Laptop irkage

As a senior this year, I see all sorts of people treating their laptops like crap (nothing new), happily proclaiming that the pieces of shit only have to last them a few more months before they can be destroyed. After all, they’ll be getting a new laptop or desktop after they graduate. (Insert smug smile here.)

My question of the day: who’s buying this new magically-appearing computer?

I hear enough people express this sentiment that I know some of them mofos have student loans. I don’t think big-ticket spending in the 6 months before the bill comes in is a smart way to go. Some of them are going into grad school (nuff said). Some of them don’t even have good job prospects! (GPA-hiders, you know who you are.) I know not many people are working enough to have saved up a few thousand dollars since coming to Rose (although some probably have). How’re they going to drop a few K on a new laptop right after commencement? The only conclusion I can come up with is that it’s going to be a relative that buys it for most of them, or that they had very nice savings before arriving at Rose.

Me, I’m more careful with my laptop than ever. I’m thinking this boat anchor will likely have to last me through grad school, much less just a few more months from now. I’ll probably double its RAM soon, and I’m hella grateful for the new free batteries we just got. I’ve been pricing new hard drives, because although mine’s only failed me once, I’m rightfully wary of my model’s hard drives.

I feel like I’m the only senior feeling like I’m going to still be poor when I leave from here. That’s weird.

9 Comments

Brandon

10/25/2006 at 12:17

I’m still rocking my Acer (circa 2001).

Lissa

10/25/2006 at 12:27

Awesome! Any hardware failures yet, or is it holding up?

Stobor

10/25/2006 at 13:32

haha, the acer. Pieces of it might still be intact around the house somewhere…. Just not the DC Charge board.

Actually, the reason I was so abusive to mine was that I had already built a desktop machine (for

Stobor

10/25/2006 at 13:35

0wnZ0r3d!! wordpress ate my less-than character ( < ) !
anyway…
The reason I was so abusive to mine was that I had already built a desktop machine (for less than 800 from pre-college savings) and turned my laptop into a battery-less, low resolution remote-desktop client. It just wasn’t worth anything to me anymore.

Brandon

10/25/2006 at 16:59

I’ve replaced a hard drive. But then again, I’m a Luddite ME, so basically all use it for is writing, e-mail and music. I could use a Tandy for that.

Imani

10/26/2006 at 01:25

So I built a desktop when I got that internship a while back, so I’m not too worried about it. But I’ll still be paying back the old student loans when I get out, so I guess Doodlebug isn’t going in the lake, either.

Lissa

10/26/2006 at 16:05

Imani: Ah-ha: internship money! Duh. That’s the likely answer to where the money comes from, if not parental units.

Boo student loans. Or rather, yay student loans, boo paying them back. 😛

Jenn

10/31/2006 at 18:35

I understand the poor feeling, it’s hard sometimes being in grad school and having to turn down activities that your friends who graduated with want to do cause they make over $50k/year, can buy a new car, go out every weekend, and you are still living month to month just being happy to manage rent and food….

Personally my new laptop was my Christmas/birthday/graduation present from my parents/sister/grandparents. Loans get deferred for another 4 years, so no need to worry about them yet… I have not thrown out the acer though (though have yet to connect it to the internet since graduation which may be what has saved it) – it still works, and is often more reliable than my Dell (that has died twice on me since I bought it 18 months ago) and was in fact our backup computer in the Antarctic which we did end up using, hehe.

Lissa

11/1/2006 at 09:33

Jenn: I’d forgotten that loans get deferred for grad school people. Yay! (And “whew!”)

I’m impressed that the Acers are lasting so long for you and Brandon (although Brandon’s backlight just went out), given all the flak they got for being kinda sub-par computers. I hope mine lasts me at least two years after I get out of here.

Brandon

10/25/2006 at 12:17

I’m still rocking my Acer (circa 2001).
Lissa

10/25/2006 at 12:27

Awesome! Any hardware failures yet, or is it holding up?
Stobor

10/25/2006 at 13:32

haha, the acer. Pieces of it might still be intact around the house somewhere…. Just not the DC Charge board.

Actually, the reason I was so abusive to mine was that I had already built a desktop machine (for
Stobor

10/25/2006 at 13:35

0wnZ0r3d!! wordpress ate my less-than character ( < ) !
anyway…
The reason I was so abusive to mine was that I had already built a desktop machine (for less than 800 from pre-college savings) and turned my laptop into a battery-less, low resolution remote-desktop client. It just wasn’t worth anything to me anymore.
Brandon

10/25/2006 at 16:59

I’ve replaced a hard drive. But then again, I’m a Luddite ME, so basically all use it for is writing, e-mail and music. I could use a Tandy for that.
Imani

10/26/2006 at 01:25

So I built a desktop when I got that internship a while back, so I’m not too worried about it. But I’ll still be paying back the old student loans when I get out, so I guess Doodlebug isn’t going in the lake, either.
Lissa

10/26/2006 at 16:05

Imani: Ah-ha: internship money! Duh. That’s the likely answer to where the money comes from, if not parental units.

Boo student loans. Or rather, yay student loans, boo paying them back. 😛
Jenn

10/31/2006 at 18:35

I understand the poor feeling, it’s hard sometimes being in grad school and having to turn down activities that your friends who graduated with want to do cause they make over $50k/year, can buy a new car, go out every weekend, and you are still living month to month just being happy to manage rent and food….

Personally my new laptop was my Christmas/birthday/graduation present from my parents/sister/grandparents. Loans get deferred for another 4 years, so no need to worry about them yet… I have not thrown out the acer though (though have yet to connect it to the internet since graduation which may be what has saved it) – it still works, and is often more reliable than my Dell (that has died twice on me since I bought it 18 months ago) and was in fact our backup computer in the Antarctic which we did end up using, hehe.
Lissa

11/1/2006 at 09:33

Jenn: I’d forgotten that loans get deferred for grad school people. Yay! (And “whew!”)

I’m impressed that the Acers are lasting so long for you and Brandon (although Brandon’s backlight just went out), given all the flak they got for being kinda sub-par computers. I hope mine lasts me at least two years after I get out of here.

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9 Comments

Brandon

Imani

Jenn