Busy, busy, busy. School starts August 26, and my iPad seems to be working okay again. At any rate,
I'm using CourseSmart, so if
my home button does go AWOL, I'll have my Pismo PowerBook as a backup. Or
possibly the clamshell
iBook, if I can get it a new battery and AirPort card
. . . that would be a fashion statement! Or the PowerBook 180, once I have a USB floppy
drive to ensure I can transfer files easily, and a battery or two to
keep me mobile.
Of course, I enjoy being who I am, so that's not really a problem
for me. Besides, my Macs, no matter how old, always seem to make people
take a second look at their boring Windows laptops.
After which they rarely use their laptops in my presence again.
Hmm....
Anyway, a lot of interesting things have been happening to me
lately, faster than I can write them down, so I've decided to compile
them for your enjoyment.
I tried it on my iPad, just to see what it would be like, and I
didn't find anything remotely useful (to me - but you might enjoy
"novelty" apps) in Cydia. And it
bricked my iPad.
Fortunately, I was able to restore my iPad, but that was at 11:39
p.m. (I use my iPad as my alarm clock . . . yup, one of my
genius moments right there). Given the choice between a working iPad
and a restrictions-free iPad, I'll choose the one that works, thank
you.
Also, it appears the jailbreak is part of a larger PDF exploit that
constitutes a major security flaw for iOS. I expect
Apple will have a fix for that in the near future. Good
riddance.
Diagnosing a Sleepy Power Mac G5
Remember my campus' lone PowerPC Mac, a 2.5 GHz dual Power Mac G5 (not
a Quad, as I had
previously assumed)? Well, it's been feeling sleepy lately, and that's
not good. I found out about the problem from one of my friends at
college, who informed me that the G5 was going to sleep randomly.
I checked out the G5, which
had been working perfectly up until now, and found no glaring hardware
malfunctions or the like. After reading up on the problem, I found out
it might be dust buildup somewhere in the "wind tunnel", as I like to
call the G5's air circulation system. I wasn't able to get back to the
G5, but my friend is going back to DMACC this week to check up on it.
Hopefully he can observe it a little more closely than I did.
I really hope it's just dust and not a dying CPU or faulty heat
sensor. That G5 is the only macho computer left at DMACC - even the Mac
Pro doesn't seem to have quite the manly essence that the G5 has (it's
a high speed/high heat/revved-up fan thing - sort of like watching an
F-16 go supersonic or listening to the sound of a 1960's Ford Mustang
[or Ford
Falcon, to LEM readers in Australia]).
Textbooks . . . without the 'book' part
This year marks my first experiment with e-textbooks. Instead of
relying on the as-of-yet nonexistent eFollett app, I'm going to try
CourseSmart, regardless of the issues other users have encountered. I'm
fully expecting CourseSmart to release version 2 of its Textbooks iPad app,
which will hopefully resolve most of the problems version 1 has.
At any rate, here's some interesting info for you: e-textbooks will
save you big. I'm talking huge. I'm talking mega
huge!!!
Okay, now that the manic used car dealer is out of my head - the
savings that e-textbooks offer are great news for college students.
I've noticed a major price reduction from printed to electronic format
books, but it took shopping around a little bit to make me realize the
full extent of it. Here's an example, using my environmental science
textbook's prices to illustrate.
textbook
new: $132
used: $99
rent: $59
e-textbook (same book as above)
SmartCourse 180-day subscription: $56
If you were planning on renting textbooks, you're not exactly saving
huge, but if you've already got an iPad, you might as well put it to
good use . . . saving your back and your wallet.
One problem with SmartCourse currently is that it requires an
Internet connection to work . . . which could be a bummer at
DMACC, considering our campus-wide WiFi is only okay at best. On bad
days (like yesterday), there is no WiFi access to speak of. Of course,
my MiFi will be accompanying me to college this semester as a backup
(hopefully my earlier
experience with Boone's 3G not working was just a fluke).
Lego iPad Stands
My youngest brother is quite creative with Danish building-blocks,
just as I used to be, and since he was feeling up to a challenge, I
tested his real-world building skills with a simple request: build me a
Lego® stand for my iPad.
In my second iPad
review, I mentioned that the iPad case was perfect for use on my
night stand. Well, after a few months, my iPad case has lost some of
its original tightness, allowing my iPad to sag down just a little when
stood upright. This sets the center of gravity forward, which makes my
iPad easier to knock over. Because of this, I've been trying to come up
with a DIY case for a little while, and Lego seemed like the cheapest
(and most personal) option.
I have two stands, one based on the stand in this YouTube video and
the other based on the "minimal
Lego iPad stand".
The first is my mobile stand, as it is easier to take with me. The
second is my stationary stand, and it has been significantly modified
from its minimalist original concept. My brother beefed it up and
lowered its center of gravity, increasing its stability and allowing it
to be used with my iPad case.
The best part of this whole thing is that I got a very stable,
usable stand (my mobile stand holds my iPad at just the right angle,
roughly 45°, for use with my Bluetooth keyboard; at this angle,
glare is reduced and the angle is perfect for viewing and occasional
touching) for practically nothing.
We believe in the long term value of Apple hardware. You should be able to use your Apple gear as long as it helps you remain productive and meets your needs, upgrading only as necessary. We want to help maximize the life of your Apple gear.
We believe in the long term value of Apple hardware. You should be able to use your Apple gear as long as it helps you remain productive and meets your needs, upgrading only as necessary. We want to help maximize the life of your Apple gear.
All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat
Media. For price quotes and advertising information,
please contact
Page not found | Low End Mac
Welcome Image and Text
We believe in the long term value of Apple hardware. You should be able to use your Apple gear as long as it helps you remain productive and meets your needs, upgrading only as necessary. We want to help maximize the life of your Apple gear.
I checked out the G5, which
had been working perfectly up until now, and found no glaring hardware
malfunctions or the like. After reading up on the problem, I found out
it might be dust buildup somewhere in the "wind tunnel", as I like to
call the G5's air circulation system. I wasn't able to get back to the
G5, but my friend is going back to 
