REDELIJKHEID
Recently I bought a new MacBook (late 2008 edition). Since Apple charges the world for options I got the cheapest one available, and decided to upgrade the hard disk and/or memory when I saw the time fit. Well, that time has come.
Today I got a new Western Digital Scorpio Black 7.200rpm 320GB (WD3200BJKT) for €85.00 to replace the default 160GB 5400 rpm drive.Even though the risk is minimal, there's always the risk of screwing things up. So ...
While in the mids of my Juniper exam preparation I ran into a problem with my Apple equipment. Managing the Juniper firewall (SSG5 in this case) with SSH was not possible from OSX. The connection itself would work, but after entering the password the connection was closed by the remote host (the firewall).
Trying this from a Windows laptop (with SecureCRT) everything worked as expected.
Some searching revealed that this is an OpenSSH bug. To manage your Juniper with SSH from OSX you need to add a parameter to the ssh command (or edit the SSH config file).
Parameter to add:
-o ControlMaster=auto
e.g. ssh willem@127.0.0.1 -o ControlMaster=auto
Or add the following line to the global SSH config (/etc/ssh_config) or the user config (~/.ssh/config).
ControlMaster auto
Juniper has a knowledgebase article (KB12409) on the issue.
The new aluminum MacBook arrived this week. This time no Pro verion but the cheaper (and smaller) MacBook. Initial impressions are good... really good.
The only drawbacks are directly related to the fact that I was too cheap to buy the more expensive version. The keyboard color is white letters on black keys (this was black letter on 'silver' or white keys). This makes it harder to read them in low light conditions. So not having the backlit keyboard is a bit annoying.
Also, the lack of an USB port on the right-side of the MacBook is annoying. The cable of my mighty mouse is too short to get from the left-side USB port to the right-side where I use it.
MacBook for LeftiesBest (free) configuration option is the US keyboard. Finally a 'normal' keyboard on the MacBooks.
Panasonic Lumix LX3After a long and extensive search for an additional point and shoot camera (P&S) I bought the Panasonic Lumix LX3.
The reason for buying the camera were:
Panasonic Lumix LX3 test imageWhen you're used to a semi-pro dSLR it takes a while getting used to. Most of the camera functions are hidden in menu's.
One question for Panasonic-crew; Why the absurd prices on the optional accessories? The optional ViewFinder is HALF the price of the camera.
Guess I'll be waiting for the cheap Asian knock-offs.
The new MacBook lacks the (oh so) familiar FireWire port, so how am I supposed to migrate from my MacBook Pro to a new MacBook? Copy everything over the network? Or are they providing special tooling?
MacBook 2008 PortsThe advantage of the firewire port was that you can access your Apple hardware as a external drive. Quite handy if your laptop/desktop fails to boot. Just hook it up with FireWire to another Apple and you can try to fix the problem (and get to your data).
We might be heading to a Windows Migration Assistant kinda feature....
UPDATE: It seems that migration is available via ethernet, or by mounting a diskimage (which you created on the other machine)
UPDATE 2: Apple to the rescue with the Migration and DVD/CD Sharing Update.
Apple announced (or released) three 'new' MacBooks;
The biggest surprises (apart from the new housing) is that the MacBooks come in two flavours; the 'old' white MacBook (which is also a sub-thousand dollar/euro laptop), and an aluminum version.
Every MacBook (Pro/Air) has the possibility of having solid-state harddrives, and, as usual, there are several upgrades available (CPU, Memory, and tons of accessories). The thing that keeps bothering me is the price that Apple wants for its memory upgrades are most likely ridiculous (as usual). Problem this time is that Apple puts DDR3 DIMMS in the notebooks, and I can't seem to find these in the regular webshops.
Anyway, after getting the Popcorn Hour this week there's no reason for getting an Air or Pro version of the MacBook (if my MBP dies, or gets sold for a decent price). But first.... Wait to see wait the initial problems are with the new MacBooks, because there always is something.......
We'll see a new MacBook (Pro) tomorrow if all the rumors are right. My current MacBook Pro (MBP) is one of the first releases (the Intel 1.0 version so to say), and is working just fine. I even used it to view HD content on my TV (720p max, but without DTS decoding).
The last year I was having this idea of upgrading my MBP so that I'm able of watching full HD content on my TV. But now with the arrival of the Popcorn Hour that necessity is gone. Now I can 'upgrade' my MBP to a new (sub $1000 ??) MacBook when the time comes. All I do on the laptop is a bit of;
No need to spend extra for watching HD content. It's like 'spending money to save money'.
Popcorn Hour A-110'Networked Media Tank' a.k.a. 'Popcorn Hour' is another name for an awesome piece of hardware. It's a small device (the size of a 8-port desktop switch)) that enables you to view media on your TV. You name the format, and it plays it. No matter what the resolution is.
The Popcorn Hour (PCH) is a specialized piece of hardware just for decoding media. Even MKV (Matroska Containers) files are supported. I tried this by downloading a sample of Iron Man in 1080p with DTS audio, and it performed flawlessly. The picture quality was superb.
Besides watching video's you can also;
I currently use mine solely with the HDMI connector hooked up to my Pioneer A/V Receiver. This way I get to enjoy all the benefits of HD content. There are numerous ways of connecting the PCH to your TV/Home Theater. Both analog and digital.
One little drawback; don't plan on doing a lot of pushing buttons on the remote when you are copying lot's of files over the network to the device. I had to reset my PCH twice in an hour. The CPU for the operating System (OS) on the device is for the interface and basic network connectivity (there's a CPU for displaying media, and a CPU for the OS). So if you're gonna stress the device it might hang.
So, if you're thinking about a Home Theater PC (HTPC) for the purpose of watching media this is the device for you. If you plan on recording TV you'll need another device for doing that.
There seems to be a special Apple event next Tuesday (Oktober 14th) with the 'cryptic' hint;
"The spotlight turns to notebooks"
Guess it's time to start saving (or hoping that the stock market goes up)
Rumors are that a new and improved Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 AF-S lens will be announced/revealed on Photokina 2008. Which would be nice since I'm still saving money to 'replace' my Sigma 80-400.
It would be nice to come back from holiday, and to find out that Nikon shipping lots of new goodies :).