Ned Flanders
Banned
The choices are as follows:
1. Digital Camera- I've never really been into photography much..it was always frustraing having to wait for the pics to develop to know what you got, and it just seemed like a hassle buying film and replacing rolls etc. Digital cameras and a PC's eliminate much of those frustrations, and while I don't see myself becoming a hobbyist just because I had a camera, I would definitely see myself toting the thing around and using it as the moment dictated. I'd love to photoshop some of my results and keep backlogs of my photos etc. Basically I don't need one, but it would be cool to have.
2. Laptop- Given that I already have a PC, you'd think a laptop would be low priority, but it would be a fantasic organizing tool for school/work thanks to the mere convenience. It would also be nice as a portable DVD player (not that I travel enough to use it in that context, but it would be handy in a tight spot) and a download resource for when I had access to broadband (ie since I have dial-up, if I was at a friends house I could use his connection to snag some big files and take them to my PC etc). Laptops are pricey though, and it would be a bit redundant considering my PC does 90% of the same things the laptop might.
3. PDA- A PDA could be a kind of pseudo-laptop which would help me in much the same way with organization etc, and it would also be far cheaper, more portable, and less clunky. It would also be considerably less functional and have a lot less space for extraneous crap than a laptop. I also don't like the thought of typing with a stylus..but I do like the thought of MP3's and a personal organizer...I'm torn on this one..
4. New Cellphone- My cellphone is practically 2 years old at this point...rocking no color screen, no tricked out ringtones, no picture/video capability, no voice-dialing etc etc. But changing to a new (Sprint) Vision phone, even minus the Vision plan will mean a higher monthly bill, not to mention I'll get none of the rebates since I'm not a new customer. So I'll basically be paying $300-$500+ more monthly for a phone that, despite the fact that it will do more fancy pants shit, is still just a phone. Picture capability could be viewed as a means of avoiding getting a digital camera, but given that the quality is usually sub-par and that they charge so much just to get the fuckers on your PC, I don't see that as necessarily beneficial (especially given that a digi-cam is a one-time purchase with a similar cost to a new phone, minus the monthly bill).
5. I-Pod- I love me some tunes, and the convenience of an I-Pod sounds mighty tempting when I think of the (literally) 20-ish pounds of CDs I have strewn around my vehicle. But that said, I'd prefer to have access to some high-speed download capability to supplement my catalog if I'm going to have an I-Pod, and I'd have trouble justifying a $400+ purchase for music alone. But if one just fell out of the sky, I'd probably use it a lot.
So what should it be? Should I just save my cheese, or maybe get something entirely different? Satellite radio? New TV? A DISH Network DVR? If any of you own these gadgets or can make recommendations based on experience, I would appreciate your input. From a practical standpoint I should want something that improves my life the most, which would probably be something with organizational functions, but I also think something like a digi-cam would go far to increase my enjoyment of life experiences.
Maybe I should just apply for 2 more credit cards and get 'em all..
1. Digital Camera- I've never really been into photography much..it was always frustraing having to wait for the pics to develop to know what you got, and it just seemed like a hassle buying film and replacing rolls etc. Digital cameras and a PC's eliminate much of those frustrations, and while I don't see myself becoming a hobbyist just because I had a camera, I would definitely see myself toting the thing around and using it as the moment dictated. I'd love to photoshop some of my results and keep backlogs of my photos etc. Basically I don't need one, but it would be cool to have.
2. Laptop- Given that I already have a PC, you'd think a laptop would be low priority, but it would be a fantasic organizing tool for school/work thanks to the mere convenience. It would also be nice as a portable DVD player (not that I travel enough to use it in that context, but it would be handy in a tight spot) and a download resource for when I had access to broadband (ie since I have dial-up, if I was at a friends house I could use his connection to snag some big files and take them to my PC etc). Laptops are pricey though, and it would be a bit redundant considering my PC does 90% of the same things the laptop might.
3. PDA- A PDA could be a kind of pseudo-laptop which would help me in much the same way with organization etc, and it would also be far cheaper, more portable, and less clunky. It would also be considerably less functional and have a lot less space for extraneous crap than a laptop. I also don't like the thought of typing with a stylus..but I do like the thought of MP3's and a personal organizer...I'm torn on this one..
4. New Cellphone- My cellphone is practically 2 years old at this point...rocking no color screen, no tricked out ringtones, no picture/video capability, no voice-dialing etc etc. But changing to a new (Sprint) Vision phone, even minus the Vision plan will mean a higher monthly bill, not to mention I'll get none of the rebates since I'm not a new customer. So I'll basically be paying $300-$500+ more monthly for a phone that, despite the fact that it will do more fancy pants shit, is still just a phone. Picture capability could be viewed as a means of avoiding getting a digital camera, but given that the quality is usually sub-par and that they charge so much just to get the fuckers on your PC, I don't see that as necessarily beneficial (especially given that a digi-cam is a one-time purchase with a similar cost to a new phone, minus the monthly bill).
5. I-Pod- I love me some tunes, and the convenience of an I-Pod sounds mighty tempting when I think of the (literally) 20-ish pounds of CDs I have strewn around my vehicle. But that said, I'd prefer to have access to some high-speed download capability to supplement my catalog if I'm going to have an I-Pod, and I'd have trouble justifying a $400+ purchase for music alone. But if one just fell out of the sky, I'd probably use it a lot.
So what should it be? Should I just save my cheese, or maybe get something entirely different? Satellite radio? New TV? A DISH Network DVR? If any of you own these gadgets or can make recommendations based on experience, I would appreciate your input. From a practical standpoint I should want something that improves my life the most, which would probably be something with organizational functions, but I also think something like a digi-cam would go far to increase my enjoyment of life experiences.
Maybe I should just apply for 2 more credit cards and get 'em all..
