Tag Archives: computers

What is a blog?

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Or, more specifically, what is my blog?

Blog is short for Web log. From the moment I discovered blogging — back in September 2004, I think it was — I’ve always thought of a blog as a sort of online journal. A place to write about the things I think and do. A way of recording them for the future and sharing them with others who might either think or do similar things or find my thoughts and actions interesting.

That’s what my blog is and always has been: an online journal.

Bloggers have been getting a lot of press lately. Especially political bloggers. I just read “Not Just Another Column on Blogging,” by Jack Shafer on Slate.com. In that piece, he discusses several things that have changed the newspaper industry. Blogging, he argues, is one of them.

From his article:

Michael Kinsley made me laugh a decade ago when he argued against Web populists replacing professional writers, saying that when he goes to a restaurant, he wants the chef to cook his entree, not the guy sitting at the next table. I’m not laughing anymore: When there are millions of aspiring chefs in the room willing to make your dinner for free, a least a hundred of them are likely to deal a good meal. Mainstream publishers no longer have a lock on the means of production, making the future of reading and viewing anybody’s game.

The problem, it seems, is finding the 100 capable of making a good meal. Fortunately, I don’t spend enough time surfing the Web to sample the available offerings. (And I hope you don’t, either. There are far better ways to waste time.)

Anyway, this isn’t me that he’s talking about. My blog may state political opinions, but it does not attempt to replace reporters, who I still try to trust to report the truth. Some of my blog entries are rehashings of the “truth” that I’ve heard or read, filtered through my brain, which includes personal experiences and preferences.

Again, from the top: my blog reports the things I think and do. It should not be used as a primary source of information for anything. (Does that sound like a legal disclaimer? Kind of eerie, if you ask me.)

Also, my blog has never been a way to gain popularity with readers or site visitors. In fact, some of my viewpoints are very unpopular with certain subsets of people. But this blog isn’t an entry in some kind of popularity contest. It’s my way to exercise the free speech I’m granted in the U.S. Consitution. (The same Constitution that has been in the news a lot lately.)

I’m also not trying to convince people who don’t agree with me on issues to agree with me. I hope that people will think about the things I write here, even when they don’t agree with me. After all, I think about most things I hear and read. That’s how my opinions come about. I don’t just echo the sentiments of others.

(I also hope that people think. Period. I’m so tired of talking to people who echo the thoughts of others.)

In general, I don’t care if others agree or disagree with me. I’d love to read (and share) rational, well-thought-out arguments from both sides. That’s what the Comments links are for. (Duh.) Just don’t get nasty. Nasty doesn’t get deleted. Nasty remains online to show the world just how immature some people can be.

Anyway, this entry was brought about primarily by reading Mr. Shafer’s article today and thinking about how my blog doesn’t fit into what is quickly becoming the definition of a blog: an amateur’s attempt at serious journalism.

This isn’t journalism. It’s my diary. I just don’t keep it locked up.

And heck, no one is forcing you to read it.

Off to a Slow Start

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After a tense few hours or so, I finally get Mac OS X Tiger reinstalled on my hard disk.

I started my disk reformatting project this morning as soon as I got to the office.

The first step was to archive all the stuff I didn’t need on my hard disk but didn’t want to throw away. Fortunately, all this stuff — primarily software and updaters I’ve downloaded over the past few months — was already in its own folder and would fit on a CD. I made the CD and deleted the originals.

Then came the final backup. I quit all open applications and plugged in the portable FireWire hard disk I bought a few months ago. Then I dragged my Home folder onto the hard disk icon. And waited.

It took close to an hour to count up all the files — 25 GB worth — and copy them onto the disk. While my main computer did that, I made a list of all the applications I’d want to reinstall. Then I plugged in my laptop and wrote a letter.

Next step was to restart the computer from the Tiger Install DVD. But before I started the install process, I used Disk Utility to erase the hard disk, writing over the entire surface with 0s. This is designed for security, but I used the feature to ensure that there were no phantom files on the disk and to force the computer to create brand new directories.

It took about an hour for the computer to finish this task and, when it was finished, it wouldn’t finish. I mean, it said it was creating the partition, but it kept saying that for another 30 minutes or so. There’s no way it should take so long to finish the job. So I quit Disk Utility, ignoring the warning that the disk might not be usable.

That was probably a mistake.

I then went back into Disk Utility and formatted the hard disk without the 0s. It finished up quickly and I was ready to install Tiger.

I set options so I wouldn’t have all those language files and weird fonts installed. I don’t need them and they just take up space on my computer. And clutter up my font menus. I also told the Installer to format the hard disk — why not? — and set the installer to work.

While the installer worked, I finished my letter. But when I tried to print it, I couldn’t. Both printers are “shared” through my production machine and its hard disk had been wiped clean. I could either mess around with the printer cables or wait. I decided to wait.

It would be a long wait. After a while, the Installer told me there was an error in the installation and that I should try again.

I did. Four times. I got an error message each time.

I tried working with Disk Utility again. It started giving me error messages. It couldn’t format the disk because it couldn’t unmount it. Then I shut down and tried to restart from the Disk Warrior CD. No way. TechTools didn’t work, either. It was the Tiger DVD or nothing.

When I had the Tiger CD out of the drive, I checked it over carefully. It looked scratched. I wondered whether it had gotten the scratches in my office or on the worktable at the Apple Store. I wiped it before sticking it back in. Then I started the installer for the fifth time. While it worked, I started surfing the ‘Net from my laptop, looking for a replacement hard drive.

I was ready to start making phone calls when I looked over and saw that the installer had finished without any errors. I restarted the computer and was very happy to see the computer start from the hard disk.

Whew!

By now it was after noon and I had to meet someone at 3 PM. So I started installing software and copying documents from the portable hard disk. At the same time.

Did you know that iLife ’06 takes close to an hour to install on a Dual G5?

I used the .Mac sync feature to get my address book and calendar from my .Mac account. I copied the contents of my Mail folder (in my Library folder) to the same place on the new hard disk and my mail was all restored. I copied my iTunes music library over — all 3,000+ songs. iTunes works great. When I left, the computer was working on the 11,000+ pictures in my Pictures folder. With luck, iPhoto will work great when I get to the office tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I’ll finish installing the software and documents. And then I’ll get back to work.

A Clean Slate

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I prepare to wipe my main computer’s hard disk clean and reinstall everything I need from scratch.

If you’ve been following these blogs, you know that my production computer, a 2-year-old dual processor Macintosh G5, has been feeling poorly these days. The symptoms are a general sluggishness, especially when accessing the hard disk. Last week it went comatose and required the intervention of an Apple Genius to be revived. The Genius suggested that I back up the hard disk. He gave me the impression that he expected the problem to reoccur.

My hard disk is backed up — at least my home folder is — in two places. And my important files, like accounting records, address book, etc., are backed up in yet another place. I’ve been burned by hard disk failures twice in the past. Anyone who doesn’t learn their lesson the first time should give up using computers.

I purchased two Macintosh disk recovery tools just in case the computer dies again: TechTool Pro and Disk Warrior. I can’t remember which one the Genius recommended, so I got them both. In all honesty, I should have had them in the first place. There’s no reason I should have to drive all the way down to the Phoenix area to fix a hard disk problem. And believe me, the $120 investment is worth it if it saves me that long drive and wasted day.

But since the symptoms persist and they’re quite annoying, I’ve decided on a major medical procedure: hard disk reformat. I would have done it last week when I got the computer back, but the Geniuses at Apple forgot to give back the Tiger disc that was in the computer’s disc drive when I dropped it off for revival. I finally got it in the mail yesterday.

So today’s the day.

Now although it seems like a lot of work, it’s well worth it. By reformatting the hard disk, I’ll wipe it clean and realign all those magnetic particles on its surface. The directories, which are damaged (possibly beyond repair) will be gone and can be rebuilt from scratch. And in the unlikely event that there’s a virus on the computer, it’ll be wiped away, too. I’ll lay down all the software from original program discs as I need them.

I’ve done this before. In fact, I used to do this on all my computers whenever there was a new release of the system software. But that was back in the days when the OS took up a few dozen megabytes of hard disk space. Not a few gigabytes. Ditto for the software.

It’ll defintely be an inconvenience. I’ll start by installing only the software I use all the time: Office, Photoshop, iLife. Then, when I need to use a program I don’t use frequently, I’ll have to install it the first time I use it.

I’m not going to install Mac OS 9. I don’t use Classic applications anymore and don’t want to waste hard disk space on it. (For readers of my Mac OS X Visual QuickStart Guides: don’t expect to see the Classic environment covered in the next edition. It’s getting pulled out to make room for the new stuff. That book is just too darn fat.)

As for my documents, they should all be in my Home folder. (Let’s hope, right?) So I can just copy the Home folder backup’s contents to the new Home folder and my documents should be all ready to go.

Of course, if this doesn’t fix the symptoms, I’ll be pretty annoyed. And I’ll also be out of guesses as to what could be causing it.

My next new computer will be one of the Intel processor machines Apple is currently developing. But not an iMac. I need something a bit meatier for my daily work, something that’ll last 2- 3 years. I also plan to to replace my 12″ PowerBook with a new Intel chip Mac laptop, but not until they come out with a 12″ version. I like my laptop to be small.

So now you know what I’ll be doing today. Wish me luck!

Apple Stores Need Help

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Apple Stores can’t keep up with customer demand.

Today was my fourth experience with Apple Stores in the past week.

If you’ve been following these blogs, you know that on Monday I went to two Apple Stores in the Phoenix area to get medical attention for a sick computer. Both stores were mobbed and the so-called “Genius Bar” was fully booked until after 6 PM. (That was at around noon.)

On Wednesday, after discovering that the techicians had failed to return my Tiger Install DVD with my computer after fixing it, I called to ask for it to be mailed to me. I listened to a ringing phone for nearly three minutes before someone answered. I was assured that the disk would go in the mail that day.

The disk had not arrived by today, so I called again. I spent 9 minutes listening to a ringing phone ?Äî no exaggeration here; my phone has a timer on it and I checked when someone finally answered. After talking to the same person I’d spoken to on Wednesday, he said he’d check to see if it was mailed out. I then proceeded to wait on hold for another 16 minutes (total time invested in phone call was 25 minutes). While listening to hold music on the house phone’s speaker phone, I dialed again from my cell phone. After four minutes of ringing phones, the same guy answered.

“Oh my goodness,” he said (and yes, that is a quote), “No one got back to you?”

I hung up the house phone. “No,” I said. I knew the truth: that he’d purposely abandoned me, never expecting me to stay on hold that long. But with a speaker phone and something to keep you occupied while you wait, it’s easy. “You need more people working there,” I added.

“That’s no lie,” he replied. “I’ll check on that disc.”

Yeah, right, I thought, as the music started up again.

He was only gone a minute. Probably long enough to put someone else on hold or peek out at the mob scene in the store. “It went out today,” he reported.

“Thanks.” My voice was flat. I was frustrated. I hung up.

Apple continues to grow and have success with its products. Its Apple Stores are doing very well. So why the hell can’t they hire enough people to handle the demand at the stores? Don’t they realize that they’re losing customers with their inability to give them the service they need and expect?

I feel another letter to Steve Jobs coming on…

Computer Woes (Again)

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My computer’s hard drive starts forgetting where it put things. Important things.

In the 20-20 vision of hindsight, I guess I can say that the problem started a while ago. The most obvious symptom was programs “unexpectedly quitting” a lot more frequently than they should have. Mail was especially lazy; it would quit several times a day. Word and Dreamweaver weren’t doing their best either.

But I was in denial. The problem wasn’t on my computer. It was something in the operating system. It was Apple’s fault.

Yeah, right.

The next symptom was the spinning beachball. If you’ve used a Mac for a while, you know that a spinning ball appears when you need to wait for the computer to do something. (Macs are a bit more sophisticated than PCs, which still use hourglasses to mark time.) The problem is, my computer has dual G5 processors and I don’t run much software that puts a strain on them. The ball shouldn’t appear as often as it was or for as long.

Then, on Monday, I had the big problem. The computer seemed to lock up. I did a Command-Option-Esc (like a Control-Alt-Delete on a PC) and saw in the rather long list of running applications that the Finder was not responding. So I clicked the button to restart the Finder. It evidently decided that it wanted to permanently quit because it never came back. And, with the Finder gone, nothing else wanted to work either.

Dang!

I held the power button in until the computer shut down. I waited, then powered it back up. While it was starting up, I made lunch: chicken salad with dried cranberries and nuts. I put it in the fridge for later and looked up at my computer. All I saw was a white screen with an Apple logo. And that’s all that had been showing since I started making lunch.

Uh-oh.

I tried restarting again. Same result.

I managed to get the DVD drive door open. I shoved my Tiger DVD into it — after spending ten minutes locating it in the mess that’s my office. I restarted with the C key held down. The DVD drive spun and the computer started up.

Whew! At least it wasn’t the motherboard again.

The Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger installer appeared. I used the menu to choose Disk Utility. That’s the software you use to check and repair hard disk problems. The program launched, then attempted to read my hard disk. Three minutes later, it was still trying. It had been at it for about six minutes when I decided to restart again.

Bad idea. I was back to the white screen with the Apple logo.

Sh*t.

I disconnected everything except the power and monitor and tried again. No go. So I disconnected the power and the monitor, got my stuff together, and lugged the computer down to the car. I had my Honda at work and I don’t mind driving that down to Phoenix. But I was wearing my glasses so I couldn’t wear sunglasses and the day was very bright. To make matters worse, I was wearing my chili pepper pants, which are very loud and tend to make me stand out — in a bad way — in a crowd. But surely that didn’t matter. I didn’t want to go home to change. So I took off down the Phoenix Highway, heading for the Biltmore Apple Store.

I won’t go into a lot of detail here. It’s boring and you’ll think I’m whining. But I will say that the Apple Store was mobbed and that the waiting list for the Genius Bar was full. I could get an appointment for 6:40 PM. It was just before noon. When I told an employee I had just driven 70 miles from Wickenburg, his response was “So?” I couldn’t believe his rudeness. He then told me that if I spent $99 to buy a Pro Care membership, I’d go right to the front of the line. Of course, there were about 20 people on line to buy things and, by that time, I was fuming with anger. So I decided to try my luck at the Chandler Apple Store.

That was another 20 or so miles farther away, off the Loop 101. Same story, but I could get an appointment for 7:30 there. And someone explained that a Pro membership wouldn’t help me if the line was already filled up. The creep at Biltmore had lied to me.

I was very annoyed. Put yourself in my shoes. I’ve spent the past sixteen or so years writing about Macintosh computers. Dozens of books. I have purchased, with my own money, more than a dozen Macs during that time: Mac IIcx, SE/30 (2 of them; don’t ask), PowerMac 6100, PowerMac 8500, G3 beige, G4 (my current Web server), G5 dual (the patient), PowerBook 2400c, iBook SE, PowerBook G4 (my faithful 12″ laptop), Strawberry iMac, eMac (my current test mule), and 20th Anniversary Mac. I’ve spent more money on Apple hardware than anyone else I know. And no, I don’t still have all those computers. But I do have most of them.

I also bought a Newton, a QuickTake (which I sold) and 3 iPods.

Hell, I’m even a stockholder. (But I’m not complaining about that. The 200 shares I own have a basis of less than $4 per share. Last I looked, Apple was trading at $71 per share.)

And here I am with a dead computer, unable to write the three book proposals I need to get to my editor (I’m trying to line up my spring workload), and I can’t even get service at an Apple Store — a store, by the way, that I’ve done three presentations at over the past two years.

I spoke to the manager. I told him about the rudeness I’d experienced at the Biltmore store. He was fair but firm. The best they could do was “check in” my computer and try to get to it today or early tomorrow.

I had no other choice so I left it there.

They sent a guy out to my car with a dolly. G5s are very heavy computers. I think there’s lead in there. He pulled the computer out of my trunk, put it on the dolly, and wheeled it in. He was friendly and sympathetic. Not rude.

I gave my information to a girl who printed up a receipt for the computer. She promised to call sometime the next day.

I left the store, grabbed a sandwich from Paradise Bakery in the mall, and headed out to the car. I drove home, top down, stopping at the Desert Ridge Mall to pick up a new fish filter and a bunch of feeder fish for my big fish to eat.

I hit traffic, of course. I don’t know how anyone can live down there. You can’t drive anywhere in the valley without running into some traffic jam that doesn’t appear to be caused by anything other than driver stupidity.

Jeep TourThe next day, I had to do a Jeep tour with the local Jeep tour company. Whenever they have a big group, they ask me to drive. I take the doors off my Jeep, put a saddle blanket over the dog hair on the back seat, and join in for a slow drive in the desert with vacationers. This group was farmers from Indiana. I guess they can’t farm when the place is covered with blowing snow. I thought the tour was 2 hours, but it worked out to be nearly 3-1/2 hours. Didn’t matter much. My computer was on a bench in Chandler.

I went home and played with my PowerBook. I installed a random header image on wickenburg-az.com. It’s a cool feature with 12 images appearing randomly at the top of each page.

I got a message on my cell phone. The computer was fixed. I could pick it up. But I might want to back everything up as soon as possible, the guy added.

Hmm.

Mike works down near there and I called him up. He went to Chandler and picked it up. He dropped it off in the office this morning. I plugged everything in and fired it up.

It worked.

But it worked just like it worked before it died. I don’t think they did much to it. Maybe a little smelling salts.

I think it needs its hard disk reformatted and all the software reinstalled. I used to do that to all my computers once a year. That was in the days when all my documents could fit on a single CD. Not today, when my documents take up 25 GB of my hard disk (I archive old books and other work onto CD when they’re done). I know that’s nothing compared to the folks that do multimedia work, but it’s still a lot. And reformatting my hard drive annually would be a royal pain in the butt.

Just like it will be next week, when I do it.

I have to wait until next week. The folks at Apple gave Mike the computer, but they didn’t give him the Tiger DVD that was stuck in its drive. I don’t have operating system software to install. So I have to wait until they mail the disc to me. I should get it by Friday, Saturday at the latest.

So you know what I’m doing on Monday morning.

And today I ordered DiskWarror and TechTools. Next time this happens, I’ll stay home and avoid the traffic.