Computers:

Apple has updated the Mac Mini and iBook model lines and further reduced prices on both lines. A really tricked out Mac Mini will only set you back $728 now:

$499 for the cheapest model (1.25GHz PowerPC "G4")
+$50 to upgrade to an 80GB internal drive (cheap enough to simply do it)
+$100 to upgrade to a 4X SuperDrive (allows you to burn DVDs as well as CDs)
+$79 to add an Airport Extreme card (wireless networking)
Skip the optional keyboard and mouse because the Apple Mouse sucks
Get the Apple keyboard separately for $29
Get an iOptiJr Mouse from MacAlly for about $20
Use your existing monitor or pick the screen of your choice.

A really portable 12" iBook is now only $999 - though I'd suggest adding AppleCare to any laptop you buy (laptops take a lot of abuse). The new model iBook sports 512MB minimum RAM now (finally) and both Sudden Motion Sensing and the scrolling trackpad (very good features).

Home and Garden:

Lawn & Leisure delivered my new Ariens Mini Zoom 1540 riding lawn mower on Friday the 8th, and I tried it out pretty much right away. Initial thoughts are that this thing is unbelievably noisy. Hearing protection is a must when operating the Mini Zoom for more than a few minutes. It is also more than a little scary because it is very fast.

I was not really aware of how fast I was walking behind my old 22" Sears Craftsman 4hp self-propelled mower, but it turns out to only be about 3 mph. That was the speed it rolled forward when the drive was engaged and I was not applying drag to slow it down for taller grasses and weeds. With that speed I typically mowed my entire yard in about 4-6 hours, more if I'd neglected mowing for a few weeks. The Ariens is startlingly fast. I estimate it can top out at about 6.5 mph - though I am not comfortable mowing at that speed (heck I can barely hold on at top speed with the mower engaged). The most amazing thing is that the purchase is a huge success on the time savings. I mowed the whole yard in less than one hour on my first attempt at mowing with this 500 pound monster I have barely learned how to control. I have to mow again in about two weeks and re-time the work, I can't believe it (update: I've mowed three times now and I am averaging one hour per mowing). The other good news is because it mows so much faster, I think I actually burned a lot less gas (which is a surprise, it certainly burns more gas per hour than the little mower). It must be that mowing for ~1 hour is such a gas savings over mowing for ~6 hours, that burning fuel faster is more than mitigated by the time savings.

As a note of irony, the information brochures and videos came in for the Walker Mower just after I ordered the Ariens. The Walker Mower certainly looks impressive, and is clearly a better mower than my Ariens, but at nearly 3 times the price. I simply could not justify ~$8000 for my little 2.2 acres of yard. If you are a professional, or have 10+ acres of yard to mow with some complex borders or contours - you should give the Walker some serious consideration. As for me, this Ariens will do the trick.

Politics:

So I was helping out with the Bruce Roemmelt campaign again last night and the subject of what issues matter to the voters came up. It quickly became apparent that I am very unusual amongst voters in our district 13 (Northern Virginia) in that my three biggest issues for the Virginia State government are:

1. Ensuring fair, transparent, and honest elections (see VerifiedVoting.org).
   
2. Switching from pluralistic (pick 1 of the above) voting to instant runoff or borda (rank order your choices) voting.
   
3. Protecting the environment as best we can, immediately through improved public transportaion.
   
4. Strong education, both academic and vocational, for all school age children and young adults (they are the future).
   

What I realized last night was how differently I felt than most of the people we talked to. Most people stated their big issue was traffic, by an overwhelming majority. Traffic is a problem that is mostly outside the scope of any one politician, yet it remains the big issue for most people.

You can find out what issues your delegate cares about by checking the state's legislation information web site: http://legis.state.va.us/ and searching for your delegate. It is pretty clear that my current delegate, Bob Marshall, only cares about two issues: he is anti-abortion and anti-gay. He's done nothing about traffic. Nothing for education. Nothing about health care. Nothing to protect the environment. Nothing to protect our voting process from tampering or errors. All my delegate cares about is hating gay men and preventing people from planning their own families proactively. Don't take my word for it, look it up yourself using the state's list of all legislation he's sponsored. If you want to check up on another delegate, you can pick from the list of them here.