CookBook Pro
Impossibly hot – that was my proclamation right after I performed surgery on the MacBook Pro. It was uncomfortably hot around the area where the magsafe adapter plugs in, with temperatures ranging from 160-190 F (70C-90C for the metric minded) for the GPU Diode and similar for the CPU. Many fanbois claimed that this range was well within the tolerance limit, but how do you explain that to your palms while you work on the beautiful machine? I decided to get to the bottom of this CookBook phenomenon.
First thing I AppZapp‘d was Pathfinder. A very useful application, but the CPU spikes while using it, were unforgivable. Next down was Microsoft Office ’08. A useful suite, but easily supplanted by Open Office & Thunderbird (replacing Entourage). Another one down was Adobe Suite CS3 (PhotoShop). I installed Pixelmator to supplant this.
Things did seem marginally better, but nothing like what I had expected to see – disappointing to say the least. But then I AppZapp’d Little Snitch – (firewall for Mac), and lo and behold – at full load I average temperatures around 148-150F(~64C).
Back to reinstalling the cast-offs.
My New Toy – me new XBox360
This post is hopelessly delayed and you’ll soon know why – but what a wonderful gift was I surprised with, on my birthday! Yes, this old man carved out another notch in the life chain on the 16th. Thanks you.
But to the topic at hand! Rissa’s mom, dad and grandparents came to our place to celebrate with us, along with Jen, Sam and the kids via Webcam from Indiana. Just so touching indeed, and that in itself was a great gift – the gift of family. The kids seemed extra excited! As I opened my gifts, there was an air of excitement about – Rissa’s dad seemed rather overcome by it and apparently went out for a breather – but soon came right back in, with a HUGE bag. My eyes widened as I opened the bag to see the oh so familiar green box with the X logo on it. Could NOT believe it – my first instinct – am I being Punk’d much like that kid who thought he got a Wii but found out it was a box full of socks. But no, it was real, it is mine! I was gifted a console, an XBox at that.
SO surreptitious was the entire setup! Everyone was in on it, and I didn’t suspect a thing. Sneaky indeed, but wow! And all this seems to have stemmed from a humble request I had put on our registry back in August, last year and Rissa’s mom caught up on it in December - the rest is history. But am just so amazed at how Rissa kept it from me, and didn’t let me get suspicious at all – every time I thought there was something going on, she’d be ready with a fully convincing explanation to the otherwise. Amazing… my hat’s off to you my wife!
And since then, I’ve been busy gaming – getting progressively better at games I once knew (from the PC and other platforms). Virtua Tennis 3, Fight Night Round 3, Virtua Fighter 5 Online, and the list goes on. The possibilities are limitless – this is by far the most advanced console I have ever seen (agreed I haven’t seen too many other than PS2-3, Wii), and I am simply blown away! At this time I am hungrily browsing the interwebs looking for deals and other additions I can make to this haloed Console.
Perfect indeed THANK YOU Rissie, Mom, Dad, Jen, Sam, Grandpa, Gramma B, and the lil Kids!
Color Dropper in Leopard
One of the more useful features included in Leopard, and indispensible to nearly all Graphic artists and web developers alike is the system-wide Color Dropper included in Leopard – the "DigitalColor Meter". Fire it off from Spotlight or for you anal people – it is Applications-> Utilities -> DigitalColor Meter.
A system wide color dropper utility – DigitalColor Meter allows one to capture the color value from any running application, desktop, text – in short – anything on the screen, in a variety of formats – just press SHIFT+CMD+C to capture it as a text value or OPTION+CMD+C to capture it as an image. Brilliant.
The Bubble Guy of Allen Street
The Bubbles Guy of Allen Street, known best as The Bubble Guy, has been bringing smiles to faces of countless, and has been brightening up the day (and the sky) for many, since about seven years now, with the simple act of blowing bubbles from his third storey apartment on the corner of Allen and Elmwood. An institution and a landmark unto himself, the Bubble guy has been engaging in his endeavor when the weather so permits.
His hobby is considered a nuisance by some, who claim that the bubbles leave a soapy residue on the cars and windows around his zone of action. As a result he has his share of detractors and supporters.
The first time I noticed him was when I was waiting for a bus at that spot, tired, dulled from a full day of work – when I happened to notice a multitude of bubbles floating by, catching the light of the sun, and momentarily I wandered off, floating away from my worries and tribulations, with those bubbles into the wide, open yonder. Since that day, the sight of bubbles floating by the window of my office never fails to bring a smile to my visage, and for a moment I can just let go of the worries and mind-wrangling issues to enjoy the bubbles.
It reminds me of the poem I used to recite for my English teacher back in grade school. William Wordsworth’s Daffodils. Especially this final paragraph.
For oft when on my couch I lie,
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye,
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
