R8442269

That would be my AppleCare support incident number. I feel it is only fair to list the bad things that I have experienced with my MacBook Pro along with the good things I have listed in previous posts (here, and here). On Wednesday of last week, I was at home and using my laptop to play World of Warcraft when the screen went dark. I don’t say blank because the display was still showing data, just no backlight. So iputzed with it for a while to verify it wasn’t a software issue, but the subtle fritzing noise that happened from the bottom left hand corner of the screen when I powered it on pretty much convinced me that the inverter board had burned out. (The inverter board is the thing that converts the DC power that comes from the battery to AC current to power the backlight.)

Side note: This kind of problem is what I usually refer to as “infant death syndrome.” Most parts in a computer either die very early in their life or last for their expected (long) lifetime. I have ahd this happen with several computers in the past, so while annoying, it wasn’t overly surpising.

So on Thursday I drove up to the Apple store in Richmond and made myself known to the Genius Bar. Being a rainy day in the middle of the week, Chris was able to help me almost immediately. He asked what was up as he was finishing with his last customer. I explained the problem and he nodded. We booted up the laptop, he verified that there was actually video even though the backlight was dead and confirmed it was the inverter board. He filled out some paperwork and my laptop was prepared to take a voyage further west than i had ever been (that would be Texas).

Apple has declared my MacBook Pro fixed and I should be getting it back today. 6 day turnaround seems quite good to me. Oh and it was completely free. I’m obviously not happy that I had a problem, but I was very impressed both with the help at my local Apple store and the speed at which they have taken care of the issue. Let’s just hope it is fixed.

Found on the ground outside our garage.

Such vigor and forcefulness is really to be appreciated.

But, on the other hand, spelling takes away from the true intent of the writer.

Sad, but true.

Since Matt asked how things were going with the new laptop now that I have had it for almost 2 weeks, I’ll try to put down some of my observations.

Known Issues — There have been many reports of MacBook Pros making odd hissing noises. Now, these reports came out after the first MacBook Pros were purchased. Mine is after Apple made a small upgrade in speed and after a silent hardware revision (or so I understand). If I take mine into a very quiet room (no other computers, people, etc.) I can hear a very small noise; but given any amount of ambient noise, I don’t hear anything. I find the MacBook Pro to be quieter than my old Titanium Powerbook both in terms of fan and hard drive noise.

Speed — This computer is fast. No questions asked. I have played games, compiled software, done everything I do with other computers and I have no complaints. It is obviously faster than my old laptop, but I think it is probably faster than my dual 2.5GHz G5 tower I have at home. I honestly don’t want to test that as it would just bug me if I knew for sure.

Heat — This could be considered a problem for some people. The bottom of the case gets quite warm; I would not recommend running it on bare skin as you will probably hurt yourself after some time. I use it at work on my desk and when I do use it “freehand” I usually cross my legs so I have it perched in the air. I don’t see this as a problem, but other people might.

Display — Gorgeous, not much more to say than that. The display runs at 1440 by 900 and the video card has plenty of umpf to back it up. Text is crisp and clear. Games run fast.

Light Sensors — This is just cool. If the light in the room dims, the computer dims the video display and lights up the keyboard (there are lights under each letter of each key that glow). How useful is this? I don’t entirely know. But what I can say is that when I first got it, I went into a room with no windows and turned the lights on and off many times to see it work.

Well that is all I can think of now. Want to know anything else? Ask in the comments.

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My trusty PowerBook has been showing its age quite significantly over the last few months. The display connector on the motherboard has been working itself loose resulting in the display to start “tearing” horizontally in a most unpleasant manner. That was managable in that I just had to open the case every once in a while and reseat the cable. Unfortunately, lately it has been crashing when I open the lid to wake it from sleep or if I move it while it is running. Both issues seem to be the result of heat issues flexing the motherboard and most likely causing some hairline fractures in the motherboard. This was supported by numerous reports of the same problem on the Apple support forums that were all fixed by motherboard replacements. Since those run upwards of $1000, and it was over 3.5 years old, it seemed like it was appropriate to get a new one. (note self-justification in previous sentance.)

Last Sunday Elizabeth and I made a pilgramage to the Short Pump Apple store. The Apple guy I cornered seemed a little taken aback that he didn’t have to give me any pitch on the machine. The conversation went something like this:

Me — Hi. Do you have any of the new 2.16 15” MacBook Pros with the matte screens in yet.

Apple Guy — Yeh.

Me — Good. Can you get one.

Apple Guy — ::blink:: ::blink:: Yeh, sure. ::wanders off::

Aside from the Apple guys harassing me about Applecare (shush Braz), he was very helpful. I don’t think the store employees get any commission for selling computers, however, I get the feeling they get something for selling Applecare packages as they rabidly push these even after you have said no multiple times.

So I have a new shiny MacBook Pro now. It is quite nice and one would never know that it has a different processor architecture inside (except maybe for the tons of heat it pumps out). I was pleasantly surprised to find that just about all of the applications I use on a daily basis are Universal binaries. The only biggie that isn’t is Microsoft Office, and I don’t notice any problems running it under Rosetta. In transitioning over to the new machine I did have an experience that made me very happy for open source software. I use an application called SSHKeychain to manage my SSH keys. When I checked the website, the author did not have a universal binary version of the app, however, he did have the source available. I downloaded the source, compiled it myself, and voila, I had a native version that works like a charm.

I always hate having to give up an old computer, so I was pleased that I will be able to put my old Powerbook to a productive task; it will be attached to the entertainment center to play movies that I have captured electronically. The only task left on that front is to get an ethernet cable down 3 floors from the attic to the bottom floor. I think I know how I’m going to route it, but it should be an adventure. If I’m feeling energetic, I might even post pictures. Who knows.

So that is it; new laptop. very nice; very happy. More impressions to come.

(I’ll leave it to Elizabeth to relate her adventures at the Apple store. If she doesn’t, bug her.)

Who knew that the son of god worked at the Williamsburg Papa Johns? Wow.

I will say that it was a very good pizza, so obviously having a divine being make your pizza results in superior quality. Hats off to Papa Johns for their excellent choice in pizza experience hiring policies.

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Elizabeth was very kind and made pancakes this morning for breakfast. And she made a special one for easter.

Happy Bunny Day everyone!

I can’t believe it has been almost 6 months since I last posted an update. Our vacation to Atlanta does not seem that it was that long ago, but such is life when you are having fun or when you loose time through the frustration of banging your head against a wall repeatedly. So lets cover the major topics, shall we?

School. School is good. I am taking Advanced Compiler Construction this semester which is no really as exciting as it sounds. I know, sounds thrilling, something that you would think would be on the top of everyone’s list of “must take” courses. It is no way a bad class; the professor is one of the more senior members of the department and has a great attitude towards the class. He knows exactly what he wants to talk about each day and if it takes 80 minutes, fine; but if it only takes, 40, well he is done. Being a seasoned CS guy, he intersperses many amusing anecdotes within his lectures that keep things amusing (for me at least).

Work. This has eaten up more mental energy than I thought possible. Much I could say, but I won’t. Progress still seems to be being made, but much is left to be done. Change is harder for some people than others. It amazes me that the human spirit attaches so much fondness to the comfortable, the known that it is unable to let go of outdated information or processes even with overwhelming evidence that they are detrimental to their own survival. I realize that this is somewhat ironic coming from me and my tendency to avoid change in the mundane items of my life, but I like to think my love of consistency in simple things does not impact my ability to be flexible based on persuasive argument.

Life. You mean there is something outside school and work? Right. Elizabeth, with the help of others who shall not be name (KT, Justin, and I’m sure others), convinced me to start playing World of Warcraft, and as I expected, I am now hooked. I won’t start talking about it here; you probably don’t care. It has been a rough couple of months for me as the work items have not stayed as contained in the work “box” as much as I would like. Lots of stress is never good and requires that one be flexible and open to change in one’s life to smooth things back out. Elizabeth has been great especially given that she has taken on a lot more responsibility at the office too.

So that is the quick and dirty update. At the rate I’ve been posting, another will be September. Until next time.

Elizabeth and I took a long weekend down to Atlanta, Georgia and despite the dampness had a great time. We went to the Zoo, the Natural History Museum, and the Botantical Gardens. And yes, we took pictures (her more than me). Linkee below.

Atlanta

from the Washington Post:

A federal appeals court ruled today that the president can indefinitely detain a U.S. citizen captured on U.S. soil in the absence of criminal charges, holding that such authority is vital to protect the nation from terrorist attacks.

Net result:

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

It is a cool thing to share a birthday with Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer. Seems appropriate somehow. Not sure how this being the aniversary of the Watts riot fits in though…

As always, Elizabeth has done a great job with Birthday Week. Thanks sweety! This has been a more exciting week as my mother has been in town as well as my uncle Bob and his gamily. Tonight we are having a big dinner at the Blue Talon. And in a two weeks we will be having a big get together as a combined birthday party for Elizabeth and I for friends (also known as the “It averages out to 29” party). Wow, being social, who would have guessed.