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Welcome to Macintosh
In House with Low End Mac
Charles W. Moore, Low End Mac Columnist and News Editor
- 2007.08.31
Bong! . . . :-) . . . Welcome to Macintosh!
In the first installment of In House with Low End Mac, I interviewed Dan Knight, who founded and runs Low End Mac. Next up to bat is a man whose writing speaks for itself. He has written for Low End Mac since 1999 and also writes for Applelinks, MacOpinion, and PBCentral.
Yes
friends, I'm talking about Charles W. Moore! Here is the interview I
did with Charles:
Tommy: Tell everyone a little about yourself.
Charles: Well, I'm a writer and editor living in Guysborough County on the eastern Nova Scotia mainland. I've been freelancing full time since 1986 and dabbled in writing for years prior to that. My articles, features, and commentaries have appeared in more than 40 magazines, newspapers and websites in Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia. I am currently a columnist for The Halifax Daily News and the Saint John Telegraph Journal, Atlantic Fisherman, and news editor and columnist for Applelinks.com, a columnist and contributing editor for MacOpinion and PBCentral, as well as writing for Low End Mac.
I also write a weekly column for my local newspaper, The Guysborough Journal, and syndicate a column to newspapers across Canada, which has been picked up from time to time by the Montreal Gazette, The Calgary Herald, The Vancouver Sun, The Toronto Star, and a number of others. I also have a couple of short books (on religious topics) in print.
I'm 55 years old, my wife and I just celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary, and we have two grown twenty-something children.
I've also variously made my living in auto body and mechanical repair, cable TV production, marine equipment and boat sales, and have owned a sail yacht dealership and operated a custom cabinetmaking and light contracting business.
My hobbies and interests - besides computers - include reading, guitar-playing, music (from country to classical), automobiles, sailing, and photography.
I try to be a serious Christian and am a member of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada.
Tommy: What was it about writing that drew you to it . . . that captivated you?
Charles: Ah, I guess it's a desire to communicate, also the need to make a living.
Tommy: What was it about Apple that turned your head the most?
Charles: Actually, I
got started with the Mac because I had a writing/editorial gig with a
magazine publisher back in the early 90s, and they were a Mac shop. A
friend of mine had a used Mac Plus
for sale, and...
Tommy: How did you eventually find yourself writing for Low End Mac (LEM)?
Charles: I was writing for the now defunct MacTimes Network back in the late 90s, and Dan Knight was involved with that project as well. When MacTimes folded, Dan asked me to write for LEM.
Tommy: What achievements are you most proud of in your life?
Charles: I'm a humble person.
Tommy: How do you personally measure success?
Charles: As a Christian, I affirm the principle that a life is properly lived with a focus on preparation for the next life - a paradigm that was also advanced by Plato. In here and now terms, being of service to others in ways small or more substantial would be my definition of success in life.
Tommy: What was your most memorable or most favorite article you've ever written?
Charles: Oh dear. I honestly don't think I can answer that. I'm happier with some things I've written than others, but I write in so many genres - computers, politics, religion, philosophy, sailing, a couple of short books - that it's tough to pick a favorite piece.
Tommy: When you look back on Apple and what they were, compared to what they've become . . . how would you best sum up how they've changed?
Charles: Well, their scope is certainly much broader with the iPod, iLife, and now the iPhone, but I think one of the interesting things about Apple is not so much how they've changed, but rather that a philosophical continuum thread has remained throughout, not least of course due to the initial involvement and then return of Steve Jobs. The constant has been elegance - a cliché when applied to Apple perhaps, but it's based in substance. Apple products have always been elegant.
Tommy: In the eight years you've been writing for LEM, what do you think has changed the most about LEM?
Charles: Actually, my evaluation would be that LEM, like Apple, has remained true to a consistent philosophical vision. In terms of my participation, the articles I contribute in 2007 are different in specifics of what's covered, but not so much in general focus from ones I wrote in 1999.
Tommy: What advice would you give to upcoming writers based on your experiences?
Charles: Hone your craft. Read your own stuff critically. Write, write, write!
Tommy: What's in your collection of Macs?
Charles: I still have every Mac I've ever owned, and they're all in working condition:
- 1988 - Mac Plus: 8 MHz 68000/2.5 MB/20 MB HD/System 6.0.8
- 1993 - Mac LC 520: 25 MHz 68030/20 MB/160 MB HD/System 7.5.5
1996 - PowerBook 5300: 100 MHz 603e/24 MB/500 MB HD/OS
8.6- 1997- PowerBook 1400: 117 MHz 603e/48 MB/1.3 GB HD/OS 8.6
- 1998 - Umax SuperMac S900: 200 MHz 604e/112 MB/4 GB HD/OS 9.1
- 1999 - PowerBook 'WallStreet' G3 Series: 233 MHz G3/128 MB/10 GB HD/OS 9.2.2
- 2000 - PowerBook 'Pismo' G3: 550 MHz G4 upgrade/640 MB/40 GB HD/OS X 10.4.9
- 2000 - PowerBook 'Pismo' G3: 500 MHz G3/578 MB/100 GB HD/OS X 10.4.7
- 2002 - 12" iBook G3/700: 640 MB/20 GB HD/OS X 10.4.9
- 2003 - 17" PowerBook G4 (purchased Apple Certified Refurbished February, 2006): 1.33 GHz G4/1.5 GB/80 GB HD/OS X 10.4.10
Tommy: Most and least favorite Macs in your opinion . . . what would they be?
Charles: My favorites are definitely PowerBooks. The Pismos and this 17" PowerBook are the best computers I've ever owned, although the iBook has been a great little machine as well. We'll see how the MacBooks and MacBook Pros fare in the medium-to-long haul. Some of the old Mac IIs were contemporaneously awesome. I've always been smitten with the "wicked fast" Mac IIfx.
The Macs I liked the least were the 5000 Series All-in-One desktop Performas and Macs of the mid-90s. My least favorite laptop would be the PowerBook 150, with its poverty of ports, no video out, and oddball IDE hard drive.
Tommy: Thank you for your time, kind sir.
I've been an admirer of Charles' writing for some time. He really is
a topnotch professional. Be sure to check out Charles' Miscellaneous Ramblings along with the Mac News Review and The 'Book Review here on LEM.
Recent Welcome to Macintosh articles
- Hooked on Classic Macs, 01.09. Tommy Thomas is back with a renewed focus on Macs that can run the 'classic' Mac OS.
- Apple IIe Nostalgia: A Reunion 15 Years in the Making, 01.06. Sometimes nostalgia is all you remembered, like when you get to recreate your first computing experience from the Apple II era.
- Distraction Free Writing on the Go with the Laser PC6, 10.27. Sometimes you just need a keyboard and screen instead of a full-fledged computer. The Laser PC6 could be what you're looking for.
- Apple's eMate still a great tool in the classroom, 05.09. How one teacher equipped his classroom with eMates with his own money - and plans to keep using them as long as possible.
- More in the Welcome to Macintosh index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 15" 'TiBook' PowerBook G4, Jan. 2001 - A new 1" thin PowerBook design with a titanium case, 15" widescreen display.
- Group of the Day: ModBook List covers the Axiotronic ModBook tablet Mac.
- January 9 in LEM history: 01: Macworld keynote - 02: The new iMac - Redefining Apple's market - 03: Safari shows off the Apple difference - Impressions of Safari beta - 04: The colored iPod mini - 06: Installing 'Tiger' on unsupported Macs - Time to replace 5-year-old PowerBook - 07: iPhone and Apple TV - Axiotron Modbook - Mac vs. PC price comparisons are never fair - Backup to the rescue - 08: 2008 Mac Pro value equation
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- MacBook Keyboard Among Best Ever, Glass Trackpad Less than Intuitive, TiBook Desktop Mod, and More, The 'Book Review, 01.09. Also $179 to change battery in 17" MacBook Pro, argument for an Apple netbook, MacBook Air SuperDrive hacked for any Mac, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,299, and more.
- BYO $240 Hackintosh, HyperCard Resurrection, USB 3.0 10x as Fast, SlimBlade Trackball, and More, Mac News Review, 01.09. Also the brilliance of the Macworld keynote, businesses embracing Macs, Picasa for Mac available, Toast Titanium 10 ships, and more.
- iPhone Reaches Vermont, 15 iPhone Tips, Apple's iGlove, First Editable Office App for iPhone, and More, iNews Review, 01.09. Also WebEx collaboration on the iPhone 3G, hands-free visor kit from Kensington, portable iPod and iPhone power, new cases from Speck, and more.
- Software Should Come with a Fresh Date, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 01.09. Sooner or later, some hardware or OS update will probably break a program you own. Software vendors should be up front about how long they'll support it.
- Thanks for the IBM PC, Dad, L. Victor Marks, My First Mac, 01.09. Dad, thanks for bringing home that first IBM PC way back in 1981.
- What a Legacy: The Origin of the IBM PC, Tom Hormby, Orchard, 01.09. IBM introduced its PC on August 12, 1981, shaking up the entire personal computer industry. Today even Apple makes its computers IBM compatible.
- Our Debt to the IBM PC, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.09. A Mac user looks at the legacy of the IBM PC.
- Heat Management for 'Books and the Last Mac to Run OS 9.1, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 01.08. Tips on keeping a first-gen MacBook Air from throttling back with CoolBook, using G4FanControl with a G4 PowerBook, and the fastest Mac that can boot Mac OS 9.1.
- Surprise, Average Broadband Throughput Is Lower than Maximum Throughput, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.08. If a service is advertised as 8 Mbps maximum, it shouldn't surprise anyone that the average speed is below that number.
- A History of Apple's Lisa, 1979-1986, Tom Hormby, Orchard, 01.08. Originally envisioned as a business computer to replace the Apple II, the Lisa brought the mouse and GUI to the computer market - only to be felled by the less costly Macintosh.
- Lisa's DNA Is All Over Modern Computing, Ray Arachelian, Apple Seeds, 01.08. Those who label Apple's Lisa a failure are ignoring the computer's legacy that shows up in every personal computer sold today.
- The Innovative Lisa, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 01.08. Apple's Lisa and how it paved the way for the Macintosh.
- The Lisa Legacy, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.08. We should always remember how Apple's innovation paved the way for all future computers.
- Waterfield First with SleeveCase for New 17" Unibody MacBook Pro, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 01.08. Waterfield has a reputation for top quality bags at appropriate prices, and it's already designed a sleeve for the new 17" Unibody MacBook Pro.
- Blackouts and Web Access, Death of a Kanga, the Future of PowerPC Macs, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 01.07. Also another email client suggestion and whether a G3 iMac can handle a 7200 rpm hard drive without overheating.
- The 17" Unibody MacBook Pro Value Equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.07. The new model is a bit faster, a bit smaller, a bit lighter, and has an incredible 8-hour battery life.
- How Netbooks Impact Microsoft and Apple, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 01.07. Netbooks are keeping Windows XP alive, which may slow adoption of Windows 7, and perceived value keeps the Mac market share growing at the expense of Windows.
- Apple's Worst Business Decisions: Another Perspective, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.07. Apple's poor business decisions predate the Macintosh. Let's hope they learn from their mistakes.
- The Ill-Fated Apple III, Jason Walsh, Apple Before the Mac, 01.07. "...not only was the Apple III mind crunchingly expensive, it was made with none of the passion of the Apple II or Macintosh."
- 2 Apple Failures: Apple III and Lisa, Tom Hormby, Orchard, 01.07. Apple's two not-so-great product lines between the Apple II line and the Macintosh.
- Apple III Chaos: Apple's First Failure, Joshua Coventry, Cortland, 01.07. Apple had known nothing but success with its Apple II product line, but when it tried to enter the business world with the Apple III, the learned the cost of failure.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best MacBook Deals, 01.09. Used 1.83 GHz, $595; 2.0 SD, $650; refurb 2.1 GHz, $849; 2.2, $899; 2.4, $949; new 2.1 SD, $945 after rebate; 2.4, $900 a/r; 2.0 Unibody, $1,199 a/r; more.
- Best G5 iMac Deals, 01.09. Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $400; 1.8 SuperDrive, $450; 1.9 iSight, $575; 20" 1.8 GHz, $500; 2.0, $625; 2.1 iSight, $699.
- Best iPod nano deals, 01.09. New 3G/8 GB, $125 shipped; 4G/8 GB, $134 shipped; 16 GB, $175 shipped (most colors).
- Best Apple TV Deals, 01.08. Refurb 40 GB Apple TV, $199; new, $220; refurb 160 GB, $279; new, $320. Prices include ground shipping.
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 01.08. New 2.8 GHz 4-core, $2,099 after rebate; refurb 8-core, $2,399; new, $2,589 a/r; 3.0 $3,398 a/r; refurb 3.2, $4,099; new, $4,099 a/r.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 01.08. Used 867 MHz Combo, $490; 1.33 GHz, $548; 1.5 GHz SuperDrive, $595.
- Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals, 01.07. Used 2.16 GHz Core Duo, $1,190; 2.33 Core 2, $1,400; 2.4, $1,799; refurb 2.33, $1,799; 2.5, $1,899; new, $1,900; refurb 2.6, $2,299.
- Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 01.07. Used 1.8 GHz single, $500; dual, $629, 2.0, $700; dual-core, $929; 2.3, $999; 2.5 dual, $900; 2.7, $1,089; 2.5 Quad, $1,399.
- Best iPod shuffle Deals, 01.07. Refurb 1 GB '07, $39 shipped; new, $43; '08, $45; refurb 2 GB '07, $59 shipped; new, $58; '08, $63.
- More deals in our archive.
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