Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Dirt-Cheap Belkin Access Point
My hardcore Mac friends don't appreciate it, but my network infrastructure is all non-Apple. I have a Linksys router and a Linksys switch, out of some loyalty to my favorite client, Cisco Systems. When my Graphite Airport Base Station died many moons ago, I decided I didn't need wireless that badly.
But a couple of weekends ago, a $29 Belkin Wireless Router F5D7230-4 at Circuit City (with no rebate required) caught my eye. For that little money, even if the thing was a total bust I wouldn't be out much. I bought it, brought it home, fired it up, and tried (and tried, and tried) to configure it using its web interface. No luck. I set it aside for another day.
This evening I tried again to configure it, and experienced the same problem: I would send it commands, and it would ignore them. After about an hour, I had an idea: I wonder if my browser, Safari, was the problem. I cranked up Microsoft Internet Explorer, and sure enough: commands took. I configured the router as an access point (no sense having two routers on the network), set its IP address to match my network scheme, and set and obscured its SSID. It worked, though configuration still has one annoying habit: when I log in (with my very complicated administrator password, natch), the login doesn't seem to take; I get a black-and-white beachball. However, if I wait 15 seconds or so, all the configuration options are available.
Maybe the moral of the story here is that a proper Apple Airport Base Station would have its elegant administration tool, which would have made all this fiddling unnecessary. Then again, I could buy four of these Belkin units for the price of one ABS. It's a good tradeoff for me.
If you've got one of these routers and want to compare notes, please drop me a line.
But a couple of weekends ago, a $29 Belkin Wireless Router F5D7230-4 at Circuit City (with no rebate required) caught my eye. For that little money, even if the thing was a total bust I wouldn't be out much. I bought it, brought it home, fired it up, and tried (and tried, and tried) to configure it using its web interface. No luck. I set it aside for another day.
This evening I tried again to configure it, and experienced the same problem: I would send it commands, and it would ignore them. After about an hour, I had an idea: I wonder if my browser, Safari, was the problem. I cranked up Microsoft Internet Explorer, and sure enough: commands took. I configured the router as an access point (no sense having two routers on the network), set its IP address to match my network scheme, and set and obscured its SSID. It worked, though configuration still has one annoying habit: when I log in (with my very complicated administrator password, natch), the login doesn't seem to take; I get a black-and-white beachball. However, if I wait 15 seconds or so, all the configuration options are available.
Maybe the moral of the story here is that a proper Apple Airport Base Station would have its elegant administration tool, which would have made all this fiddling unnecessary. Then again, I could buy four of these Belkin units for the price of one ABS. It's a good tradeoff for me.
If you've got one of these routers and want to compare notes, please drop me a line.
Thanks again, Dan Frakes
For the second time in a week I'm giving public thanks to Dan Frakes of MacWorld Magazine and MacFixIt.com fame.
I used Apple's Migration Assistant to move from by iBook to my Mac Mini a few weeks ago. I was generally pleased, but one thing annoyed me: my short user name ("apple") moved with it. It wasn't even a short user name I had chosen; it was one that was applied to the machine when the hard disk died (fortunately, while under AppleCare).
Anyway, it was too much to have not one but two machines with an annoying, inappropriate short name. Coincidentally, I found the ChangeShortUserName utility on the current MacAddict CD. Following all the appropriate steps, I ran the utility on the iBook, and it seems to have worked perfectly. The short user name on the iBook is now SandiBook. So thanks, Dan!
Next up, I'll run ChangeShortUserName on the Mini -- probably this weekend, after backup and cloning the HD. Paranoid, moi?
I used Apple's Migration Assistant to move from by iBook to my Mac Mini a few weeks ago. I was generally pleased, but one thing annoyed me: my short user name ("apple") moved with it. It wasn't even a short user name I had chosen; it was one that was applied to the machine when the hard disk died (fortunately, while under AppleCare).
Anyway, it was too much to have not one but two machines with an annoying, inappropriate short name. Coincidentally, I found the ChangeShortUserName utility on the current MacAddict CD. Following all the appropriate steps, I ran the utility on the iBook, and it seems to have worked perfectly. The short user name on the iBook is now SandiBook. So thanks, Dan!
Next up, I'll run ChangeShortUserName on the Mini -- probably this weekend, after backup and cloning the HD. Paranoid, moi?
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Mini Gets a Bigger Brain
This morning I gave myself a reward for a long week: I installed new RAM in my Mac Mini.
People in Mac-land know that this is not an upgrade taken lightly. The joy of the Mini's miniturization is tempered by the fact that everything fits together so tightly; opening the case is a real challenge.
I found a nice play-by-play on RussellBeattie.com, but ended up following a link on that site to the Macworld writeup by the clear and reliable Dan Frakes. I found two old putty knives and went at it; it was actually pretty easy. I won't bother to provide my own blow-for-blow take on the process; Beattie and Frakes have that covered.
Two things I'll add, though: First, one of the flippers that holds the RAM in place is impeded by metal fins at the back of the Mini. I couldn't just pop the old RAM out as advertised. And second, take Beattie and Frakes seriously when they say that getting the Mini back in its case is challeng. The problem lies in the back of the machine, where the connectors are. I had to put the case back on twice to get this right, and it's still ever-so-slightly out of alignment. Thank goodness it's on the back of the machine where I don't have to look at it. (Paragraph revised 28 February 2006.)
One other thing I'll share with the world, especially those who don't intend to open their Minis: the location of the Bluetooth and Airport antennas. They're on the top of the box; if you look at the Mini from directly above (with the Apple logo upright), the Bluetooth antenna is on the lower left and the Airport antenna is on the upper right. I've been wrestling with getting Bluetooth to work with my Palm Zire 72, so I'm hoping that this information might prove helpful.
But I'll close by saying, don't be afraid of this upgrade. It's not difficult mechanically if you have two broad, thin putty knives, and the performance bump was apparent from startup. Here's a picture of the new baby:
People in Mac-land know that this is not an upgrade taken lightly. The joy of the Mini's miniturization is tempered by the fact that everything fits together so tightly; opening the case is a real challenge.
I found a nice play-by-play on RussellBeattie.com, but ended up following a link on that site to the Macworld writeup by the clear and reliable Dan Frakes. I found two old putty knives and went at it; it was actually pretty easy. I won't bother to provide my own blow-for-blow take on the process; Beattie and Frakes have that covered.
Two things I'll add, though: First, one of the flippers that holds the RAM in place is impeded by metal fins at the back of the Mini. I couldn't just pop the old RAM out as advertised. And second, take Beattie and Frakes seriously when they say that getting the Mini back in its case is challeng. The problem lies in the back of the machine, where the connectors are. I had to put the case back on twice to get this right, and it's still ever-so-slightly out of alignment. Thank goodness it's on the back of the machine where I don't have to look at it. (Paragraph revised 28 February 2006.)
One other thing I'll share with the world, especially those who don't intend to open their Minis: the location of the Bluetooth and Airport antennas. They're on the top of the box; if you look at the Mini from directly above (with the Apple logo upright), the Bluetooth antenna is on the lower left and the Airport antenna is on the upper right. I've been wrestling with getting Bluetooth to work with my Palm Zire 72, so I'm hoping that this information might prove helpful.
But I'll close by saying, don't be afraid of this upgrade. It's not difficult mechanically if you have two broad, thin putty knives, and the performance bump was apparent from startup. Here's a picture of the new baby:
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Amgen Tour Video Online
I've posted two short videos of the Amgen Tour of California as it rolled through Castro Valley. Specifically, this was on the sharp turn from Crow Canyon Road (southbound) to East Castro Valley Boulevard (eastbound). (Here's a map.)
One pack of three riders came by, and then the rest of the group came through about five minutes later.
Technical notes: these were shot with a Palm Zire 72 handheld, so the quality is poor, and the sound didn't come along when the files were converted to Quicktime with VLC. Heck, they probably won't even play for you, but give 'em a look just in case. Please let me know if you were able to view them.
Links to the videos are here.
One pack of three riders came by, and then the rest of the group came through about five minutes later.
Technical notes: these were shot with a Palm Zire 72 handheld, so the quality is poor, and the sound didn't come along when the files were converted to Quicktime with VLC. Heck, they probably won't even play for you, but give 'em a look just in case. Please let me know if you were able to view them.
Links to the videos are here.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Mini Me
A month after Apple announced its Intel iMacs, I bought a new Mac. A refurbished Mac Mini, to be exact.
I didn't intentionally take step backward just as the rest of the Mac world stepped forward. But it was a question of timing and budget. I needed a new machine now, but didn't have much cash. And I already had a perfectly good Sony monitor, Apple keyboard, and Logitech mouse. Sure, an Intel or G5 imac would be a big bump in horsepower, but the Mini actually provides a sizeable jump for me: my old iBook has a G3 processor at 600 megahertz, 384 MB of RAM, and a 14 gigabyte hard drive. The Mini has a G4 at 1.42 megahertz, 500 MB of RAM, and an 80 gig disk. (I have a one-gig memory chip waiting to go into it, once I'm confident everything's working.)
Setup of the Mini was a breeze, using the Setup Assistant. I took the preliminary step of duping the iBook's disk onto an external firewire drive, and doing the migration from that disk. (Thanks for the advice, Kirk.) I learned, among other things, that I had 23,929 email messages in my various folders.
Next for the iBook (when work slows down) comes a complete reconditioning. I'm going to replace the HD with a larger disk, add RAM, and put in a new battery. I might even try to run Tiger on it. It might seem strange to do all those things after I've taken the machine out of production. It is. But the ol' 'book will get plenty of use in the coming months. It may even get a working vacation in France.
I didn't intentionally take step backward just as the rest of the Mac world stepped forward. But it was a question of timing and budget. I needed a new machine now, but didn't have much cash. And I already had a perfectly good Sony monitor, Apple keyboard, and Logitech mouse. Sure, an Intel or G5 imac would be a big bump in horsepower, but the Mini actually provides a sizeable jump for me: my old iBook has a G3 processor at 600 megahertz, 384 MB of RAM, and a 14 gigabyte hard drive. The Mini has a G4 at 1.42 megahertz, 500 MB of RAM, and an 80 gig disk. (I have a one-gig memory chip waiting to go into it, once I'm confident everything's working.)
Setup of the Mini was a breeze, using the Setup Assistant. I took the preliminary step of duping the iBook's disk onto an external firewire drive, and doing the migration from that disk. (Thanks for the advice, Kirk.) I learned, among other things, that I had 23,929 email messages in my various folders.
Next for the iBook (when work slows down) comes a complete reconditioning. I'm going to replace the HD with a larger disk, add RAM, and put in a new battery. I might even try to run Tiger on it. It might seem strange to do all those things after I've taken the machine out of production. It is. But the ol' 'book will get plenty of use in the coming months. It may even get a working vacation in France.
Friday, February 10, 2006
SF Chronicle Character Assassination Must Stop!
I, and many members of my community, are tired of the San Francisco Chronicle's relentless, merciless character assassination. A newspaper is a sacred trust, a compact between journalists and the community they serve. In exchange for the community's readership and trust, journalists must get their facts straight; they must not libel innocent people; they must, as the saying goes, afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. The Chronicle fell sadly short of this lofty goal last Sunday, February 5, 2006. It is time for our public officials to stand up and oppose the newspaper's actions. Only now, nearly a week later, am I calm enough to share my own thoughts.
I beg your pardon? Police use of force? No, no. I'm talking about Kenneth Wong's Requiem for Fred in the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine.
The story begins like a murder mystery: "Nobody shed any tears for Fred when he was laid to rest in the shallow grave my sister and my cousin Cindy had dug with their own hands. A shovel strike, a clump of dirt, a murmur or two, and the haphazard burial was over." Mr. Wong then attempts to lighten the mood with talk of happy families, new homes, cute fish "no bigger than Cindy's pinky," kittens, puppies, the usual tropes intended to bring warm thoughts. We learn that Fred is not a murder victim, but an injured fish worthy of Mr. Wong's sympathy.
But then, the true vitriol of Mr. Wong's dark soul pours forth: "I didn't want Fred to die in anonymity. So I decided to name him. Why Fred? Perhaps because he struck me as a typical underdog, like the asthmatic kid who got picked on by the bullies in grammar school, or the mailroom clerk who nursed a lifelong crush on the dimpled secretary. Bland and unassuming, Fred seemed like a fitting name for the little guy." (Emphasis mine.)
How to respond? On behalf of Freds everywhere, I am compelled to challenge Mr. Wong to a duel. I -- we -- must reassert our honor in the face of this horrific attack. Mr. Wong can name the time, place, and competition; I don't care. But rest assured, "bland and unassuming" will wipe the ground with a man who claims to have "an uncontrollable urge to write" but who demonstrates precious little sensitivity to others.
Or maybe I'll just name my next goldfish Kenneth.
I beg your pardon? Police use of force? No, no. I'm talking about Kenneth Wong's Requiem for Fred in the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine.
The story begins like a murder mystery: "Nobody shed any tears for Fred when he was laid to rest in the shallow grave my sister and my cousin Cindy had dug with their own hands. A shovel strike, a clump of dirt, a murmur or two, and the haphazard burial was over." Mr. Wong then attempts to lighten the mood with talk of happy families, new homes, cute fish "no bigger than Cindy's pinky," kittens, puppies, the usual tropes intended to bring warm thoughts. We learn that Fred is not a murder victim, but an injured fish worthy of Mr. Wong's sympathy.
But then, the true vitriol of Mr. Wong's dark soul pours forth: "I didn't want Fred to die in anonymity. So I decided to name him. Why Fred? Perhaps because he struck me as a typical underdog, like the asthmatic kid who got picked on by the bullies in grammar school, or the mailroom clerk who nursed a lifelong crush on the dimpled secretary. Bland and unassuming, Fred seemed like a fitting name for the little guy." (Emphasis mine.)
How to respond? On behalf of Freds everywhere, I am compelled to challenge Mr. Wong to a duel. I -- we -- must reassert our honor in the face of this horrific attack. Mr. Wong can name the time, place, and competition; I don't care. But rest assured, "bland and unassuming" will wipe the ground with a man who claims to have "an uncontrollable urge to write" but who demonstrates precious little sensitivity to others.
Or maybe I'll just name my next goldfish Kenneth.
