you know, technology in IM clients hasn’t really changed much in the last few years. it’s a pretty straightforward technology. i don’t really use IM clients for much more than messaging, but sometimes i have used it to share photos. sure, that’s a nice touch, but with all of the IM accounts that i have, it’s nice to have one client that handles it all.

for the longest time that one client was triliian. i have been a diehard trillian user for the longest time. i tried using pidgin, but felt that the UI was just too ugly. miranda felt awkward to me and after i started using mac os x on my personal laptop, adium just looked so beautiful.

on the pc side, i have started to use digby. it supports the same theme that i use in adium (modern bubbling) so i get a very similar experience on my personal laptop and the work laptop. i know, i know, functionally, it’s all the same, but still, it’s the little touches that seem to make the experience better. mix things up, try something new, and give it a whirl if you aren’t using it.

i just ordered a couple of camera accessories for the new point and shoot. just batteries and a charger. i hear that the battery life on this camera is much worse than that of the previous version, so i bought some extra batteries. i’m a little nervous, though, because i ordered the batteries from some store i’ve never heard of in hong kong.

the thing is that batteries have got to be one of the most overpriced accessories that one can buy for a digital camera. the manufacturer wants something like $40 for a replacement battery! i ordered two for $9. even with $6 shipping, that’s still way cheaper than what the manufacturer wants. i just hope that this store isn’t a scam!

i also bought a separate charger for the batteries so that i can charge batteries while using the camera. i have this huge phobia about batteries. back when i first started using a digital camera, a set of batteries would last me about 20 shots. so i carried a TON of batteries with me wherever i went. that habit hasn’t stopped, so i totally overbuy batteries now. i can’t help it. there’s nothing worse than bringing a camera and then running out of batteries to miss that one shot that you’ve been waiting for all day long!

so i actually bought a combo pack of 2 batteries and a charger and then 2 more batteries on top of that. i know, overkill. what is my problem? what i actually like to do is carry two batteries in my big camera bag and then have another set of batteries for normal use. it’s security in power (cells).

there was this coupon for $6 off a $34 order, so i had to buy a little something to take me over that magical price. i ended up buying a $9 mini flexible tripod. i hope it comes in handy. all told, the order was still less than the cost of a manufacturer’s battery, so i guess i made out pretty well. i wonder how long shipping from hong kong will take via regular post…