Kudos to Apple Service

As you regular readers probably know, Ti Cobb had to get a new hard disk and a new right-side cooling fan a couple weeks back. Thanks to my AppleCare plan, it didn’t cost anything, and Apple is to be commended for the rapidity of their repair service. DHL/Airborne Express picked up the laptop on the afternoon of 08 June and it was back in my hands, fully repaired, on 10 June. Assuming it took about a day to travel from Jacksonville to Houston and back, that’s less than 24 hours turnaround time. Very impressive.

But why, oh why, did the folks at the repair facility load Mac OS X 10.2.8 on it? It didn’t really matter, as I reformatted immediately and cloned my backup to the internal hard disk anyway, but I thought it was rather odd.

posted on 27 June 2004 at 1516computing0 commentstrackback

Adium Goodies

For those of you using Adium X as your main instant messaging client — and if you’re not reliant on iChat’s A/V features, you have no excuse — there are lots of fun goodies at Adium Xtras. Current favourites include the Ben Wallace ‘Fear the Fro’, Calvin, and Matrix Duck Dock Icons. Hop on over there are spruce up Adium just a little bit more with a new Dock icon, message style, or buddy list style.

posted on 27 June 2004 at 1512computing0 commentstrackback

Clear the Sky!

If I hadn’t been so busy and with Bluetooth-only Internet access earlier this week, this would have been posted sooner…

I had my first solo flight last Tuesday, at Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport (55J for those of you tracking airport identifiers). Wahoo!

Sicne then, I’ve been doing lots of Jax-area and SE Georgia cross country flying. As of yesterday, my logbook shows 31.2 hours total time, with 101 takeoffs and landings. (Yes, I’ve been doing a lot of pattern work.)

Always remember: takeoffs are optional. Landings are mandatory.

posted on 27 June 2004 at 1508school0 commentstrackback

TiBook AirPort Reception Tip

Ti Cobb has been suffering from a dead hard disk, as mentioned earlier, for the last couple of weeks.

Yesterday, in a fit of frustration, I took off the bottom of the case so I could remove the defective hard disk and get some work done without listening to the Click of Death for hours on end. Whilst I was in there, I pressed all the AirPort antenna connections back together, and made sure everything appeared to be in place.

My AirPort signal strength at my desk has literally doubled, both in the menu bar indicator and in Internet Connect’s 15-segment bar graph. This is amazing. Where I was getting two bars in the menu bar, and four to six segments in Internet Connect a week ago, I’m now getting a consisten 3-4 bars in the menu bar and 10-12 segments in Internet Connect.

I highly recommend the 10-minute procedure if you already have a Torx T-9 or T-8 screwdriver around the house.

On a related note, Ti Cobb will be on his way to Texas to get a new hard disk and new right-side fan (the original fan has been making a horrid buzzing sound on low speed for nearly two years now) this weekend. Don’t expect any updates until at least the middle or end of next week.

posted on 03 June 2004 at 0235computing0 commentstrackback

Fun With iTunes and iPods

OK, so I’m a bit late to the party here, but it’s still funny.

Rejected “Dirty” iMix Playlist
Rejected iPod Engravings

Give ‘em a look and laugh.

Reminds me a lot of the rejected Nike embroidery request, except without the social activism.

posted on 02 June 2004 at 1646humour0 commentstrackback