Wow! We popped over to Bournemouth this morning, to check out the new imac in Solutions shop there. I've heard a lot of conflicting reports about the new reflective screens, and the new keyboards. The screens certainly are reflective, but they are fantastic! Bright, clear, sharp, vivid! Really nice – I really want one now. As for the keyboards, they're great too, very like a laptop keyboard, easy to type on (probably take a little while to get used to, but not too long). The 2.4 gig procesors are very fast, very snappy. Can't wait to get one.
Anyway, cheers,
Kev.
Saturday, 15 September 2007
Monday, 10 September 2007
Coloido 1.1
Wow,
I'm actually taken aback at the extent to which the coloido screen saver has spread across the internet (particularly big in Japan I see). It's even made it onto YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_6Keu8eE0U). Well, anyway, version 1.1 is now available. You can now control the speed of the two plasma elements that make up the kaleidoscope. Now with even more hoopyness ...
Cheers,
Kev.
I'm actually taken aback at the extent to which the coloido screen saver has spread across the internet (particularly big in Japan I see). It's even made it onto YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_6Keu8eE0U). Well, anyway, version 1.1 is now available. You can now control the speed of the two plasma elements that make up the kaleidoscope. Now with even more hoopyness ...
Cheers,
Kev.
Hooray for Apple Hardware Test
Hi,
I actually thought I'd never be saying this, but hooray for Apple Hardware Test! That's the free utility that Apple ships with all new Macs. I've used it on a number of occasions in the past and, despite several hardware problems, it's never alerted me to a problem. Never. As a result, I've tended to forget about it recently, preferring instead Apple's Mac Test Pro, memtest or Tech Tool Pro if I wasn't sure about the exact fault.
However, the other day I had a 1.33ghz, 15in PowerBook with what looked initially like a hard drive failure. The machine wouldn't boot up at all, nor would it start in target firewire mode. It would boot from the Software restore disc (but Disc Utility failed to repair the disc, and it was impossible to reinstall the OS – the installation would only proceed so far, before the blue screen with the spinning wheel appeared).
Mac Test Pro and Tech Tool Pro both failed to boot the machine!
As a last resort I decided to try Apple Hardware Test (as this is included on the Software restore disc – and this was the only disc capable of booting the machine) and lo and behold, five minutes later the culprit was identified – a faulty RAM module.
A replacement from Crucial (very fast delivery!) is now in place and everything's fine.
Whodathunkit, eh?
Kev.
I actually thought I'd never be saying this, but hooray for Apple Hardware Test! That's the free utility that Apple ships with all new Macs. I've used it on a number of occasions in the past and, despite several hardware problems, it's never alerted me to a problem. Never. As a result, I've tended to forget about it recently, preferring instead Apple's Mac Test Pro, memtest or Tech Tool Pro if I wasn't sure about the exact fault.
However, the other day I had a 1.33ghz, 15in PowerBook with what looked initially like a hard drive failure. The machine wouldn't boot up at all, nor would it start in target firewire mode. It would boot from the Software restore disc (but Disc Utility failed to repair the disc, and it was impossible to reinstall the OS – the installation would only proceed so far, before the blue screen with the spinning wheel appeared).
Mac Test Pro and Tech Tool Pro both failed to boot the machine!
As a last resort I decided to try Apple Hardware Test (as this is included on the Software restore disc – and this was the only disc capable of booting the machine) and lo and behold, five minutes later the culprit was identified – a faulty RAM module.
A replacement from Crucial (very fast delivery!) is now in place and everything's fine.
Whodathunkit, eh?
Kev.
Thursday, 6 September 2007
Macworld cd
Hi,
Just received the latest edition of Macworld magazine, and discovered that they've included one of my screensavers (colobar) on the cd. Excellent! (bit surprised that they didn't get in touch to ask first - is this normal?)
Anyway, cheers,
Kev.
Just received the latest edition of Macworld magazine, and discovered that they've included one of my screensavers (colobar) on the cd. Excellent! (bit surprised that they didn't get in touch to ask first - is this normal?)
Anyway, cheers,
Kev.
Thursday, 30 August 2007
New screensaver – coloido
Hi, managed to get to spend a bit of time on Quartz Composer recently, for the first time in ages, and made a new screensaver (coloido) – it's a customisable kaleidoscopic screensaver. Get it here http://www.axmt07.dsl.pipex.com/coloido.html
Cheers,
Kev.
Cheers,
Kev.
Sunday, 26 August 2007
date & time widgets
Hi,
I've been contacted recently by a number of people asking if the UK date & time widget could be made customisable. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do that yet, but in the meantime I've made a few variations for different time zones. Have a look here:
http://www.axmt07.dsl.pipex.com/date&time.html
Cheers,
Kev.
The Green Man festival
Hi,
Haven't done any Mac stuff recently worth posting about – been very busy with the other thing (life). Anyway, went to the Green Man festival in the Brecons the other week. Excellent, despite the weather. Vashti Bunyan was a complete surprise (brilliant), and Robert Plant was fantastic. Also great were Tunng, Fridge, John Renbourn and Vetiver. I didn't get to see Devendra Banhart, unfortunately, but it was a great festival. I do think the organisers should take a few things on board for next time though.
• Somewhere to do washing up (sinks and that) as it's billed as a family festival.
• I think the area outside the Folk tent was so trashed by the weather because it was right next to the main entrance. If the entrance was behind the tent I think the ground would have survived better, as it wouldn't have had everyone traipsing past all the time.
• More stalls and shops.
• I think the camping area should have been better arranged, so that people weren't all walking past the family camping area to get to the general camping bit. We had people having a piss next to our tent in the middle of the night, and one drunk bloke actually tried to crash out in our tent! I think the famil area shold have been furthest from the entertainment area.
Anyway, great festival all the same.
Cheers,
Kev.
Haven't done any Mac stuff recently worth posting about – been very busy with the other thing (life). Anyway, went to the Green Man festival in the Brecons the other week. Excellent, despite the weather. Vashti Bunyan was a complete surprise (brilliant), and Robert Plant was fantastic. Also great were Tunng, Fridge, John Renbourn and Vetiver. I didn't get to see Devendra Banhart, unfortunately, but it was a great festival. I do think the organisers should take a few things on board for next time though.
• Somewhere to do washing up (sinks and that) as it's billed as a family festival.
• I think the area outside the Folk tent was so trashed by the weather because it was right next to the main entrance. If the entrance was behind the tent I think the ground would have survived better, as it wouldn't have had everyone traipsing past all the time.
• More stalls and shops.
• I think the camping area should have been better arranged, so that people weren't all walking past the family camping area to get to the general camping bit. We had people having a piss next to our tent in the middle of the night, and one drunk bloke actually tried to crash out in our tent! I think the famil area shold have been furthest from the entertainment area.
Anyway, great festival all the same.
Cheers,
Kev.
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