Computers: July 2005 Archives
Re: PowerBook woes, since I got the PowerBook back, I've had five kernel panics, two on Thursday, three on Friday. Funny thing, but I wasn't getting kernel panics before I sent it in for repair. Also, I can no longer mount DVD Video discs. [Update: Now I can. Temporary glitch fixed by the kernel panic which forced a restart?] I am thinking they seriously messed something up with this computer when fixing rhe broken sound. Or maybe they just stuffed a known broken logic board in here until they could get me a good one. :-)
Regardless, I guess I'll have a broken PowerBook at OSCON, which is better than none.
Regardless, I guess I'll have a broken PowerBook at OSCON, which is better than none.
Around June, the audio in my 17" PowerBook G4/1GHz went bad. It stopped coming out of the sound card, either headphones or speakers. USB devices still worked.
I figured this might be a larger problem than just a sound card, but I left it alone for a little while, being busy, since I have an iMic and that can give me audio on the road, with some small headphones. And at home, I plug into speakers.
But soon it was beyond just no audio, and I was getting bad audio I could not shut off: high-pitched squealing that could only be addressed by plugging in some headphones. Muting, using external audio device, didn't matter. I had a pair of such I was about to throw away anyway, so I cut off its plug and inserted that into the jack.
I called up Apple and set up a repair. I sent it in a couple of weeks later, when I had a few weeks where I could be without it. They got it the next and promptly put it on Hold because of a needed part. Two weeks passed, and finally, last Tuesday, they started repairing it. Except it went back into Hold. I called and asked what was up, they said, oh, we are waiting for a logic board.
Long story short, I am going to OSCON next week and need it back. They said you still have to pay for shipping and labor (it's out of warranty). I said, no, I don't: you didn't actually do the work, and it has been too long. The next day I called back to say "this is the day, send it back now," and that guy was nicer: no charge required.
I get it back today, and the sound card is working. They replaced part 630-4691 PCBA,MLB,PB17". My account shows no charges. I don't know if they finished the job, or if they found a problem with the logic board after fixing the sound problem, and it still needs to be fixed. (Note: they did not clean the screen or fix the rubber feet, as they usually do before returning laptops, which could have been because they didn't finish the job, or because they wanted to rush it out to me after finishing the job. There was also a round yellow sticker on the inside of the case.)
I could call and ask if it still needs to be repaired, but then I risk them saying, "oh no, we finished it, and ... oh, we still haven't charged you yet. We'll take care of that RIGHT NOW!"
Anyway, over the last few years, I am increasingly dissatisfied both with Apple hardware quality, and with their customer support. Both are woefully inadequate.
I figured this might be a larger problem than just a sound card, but I left it alone for a little while, being busy, since I have an iMic and that can give me audio on the road, with some small headphones. And at home, I plug into speakers.
But soon it was beyond just no audio, and I was getting bad audio I could not shut off: high-pitched squealing that could only be addressed by plugging in some headphones. Muting, using external audio device, didn't matter. I had a pair of such I was about to throw away anyway, so I cut off its plug and inserted that into the jack.
I called up Apple and set up a repair. I sent it in a couple of weeks later, when I had a few weeks where I could be without it. They got it the next and promptly put it on Hold because of a needed part. Two weeks passed, and finally, last Tuesday, they started repairing it. Except it went back into Hold. I called and asked what was up, they said, oh, we are waiting for a logic board.
Long story short, I am going to OSCON next week and need it back. They said you still have to pay for shipping and labor (it's out of warranty). I said, no, I don't: you didn't actually do the work, and it has been too long. The next day I called back to say "this is the day, send it back now," and that guy was nicer: no charge required.
I get it back today, and the sound card is working. They replaced part 630-4691 PCBA,MLB,PB17". My account shows no charges. I don't know if they finished the job, or if they found a problem with the logic board after fixing the sound problem, and it still needs to be fixed. (Note: they did not clean the screen or fix the rubber feet, as they usually do before returning laptops, which could have been because they didn't finish the job, or because they wanted to rush it out to me after finishing the job. There was also a round yellow sticker on the inside of the case.)
I could call and ask if it still needs to be repaired, but then I risk them saying, "oh no, we finished it, and ... oh, we still haven't charged you yet. We'll take care of that RIGHT NOW!"
Anyway, over the last few years, I am increasingly dissatisfied both with Apple hardware quality, and with their customer support. Both are woefully inadequate.
w00t! 
Quoth TorgoX, via (who else?) the Guardian:
What is this "despite" doing here? There's no obvious -- and indeed, no actual -- connection between leading the world when it comes to helping Africa, and the UN target. It's a target for 2015, one that only five countries have reached, including none of those mentioned in the article. The EU as a whole gives 0.39 percent of GDP currently, and have an additional 2010 target of 0.56 percent, something that many of them probably won't reach.
If the editorialist wanted to be informative and fair, they would have compared the U.S. contributions as a percentage of GDP to the current EU contributions, not to their as-yet unattained 10-year targets, or discussed the lack of U.S. committment to such targets. And of course, the article would have mentioned that the U.S. gives more in dollar amounts than anyone else, which was Bush's point.
[Bush] said America was "leading the world when it comes to helping Africa", despite the fact that it gives only 0.2% of its GDP in overseas aid - well below the UN's 0.7% target.
What is this "despite" doing here? There's no obvious -- and indeed, no actual -- connection between leading the world when it comes to helping Africa, and the UN target. It's a target for 2015, one that only five countries have reached, including none of those mentioned in the article. The EU as a whole gives 0.39 percent of GDP currently, and have an additional 2010 target of 0.56 percent, something that many of them probably won't reach.
If the editorialist wanted to be informative and fair, they would have compared the U.S. contributions as a percentage of GDP to the current EU contributions, not to their as-yet unattained 10-year targets, or discussed the lack of U.S. committment to such targets. And of course, the article would have mentioned that the U.S. gives more in dollar amounts than anyone else, which was Bush's point.
For the second night in a row, Jon Stewart has told his guest that what he was interested in was not important, was irrelevant.
With Bernard Goldberg, he said Goldberg's book -- a slightly tongue-in-cheek, but serious, book about how various people (mostly liberals) harm the country -- was bad because there are so many more important things to care about. And yet interviewing a guy because he feels he is shut out from being a porn star because he is Asian is of primary importance.
Something tells me if the book were about conservatives who harm America, Jon wouldn't have been so combative and defensive. He might have even said the book actually was important.
Last night, he told Michael Isikoff that it was irrelevant who broke the law, that all that matters if that Rove or McClellan lied to the public. The rest doesn't matter.
When on Crossfire awhile back, Jon went after the hosts, saying he was not just a monkey to dance for us. Well, you know what? That's all I want you to be. You're a smart guy, but you're not brilliant, and I neither need nor want you to be a pundit. I just want you to entertain me.
When did you start believing your own hype? Get over yourself and dance, monkey, because I can get far more intelligent and rational and informative news elsewhere. I don't watch you to get your opinion.
With Bernard Goldberg, he said Goldberg's book -- a slightly tongue-in-cheek, but serious, book about how various people (mostly liberals) harm the country -- was bad because there are so many more important things to care about. And yet interviewing a guy because he feels he is shut out from being a porn star because he is Asian is of primary importance.
Something tells me if the book were about conservatives who harm America, Jon wouldn't have been so combative and defensive. He might have even said the book actually was important.
Last night, he told Michael Isikoff that it was irrelevant who broke the law, that all that matters if that Rove or McClellan lied to the public. The rest doesn't matter.
When on Crossfire awhile back, Jon went after the hosts, saying he was not just a monkey to dance for us. Well, you know what? That's all I want you to be. You're a smart guy, but you're not brilliant, and I neither need nor want you to be a pundit. I just want you to entertain me.
When did you start believing your own hype? Get over yourself and dance, monkey, because I can get far more intelligent and rational and informative news elsewhere. I don't watch you to get your opinion.
A month or so ago, my PowerBook sound card died.
Two weeks ago, I called Apple to get a repair done.
Monday, I sent them my PowerBook.
Tuesday, they received it.
Tuesday, they put it on hold because they didn't have the part. It remains on hold. I remain without my computer.
Because obviously two weeks was not long enough for them to get my part to the repair facility.
Two weeks ago, I called Apple to get a repair done.
Monday, I sent them my PowerBook.
Tuesday, they received it.
Tuesday, they put it on hold because they didn't have the part. It remains on hold. I remain without my computer.
Because obviously two weeks was not long enough for them to get my part to the repair facility.
Many people think it is essentially fact that Karl Rove broke the law. Well, it's not. Not even close.
Most importantly, there's no evidence that Rove knew Plame was undercover (if indeed she was: that still is not publicly known, though it seems likely, else why investigate it?). The Cooper e-mail says only that Rove identified Wilson's wife as working for the CIA on WMD, not that she was undercover. There's simply no reason to think Rove certainly knew she was undercover.
There's also the possibility that Rove didn't even tell Cooper until he knew Novak had the information and was going to have it published. So in this possible scenario, Rove didn't know she was undercover, and told Cooper only that information which was already essentially in the public domain (that is, it certainly would be in the public domain by the time Cooper's story ran).
There is certainly a lot more to this story than any of us know. The Island of Conclusions may look good from afar, but it is less attractive once you get there.
Most importantly, there's no evidence that Rove knew Plame was undercover (if indeed she was: that still is not publicly known, though it seems likely, else why investigate it?). The Cooper e-mail says only that Rove identified Wilson's wife as working for the CIA on WMD, not that she was undercover. There's simply no reason to think Rove certainly knew she was undercover.
There's also the possibility that Rove didn't even tell Cooper until he knew Novak had the information and was going to have it published. So in this possible scenario, Rove didn't know she was undercover, and told Cooper only that information which was already essentially in the public domain (that is, it certainly would be in the public domain by the time Cooper's story ran).
There is certainly a lot more to this story than any of us know. The Island of Conclusions may look good from afar, but it is less attractive once you get there.
Awhile back I made it so every new story, comment, etc. would be valid HTML. Now, I've done gone and made all old stories and comments are valid HTML. If you see anything broken, please do let me know.
The surrounding HTML will, hopefully soon, follow.
The surrounding HTML will, hopefully soon, follow.
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt."
