Gary's New Computer

Six years ago Gary was given an IBM laptop computer. This computer technically belonged to the U of Pennsylvania but was on "indefinite loan" to Gary. He was given this machine because of his work on certain linguistics and computer projects, headed up by Dr. Steven Bird.

Fast forward to our recent trip to a linguistics conference in Austin, TX. Steven was also at the conference and saw Gary give his presentation using his laptop. At that point Steve said, "You need a new laptop." Days later, he had one, from the same source as the first one. Here is a photo:

Notice Gary's hand in the photo. He is using the built-in finger print scanner to unlock his machine (instead of a password). Cool, huh? Here's a closer view of the device:

Now if you need to know the specs for this machine, here they are:

IBM ThinkPad T60 Professional System
* 5.4 lbs. (2.45kg) with battery and optical drive installed
* 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo T2500 processor
* 14.1-inch SXGA+ display (1400x1050 pixels)
* 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1400
* 1.0GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM
* 100GB (5400rpm)
* Plays and burns CDs and DVDs
* Gigabit Ethernet; Wireless (802.11b/g); Bluetooth; 56k modem
* Lithium-ion battery -- up to 4.3 hours of battery life
* Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2**
* Ports: Three USB 2.0 ports; parallel port; infrared port;
dock/port replicator port; external display port; AC adapter; RJ-11;
RJ-45; audio: headphone/line-out, external microphone; two card slots
* Biometric Security Fingerprint Reader
* Three-Year IBM international limited warranty with Next Business
Day At Home Service, plus ThinkPad Protection accidental damage
return-to-depot repair service (1 year warranty on the included
battery)

As I mentioned above, we've since upgraded our wireless router, so with this machine we can connect to the internet in the far corners of our house. It took some doing to get the new machine and network set up, but now if you come visit us with your wireless laptop we can provide connectivity for you.

Speaking of visitors, we've had a number of them lately which has been fun (if busy). Later this week we will be having more, specifically David and his girlfriend. Details to follow.