Another day spent on the computer trail

Today I went to the Apple store in Tukwila, Wash., to see what could be done about reducing the eye strain I'm experiencing from my i-Mac.

The mac "genius" made my I-Mac screen a medium to medium-dark blue. He also said not to use the computer in front of a window and to buy a glare protector for $35 that you apply over the screen.

The plain, darker screen color seems to be helping.

I may try dimming the lights in my office as well to reduce glare.

I was really tempted to buy the least expensive Apple laptop to use in my travels, but I just can't stand the thought of having another computer that will cause me serious eye strain.

I'm also working on figuring out how to edit video on my new i-Mac. I have a Panasonic mini-DVD camcorder that I bought about three years ago. Unfortunately, the information the camera puts on the DVD is analog.

I knew when I bought my i-Mac that it wouldn't read the files from my camcorder and that I'd need to find a "work-around."

The Apple store gave me a credit for the USB cable they sold me earlier because it didn't work with the analog converter I'd purchased from Fry's Electronics.

The Mac genius I worked with send me down to the Panasonic warehouse in  Kent to get the right cable.

Fortunately, I got there just before they closed the door for the day. I was able to get the cable. I appreciate the Panasonic employee who helped me when he could have walked out the door instead.

Thanks also to the Mac genius for pointing me the right way. I hope to be editing a movie of my wonderful grandchildren tomorrow.

I was disappointed to learn in all of this that the quality of my movies will decrease using the converter. I hadn't planned to upgrade my camcorder for a while, but I may need to do that sooner rather than later.

I'll be making the decision tomorrow about the laptop. A Sony model I saw at Office Depot is about an inch bigger than the HP I reported on yesterday. It cost $50 more but has more omph than the HP, so it may be the best choice.

Comments

[Julee]

Is the only reason you're not buying a Mac laptop because of eyestrain?

I've never had experience with PC's but I put together movies and slideshows with iMovie and iDVD by practically clicking a couple buttons. I'm no techie but I choose to put everything on the web in very low res YouTube format. I keep my originals on an external hard drive and they're crystal clear.

My video camera is a 4 maybe 5- year old Canon ZR 45 and works well with the Mac.

You can check out my stuff at youtube.com/juleeannw

Just my 2 cents.

[Rita]

Julee,

Thanks for your comments. I'll check out your YouTube channel.

Rita