My NY Times article about Twitter and the entire suicide issue is finally published. It is online, and looks to be in print tomorrow, November 4th. Below is the article, but it can also be found on the NY Times site here. There are a few inaccuracies. The police didn’t find me in my car the next morning, and I’ve had no contact with any law enforcement about this incident (others did by calling them and reporting the incident though). On the site, it doesn’t look like they used any of the photos we took the day of my second break-in.

Currently, I am still without a computer as well, but I hope to have enough money by the middle of the month to get one. The donation link is still available as well.

Before I publish the article, I want to take this time to give an update on what has been going on. My job in the north bay found out about my recent break-ins. My boss donated towards my fund, and other various donations have been coming in.

I decided that the best way to start over, since I was down to 2 outfits and the clothes on my back, was to move outside of the city and find a place to live. I found a beautiful house that was renting out rooms. Check out my Flickr page for some pics.

The rent is VERY reasonable, but coming up with the first/last/deposit/etc was a HUGE drain on my finances. In the end I believe it is worth it, and putting off my goal of buying a new computer has suffered, but I am now safe and sleeping on a real bed (it’s a queen sized double high air mattress).

It feels good to be out of my car and sleeping in a real house. I’m using my only piece of technology left to watch lots of YouTube and other videos on my iPhone.

Other then that, I’ve been better. Things are looking up and moving forward. With all of that being said, here is the article after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »

At the main donation site, http://NickStarr.com/donate.html, there is a new widget for ChipIn, which someone told me about on Twitter. They include the ability to send money via PayPal. A lot of people have emailed me saying they have some extra money in PayPal they could send my way, but up until now I didn’t have the ability to collect via PayPal.

Over $300 has been raised so far, totaling 31% towards the purchase of a new laptop. Thanks to everyone who has donated so far. Still a long ways from being able to get a new system, but the goal seems closer each day.

I want to thank everyone who has helped out again.

As many of you already know, the past 24 hours have been quite a trying time for me. Last night I was out and parked my car in what seemed to be a safe area. I was going to be at a show and didn’t want to lug around my laptop with me, so I left in the car covered by a hoodie.

After the show, I returned to my vehicle to find the passenger side window smashed in, and my laptop bag and all of it’s contents stolen. They attempted to get my Harmon/Kardon Drive+Play system (I would guess they thought it was a GPS), but it is bolted down to the dash pretty tight.

I also have made this a bit more public on my LifeAs.NickStarr.com site, but for the past year off and on (more on then off), I have been living and sleeping in my car. Not having a place to store my items, my entire life (especially my digital life) has been compiled and stored on my laptop. It has become an accessory that I found I am unable to live without, and now it and all of its contents are gone. I know there are many who haven’t agreed with my lifestyle choices, but I have my reasons which I have gone into on my LifeAs site.

Last night I was able to find a remote spot of town, but there were people walking around at all hours of the night. With the cold wind blowing in, and constantly having cars and people go by, I was barely able to get any sleep last night. I had to make sure that my vehicle wasn’t robbed again while I was in it.

Inside my bag were the following items:

• Apple MacBook Pro 2.2Ghz Santa Rosa (including charger)- $1999
• Nintendo DS Lite (with 8 games and G6 lite imported from overseas)- $129 + Games + $100
• Apple iPod connector cord + ear buds - $19 + $29
• Apple iPhone USB Charger - $29
• AT&T Global Option 3.6 ExpressCard 3G card - $299 Retail + $59/month
• Bose Quiet Comfort 3 Charger + Battery - $40 + $50
• The bag itself - $50
• ..and other misc items.

My entire life was on that laptop, and I haven’t performed a backup in some time now. All of my music, photos, videos, documents, SAVED PASSWORDS, and more were on that computer.

If you have known me or read the site for any length of time now, you know that I am on my computer nearly every moment I am not traveling or working. I honestly don’t know what to do with myself without a computer. I am in the Apple SF store writing this, and trying to cancel the debit card that was in the case.

I know this is a huge thing to ask, but I just recently moved to San Francisco, and haven’t gotten a single paycheck yet. I had to have my best friend from Florida Western Union me the $160 to have my window replaced, as my bank account now reads in the negative figures.

If you find an extra $5 lying around and are willing to donate it to me toward getting a new laptop, I would HIGHLY appreciate it.

I’ve never put a sticker or any sort on my laptop, but if you have a company and what the logo displayed on my laptop, I will post a sticker on it. I travel all over the Bay Area, and to a ton of the tech meetups, so your logo will be visible in a WIDE variety of locations.

I think that the more reasonable thing to do is to try to just raise enough for a MacBook (non-Pro), as the difference in price is around $700-$800. I do need to get a new wireless card, and my old one was ExpressCard/34, which only works on the MacBook Pro, but they have a USB option (which sticks out like a sore thumb), but it does the job. The base model is $1099 (or $999 with a student discount).

I know this is a huge gesture, but I don’t know what else to say or do. I honestly feel lost and alone in a city I barely know. My life hasn’t been coming together the way I planned, but maybe this can be a huge step in the rebuilding effort.

Below is a way to donate via Google Checkout (think Paypal, but Google’s version without fees). I have also included a link to Amazon’s Honor System which provides donations at a cheap transaction fee (paid on my side). There are pre-set amounts in the Google one, and you can choose any amount you want via Amazon. I regret that I don’t have a PayPal account, but these are the options I have left.

I once again thank everyone who has been supportive and left me well wishes today. Until I get a new laptop, updates in tech as well as my life will be few and far between. I apologize, but once I am back up and running, I will be posting a lot more, and have a podcast in the works as well.

Thank you,

Nicholas R. Starr Schuler

Looks like Carmen was recently spotted in a Canadian airport:

Everyone’s favorite local mart, no not Kwik-E-Mart from the Simpsons, 7-Eleven is celebrating 07/11/07 by calling it 7-Eleven Day. It’s their 80th birthday, and they are giving you a present, a free 7.11-ounce Slurpee drinks for customers visiting its U.S. stores.

So if its been years or 3 days since your last Slurpee, stop by to grab one today for free.

Last night I launched the sale of one of my BlackBerry 8800’s (a brand new one) that is unlocked for any GSM carrier. I also listed my Sidekick 3, and it sold very quickly.

My second unlocked BlackBerry 8800, the one I’ve personally been using, is going up for sale tomorrow Saturday at 8pm EST for a 1 day auction. All of these auctions are one day, so if you want the brand new BB8800, there is a mere 11 hours left at the time of this posting.

The reserve has already been surpassed on the brand new BB, but the Buy it now for the used one is only $279. Both of these devices include GPS for easy navigation, and tons of other features.

My 30 gig White iPod is still for sale on Craigslist for $220.

Thanks for bidding

New Unlocked BlackBerry 8800

Used Unlocked BlackBerry 8800 (listing goes live 6/16 8:00PM EST)

Over the next day or so, I will be selling a number of my old phones since I am now officially switched over to AT&T.

I figured I would try Craigslist first for my iPod, since it is brand new, and eBay fees can be steep. I’ve listed it here for $220 (Retail with tax is nearly $50 more).

It is still in the shrink wrap and everything. I did cut out the UPC to send in for the student discount on my new MacBook Pro purchase, but other then that it is BRAND NEW, never touched, never opened, etc.

I have 2 BlackBerry 8800’s (one is unlocked), a Sidekick 3, and after the iPhone launches I will have a BlackBerry Curve as well (providing I don’t hate the iPhone). The phones I will be listing on eBay though.

If you live in the Tampa Bay area and are looking for a new iPod (or are willing to pay for shipping outside of the Tampa area) check out my Craigs list-ing.