I don't leave the house without my digital camera. Accordingly, over the course of months, the camera becomes increasingly battered. Most of these devices are not built too tough. Mine is still wonderful, takes fine pictures. But the battery clip is set precariously - the camera is prone to winking asleep when you move to shoot. And the lens guard is lodged permanently open (better than permanently closed, I say). So if recent photos here look blurry, it's because my lens has been picking up tiny pieces of the world everywhere it's been.

I'm thinking about buying a new camera; the second version of this one (in spite of some middling reviews, slagging the photo quality). I'm also thinking about buying a laptop, my first in three years. A Macintosh, no less! My first in eight years. But for now, I'm mostly a happy guy - I save my money, I take blurry pictures, I compute at a slowed rate. The sun continues to shine.