'I'm always looking for the Hows and the Whys and the Whats,' said Muskrat, 'That is why I speak as I do. You've heard of Muskrat's Much-in-Little, of course?'
'No,' said the child. 'What is it?'
- The Mouse and his Child. Russell Hoban.

Go here to find out more.

Saturday 7 April 2018

Clunking Along


I have become very attached to this dear laptop of mine.  I refuse to write 'dear old laptop', because it still feels very new to me. However, that's what it is.  Bought in mid 2010, it is now the ripe old age of nearly 8 years old, and will no longer do what it should do.  In fact, despite, or, possibly because my son installed the latest operating system on it, it has become very very slow.  It took 3 minutes simply to open its own information.

Oh dear.

Apparently I could do three things.
1. see if it has room inside for a bigger hard-drive to be installed, and if so, for about $400 get one put in.  Which still may not solve the problem.
2. remove my 10,000 photos from iPhoto and see if that makes it happier.
3. buy a new one.

I'm working on #2 but due to the  s l o w n e s s, I may reach senility (or be driven into it by the plodding pace) by the time it gets done.  It's a lovely way to waste time however.  Happy visual memories.

Sketching Kea feather colours at the Back of House at the Auckland Museum last year.
A Piwakawaka (Fantail) in my garden - one of my next painting subjects

Parrotfish while snorkelling in Tahiti

Sunset on Guam

Looking for insect pests in a market garden on Pohnpei

Tang at the Palau Aquarium

My first scarab sighted - Taiwan


Nice veggies from the garden.



9 comments:

  1. Clunking Along - would make a good song title for the physical aspects of my current age.

    My Apple Laptop is at the end of its battery life. The Apple operating system and their computers are the Rolls Royce of what available but it comes at a cost. I am told that it is not possible to purchase a new battery, this being part of the designed obsolescence of Apples products (They do this in a devious and costly way with a range of products) I am not sure what to do - run it with a power cord for ever - I guess that's my best option unless I am prepared to purchase a new Apple Laptop $3000+ So I feel for you in your predicament.

    Of course one option would be to come to terms with the Linux operating system (It's pretty much free) and purchase a generic laptop with lots of battery replacement options.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure which Apple you have Alden but I it's certainly possible to put a new battery in any MacBook.

      Delete
    2. Thanks for that Graham, I was told that this wasn't possible, but then people often say stuff they they have heard third hand - so I will test it out and make some inquiries. I will be pleased if I can replace it as I am continually getting pop ups from my computer warning me about imminent death of the battery.

      Delete
  2. Eight years? I guess you have emptied your Temporary Internet folders? That can cause clogging up. But eight years is a pretty long time. Maybe you should bite the bullet and invest in a new machine. Shall I start up a crowd funding page?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ah, the battery problem... I am lucky in that I use mine as a desk top these days, and travel with my ipad...
    Yes, linux is an idea. I’m rather a macaddict, unfortunately.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Temporary internet. is that like the caches YP?
    A crowd funding page may be required. I’ll try a Big Art Autumn Cleanout Sale first. Will get back to you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My original MacBook was mid 2010 and I still have it but it is so slow that I use it only for one specific task and even that has largely been overtaken by my iPad Pro and Apple Music. I did upgrade the RAM but it's still too slow by today's standards.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kate I run Yosemite on my 2010 MacBook Pro. I have avoided installing High Sierra because it has been known to have problems. It may be that like my Mac yours also requires a new battery. You can check the battery state by clicking the Apple in the top left hand corner - about this Mac - system report - power. This will show you the battery condition and the number of times the Mac has been re-charged.

    If you go here:

    https://www.gottabemobile.com/how-to-check-if-you-need-new-macbook-battery/

    You will get an overview of all of this.

    Apparently Graham Edwards is correct - you can obtain a new battery (expensive) but not as expensive as purchasing a new Mac. It seems that a new battery may very well cure any 'slow down' problems you may be having.

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  7. Thanks for that info Geeb and Alden. A pity one cannot de-install an update...
    anyway, problem solved and I am now steaming along with my new Macbook Pro.

    ReplyDelete

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