kirabug’s idea files

The optical drive on my iBook G4 is shot. That doesn’t render it unusable, but it does render it annoying.

So I went internet-hunting for a quote and discovered this nifty site. iFixit will not only sell you the parts (and tools) you need to fix your ailing out-of-warranty Mac hardware, but also provides guides for gutting said ailing Mac so you can install the part. Very niiiice. Especially considering how far I had to dig to find the guide the last time I needed to replace something.

On the other hand, Apple just quoted me $99 to replace the drive, and considering that the part is running at least that on most 3rd party websites and this includes labor, I’m tending toward that. I’m not sure the guy I was talking to really understood what I was asking though, because the price seems REALLY low. But $99 sure as heck beats not having a laptop.

We’ll see….

I wish I had this much free time.

Apple - Get a Mac - Watch the TV Ads - Sad Song Long is the long, long version of the current Mac ad. Definitely brings the giggles.

Why Apple is more expensive than Amazon

At least, when it comes to buying DRM-free music.

This article sounds half-paranoid, but after the moronic track record that our “friends” in the music industry have subjected us to for many many years, I think it (sadly) makes logical sense.

And have you noticed that the music industry never steps forward to refute accusations like these?

For your perusal:

The Green Monster

Boston Apple Store in progress facade.

Mmmm, baseball and apple store.

My kid sister (basschica) managed to bathe her Macbook in iced tea Friday. As a result, we’re back at the Apple Store today.

Let me just say that the Genius Bar and the way they handle it is the most awesome support mechanism I’ve ever seen. But the kid just got called up, so I’ll post more later.

First, an awesome shirt about roundhouse kicks.

I had a great time out at lunch with two friends who are black belts (one’s a m\Master) in Tang Soo Do today. One of the great benefits of this new activity is that I now have a point of connection with incredible people I might have otherwise lost touch with. That by itself is worth the price of admission.

I’ve also learned through a clothing shopping trip yesterday that my fluffy body has already started to reorganize. I haven’t lost any weight, but certain pockets of fat are starting to disappear. Benefits: less fat. Consequences: now I don’t wear the same style of pants I did 3 months ago and had to move to a different rack at the fat girls’ store. Can’t say that’s a bad thing.

And finally, here’s a skill I didn’t think would be involved in martial arts: sewing. I bought a sewing machine this week because my fat ass takes a size 6 do bokh (uniform) and that’s the same size that my friend the six-foot-four Master wears. Or to put it another way, I had to hem almost 8 inches of fabric off the bottom.

I just might make my fortune by commissioning someone to create Tang Soo Do do bokhs in patterns designed for women. That is, after I do the other eight hundred things I was going to do to conquer the world.

Unrelated aside:
The awesome folks at the Apple Store managed to take apart the monolith, clean her up, and call me to pick her up already by this afternoon. So we’re back on the iMac and life is good. I’m a happy camper.