whos yer mac daddy?

I mentioned in yesterday's post about how some of the animation I did for my reel had been done on planes and trains. I throw that out like its no big deal, and in fact, its isn't. But the fact that it is no big deal is truly remarkable.

Ten years ago, nearly all design for television and film was done on dedicated equipment. What that basically means is that the kind of work that I do was always done on machines that were built specifically for that; machines that generally didn't do other things. Hardware. Not software. Today, that has all changed. In fact, everything that I've needed to do for my work for the last five years has been done on Macs. I often now work with kids who know of nothing else.

One of the best purchases I ever made was my Mac Powerbook laptop. While working on my desktop does still have its advantages, I am able to do most anything on my laptop that I can on my desktop. I can animate broadcast quality work while sitting on my couch. Or on a plane. Or a train halfway across the world. That, I find, is truly fascinating. and liberating.

My Powerbook has gone almost everywhere with me. Its filthy. It has an ID sticker on it from the Olympics. But (knock on titanium), it has never failed me. It has become my main source of communication with others. And it is what allows me to write here almost daily. Loading it with memory and software wasn't cheap. But it has been money well spent. It is, by far, my most important daily tool.