Gear

Posts about hardware, software, or the tech industry itself

Replacing the shift key on a Macbook 2015

Apple has done some amazing work in recent years refining the definition of ‘small’ and ‘thin’ computers. The Macbook 2015, which I previously reviewed/compared to my Macbook Pro , is definitely the poster child for minimalist full-capability computing.

Unfortunately, I broke one of the keys on my Macbook when I accidentally dropped the laptop on our hardwood floor. My attempt to repair this demonstrated the dark side of all that miniaturization- the Macbook 2015 is very hard to fix.

The first recommendation I found was to replace the entire top of the Macbook: keyboard, touchpad, and case assembly. In addition to this being rather costly (several hundred dollars), it just didn’t seem right. The other keys were fine, and as far as I could tell the electronic ‘bubble’ key mechanism was still working. Just the hinge and the key were broken.

In the end, I was proven right- it is possible to fix a single key without replacing the entire keyboard. Here is my experience of that process.

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Getting quantified: Fitbit Flex

Two weeks ago I purchased and started using a Fitbit Flex.  It is basically a set of accelerometers, some computing, and a Bluetooth wireless connection bundled into something you can wear on your wrist.  This little gadget won’t turn me into an athlete, but I’m hoping it might make me a little more aware of my astounding lack of activity.  And in the process, possibly shame me into moving a bit.

Fitbit flex

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New iPhone: or why I cancelled my Rogers account

I’ve had a couple of tiring and rather stressful weeks at work in a row, so I decided to take Friday afternoon off.  Since it was cold (and getting colder) I couldn’t really go for a ride on my motorbike.  Instead, I decided to practice some retail therapy and “upgrade” my BlackBerry Bold to an iPhone.

iPhone 4: this changes everything

My BlackBerry is on Rogers, so off I went to my local Rogers Plus store…

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How the iPad changed my life…

I received my iPad directly from Apple in early June and have been living with it since.  I mean that phrase more completely than is usual with something of a technical nature: this device really has become part of my life, far more quickly and completely than I expected.  The iPad is more than the sum of its parts: not exactly “magical”, but truly something new that goes beyond the mere technical details that describe it.  And yet not all is well in this wondrous future into which this little booklet-sized computer has ushered me.


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Network attached storage- ReadyNAS NV+ and NVX

Years ago, shortly before the turn of the century, I had a pretty good backup solution. I had a 20 Gigabyte tape drive that I used to back up all of my storage.

That was a decade ago. Somewhere along the line, the combined increases in total storage I had to back up plus the slowness/cost/general hassle of maintaining tapes mean that my backup strategy broke down. I tried various things in the interim, including network attached storage in 2006, and the Time Capsule for backing up my Macintoshes. The Time Capsule works great, but even with a terabyte of disk storage I am rapidly running out of room- and it does nothing to back up my Windows or Linux machines.

I needed something expandable, multi-platform, fast, and inexpensive. Well, three out of four isn’t bad, I guess…

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I will be buying an iPad… but why?

Apple ended months (for some people years) of speculation today by finally announcing the upcoming release of a tablet computer, the iPad. Like pretty much everything Apple releases, there is an overwhelming amount of hype surrounding the device, and many “true believers” are disappointed by what the device offers.

Even so, I plan on buying one when it becomes available. I thought it would be appropriate to explain my rational on the theory that my friends and family may doubt my sanity more than usual as a result.

ipad.jpg

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Solid state drives: “next year’s” big thing yet again…

Solid state drives (SSDs) have been “next year’s great technology” for about six years now. Each year it seems that all it would take would be some economies of scale, and we could cast off the shackles of mechanical “spinning disk” technology for good. Unfortunately, another year has come and gone, and still SSDs are too little for too much…

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Packing up…

I’m organizing my electronics, clothing, and sundries for our trip to Nova Scotia. The plane leaves at around 7:30 PM tomorrow, and we arrive in Halifax at about 6:30 am or some similar ungodly hour- I’m only vaguely aware of the actual itinerary.

The actual details of the travel are not that interesting to me at the moment. The important stuff, of course, is what to take and what to do when we get there.

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