wrighters.net

I got a new MacBook (white 2.2 GHz CPU) on November 3rd, just after the update to the new Santa Rosa chipset.  It has been quite nice, especially since I updated the memory to 4 GB using third party memory.  Apple wanted $850 for a 4 GB upgrade, I did it for $150.  The extra RAM came in really handy using VMware Fusion.  Leopard has for the most part been stable and impressive with most of the new features working great.

I have had some problems with the keyboard freezing occasionally.  I found that if I closed the lid and reopened it a few times, the keyboard would sometimes come back.  The trackpad works fine the entire time, but the keyboard would completely stop working.  Looking around a bit, it appears this is possibly a major issue with Leopard on MacBooks and MacBook Pros.  I installed the 10.5.1 update about three days ago and haven’t had the problem since, but it appears that some people are still having the issue after the update.  Apple better get to the bottom of this quickly, or word will continue to get out and the mainstream press may stop fawning all over them.  The story hit techmeme today, so I guess the word is getting out.

I have used a Fisher bullet pen for a while now. These are the pens made famous by the Seinfeld episode where Jerry accepts the pen from his parents’ arch nemesis in the condo association, and they want him to give it back. Hilarity ensues. The big deal was that the pen could write upside down (which it can). I like the bullet pen because it is really small and can fit in your pocket. The problem is that it is in two pieces and the cap has to be removed and placed back on the main part of the pen in order for it to be long enough to write with.

I just got a new Fisher Telescoping Pen on Friday. This pen is made from “F-16″ aluminum (did they buy an F-16 to cut into pieces?) and consists of one piece with a part that extends out the back for a balanced feel when the pen is open and you are writing, then closes up to 3 1/2″ when closed. So far, I really like it – let’s hope I don’t lose it.