It was once a struggle for me to get the high tech equipment I needed to write a book. Today, it’s no longer a struggle. In fact, the only struggle I have is what to do with all this high tech stuff once I’m done writing the book?
In the late 1980s, I was contracted to write two books on programming the Apple IIGS. I didn’t have an Apple IIGS, nor did I have the $2500 to buy one. While my bank refused to raise my credit card limit, they were more than happy to take out a loan on my car, which I had just paid off.
For the car’s pink slip, I was provided a $2500 loan. With the proceeds, I purchased a complete Apple IIGS system.
Funny: I bought the computer and then received the advance for writing the book. So I paid off the loan before making the first payment. The lady at the bank was really incensed that I did so, but screw them.
Today, getting new equipment is something I budget for, so I don’t need to take out a loan. What concerns me is what to do with the gizmo when I’m done writing the book? Case in point: I have four Android tablets sitting in boxes. I’ll never use them.
For my latest update to Laptops For Dummies, it became necessary for me to purchase a Surface Pro 3 laptop from Microsoft.
The Surface is billed as a “tablet,” although it’s really just a touchscreen laptop minus a keyboard. In fact, most users buy a keyboard cover and a digital pen to complete the purchase. So the only benefit is really that the price is low, typically about half what you’d pay for a full-feature laptop/notebook.
Again, my problem is what to do with the Surface once I’m done writing the book?
Because I’m cheap, the Surface is a low-end model, so it won’t handle anything beefy. And I’ve messed with it too much to return it. In fact, my main reason for getting the Surface is to install the Windows 10 beta. The news on that front is that I’m completely unable to install the beta. So I’ll have to wait until the device gets updated automatically later this month. I hope.
By the way, when I was done writing the Apple IIGS programming book, I sold the computer. I put an ad in the paper and two people showed up to my apartment to buy it. They got into a bidding war! The winning party paid me $1600 for the IIGS and its printer and all the software. It’s the only computer I’ve ever sold and got good money for it.
