A story of my love for my old laptop, an IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad T43, and my disappointment with the “updated” version, the Lenovo T61

I bought my ThinkPad T43 in August 2005. I love this computer. It is thin, light, powerful, and tough as nails. It may not be as pretty as an iBook or MacBook, but in size and weight, it compares favorably. Until a few weeks ago, I only replaced a trackpad button (too many video games) and the optical drive. Both were replaced nearly instantaneously by Lenovo’s outstanding on-site support (I am not kidding, they are awesome, both then and now).

It came with Windows XP Pro, but I started using Ubuntu Linux with it about a year ago, as well, and it works nearly perfectly with both operating systems.

A few weeks ago, the motherboard on my T43 fizzled. I was certain my warranty had expired, so in a fit of impulsivity, I ordered a new ThinkPad T61 with all the bells and whistles. I was even thrilled to order it with SLED Linux pre-installed instead of Windows.

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Beer companies sell illusions, not beer. They convince us that we will be smarter, more attractive, suave, etc., if we drink the beer. It rarely works. A screen-tanned blogger chugging Coors Light is no more attractive than a screen-tanned blogger without the beer. More tipsy, though.

Similarly, office supply companies sell us on the illusion that if we just had their neat product, we would be organized! Take the Chronotebook, one of the winners of last year’s Muji Awards.

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