HiWire

I would always go for the quad core i7, but replacing the hard drive is trickier than I'd like: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac+mini+Late+2012+Hard+Drive+Replacement/11716 I'd also consider a used or refurb 2018 Mac Mini if it was in the same ballpark (under $900, 16GB RAM).

The Grassy Knoll (1994) Like a David Lynch dance party. One of my desert island discs.

It's the first time I've watched one of her videos. Normally I ignore product tie-ins, but this one is kind of nice. Online price seems to be around $600, but I'm not sure if these have been officially released yet.

Seiko Street Fighter V It would be the red Ken watch (Rush 'n' Blaze) for me... Shoryuken!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Dance Away – Roxy Music I didn't know there was a longer version. The shorter radio edit replaced the original version and this longer cut was hard to find... until now.

I just installed dosdude1's Catalina patcher (to macOS 10.15.7) on a 2009 MacBook – Apple's official support for this MacBook ended with OS X El Capitan in 2015. His patches fixed the backlight, touch pad, and Night Shift automatically. It's really amazing how dosdude1 and the community have kept old Macs going after all these years. I'm not sure if the same support can be extended to Big Sur, but even if it's impossible, it's been one hell of a good run. To be fair, I've also installed Windows 10 (version 2004) on some 2008 and 2009 PCs recently. It's nice to see that even a 12-year-old computer can be fully supported in 2020.

Happy Birthday!

Seven and the Ragged Tiger – Duran Duran

I like the size of the iPhone 12 Mini, but I generally avoid 1.0 version rollouts of technology like 5G. Nice to see it has Wi-Fi 6. I wonder if the Lightning cable will be capable of USB 3.0 speeds? I guess I'll need to get a new car with MagSafe charging when the time comes...

The stock headphones have always fallen out of my ears so I got some cheap silicone earhooks from Amazon to cover my spare pair. They still fall out of my ears, but more slowly now.

They're handy for when my co-workers forget to bring their headphones – then they can still Zoom without yelling at their laptops.

Mo' Phones, Mo' Money (profit, that is). They say they're doing it for environmental reasons. I'm sure it took a lot of courage.

There's a rumor that the iPhone boxes won't include headphones or chargers this time.

I used to play this on the piano. A proper keyboard stand can do miracles, just you wait and see...

If she has an iCloud account, she could upload the .mp3 files to iCloud Drive. Then, if she is also logged into iCloud on her iPhone, she should be able to open the files using Files on her iPhone. Alternatively, I think you can still import those music files into the Music app on a Mac computer (still iTunes on a PC), then sync with the iPhone over USB or wi-fi.

Marketing fails again. They should have called it the Hope Chest. Best comment: "Obviously ransomwear."

Internet-enabled male chastity cage can be remotely locked by hackers Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. It's amateur hour again at the S&M club. The opposite of a "smart" gadget. A 911 call EMS hates to answer... talk about customer lock-in. https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/6/21504019/internet-enabled-male-chastity-cage-cellmate-qiui-security-flaw-remotely-locked

Happy Birthday!

Super-thin Piaget wrist watch

I'd go with the MSI for mostly desktop use. The CPU and GPU are more powerful and it has a better chance of being future-proof (more cores, ray-tracing). Definitely look into the warranties for each computer and also investigate the cost and availability of a replacement battery (possibly the power adapter too), a source of annoyance for any laptop older than a year. Also check if the computers are easily upgradable... just in case. I agree with the above opinions regarding an external monitor, dock (or USB hub), and separate keyboard and mouse for ergonomic reasons. You can get a much better external monitor that matches your needs (e.g., lower-res + G-Sync for gaming, or 4K for photography work). I usually start with a 24" 1920 x 1200 IPS display and go up from there. Another thing to investigate: laptop cooler. PC laptops vary a lot in heat management and a decent laptop cooler can extend the life of the computer or give you better frame rates (less throttling).

The actual story of the Zoot Suit Riots is shameful, but:

Happy Birthday!