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My Home Server – For Now

Saturday, December 26th, 2009

I’m really wondering how much longer my current home server will last. I’ve had it since June 2004, since the day after they announced that the G4 towers were being discontinued. As I’ve mentioned previously, the reason I bought this machine was because it was Apple’s only computer that could handle dual optical drives and 4 hard disks without goofy hardware modifications. I’ve upgraded the machine several times since I got it, and here’s where the hardware currently stands:

Dual 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4
2GB DDR2 PC2700 RAM
ATI Radeon 9000 AGP video card
(2) Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7170A DVD drives (one dead, will be pulled soon)
(1) 320GB Western Digital boot drive
(2) 500GB Western Digital RAID1 backup set
(1) 500GB Western Digital scratch/media drive
Generic USB 2.0 PCI card
Generic 1394b PCI card

Without adding a SATA PCI card to the mix, the machine is pretty much maxed out. Recently, about once a week, the unit has been locking up where it doesn’t ACTUALLY kernel panic, but after a reboot, the machine logs kernel panics going to the ATA controller. I’m hoping the boot drive just needs a repartition and a clean OS, but if anyone has a spare 4-port Seritek PCI card they don’t need anymore, I’ll be glad to take it off your hands.

Assuming this thing works properly, it will be back up and ready to go as a VPN server, file server, and occasional torrent machine again. If anyone has any tips about getting the most out of these old things, please don’t hesitate to post a comment or shoot an email.

Posted in Apple, Hardware, Mac Stuff, Ramblings, Technology | No Comments »

Flextronics RTS to Service Products in Microsoft Retail Stores

Friday, December 25th, 2009

According to job postings found on Craigslist, it appears that Microsoft is contracting with Flextronics RTS to provide on-site computer repair services at their newly-opened retail store in Mission Viejo.

According to the listings, these people will “provide computer services, such as hardware diagnostics and component replacement, data migration, virus removal, setup, and other offerings” that are “within the new retail location of a major software company”.

Here are screenshots of the Craigslist posting and a snippet of the Flextronics RTS listing (in case they are pulled):

I don’t think there are a boatload of major software companies with retail locations in Mission Viejo, unless I missed the Adobe Store walking through the mall earlier this week.

I think that this demonstrates Microsoft’s lack of comprehension of how Apple’s retail strategy has soared compared with the alternatives that were available when they opened in 2001. Apple’s retail stores have actual Apple employees fixing Apple products. Microsoft Stores will have employees of a third-party fixing computers made by others (running their OS, yes, but not their hardware) in their stores. More layers of management and outsourcing will create an experience that is not nearly as cohesive and focused as that provided by the Apple Store a few hundred feet down the hall.

I understand that Apple sells third-party products in their stores, and that Apple doesn’t service those products at the Genius Bar. But have you ever been to the Genius Bar with a non-Apple product? Most of the time, they’ve been more than happy to take a look at the iPod alarm clock dock or whatever it is and see if it is an issue they could resolve (with the Apple product connected to it) or refer to the manufacturer for service if it is not. But these speaker systems and alarm clocks aren’t Apple’s core products. Microsoft’s core product is integrated into devices manufactured by others.

From what I’ve read, Microsoft’s EMS contractor for the Zune and Xbox is Flextronics, which might actually be a bright spot in this whole thing. It may give Microsoft the flexibility they need to provide better service in-store for those products that they have direct control over. I don’t think, though, that Xbox and Zune customers will be the bulk of Microsoft’s retail service encounters compared with the computers they will sell and ultimately, service.

Like every discussion on “building the whole widget” business philosophy, I’ll admit that it is not the only solution to getting your product out there. However, Apple has taken the integrated product, and now integrated retail business model to a level of success that nobody seems to be able to duplicate.

Posted in Apple, Customer Service, Microsoft, Technology | No Comments »

Apple’s Crappy Tech Support Didn’t Live Up To Its Reputation

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

I have had a really weird issue with a MacBook Pro battery of mine (one of two I always carry with me.) It will occasionally drop it’s full charge capacity to the point where the computer says “Service Battery” or “Check Battery.” I really didn’t want to go to my local Apple Store because, frankly, I don’t like listening to most of the fools who are in there wondering why their iPhone that got soaked in dog urine isn’t covered under warranty or their Bondi iMac can’t be repaired anymore. It bugs the hell out of me.

Anyways, I decided that I’d have to call AppleCare: that dreaded multi-hour pastime that everyone on the internets has a horror story about. Apple hates its customers and doesn’t actually want to fix things, right? Good thing I have my attorney on speed dial, and he’s in the office, or else I would have to call back another free afternoon.

I remembered, though, that at some point, Apple had a feature where they would call YOU back after submitting a support request on the website. Here’s the first thing I saw after logging into the Apple support site:

Holy shit! Those evil bastards are tracking everything I own! Oh, wait, I needed help, so I just clicked on my MacBook Pro and it took me to this next screen:

Why would they want to know what is going wrong with my computer? They are just looking for ways to void my warranty. Oh, wait, that might not be the best thing to say to the people who are helping me. I put the relevant battery information from the system profiler into the area to describe the problem and hit continue. I was then presented with this screen:

Those sons of bitches are trying to pawn the problem off until later or until I feel like calling them. How dare they do anything but give me oral pleasure to ease my stress about this horrible problem. Because I wanted my stuff fixed now, I clicked “Call me now” and waited.

It took them 20 FUCKING SECONDS to call me. You know what else? It took me 10 MINUTES on the phone talking to people to get my new battery shipped to me. DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH BUSINESS I LOST BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM? I want Apple to reimburse me for all of my lost work and downtime. I want a fucking unicorn that poops little Steve Jobs action figures. And I want a new computer because this one is a lemon.

Way to go Apple. Way to go…

In all seriousness, this took less time to complete than it would have taken me trying to FIND an appointment at whatever local Genius Bar had an opening. And I’m sure it got taken care of WAY faster, too.

UPDATE 1 (2009-10-01 @ 17:22): HOW DARE APPLE SEND ME MY BATTERY FEDEX PRIORITY OVERNIGHT FOR DELIVERY BY 10:30AM TOMORROW. THE SHIPMENT WAS PROCESSED WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF MY PHONE CALL! I SAID I DIDN’T NEED IT IMMEDIATELY AND THAT I WAS ON VACATION! DON’T YOU LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS, APPLE?!

Posted in Apple, Congratulations, Customer Service, Hardware, Mac Stuff, Technology | No Comments »

Drugs and Literature: An App Store Primer

Monday, July 20th, 2009

I am a proponent of the legalization of marijuana. I differ from many fellow conservative Republicans who believe that the devil’s weed is just that: far worse than alcohol and it’s a slippery slope. Now, I don’t believe that kids should be able to walk into a dispensary and get an eighth because he’s got a “headache” but I also don’t think that a kid should walk into a liquor store and get a 40oz. malt liquor, either.

Let’s review a recent addition to the app store: Cannabis. The app allows you to find the nearest dispensary in locations where marijuana has been decriminalized. Currently, Apple has rated this program 12+ for “infrequent/mild” drug use or references. Personally, I think that telling a 13 year old where to find marijuana, even if he/she cannot purchase it, is probably not a fantastic idea. Here’s the screenshot if you’re still not sure:

Let’s compare this rating to another app on the App Store: Eucalyptus. This app, because you are able to access “obscene” texts from Project Gutenberg, has a rating of 17+. Essentially, even if you’re a minor and reading a PHYSICAL book that Apple considers to be a 17+ bit of content, you have to get parental permission first before running this app on your iPod or iPhone. Even if the kid already has the printed version in his or her hands. Here’s the screenshot:

Just thought I’d throw some more fuel on the fire that is raging about how apps are rated by Apple and why developers are pulling their goddamn hair out trying to find any sort of logic or consistency. I don’t envy them at all. Not one bit.

Posted in App Store, Apple, Douchebaggery, Jackassery, JesusPhone, Ramblings, Software, Technology, WTF, iPhone, iPod, iTunes | No Comments »

AT&T’s iPhone Exclusivity: It Doesn’t Suck

Monday, July 20th, 2009

OK, so you are probably thinking that I’m a complete douche for the title of this article, but I’d like to argue my point in a slightly coherent manner for a minute or two.

FIRST: AT&T has the biggest GSM network in the country. I’ve seen T-Mobile carts selling unlocked iPhones or offer to unlock your iPhone for you for free with purchase of service. Despite their desire to attract folks to their service, T-Mobile still sucks compared with AT&T in my experience. I’m sure this varies by geography, but the vast majority of folks I’ve spoken with have shared similar experiences, and even my own T-Mobile prepaid SIM gets worse coverage in my W810i than AT&T did before I switched to the iPhone.

SECOND: I consider it pretty unlikely that Apple would build a CDMA version of the iPhone for use within the United States on either Verizon or Sprint and VERY limited use outside of the United States. Building a GSM phone is much smarter, economically speaking, because it works in almost every country with a mobile phone provider. I’m not going to give you percentages of GSM vs. CDMA, but outside of the US, CDMA is almost worthless. Plus, it looks like both Verizon and AT&T are going to be moving their networks to 4G LTE technology.

THIRD: The rumor mill is stating that Apple is building a custom version of the iPhone for China that lacks a wifi chipset under pressure from the Chinese government. I’m not confident that Apple would go so far as to make a nationally-tailored version of the iPhone without wifi. However, the market in China is much larger in terms of raw population, and may in fact be larger than many major wireless markets currently served by the single physical iPhone build currently being sold. Regardless of that, wouldn’t it be easier to build, test, and qualify a device with one component removed (that little Broadcom wifi chipset) than with a completely different radio with new and varied characteristics? This version neutered for Chinese consumption seems much more plausible than the CDMA device, but I still think it’s probably BS. But what do I know.

The main thing I have with all of these dumbfuck technology pundits is that nobody seems to realize that Apple has carefully chosen its preferred wireless carriers based on their common network characteristics: GSM. Even in Japan, they chose to work with SoftBank instead of NTT DoCoMo because DoCoMo doesn’t operate a GSM standard network. For Apple to switch carriers to anyone other than T-Mobile (in the US market) would create a fuckload of implementation problems that are completely isolated to the US market. And, I’m sure Apple has studied this, T-Mobile’s network kinda blows. AT&T is no fucking gem of an operator, but the realistic alternatives are no better.

Posted in Apple, Douchebaggery, Jackassery, JesusPhone, Phones, Ramblings, Rants, Technology, WTF, iPhone | No Comments »

Upgrade my RAID (I’m looking for free shit)

Friday, July 17th, 2009

So, there comes a time in every man’s life when he realizes that the hard disks he has are no longer sufficient to store what he needs them to store. I just sold a bunch of AAPL stock to pay down my credit cards and hopefully get some new gear for my good old G4 tower. Here’s what I’m looking at getting:

(4) Western Digital WD1001FALS Caviar Black 1TB SATA drives from Amazon
(1) Rosewill RC-217 Silicon Image 3124-based PCI SATA RAID card from NewEgg
(2) NB-X-Swing 2 x 3.5″ into 1 x 5.25″ optical drive bay brackets from Performance PCs

I know that it’s a lot of hardware to install in a Power Mac G4, but if it’s primarily a storage machine, why get a Drobo when I can get a whole lot more out of this monster of a tower? If anyone has review units they would like to send out, I’ll whore for you with full disclosure. I don’t need Obama’s FTC getting all up on me. :)

Posted in Apple, Hardware, Mac Stuff, Ramblings, Technology | No Comments »

The Bootable SD Slot And You: Facts To Know

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

With the recent announcement of Apple’s Mid-2009 lineup of MacBook Pro models, and the introduction of the 15-inch and newly rebranded 13-inch models with SD (and SDHC) memory card slots, the world has been drooling over the notion of bootable SD cards serving as emergency disks for oh-shit recovery of a fallen Mac while on the road. I am completely in favor of this idea, but the SD/SDHC boot capability has been around since January 2006.

Beginning with Apple’s adoption of Intel processors and implementation of EFI, booting devices over Macs’ built-in USB buses has been a trivial task. Those Apple computers with FireWire ports can also boot from a properly configured 1394 device as well. The large majority of SD/SDHC memory card readers, including the Belkin-branded model living in my ExpressCard slot, are USB bridges that are usually bootable. Apple’s own built-in SD readers are also USB, which is half of an ExpressCard slot (but I’ll not rant about that now.) Almost any device on a bootable interface, including USB flash-based thumb drives, can hold an emergency bootable operating system.

For several months, I’ve been using the OCZ Diesel 16GB USB flash drive to test my OH SHIT image with pretty decent results. I’m a cheap bastard, and I’m not going to be spending $100+ to get the super duper high speed flash drives from OCZ or Corsair. When I bought my two, I paid around $26 or so from NewEgg, but the price has fluctuated to almost $40 before coming back to $33 as of today. Anyways, I create my boot image on an external FireWire drive because it is so much faster to create, update, and image. Once finalized and set up for restore, I use Carbon Copy Cloner to copy everything to the Diesel, and it’s amazing.

If you want to see a tutorial for dummies because I’m too lazy to do it myself, here’s a video on Macworld.com on how to set up a bootable SD card, which would work the same for any appropriately sized USB flash drive as well.

Just don’t let anyone tell you this is a “new” feature. Except that the SD slot is “built-in”, this functionality has existed for years.

Posted in Apple, Mac Stuff, Technology | No Comments »

Looks like my next MacBook Pro will have a 17-inch screen

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

Because Apple has neutered the 15-inch models with an SD card reader instead of something, oh I don’t know, professional like a FUCKING EXPRESSCARD SLOT.

And just because enough people bitched about FireWire being stripped from the 13-inch portables doesn’t mean you can add it back on, praise it like a gift from Jesus, and call it a “pro” portable when it has integrated video.

And maybe I’m just a bit cynical when I say that Apple is looking to have more retail shelf space available by not stocking spare batteries because STEVE JOBS SAYS YOU DON’T NEED A SPARE BATTERY ANYMORE. YOU’LL LIKE THIS ONE JUST FINE.

But people will buy them, and a few of us will be sitting in the corner bitching about lack of options. Bleh.

Posted in Apple, Douchebaggery, Jackassery, Mac Stuff, Rants, Technology, WTF | No Comments »

My Day Is Ruined, For No Good Reason

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

So, I recently found out that the vast majority of Apple’s wireless gear, including the AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and Time Capsule hardware is built by Ambit. Anyone who has known me for a while knows that I HATE Ambit cable modems with the fire of a thousand suns. They are quite crappy, in my personal experience, and knowing that my beloved Apple AirPort Extremes are OEMed by Ambit was like taking a shit in my Cheerios.

However, this does not change the fact that, AirPort Extreme hardware is amazingly solid and extremely reliable. I have had FEW problems ever with my AirPort gear, and it just goes to show that the design of the product means more than almost anything else, and even with a crappy OEM, you can have a great marketable device.

I also found out, as a total aside, that the Foxconn plant in Fullerton, CA assembled my Power Mac G4 and still assembles Mac Pro and Xserve hardware for Apple to this day. Any of your “Pro” Apple hardware that is labeled as “Assembled in USA” is probably built by Foxconn in Fullerton or Dallas, TX. There’s also a Quanta plant in Fremont, CA that does some assembly of stuff like (going by the serial numbers of shipping product) the iMac and MacBook, but my guess is that it does less than the plants in China. If anyone is actually interested in this shit, I’ll post more in the future.

Posted in Apple, Mac Stuff, Ramblings, Rants, Technology | No Comments »