait.

2. Hacking the phone limits its functionality. You can't enjoy the full features which come with upgrading because it will automatically revert to its at&t mode, rendering it useless under our local networks. (I plan to do just that when I return to the US and insert my at&t sim.) To enjoy it, wait.

3. Some SE or Nokia phones are so much better. If you get it now and decide to sell it later on to go back to the "real" phones, you'll be competing with the brand new units which will most likely sell at the price you will be putting it up for. You definitely lose.

I am keeping my iphone simply because I already bought it and I can use it in the states, and I wouldn't want to shortchange any body who will be inherting it from me. And I'm keeping my N73, thank you.

Space you can recover. Time, never. (apologies to the great Napoleon)

On a certain spot where certainty is assured.

Untouchable

Sea of Thunder by Evan Thomas narrates the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944 in an engaging, almost fictional way, and discusses the tactical blunders of both sides which eventually engraved in history this sea and air battle as one of the greatest and last major one.

Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes

by Mark Penn and E. Kinney Zalesne

Its an engaging book where the Harvard-library inspired author Penn points out trends you already know but never could quite figure out why or what for. The discussions and presentation of these trends supplied by statistical data will make you think of implications in an economic and societal perspective. Neat stuff.

You can love and lust at the same time, and not necessarily in that order.