Irrashai supports the Open Web.
Some freebies I got from our Firefox Campus Rep – a Firefox lanyard and an “I Support Open Web” baller ID. Thank you.
To learn more about this activity, proceed [HERE].
Firefox Freebies
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MBP Battery Issues
Since I got the MBP back roughly 3 weeks ago, I noticed that the battery life has diminished. And significantly that is. I can use the machine for a maximum of two hours now, whereas it can stay almost 3.5 to 4 hours before. I wonder if the logic board replacement has got anything to do with it (although I highly doubt). For all I know, this could have been going on for a while but I was just unaware of. It’s been more than a year anyway.
Anyhow, before I check with Apple Care, I decided to diagnose it myself first (not an expert, so let’s just check the stats). This way, I can avoid excuses technicians always make when dealing with customers (i.e. like try to reset PRAM first, etc).
How-To: Install (Snow) Leopard from Firewire or USB Drive
I learned this trick when I misplaced the Leopard DVD that comes with the Macbook Pro. This time, I tried (with assurance from other blog/forum posts that it actually works – there are probably tons of more detailed tutorials than this.) doing the same for Snow Leopard.
What you need:
- External Hard Drive (USB or Firewire) –
WARNING: should not contain important files, since we will format this.
- Snow Leopard installer DVD or DMG file
Application to Use:
Disk Utility
Steps:
0. Create DMG file
Select the DVD drive from the Left Pane of Disk Utility. Then click “New Image” icon from the Top Menu. Type the filename of your choice (or retain as Mac OS X Server Install Disc) and the select destination folder and SAVE.
[Gadget] ACER Timeline 3810T
For a few weeks now, I’ve kept on thinking and rethinking whether to post a review of my (then new) now 1.75 month-old netbook – the ACER Timeline 3810T. But then I stalled not knowing what to write about. I eventually lost interest after getting back the Macbook Pro from repair and decided not to bother. Let me begin with how I acquired this little devil. (Let’s make it dreamy, shall we? *sarcasm*)
One fine Saturday morning on June 18th, little Ms. Geekette woke with not even a hint of wanting/craving/needing to get herself a notebook. She happily went about her daily morning routine, among the firsts would be opening up her notebook to browse. But she woke up in the wrong side of the bed. The weather is gloomy and a storm is approaching. She lazily opened the MBP, the video was distorted (see this blog post). Oh no, it broke a day before the KL trip. Just the perfect timing. Oft she went to work on the issue, spent the day fixing and backing up files (firewire method), then eventually braved the storm to take the precious little lappy for repair. As expected, it will take 2 weeks to repair. The next day was a perfectly sunny Sunday morning. She finally decided to purchase a new ACER Timeline to take with her 5 hours later.
Wireless 802.11n Ratified
I waited years and years… then it all happened while I wasn’t paying attention. After 7 years of waiting, IEEE 802.11n Wireless LAN Specification was ratified on September 11, 2009 to provide significantly improved data throughput and range. Technically, the standard is called 802.11n-2009, an amendment to the 802.11-2007.
Advantages:
802.11n – even in its draft stage – boasts of improved speed and range. Compared with its predecessor, the 802.11g, wireless-N raises the bar from a bandwidth of 54 Mbps to a ~600 Mbps using 4 spatial streams at a channel width of 40 MHz. wireless-G and all previous versions are using 20MHz frequency only. It is such a relief to finally remove that annoying “draft” thingy in the wifi logo, isn’t it?
Compatibility:
Owners of pre-draft wireless-N devices should not fret, according to Wi-fi Alliance. As vendors have promised, firmware upgrade should do the magic. In fact, Wi-fi Alliance has launched an updated Wi-Fi CERTIFIED N program (see here).
Links:
IEEE Announcement
IEEE News
Reuters: IEEE Ratifies 802.11n
CNET: 802.11n Wi-Fi Standard Finally Approved
Eweek: 802.11n Makes Official Debut
Wikipedia Entry: 802.11n-2009
PS. Sorry for the very delayed post. I wanted to detail the differences, improvements, or other whatnots but it seems it may take longer than expected. I admit that while I am truly exhilarated by the news, I have yet to fully understand the extent of changes from the Draft-2.0 to this final standard. I better start reading the 560-page doc, which can be downloaded from here (for IEEE members).