Should I get the Macbook Pro 15 or the Alienware m17x?

Go for the alienware! That's an awesome laptop, windows 7 is such a great improvement for windows, it's a lot faster and cleaner, not as good as a mac but if your chief concern is clean running you'd be running linux anyway as that's even faster than mac. You'll have less trouble with games on the pc, even though the mac will most likely run a fair few games, it can have all sorts of little niggly issues with them whereas the pc will run them no problem.

Alienware it is! All of the things you mentioned are capable for alienware but the programs are Windows Based.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.