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College Won't Buy Me A Laptop - What Do I DO?

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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    She obviously just wants a new laptop for herself.

    1. As we've said , chaing the resolution will be the same as buying a bigger screen. If the resolution change strains your eyes .... so will a 20" laptop. FACT

    2. Lets pretend point 1 is incorrect for arguments sake.... You can't seriously argue that because plugging a montitor in/chagning settings is too time consuming when you've said it will cost you 5 minutes!!


    Buying you a laptop would be a waste of money from the disabled students allowance.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think what I (and a lot of other people) are struggling to understand is why the big screen is needed.

    I can see why big things on the screen are needed but surely the only difference the larger monitor makes is you can get more things onto the screen?

    My 22" monitor means that I get far more of the spreadsheet onto the screen at one time, the print etc is still the same size as when I use the 15" laptop monitor.

    Laptops are usually provided for people who need to use the computer in many locations, beyond that of other people, eg for dispraxicsx who struggle to write in a useful manner. As far as I can tell you don't need the mobile component of a laptop, you just need the bigger images on the screen.

    I'd seriously try thinking of other solutions, see if they'll reserse the large monitor solely for your use, or at least lock the settings at the one you need.

    On a completely different note, carrying a 20" screen laptop around everywhere with you will be a nightmare.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    He probably doesn't know what it is.

    well i dont either, but i do know that plenty of things that "should be" "aren't" with regards to the human body and brain, and you know best about your condition and what extra you need to complete your education.
    I strongly believe if they dont help provide you with equipment so you can have the same advantages as someone without your disability, then you are being failed by the system.
    We all pay our taxes, and sometimes, some of us will need a little extra. Youre not asking for the world, its just a computer. Lots of people with disabilities are entitled to them if it makes something otherwise impossible, possible, so i think you should push for what youre entitled to.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    And while you should push for what you are entitled to, you should also aim for something that is a reasonable adjustment and puts you in a similar position to everyone else.

    Talk to a range of laptop owning university students, you'll find they rarely take their laptops somewhere where there's the option of a computer there because anything other than the whizzy macbooks are such a pain to lug around. If you need the big screen to work on, realistically it'll be far better as a monitor rather than a laptop. Not to mention the atrocious ergonomics of using a laptop.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thank you Suzy.
    As we've said , chaing the resolution will be the same as buying a bigger screen. If the resolution change strains your eyes .... so will a 20" laptop. FACT

    I know my condition and needs much better than you do.

    Using a laptop won't put me at some sort of advantage to other students.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    and you're an expert on her specific eye condition?

    No, I am not. but:

    From Scary Monster:
    I think what I (and a lot of other people) are struggling to understand is why the big screen is needed.

    Many of us have given the technical reasons why it shouldn't make a difference if the same resolution is used. I haven't heard exactly why a big screen makes a difference from Melian yet as technically it doesn't make any sense.

    Melian, if you could tell me what your condition is, I would like to read up and so could understand more about it and why it would make a difference.


    To repeat. A 20" laptop will be like lugging a desk around with you and you will soon tire of it (physically!).
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just had a quick look....

    20" Acer Laptop weighs in at 7.8 kg.....

    Try carrying FOUR 2 litre water bottles (those are the big ones) around with you to college and back and then around.

    I knew it would be heavy, didn't think it would be THAT heavy. If it's a 20" display you need, then it's a monitor you need to be pushing for, the laptop will break your back.

    As a side note for uni, it might be worth pushing for 2 monitors and a tiny laptop with docking stations that way you get something you can move around easily and the display you need.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think it sounds like some people here are being incredibly controlling and parental here.
    She needs a laptop, everyones insisting she asks for something else more hassle and now asking her to justify exactly what her eye condition is?
    If you get all your information are you actually gonna help? Or do you want the information just so you can give her your blessing to ask for a laptop?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think it sounds like some people here are being incredibly controlling and parental here.
    She needs a laptop, everyones insisting she asks for something else more hassle and now asking her to justify exactly what her eye condition is?
    If you get all your information are you actually gonna help? Or do you want the information just so you can give her your blessing to ask for a laptop?

    I think the problem is that she hasn't actually explained why higher resolution won't work because the screen size won't actually change what you see. Because this hasn't been explained it doesn't look like she does need a laptop and just doesn't want to change the setting on a big monitor and work out a rota. If she explains why changing the resolution won't work then people won't make a fuss
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think as well what's pissing people off is that there's been loads of good advice about reserving monitors in uni, or making a rota, or even asking for another large screen monitor but this has all been ignored. A laptop isn't the option by far but its all Melian will accept
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kangoo wrote: »
    I think the problem is that she hasn't actually explained why higher resolution won't work because the screen size won't actually change what you see. Because this hasn't been explained it doesn't look like she does need a laptop and just doesn't want to change the setting on a big monitor and work out a rota. If she explains why changing the resolution won't work then people won't make a fuss

    Exactly.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just had a quick look....

    20" Acer Laptop weighs in at 7.8 kg.....

    Try carrying FOUR 2 litre water bottles (those are the big ones) around with you to college and back and then around.

    I knew it would be heavy, didn't think it would be THAT heavy. If it's a 20" display you need, then it's a monitor you need to be pushing for, the laptop will break your back.

    As a side note for uni, it might be worth pushing for 2 monitors and a tiny laptop with docking stations that way you get something you can move around easily and the display you need.

    Yup, 8kg is a lot. That kind of weight carried for a length of time will actually start to cause your body imbalance issues, especially if you've not got a good standard of fitness.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just had a quick look....

    20" Acer Laptop weighs in at 7.8 kg.....

    Try carrying FOUR 2 litre water bottles (those are the big ones) around with you to college and back and then around.

    The one on the PC World website is only 7kg.
    Melian, if you could tell me what your condition is, I would like to read up and so could understand more about it and why it would make a difference.

    http://www.nystagmus.co.uk/nystagmus/facts/index.htm#What but the amount of vision varies per person and it varies throughout the day as well.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    g_angel wrote: »
    Yup, 8kg is a lot. That kind of weight carried for a length of time will actually start to cause your body imbalance issues, especially if you've not got a good standard of fitness.

    Thats more than a stone :crazyeyes
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think it sounds like some people here are being incredibly controlling and parental here.
    She needs a laptop, everyones insisting she asks for something else more hassle and now asking her to justify exactly what her eye condition is?
    If you get all your information are you actually gonna help? Or do you want the information just so you can give her your blessing to ask for a laptop?

    No. Not being 'controlling' or 'parental' - just questioning the need for something that I don't believe is necessary when there are cheaper and seemingly easier solutions available.

    I asked what her eye condition is, because she keeps saying about how we don't know what it is, and so I would like to try understand more and if possible help. She is not exactly forthcoming with facts, which I tend to take as somebody not presenting them so they can just continue to argue a position that is false.

    Blessing? Don't be obtuse.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kangoo wrote: »
    I think as well what's pissing people off is that there's been loads of good advice about reserving monitors in uni, or making a rota, or even asking for another large screen monitor but this has all been ignored. A laptop isn't the option by far but its all Melian will accept
    the monitors at college are too small and they dont seem to be being very helpful anyway. shes already tried changing the resolution, so it obviously isnt that thats the entire problem, its the size of the screen too. If she was making it up then surely she'd be happy with a smaller lighter laptop but she knows she needs a bigger screened one even if it is a PITA to carry
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kangoo wrote: »
    Thats more than a stone :crazyeyes

    :yes:

    A stone and a quarter, or for those of you that don't quite get that, it's over 17lbs.

    A two year old kid, perhaps?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    g_angel Melian posted a link to her condition on the previous page incase you missed it :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the monitors at college are too small and they dont seem to be being very helpful anyway. shes already tried changing the resolution, so it obviously isnt that thats the entire problem, its the size of the screen too. If she was making it up then surely she'd be happy with a smaller lighter laptop but she knows she needs a bigger screened one even if it is a PITA to carry

    Exactly. And if I was able to use a smaller lighter laptop, I would use the one we have at home.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the monitors at college are too small and they dont seem to be being very helpful anyway. shes already tried changing the resolution, so it obviously isnt that thats the entire problem, its the size of the screen too. If she was making it up then surely she'd be happy with a smaller lighter laptop but she knows she needs a bigger screened one even if it is a PITA to carry

    She hasn't even asked them about a rota or reserving the big screen because she said she doesn't want to spend 5 minutes changing the settings. In uni there were loads of things we had to use on a daily basis for our course that we had to book in. She's not willing to compromise
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Melian wrote: »
    The one on the PC World website is only 7kg.

    :lol::lol::lol:

    That is still a hell of a weight. Shove your laptop case weight onto that (maybe 1-2kgs for that size), plus anything else (books, papers, peripherals etc) and you're looking at 9kgs upwards. Please, please, please, if you're going to insist on going for a 20", see if you can try carrying one around in PC World or something for even 10 minutes. You'll get the shock of your life :(

    http://www.nystagmus.co.uk/nystagmus/facts/index.htm#What but the amount of vision varies per person and it varies throughout the day as well.

    Thank you, I'll have a read. :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    g_angel wrote: »
    :yes:

    A stone and a quarter, or for those of you that don't quite get that, it's over 17lbs.

    A two year old kid, perhaps?

    2 year old midget maybe.

    My 4mth old weighs about that
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    2 year old midget maybe.

    My 4mth old weighs about that

    :lol:

    As you can tell, I am not very up on my kids ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kangoo wrote: »
    g_angel Melian posted a link to her condition on the previous page incase you missed it :)

    Bugger! Must have.

    She's posted again so I'll check it out :)


    Ah, it's the same link :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hehe yeah I was wondering what you were on about there :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kangoo wrote: »
    Hehe yeah I was wondering what you were on about there :p

    Was just posted as I will have been. Got to do some of that work stuff inbetween my extra curricular nonsense ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Melian - is my over-simplified description correct:

    You need the larger screen due to the movement of your eyes. With the smaller screen, the movement takes the outer points of the movement (hence what is seen) out of the boundaries of the screen, hence why a bigger screen will allow you to keep these points within the boundaries of what is displayed?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Seriously, 7 kg, plus the bag, plus the power lead (which you'll need to take everywhere) is a hell of a lot to carry around on a regular basis before you add your standard college stuff to that.

    You're going to be looking at a total weight of stuff to carry round being something similar to a backback for a D of E expedition.....

    While I can see why you think you need the laptop you're going to end up giving yourself more problems if you start carrying that round college with you on a daily basis. Trust me, you don't want back pain caused by lugging bags around.

    7 kg is still a hell of a weight. Make that THREE of the 2 litre bottles and one half full. (For reference, you usually only put 2 in a shopping bag).
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    it sounds a lot, but if its carried correctly it should be ok. I can easily carry my baby in a sling for several hours and i dont find it uncomfortable if the weight is evenly distributed
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    it sounds a lot, but if its carried correctly it should be ok. I can easily carry my baby in a sling for several hours and i dont find it uncomfortable if the weight is evenly distributed

    Think about the shape of a baby, and the shape of a laptop. It's not as simple as that.

    You can't carry the laptop on your front or back, as it is far too wide, which means it has to be carried to one side, which is where the problems start. I am pretty physically strong, yet things start to ache when I'm lugging my much smaller lap top around (along with paperwork etc) either on a shoulder strap or handle) for a while. For somebody that I suspect is not in the best physical condition (which again can be attributed to her eyes), a laptop of that weight is going to cause major problems.

    Never mind navigating through crowds with it (as was shown on the video).
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