So now I'm following Lee Joramo's instructions for installing Snow Leopard on the Mac Mini, in target mode. So far I've got the Mini showing up as an external hard drive on the MacBook.

Update: It worked. I got a clean installation of Snow Leopard on the Mac Mini, using the method outlined by Lee. Unfortunately it didn't get the scanner working. I give up on that. I'll try getting another scanner. Canon LiDE 700F is a bad deal. I hear the hardware works, but the drivers are a nightmare. I concur with the drivers part, never got to use the hardware.

Update #2: Netbook haters are going to scream when they hear this. The Canon scanner works great on Windows XP on my little Asus netbook. The cool thing is that Windows has this built-in function that gets the drivers for you. I have no idea where they go or how it works, but -- it worked. I was able to scan all my tax forms, about 100 pages, in about an hour. I did it using the built-in Windows scanning software. No I did not do this just to irritate Mac zealots, but I'm kind of pleased that it probably will. ">

 3/14/2010; 11:25:58 AM.   .

I take the Fifth.

I plead temporary insanity.

Nolo contendere.

I threw reason out the window.

I felt smug for some reason.

And I was feeling jealous of all the people who, on April 3, would have their iPad. And I won't.

So, after reading that Andrew Baron ordered one with his winnings on AAPL stock, I figured I could do it too. So I sucked my gut and pressed Submit.

Now I have one of these things, whatever the frack it is, on its way to me in just a couple of weeks.

At least I'll be able to watch Fargo on it.

PS: I am totally out of my mind.

 3/14/2010; 7:42:24 AM.   .

Every few years I almost get snookered into making a major furniture purchase at Ikea. Then I come to my senses.

First, what Ikea is good for -- the little chotchkas you need to get a house started. Dishrags. Flatware. They have a starter box with a few pots and pans, measuring cups, a spatula, scissors, cheese grater. A hundred little things that if bought separately would cost $500, but they charge about $100. And you don't have to think of everything. A shower curtain. Cheap drapes.

But when you buy things that require assembly, that's when I get in trouble. And it's even worse if you have to make a dozen choices before getting your order number. That's when you have to deal with Ikea sales people.

Some of them are really nice, I imagine, but I always get the mean mofos.

You know how we have unconferences? These are unsalespeople.

I really appreciate them, because they save me from having to deal with the assembly contractors and delivery people. Their function is to kick the people out of the system who have low tolerance for Ikea. For that, they are a blessing.

So I buy real furniture. And I pay more for it. But the sales people treat me like a customer, and the delivery people actually bring the stuff into your house and set it up. When you're a kid I guess you have DIY this stuff. But when you get to be an adult, you should pay to have it done for you.

That is, imho, the lesson of Ikea.

 3/14/2010; 7:27:18 AM.   .

Not sure how long it's been down, but it's been a while. Nothing on status.twitter.com.

This reminds me what I'm going to talk about at the 140Conf on April 20. How we are fools to think that something like Twitter can run entirely on one company's servers.

The Twitter guys should know that can't work, and should be planning on a resilient future, one where we can trust them because we don't have to trust them.

 3/14/2010; 7:16:15 AM.   .