Parallels Desktop 3.0 For Mac

Yes, by the title of this post you can tell I'm done posting my Mt. Whitney pictures. There is an unwritten rule in blogging that once you write about something more current than your last post, you can't go back. It is time to move forward. I'm getting ready for my two week vacation which starts Thursday afternoon. I'm bringing my Mac Book Pro with me, and I wanted to use a mapping program with a GPS. However, there isn't a good one for Macs. So my solution was to buy Parallels. It is a program that runs on a Mac and allows you to run Windows at the same time. After installing Parallels, you install Windows XP. Then you can run Windows and any of its applications at the same time as you run Mac applications. You can share files also. I bought Street Atlas 2008 that included DeLorme Earthmate GPS. It took a while to figure out how it all works, but I was eventually able to run Street Atlas within Parallels and then when I plugged in the GPS unit in the USB port, a window popped up asking me if I wanted to have Mac or PC control the USB device. I chose PC, and after a long time the GPS finally acquired a good satellite signal. I had the GPS receiver inside, so it should work better in my car. My other dilemma was power. There is no cigarette adapter for the Mac. So today I bought a 400 watt DC to AC power converter. It was two standard plugs so I can plug my laptop plus one other device in. I haven't tried it yet, that will wait for tomorrow. I've gathered most of the stuff I'm taking, and its going to be a tight fit in the Mustang. Luckily the trunk is large and I have the whole back seat. I'm bringing hiking, camping and general recreational equipment with me. I'm probably packing enough stuff to survive for a month in case of a natural disaster! I'll be taking tons of photos on my trip and I'll be posting them when I have Internet access.