On the advice of my favorite most trusted giga-nerd (who has never steered me in the wrong direction and collects/loves/borderline anthropomorphizes old electronics like he’s the guy from The Brave Little Toaster), I’m seeking to replace my janky cheap computer with a cheap but very much not janky Lenovo Thinkpad. I’ve been doing a lot of research and there are whole communities of nerds who are obsessed with them for their pragmatic allure, thoughtful design, durable hardware, higher-level specs in used models for a low cost (we’re talking like $200), easy customizability and repairability, and the weird keyboard clit.
I already BOUGHT a T480s with 24 GB of RAM and an i7 processor but my package randomly got delivered to the wrong address :( I just got my refund so it’s time to begin again… in a way it’s good because I think the i5 will better suit my needs. The really hardcore nerds would recommend reaching slightly above this price range for a T14 1st gen with Ryzen 5 or 7 but I’m not looking to do anything crazy here I just want to type and watch stuff and have a lot of browser tabs open + I like the T480s display better + the T480s only weighs 3 pounds 🫦
Jan 31, 2025
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My two cents: Stick with the T480! My last org got a huge shipment of T14s and couldn't give them away. They were comparatively bulky and had so many random performance issues.
theclack yeah I was looking at the T14s and I did not like what was available on the market!! I think the people who are really into certain shitty Thinkpad models are like people who are into cars that objectively are unreliable and terrible to use but they’re in love with tinkering and maintaining them as a machine and the idea of them, not even as something functional… very interesting pathology
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I just love her. The tasteful matte textured plastic on the outside case, reminiscent of pebbled leather… the sturdy thoughtful construction, light weight, and sleek minimal design… the 90s businessman aesthetic. The mysterious keyboard clitoris. the easily upgradable RAM, the snappy performance, the fact that it was like $200 on eBay, certified refurbished with a one-year warranty.
I use an LG Gram for work which costs like $1,000 but this thing blows it out of the water and is so much more beautiful and pleasurable to use. I used to be a huge Mac OSX person but after Windows 11 I’m kind of a Microsoft-head 🫦
Feb 13, 2025
đź–Ą
chunky pc that whirs and creates a cozy ambience and a boxy monitor with a matte/low res screen to browse the internet. or one of the panasonic laptops from japan thst still look like their from 2007 but with updated firmware/ or simply just an old windows 7 think pad to revive my need for nostalgic technology.
Jan 15, 2025
đź–Ą
It’s one of the bulkiest things I’ve ever owned, and it doesn’t work properly anymore but the hardware is still good (And expensive). I’ve made the switch to Mac somewhat recently because my needs/uses have changed, and I gave up trying to upkeep my PC and diagnosing OS issues.
I probably will get around to selling parts to some poor uni students who need it more than I do. My excuse is that I haven’t tried setting up a FB account for marketplace, and I forget because the PC sits in a spare room.
Oct 23, 2024
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“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.”
— Anaïs Nin
This is uncharacteristically raw and personal, even for me, and pretty heavy! I know many of you have seen me posting through it and I feel safe to talk about it openly now that I’ve safely landed at the start of my new life. It’s honestly even a little bit embarrassing but I think it’s important to share.
I’ve never publicly mentioned it on here, but I have a husband; as of Friday, we’d have been together for 11 years, and we’ve been married for 3 years as of 2/22. I realize now that I wanted to explore what I looked like outside of my relationship with him because I had lost that. This is why PI.FYI has been so meaningful to me as a space to express myself and connect with people—to rediscover my voice.
I had been living a lie this entire time, to others but worst of all to myself. He’s been verbally and emotionally abusive, physically but without touching me, to the point that every day I spent with him I was in danger. I’ve been shrinking myself and walking on eggshells to avoid making him insecure and provoking his casual put-downs and fits of rage, while hanging on for dear life to the threads of good I could see.
I’ve wanted so badly to leave, more than anything, but I felt like there was no way out and that this was just something I would need to endure indefinitely—but someone who is so very dear to me helped me see that I have wings to fly, not by acting as my savior but by reminding me of my own power. The emotional safety they built and the gentle care they showed me made me feel like I could open up to them. With their encouragement I was brave enough to tell the truth to my friends, my family, my boss, and they have received me with warm, loving and open arms and rallied to support and protect me. The financial and logistical aspects were the most intimidating to me and it’s going to be tough for a while but I’m going to be better than okay!
Now I’m opening up to you. This isn’t the only abuse I’ve suffered in my life, and my old therapist told me she believed it was my mission to share my strength and light with others to inspire them and show them that change is possible.
I hope that by sharing this, I can reach even just one person who is going through something similar and show that they are not alone, and they are not weak. People with certain backgrounds may be more vulnerable to abuse, but it can happen to anyone. It thrives in darkness, shame, and isolation—and breaking that silence is the first step toward freedom.
Leaving is the scariest thing I have ever done but I have so many angels around me, and I am endlessly grateful. Thank you for being here with me đź’Ś
Mar 16, 2025
My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebody—be it a relative or one of my best friends—was to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too 💌
Feb 23, 2025
Schedule sent my resignation email for the morning, effective immediately âś…đź’…
Feb 27, 2025