Macintosh
Ask the MACist
My latest column is here. So much writing to do so little time. I’m gonna have to link here occasionally but i will try to update as well. But for now . . .
Soon I will relate the story of why I decided to go back to my 12“ Powerbook and not keep using my 13” Intel MacBook. Until then.
Ask the MACist
Just in case you don’t get enough Chris in your day I am now writing a weekly Mac help column for LAist called “Ask the MACist”. Today is the first one so please take a minute and check it out.
And, if you have any Mac or Mac-related questions, feel free to send them in. Maybe I will be able to answer one for you and as an added bonus, you can see your name in print! What could be better than that?
Nice weekend all.
New iMac, Bootcamp and playing games
after moving into the new place i realized that it was a great opportunity to get rid of stuff i really don’t need and could do without or could substitute something else for. so, out went the big g5 tower (to my bro, sam). out went the big pc tower (to my friend shaun) and in came the new 20" intel iMac from Apple. not just any new 20" intel iMac mind you. i sprung for the extra video ram (doubled it to 256 megs) and maxed out the ram to 2gb. a must, really. ram is pretty cheap these days and is a great way to improve performance for not that much money. if you have the means i definitely suggest maxing out the ram in any Mac you purchase. you won’t be sorry you did.
what does this all mean and why should you care? you might not unless you enjoy the occasional game of half-life 2 or other pc only game. or, you want to run outlook or some other pc app that has no mac counterpart. like the macbook, i decided to install bootcamp and use the iMac as my new windows machine on the desktop. i did this mostly to see if it would replace my pc tower as a gaming machine. the short answer is yes. absolutely.
in fact, using the iMac booted into windows xp provided a superior gaming experience than i previously had on my windows gaming box. the iMac performed very very well. so, it has replaced two machines for me and now i have much more room on my desk to pile up other stuff i need to get to. so, if you are looking for a great gaming machine and want to play pc games and mac games, the intel iMac is a great choice. it also does other stuff like check email, browse the internet and normal computer things.
i have not tried it with very many other pc games yet. i felt that half-life 2 was a good game to start with given that the system requirement of the game are quite high. it a beautiful game to see and it looks great on the 20" monitor of the iMac and its even in widescreen 16 x 9. very cool. i won’t go into the whole installing boot camp procedure here as its kinda boring. suffice to say that i installed it and used it in the normal way without any changes. installed windows xp w/sp2 without a problem and was in windows and running soon afterward.
the one change that turned out to greatly improve things was that i ditched the ati drivers that bootcamp puts on the driver install cd and instead used other video drivers from the super genius over at omega. these drivers rock. much better than the lame ones that bootcamp wants you to use. after making this change i got greater frame rates and no freezes or anything.
to be honest, i had no freezes prior to replacing the drivers but i did see the increased performance from these drivers that i hoped. so, if you go to all the trouble to do all of this, be sure to get the omega drivers and use them. one other note. you can’t install drivers that you get from the ati website so don’t bother downloading them at all. even though the video card in the 20" imac is technically an ati x1600 it doesn’t mean you can actually use the drivers from ati. you can use the omega ones and you should.
so over the last couple of months i have cut the number of computers i have at home in half. two laptops into one: the macbook. and two desktops into one: the iMac. not to mention that the iMac runs so much quieter and cooler than the g5 tower its not even funny. the g5, while a great machine, is really hot and really noisy. now i can actually enjoy music in my office again and not have to turn it way up to drown out the sounds of the g5 tower. i am much happier now.
in other news, i made a couple of posts at Laist lately and will also be heading down to san diego in july to cover the big san diego comic con. i haven’t been in several years and this will be my first time in a long time mostly as an observer and attendee. the last couple of times i was there with a film project or something and was too busy to really look around.
so this time should be fun. although, its not all fun. there will be a little business too. i will be making a few notes for Laist as well as meeting with a few people regarding some upcoming projects that i can’t talk about at the moment. very secret and all that you know. suffice to say that i might be going back into yet another business i was in a long time ago. at least a little bit. or, maybe more than a little bit. what can i say? i like to keep busy.
More with the Macbook, Windows and Bootcamp
And now, a little more on the very cool macbook. now that i have had chance to use it for a little time i have come to like it even more. i put in the 2gigs of ram and that made all the difference. it is now one heck of a machine. i got mine from other world computing but you can get it almost anywhere. i recommend owc or new egg or crucial.
i managed to get all my info transferred over from the powerbook and now most of the apps seem to work. some are, of course, not universal such as microsoft office or photoshop, but even those still open pretty fast and are able to be used with no problem. although, as i said before, more memory does help.
the first time you open them it does take a minute but after that they run just fine. as well as they did on my previous laptop, the 12“ powerbook with 1.5 ghz g4 processor ( a great machine that i will miss). fortunately, the powerbook found a good home with my friend zach from laist and the oaks so i know its being put to good use. he will treat it well.
so, a few more thoughts on the macbook:
the black is starting to show more crap from my fingers. mostly on the track pad but some on the rest of it too. not so bad but a little annoying. it can be cleaned and the stuff seems to come off pretty easy by just rubbing it with a soft cloth such as the kind you used to get with every sony ericcson cell phone. soft is the key here as i don’t really know how much this thing could scratch if i pressed harder.
also, i am still not in love with the keyboard. although, as i use it more i find that it gets easier. it might be because i am a lazy typer and was very used to the keys being so close together so now that they are not, i am getting more typos. i think apple will realize that this keyboard isn’t very good and perhaps make some changes to it. i wonder what steve jobs thought about it when he used it for the first time. i bet he didn’t love it either and just thought it looked ”cool“. which it sorta does so there you go.
i have also installed bootcamp on the macbook and yes, windows xp. now that it is up and running it works just like an xp laptop when i am booted in windows and its a mac when running osx. installing boot camp was sort of a pain and here are the two most important things to realize when you are going to try to do it:
you must an installer cd with windows xp pro or home with service pack 2.
you cannot use the actual windows installer cd because it is too shiny for the cd drive in the macbook. it won’t work. at least it didn’t for me.
i had to make an exact copy of the windows installer cd onto a cd that was not shiny and then the install went off without a hitch.
now, my best windows machine is a mac. go figure.
more later. but a hint. i am going to install final cut pro studio and see what happens when i run it with the shared video memory. i bet it won’t make that much of a difference but we’ll see.
Macbook update
quick update on the new macbook. got matched 2gb of ram from other world computing and installed it today. what a difference! now this macbook flies. much better with more ram. not really a surprise but damn, really nice.
applications load faster, graphics are snappier and all in all a much better user experience. don’t get me wrong, it was useable before with just the stock 512Mb but for me, just barely. this makes a huge difference.
as we are moving this weekend (yes, on memorial day weekend. feel sorry for me?) i won’t get a chance to replace the 80Gb hard drive that came with the macbook with the new 120 GB i got at the same time as the ram. after we move and after i finish putting in the new drive, its time to install bootcamp and (shudder) windows xp. then, the circle will be complete. or something like that.
i’ll report back when i’m done with all the fun and exciting details. oh, one more thing. i really don’t love the keyboard at all on the macbook. the more i use it the more i don’t like it. unfortunately, its the biggest problem i have with the macbook. its just not very responsive and is harder to type on then the old one on my 12“ powerbook.
if i could take that keyboard and put it on the macbook, then i would have a perfect machine. alas, it is just one of those things that i will have to deal with i guess. more later.
Macbook in the house
so, got the macbook now. just took it out of the box and starting to put it through its paces.
first impressions:
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it’s black
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it’s matte
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the glossy screen is better than i thought it would be
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the keyboard is more annoying than i thought it would be - the keys are a little too far apart for me
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performance is pretty good even with the stock 512MB of ram. i’m sure it will be much better after i put the 2 Gigs in
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its hasn’t gotten too hot yet. i even tried it on my lap wearing shorts and it was fine. no hotter than my 12“ powerbook
more to come but that’s it for first impressions. all in all pretty cool so far.
(btw - the photo is from the good folks at engadget, not me)
Moving, Moving, Moving
got some boxes today. that was fun. from a place called box city in van nuys. even got a tape gun too. its neat. apologies (yes, again) for the lack of posting but i have been a little under the weather for awhile after my work of late. stress is a funny thing that does bad things to you. its just bad, bad, bad. that’s why i try to avoid it as much as possible and one of the reasons i pretty much gave up on showbiz. too much stress.
oh well, i guess i messed that one up, didn’t i? in other news, put my order in for a shiny new black macbook today. its a cool new laptop (sorry, not a laptop) a cool new macbook which will allow me to get rid of two pieces of hardware and go down to one. with a macbook running mac osx and windows xp via bootcamp i won’t need a windows laptop anymore either. cool, right?
apple says the computer should ship in 5 to 7 business days but i hope its faster than that. usually is. let’s hope so. although, what with the moving and all i doubt i would have much time to play around with it anyway so its probably good that it doesn’t get here until after the move anyway. less of a temptation to just sit around and play with it instead of packing.
anyway, i’ll give a full report on it when it comes and let you know if the glossy screen and the new keyboard are annoying or cool. my dell laptop has a glossy screen so i’m not too worried. i don’t think it will bother me. we’ll see. ok, gotta go now and walk over to rite aid to pick up some stuff.
Happy Birthday Macintosh
1984 won’t be like 1984. on this date in 1984 apple introduced the macintosh and things were never the same. oddly enough, steve jobs hate the macintosh and tried to kill it. of course, he later changed his mind, took over the project and the rest is, as it is often said, history.
now with steve jobs poised to take a seat on the disney board and apple scoring record profits from sales of ipods and even a few macs, the little company has come a long way. pretty soon, steve may be able to realize his dream of making apple a bigger and better version of sony.
its been 22 years now and the mac and apple show no signs of slowing down. all of the doom and gloom predictions of the past have given way to glowing reviews and almost universal praise. apple has become a media darling. i guess when it works it really works. of course, it could have just as easily gone the other way. as smart as steve jobs is, luck has played a factor. luck always plays a factor. so, here’s to luck.
who knows what the next 22 years will bring. hope i’m still around to find out.
Mac World Stuff
well, the stevenote at mac world expo is over. sadly, no “media center” mac mini or anything like that. however, we now have some pretty cool new things to play around with. and here they are:
the new MacBook Pro (say so long to the Powerbook name) which runs on Intel Dual Core processors and looks basically the same as the 15" Powerbook. i’m sure a redesign of the casing is in the works. just not for today.
also, a new Intel based iMac with the same look as its G5 based brothers. also with Intel Dual Core processors. that’s cool. unless you just got an iMac last week.
and, osx 10.4.4 is out today. its for “old” macs as well as new Intel macs. runs on both. i’ve been using it for a few weeks now and it seems to work just fine. still, i might wait a few days for the initial early adopters to install it and have problems before i would rush out and get it. also, updated the iLife suite to iLife ‘06 (catchy name, eh?) including the new iWeb app which lets you create web pages and share your photos, podcasts or blogs with the world at the touch of a button (or a mouse, as the case may be).
there is also an update to the rest of the iLife apps which take advantage of the new .mac features announced today. all in all a pretty cool package to get your stuff up and seen.
the mac book is a step in the right direction but still not enough to make me really want one. yet. i’m waiting for a 12" version with all flash based hard drive that weighs 2.5 pounds. that would really be something.
as for the iMac i might pick one of those up to check out. but maybe after the first revision. i’m a little tired of being an apple beta tester after my experiences with my first dual 2ghz g5 tower. these macs are just the first step this year anyway so its not over by any means. by the end of the year, it will be all Intel all the time. i can wait. plus, my G5 tower is working just fine at the moment so what’s the rush?
it would have been nice to get a mac-mini based hd dvr that runs mac osx and allows you to stream audio and video and record it to dvd like tivo-to-go does for windows (maybe even for the mac soon). not yet though. i would bet money that its just around the corner. i guess i can put my amex away. for now.
for the rest of what’s hot (or not) from the stevenote, go to apple.
Over 1M people switch from Windows to MAC
mmmm, this is an interesting development. who can blame them? thank you iPod (now with video). i know i love mine. even though i only got the 30gig, its still cool. i can even watch movies on it. its not so bad, really, the screen is a little small but it looks great. maybe santa steve will bring a horizontal iPod video with true 16x9 screen? commence breath holding.
also, not on a related note except that i’m writing this post and its about video (sort of), have been busy putting together a little horror film with some friends of mine. soon, i will allow the waiting masses to view the carefully crafted trailer. but for now, a photo will have to suffice. say hello to the bad guy.
Mac Mini PVR fun and more!
great article on how to use your Mac Mini (mac mini not included) as a TiVo style device. of course, i still prefer tivo but this is pretty cool anyway. plus, and i don’t really want to talk politics right now, tom delay gets in trouble again. innocent until proven guilty but it does make you think. and its even in texas. that’s gotta sting.
and where will google go next? free wifi in san francisco and beyond? new set of microsoft office-like software? space? who knows but these guys sure know how to stir the speculation pot. they are almost as good at it as steve jobs. almost.
lastly, my work schedule seems to be getting a little better so i hope to be putting fingers to keys more often again. i like doing this and hopefully can with regularity. thanks for your patience and readership. its appreciated.
Monday (what, again?)
Yes, its that time again. The beginning of the week. Oh joy. Actually, today was a “pretty good day”(tm) and I got a lot of work done. I even managed to sell my old 12“ Powerbook to a very nice person who paid in cash. So, that was good. I hope she likes it. I think she will.
On the computer subject the saga continues with my G5 tower. Being the do-it-yourself kind of person I am, I pretty much tried everything i could think of to try to get it from doing the random freeze and kernel panic thing. Sadly, I had no luck. Also, the guys at Melrose Mac in Burbank were pretty much no help either. Although, they did manage to replace my power supply so it doesn’t make the annoying noise it was making, so that is a point in their favor.
Sadly, they dropped the ball on the rest of it and so will not become the preferred repair place for me and people that i work with. As the problem was so random and seemingly had no root cause that I could determine, I felt the only place to take it was to an Apple Store. Fortunately, in LA we have several. I, of course, went to my friends at the Glendale Galleria for help. Not only do I like Jenn and the rest of the gang at the Glendale Apple Store, but I am also a preferred consultant for them as well and they send business my way. So, of course, I like that too.
I took the G5 to them last Tuesday, July 5th. One of the Genius bar guys, Tim, took quite a bit of time with it and examined it very completely. Even though it took some time, i appreciated his effort. Fortunately, the machine exhibited the same behavior for him as it did for me and he checked it in for ”extended diagnostics“. Now, almost a week later, I got nothing. He did tell me it would be 7 to 10 days before I would know something so I am not upset or anything. Like many customers, I want to have my machine back with me and working like it used to.
Like doctors, I’m sure that computer consultants don’t make very good patients so I will try not to call Tim every day with more suggestions on how we might get my G5 back on its feet. I think he probably has it under control. So, I will give him the time he indicated, then I will see what’s what. I think Tim and the rest of the Glendale Apple Store crew will come through for me as they always have. Of course, being how I am, I am already pricing a replacement should this drag on too much longer (like another few weeks waiting for parts or something like that).
It may seem strange to be thinking about buying another computer from a company who already has one of yours in for repair. I don’t find it strange at all. I like Apple and the Mac. I will always be a Mac user and will always buy Apple products as long as they are around. I don’t necessarily want to buy another G5 right now, what with the Intel Macs coming. But, the G5 is a proven and tested product so getting another one isn’t so odd. I don’t want to be the first one to get an Intel based Mac anyway. Not the first but maybe the second or third. I might try to hold off a little to see how they work. Besides, i think we’ll see Intel Powerbooks before Intel Towers anyway so a new tower is still, in my opinion, at least 6 months off.
Whatever happens with my G5, I know Apple will make it right eventually. It will get fixed or they will give me a new one. As t has already had a video card problem and a power supply problem, it might be getting close to the replacement point. Or, I will just buy another one and when the current one is fixed, sell it. Whatever happens, I will stick with Apple. Besides, where will I plug in my three iPods if I don’t have a Mac? In my Windows box? Come one, be serious. Although, Half-Life 2 does kick ass. Can’t play that on a Mac, no matter how fast it is. I guess I need to keep my Windows machine too. Oh well.
Laying Low and Putting Tiger To the Test
I have been busy for the last week or so. Thanks, in part, to the good folks at Apple Computer putting out a new version of OSX that has, shall we say, a few “issues”. There are many things to like about Mac OSX 10.4 Tiger. Features such as Spotlight, the new iChat AV, new Mail, improved speed and a host of other features make it a great upgrade in most cases. There are some problems and some annoyances that I have been dealing with not only on my own machines, but on machines of people I work with as well.
As always, MacFixit has the scoop on many of the problems as well as some solution that have worked for other users. Macintouch also has a cool matrix of reported software incompatibilities. And, there is, of course, the Apple Tiger Discussion Forums. No matter what, always make a complete backup of anything you care about on your computer before installing a major upgrade like Tiger. Better safe than sorry.
It’s no secret that people are having problems. Take your pic as to where to find a possible solution or work-around for any issues you might be having. There might be one or it might take a little time for one to be available. No matter what third-party software vendors do, i’m sure we’ll be seeing Mac OSX 10.4.1 sooner rather than later.
Happy Sunday
I hope everyone is having a great Sunday because I’m not. A few days ago their was a power surge in our building and it fried my UPS. So, that’s a bummer. A day or so earlier my G5 started to act strange. It started to have problems remembering how windows were displayed, my passwords for e-mail accounts and lots of other symptoms and just strange things
Also, it has started emitting a rather annoying humming noise. Others have told me that it is probably the Power Supply going bad and I think that is probably what it is too. Whatever it is, its damn annoying on many levels. The main one is that the computer is only about eight months old (which I know is an eternity in computer world) and should not be having issues already but also because I am in the middle of so many other projects that this is not a great time to be without my main machine.
So I am spending my Sunday afternoon re-installing everything from scratch just to see if that has any effect on the noise. I can hear the Windows users in the crowd about to comment but I will save you the trouble. I decided to do this. Not because my computer would not work or because I had a blue screen of death but because I wanted to try and see if it made a difference.
I deal with computers every day and felt that I wanted to try everything I could think of before resorting to taking the computer in for service. It’s not that far to an Apple store. As we are in Los Angeles, there about five within a 30 minute drive. Really, it just comes down to disappointment.
I know, things break. Electronic gizmos fail. I never thought it would happen to Apple computer. I have had at least 10 Apple computers in the last 20 years and only recently did I have any trouble with them. I had an iBook that needed a new logic board about three years ago and now this. At least the computer still works in this case. With the iBook, nothing worked. On the other hand, I have a Mac Performa, purchased during the dark Gil Amelio years, that still works today.
And if it was just me I would not be so disappointed. Unfortunately, I work with people everyday who use macs and the trend seems to be towards more problems, not fewer. My mother-in-law for example had to have her G5 repaired after only owning it for a few months. She had to have one of her two processors replaced. Fun, huh?
I also work with several other people who have experienced problems that required repair. As a guess, I would have to say that at least 10% of the people that I know who use macs have had some kind of issue that required the computer to go in for service. A couple have had to go more than once.
Perhaps my experience is unique or perhaps I am just unlucky and know a bunch of unlucky people. I hope that’s the case. One of the main things that Apple is known for is quality. I would hate for that to change. If Apple starts making computers that are just average and fail with regularity than I may as well start using Dell all the time. At least they are cheaper.
Although, I really do like OSX and its many features and ease of use. And it only runs on Apple hardware. Damn you Apple!
I guess I’ll keep coming back after all. Oh well, happy Sunday anyway.
Later.