As I wrote about a few days ago, my iPod has not been feeling well. After numerous resets and much frustration, I decided to visit the Apple store on 5th Avenue.
After traveling the 10 floors from my office and underground via the spiral staircase, I visited the “Genius bar” and signed up for a consultation. They have a nice reservation system and are quite helpful. Counters of young creative technologists with modern haircuts, tattoos, and piercings (you know…Apple people) all eager to help.
I met with Eric, who quickly diagnosed my problem as a hard drive issue. My iPod was less than 1-year old, so still under warranty, but more than six months, so I would have to pay around $30 to swap it for a new unit. I actually opted to pay for a $60 AppleCare plan which extends my warranty a total of 2 years past the original purchase price. I don’t normally do extended warranties, but I get the feeling this might happen again.
I take great care of my iPod. I have it housed snuggly in a leather case with clear plastic window so it can never come in contact with anything nasty. But still, the front screen has received some abrasions. This has been a common complaint on these devices. Anything so portable with a sensitive hard drive must also be susceptible to shock and other environmental conditions, but how else are you going to get 60GB of information on there?
I thought it interesting that a little sign on the iPod bar advertised an iPod recycling program where they would happily dispose of your iPod in exchange for 10% off the purchase price of a new one.
Well in less than 20 minutes I was setup with a brand new iPod–charged but without any content at all. I would need to sync up with my computer to get everything back on. I always thought that should have at least some songs and videos loaded on the player out-of-the-box. I’m sure some up-and-coming unsigned band would kill to be pre-loaded.
I also lost my personal engraving that I had on the back of the unit, trading it for immediate gratification. You can opt to get your replacement in the mail complete with your personalization.
The guy next to me had the same problem and got a new unit as well. I wonder what percent of units sold fail within one year of use?
Although disappointed that my iPod met an early demise, I was quite happy with the service and quick replacement. I don’t know how smart these geniuses are, but they are very helpful and professional–Thanks Eric.
Breaking up over the phone is cowardly. Breaking up using instant messenger is cowardly and modern. Firing 400 people using email is cowardly, modern, and efficient.
“Unfortunately your position is one that has been eliminated,” is the email that 400 RadioShack employees received letting them know they were no longer welcome at the “shack.” This sounds like a totally cold way to break this news, but evidently there were many meetings letting people know this was coming. It sounds like it was a lottery where everyone gets a ticket and there are 400 losers–Congratulations.
Some people complained that this should have been done face-to-face, but why bother. I have been in these meetings, and there is not much to say. It’s not like you can ask for your job back. After the shock, there are just questions about severance and extending health insurance. What better way than to have an email that hits you in the head about all of these things? Plus, it takes a long time to notify 400 people. At 15 minutes per person, that would be 100 hours of effort. Once the process started, everyone would wait in agony wondering if they were to be called next. The email method is like ripping the band-aid off quickly–sure it hurts, but it’s over quick.
Just think of the poor sap that showed up to work because his firing email was filtered as spam!
P.S. It always makes me a little made that the last line of these stories is about how the company’s stock rose in value after such a move. Congratulations.
I use my iPod every day–on the train, walking to work, sometimes in the car. Every once in a while it malfunctions. Sometimes it appears I no longer have any content loaded. Other times I get a sad iPod icon. Sometimes the apple symbol stays on the screen and nothing happens at all.
The basic, and I think only, fix is to reset your iPod:
Toggle the Hold switch on and off. (Slide it to Hold, then turn it off again.)
Press and hold the Menu and Select buttons until the Apple logo appears, about 6 to 10 seconds. You may need to repeat this step.
The most important thing to remember in these fairly simple steps is “You may need to repeat this step.”
After tying these 2 or 3 times, I started to worry that something was wrong. I tried connecting with my computer to see if that would jolt it back to life and eliminate weak battery power as the culprit.
I was about to take it to the flagship Apple store here in NYC, but being lazy, and a man, I decided to keep trying. (Did I mention that I work in the same building the Apple store is located?)
After a few more resets, I felt the hard drive spinning and signs of life. A few more resets and my iPod was alive again. I just wonder if this is a predictor of an early death for my iPod.
Global warming, melting ice caps, and holes in the ozone have not been a big concern to me. Avian bird flu doesn’t worry me, but I am very concerned if the latest problem becomes an inter-species issue–it seems that the genitals of polar bears are shrinking!
After we all agreed that the Earth does indeed revolve around the Sun, it seems we now need to agree on how many planets are in our solar system. Most of us were taught that there are nine planets in our system (listed by increasing distance from the Sun): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus (always makes me giggle), Neptune, and Pluto.
Some time ago, pesky Pluto came under some scrutiny and was to be declassified–perhaps for being too small. Well like so many other exclusive clubs, it seems that if you let one in you have to let them all in. Under some new standards, the Moon may even be considered a planet along with hundreds of other object.
There is certainly much debate, but just like our resistance of the metric system, it is unlikely that the American public will change their thoughts of the nine planets–even if they probably wouldn’t be able to name them on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.”
For now, Pluto will remain what astronomers are calling a “dwarf” planet–along with Sneezey and Dopey.
In related news, Klingons have been observed on Uranus! (I really couldn’t resist.)
Running is great exercise. Personally, I only run when being chased, and even then, I like to get somewhere. Running outside provides nice scenery, fresh air, and often a feeling of actually traveling some distance. Running on a track always bores me because I never felt I got anywhere and always lost count obsessing about what lap I was on. My least favorite is running on a treadmill.
Worse then running on a track, a treadmill literally gets you no where. Of course the positive aspects of a treadmill are a controlled inside environment, less impact on joints, and you can do it in a limited space.
Bicycling is a nice alternative to running due to even less impact on joints, and like running, I prefer to do this outside.
Now you can combine the worst of all of these elements into one activity using the Treadmill Bike! Take all the fun of running on a treadmill and stick it on top of a bicycle. Is any of this really necessary?
This “vehicle” is hilarious and it’s hard to decide if this isn’t actually a joke. The narrator of the video even has a hard time holding back the giggles. I just hope no one steal my idea for a stationary bicycle for the pool.
If you ever take the ear buds out of your ears, you can really enjoy some of the ridiculous things people say. However, if you would rather stay in your isolation of sound and have someone else filter the madness, then the Overheard… websites are for you.
I have been addicted to these sites for over a month. Who knows if all of this is true, but I operate under the philosophy that truth is stranger than fiction, so who cares?
Can You Hear Wednesday One-Liners Now?
Metro-North conductor: If you have been on your cell phone more than 5 minutes, you are not only annoying all of the passengers around you, but have also probably started to annoy the person on the other end of the call, so hang up.
What is our obsession with panda reproduction? It seems we are always trying to couple these animals up and forcing them to mate. I have early memories of Ling Ling back in the 70s. Well evidently are dwindling in the wild, and it is been very hard to get them to reproduce in captivity. But are we taking this too far?
Today’s news asks tries to find out if panda Lun Lun of the Atlanta zoo is pregnant. That might be bad enough, but as it is difficult to determine if pandas are pregnant (c’mon science?!) they have engaged a psychic to help!!
I must admit that I am a big skeptic regarding psychics, and therefore have no tolerance for pet psychics. I am more amazed at the amount of news attention stories like these receive. (Of course I am now contributing to it.)
You can’t watch the video and think that the whole piece isn’t a big joke. The psychic even goes on to predict that the panda wishes her baby to be named “Pu Pu.”
As a gadget boy, I have a Treo 600 on one hip and a Blackberry 7290 on the other. In my IBM ThinkPad T42laptop bag, I have my 60GB Video iPod. I am generally using at least two of these devices at once–while on the train or walking. When driving, I usually can only swing one at a time. With all of these devices in close proximity to one another, I have noticed some strange phenomenon.
The Blackberry is a noisy device. In a radio frequency (RF) interference sense, the Blackberry shouts over everything. I can always tell when I am receiving a new email a few seconds before it actually gets delivered, for if the Blackberry is anywhere near a speaker or telephone, there is a telltale staticy sound that one hears whenever the device is sending or receiving information. When this happens on a conference call, it can get quite annoying.
Now I have confirmed that the Blackberry “communicates” with the iPod. The good news is that I have not experienced hearing any interference while listening to the iPod, but almost worse, the Blackberry adjusts the volume on the iPod! At first I thought I was imagining things–perhaps I bumped the volume control wheel, or the case that protects the easily scratched pod was the culprit. After some definitive tests, I have confirmed that if these two devices are next to one another and the Blackberry communicates with the mother ship, your iPod’s volume will change–sometimes lower, but sometimes to an ear-splitting full volume.
Like quarrelsome children, I have learned to keep these two devices apart, but I am considering upgrading my iPod software and enabling the volume limiting function to safeguard against a “Blackberry volume boost.”
If you have had similar experience, please comment.
Finding a good graphics program can be both difficult and expensive. There are many options for working with photographic images, but if you need other graphics for websites and presentations, you have the low end with MS Paint (free with Windows) or the high end with Photoshop ($649).
Personally, I prefer to use Macromedia’s (now Adobe) Fireworks ($299) for web graphics. It works well for GIF and PNG formats, is vector-based, and has some smooth anti-aliasing. Fireworks is fairly expensive however, and not readily available on every machine.
I have found a pretty good alternative that is both cheap (free) and portable. The program is called GIMP. The name is a complex acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program, where GNU is a recursive acronym for GNU is Not Unix.
I have yet to explore all of GIMP’s features, but it works for what I need when I am without my favorites. I can create logos, resize images, and export as almost any format. There are your basic drawing tools, selection options, color palettes, and views. For the more advanced needs, layers are supported, and there are many cool filters and scripts.
You’re only as good as your tools, and they’re only good if you have them. If your favorite software is only installed on your computer, then you are at quite a loss when anywhere else. The concept of portable software means that a zero-install version can be loaded on a CD, USB drive, or even an iPod so that you can take it with you. GIMP comes in a portable version, and is available here.
If you need to work with graphics, I suggest you add GIMP to your toolbox.
After traveling the 10 floors from my office and underground via the spiral staircase, I visited the “Genius bar” and signed up for a consultation. They have a nice reservation system and are quite helpful. Counters of young creative technologists with modern haircuts, tattoos, and piercings (you know…Apple people) all eager to help.
I use my iPod every day–on the train, walking to work, sometimes in the car. Every once in a while it malfunctions. Sometimes it appears I no longer have any content loaded. Other times I get a sad iPod icon. Sometimes the apple symbol stays on the screen and nothing happens at all. 
