Reading About 99 Titles and 40-GB Copy Protection
Just doing some reading about the 99 title and 40-GB copy protection on DVDs. Interesting ways to stymie copying of discs.
Life
The #hadhc2011 Swag
Thanks to Hawaiian Air for the invitation to the Diamond Head Classic and thanks for all the goodies!
What I Learned About My MacBook Pro
So I have an older MacBook Pro, and only recently learned a thing or two about this trusty workhorse. This MBP is the first unibody design, designated “Late 2008.”
First the good news. When it shipped, this model supported 4GB of RAM. Then it was discovered that the machine was still stable with 6GB of addressable memory. This meant one 4-GB module paired with one 2-GB module, giving a total of 6 GB. Not bad, but when Apple released Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6, they also supplied a firmware update for some machines. This firmware update had an undocumented change which consequently raised the RAM ceiling to a full 8 GB.
To replace the internal hard drive is easy since the drive is very accessible. The Late 2008 MBP can handle SATA2-speed drive throughput. But… don’t try to future proof the purchase of a replacement drive, especially if you’re looking at the newer Solid State Drives (SSD). Some SSD drives that operate at SATA3 speeds (6Gb/s) are not fully compatible with this MBP and instead of downspeeding to SATA2 speeds, these fast SATA3 drives run at SATA1 speeds! That’s a big waste of a fast SSD, so don’t do it. Go with the slightly cheaper SATA2 drives.
Besides the unfortunate SATA compatibility, the Late 2008 MBP has a well-known but unacknowledged hardware issue based on its graphics chip set. The problem manifests itself in random blinking of the top third of the built-in display. While not destructive, this bug is very irritating, and there’s no clear fix. On the Apple Support Communities, replacing the logic board is the usual course of action but that doesn’t always lead to a fix. In fact, several board replacements is sometimes followed by a whole computer swapout. I haven’t reached that extreme yet, but it’s sad there is no clear way to solve this.
Are You a Photography Pro?
I know I’m not, but watching this Judge Joe Brown episode about a case against a wedding photographer was entertaining if nothing else. Who’s right or wrong? I can’t really say. I mean the bride paid $1300 for her entire wedding photography package. While that is a lot of money, it’s not inconceivable to pay more for a lifetime of memories.
While the photographer’s actions and gear may be defendable, she definitely could have handled things differently. Meeting her client outside of Walmart where the pictures were developed? Maybe not so good an idea. Walmart may print great photos but just the fact of meeting her client outside of the big box retailer will give the wrong impression. Sure, print them, pick them up but deliver them elsewhere.
If you got 10 minutes to spare…
And if you want commentary about the accuracy and decency of the entire episode, read this. Thanks Dallas.
Two Pics from the Lunar Eclipse
Just two pictures from the total lunar eclipse in December 2011.
More information about the selenelion occurrence here.
Amazon Price Check Discount Today
Did you get your 5% discount? Okay, this deal maxed out at $5, but interesting move by Amazon to go head-to-head with other retailers and poach your purchases.
Ready for the Lunar Eclipse?
Are you ready to view the upcoming total lunar eclipse this weekend? It’s your last chance at a full eclipse until 2014. Wake up early on Saturday morning, and maybe you’ll see a reddish-orange moon, maybe you’ll see a supersized moon, or maybe you won’t see the moon at all.
Don’t worry, viewing a lunar eclipse is safe but to enhance the mood of this rare phenomenon, I suggest bringing a boombox with you and play Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart. As the totality of the eclipse nears, keep chanting “turn around, turn around.” Trust me, that’ll surely be a memorable event!
Yum, Waffles
Looking for more uses out of your griddler? Buy waffle plates and enjoy homemade waffles!
Gotta Love My Coworkers
What a day at work today. The highlight had to have been a trail of email that went nowhere. You know that cliche on how Americans talk to non-English speaking foreigners? Speak loudly and slowly, and the English language miraculously becomes universally understood.
Yeah, the email trail was virtually like that. I got a denied request since a few things needed corrections per a linked instruction manual. My boss asked for assistance (to clarify what exactly was incorrect with my request). But the email response said that there was something wrong with my request and use the instruction manual to figure out what. Umm, yeah, that regurgitation of the original email was really helpful.
Gotta love my coworkers! 😐
I Was Wrong About La Palme Dor
Boy, was I ever wrong about the dessert shop, La Palme Dor Patisserie, next to Shirokiya in Ala Moana. This confectionery opened in the summer of 2006, and I predicted it wouldn’t last.
More than 5 years later, business is still bustling.
Congratulations to La Palme Dor on their continued success.
Here Comes Tufi Claus
You definitely know it’s Christmas time in Hawaii when Tufi Claus makes an appearance. If you’re unfamiliar with Tufi Claus, he is one of the many politically incorrect, stereotypical impersonations done by the comedian DJ Gregg Hammer (come to think about it, which of Gregg’s impersonations are not politically incorrect?)
So here’s the setup. Rory and Gregg of the Wake Up Crew were talking about old school, smashmouth UH football. A caller jokes about former players like Tufi Punch-you-in-da-jaw. After short banter, Rory emphasizes “Tufi” and Gregg smoothly transitions to his infamous Tufi Claus character. It goes something like this:
[audio:https://www.pulpconnection.net/audio/tufi-claus-mp3.mp3]