This is the first "current" mac i've ever really used on a personal level. The last time i used a mac that was even remotely relevant at the time it was being used by me on a day to day basis were LC 5x0s and 5x00s in the 7th and 8th grade, waaaay back in 1999. 7.6.1 on those.

First impressions.

Light, amazingly light for the size. That's my first impression of the chassis as i pick up the laptop from the USPS box it came in. It's a calm afternoon in my house, i just got back from OTR driving. My vacation in Orlando starts in about 12 hours, so anything i have to do with this laptop for upgrades has to be done, i search all my boxes for the various parts. the 750gb solid state drive, the 8gb of ram, the brand new battery. All parts bought just to give this 7 year old laptop a fighting chance. I open up the last parts box, it's my 1650x1050 screen, i notice the bezel is a different color, it's brushed aluminum versus plain black of the original screen. I rush through the upgrade, a few screws get lost, but the system works, then comes the fun part, finding a copy of 10.7, so i can get the free upgrade to Sierra. Burning the DVD on my windows 10 gaming laptop doesn't work, so i have to use the 10.6 boot media i bought. It works, i download and burn the ISO onto a disc using the mac, i check into a hotel room and get sierra working brilliantly that night.

The Departure

I wake up in my Essington PA hotel room, after 4 hours of sleep, to a dead laptop, something went wrong in the middle of the night, i fidget with it before i give up and pack it into my carry on, TSA will test it and pass it since it does power on, just a black screen. System would spin up and do various things to the optical drive. I make it to the airport, drop my car off in the economy parking, just in time for a long check in for baggage, i see no self check in anywhere. After a false start to going through security i made it through just fine to the other side, i get the mac working while waiting for my 737 to arrive and board. I originally was going to be writing while flying, but the seats were not the right angle for me to do anything with a laptop as big as this 15 incher.


The Reconcilliation.

After arriving in Florida i rent my car and spend time with my friends down there, we see the sights and stuff. Nightly i start using the macbook, making sure to use it as my main system so i can get used to it. It will be my main communication and entertainment system in the truck for anything that doesn't need an i7 and a geforce 660m. As i get used to it i learn more and more about the OS, the gestures it requires, how it's weird for sleeping for some reason. I fix almost all the software glitches over the next few days in florida.

The Return.

Above me is the eclipse, i borrow a pair of glasses to view it in the airport's boarding hall, skylights directly above the central walkway provide a neat view of the eclipse. I had changed my plans for a return flight so i have a direct return instead of an early morning. I check my messages at the airport, discover art of me has been posted from artists i comissioned, at this moment it sinks into me, i am soon to return to my day to day life, normality is returning, soon i will be in Philadelphia, standing infront of my 1996 ford and ready to sink into the doldrums of life. I had experienced highs and lows through the week, meeting my best friend online in person after nearly 15 years of friendship, seeing the space shuttle atlantis, getting rained upon a few times, almost forgetting my keys in orlando, and so on. I board the plane for the 2.5 hour flight home, i have grown accustomed to how the plane seats feel on my wide body, thankfully southwest has not installed narrower seats on these planes to maximize profits.

The Conclusion.

I made several right decisions in the build up to this trip, booking a southwest flight, booking a rental car, buying the macbook pro and giving it a trial by fire in orlando. Would i do it again, yes without any hesitation. This is a life i could get used to living, becoming a world traveler, picking random cities in the USA to fly to that i've never been to just to get a unique once in a lifetime experience. With the macbook pro that just made it easier to do it and stay in touch with all my friends here on FA and on various messengers.

Yeah, i bought it because my asus gaming laptop sucks for battery life, i didn't pay much for it. As it will be my more portable system i will be loading it up with software, 750gb solid state is going in as well as the 1680x1050 screen. I need software sugguestions, it's the geforce 330m mac. some games it can handle, software you guys consider essential, etc. specs are below. I have a ton of games on steam and i have portal 1/2 and half life 2, so don't worry about that, i even have kerbal already.

Any sugguestions you guys would have would be appreciated. Even if i don;'t need to use that type of product, i may try it out anyway.


New battery
2.53 core i5
8gb ram
750gb hard drive
HiRes 1680x1050 screen
macOS sierra

yay i'm older.

i've had it for a while now. I've just been apprehensive about sharing it. Just ask me for it here via a note, and 9 times out of 10 i will add ya within a few days, or the same day.

Just one rule. If you are going to add me to a group, just ask before you do it. It gets annoying to be brought into a group before i get asked.

https://youtu.be/iG8eVzJG7XM

did this because well...i wanted to test out the built in video recorder for win 10

make sure you base them around the designs of J Mays. The guy who did the original New Beetle, the passat, etc. Disney hired him to do the car designs of zootopia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_Mays


http://jalopnik.com/how-disney-s-zo.....r-d-1762567392

I now have an Xbox One.

That is all.

Joel has finally gotten the rights to make MST3K Again, it was held by what was left of Best Brains Inc. Shout got the rights from best brains and has let Joel pitch to Kickstarter. This all started Nov 10 2015. I am a backer, and i want to see this show return to the airwaves. That is why i am doing a signal boost. I grew up with this show on the Sci-Fi channel.


https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....bringbackmst3k

http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/28/9.....-windows-8-pcs

I already got the early "release" Win 10 build 10240 on the Thinkpad T510, it runs great. I went from 7 pro to 10 Pro though. only thing i had to do was reinstall the Nvidia drivers and the sound chipset driver.

Nobody has asked this question, this is more of an experiment to see if i can write a car review. A forerunner to a friend and I doing a write up on an experiment we're going to do involving MPG between two cars, to see how much aerodynamics plays. Both our cars have the same basic engine (his has the later higher HP head) the exact same transmission, and the same final drive ratio. 3.27 for the rear, 2002 Crown Victoria 1996 T-Bird. Now on to the crux of this journal.....


What is it really like to own a 19 year old American car that is somewhat complex and was never really driven?


Handling:

This car handles great, but it does so in kind of a floaty barge way. You get lots of body roll but you never really feel out of control. It does have four wheel independent suspension after all, but it is a very 1980s design, as such it drives like a 1980s car. Power steering is boosted and is supposed to have variable boost, I am unsure if mine is actually working, or if Ford just gave it really over boosted levels at all vehicle speeds. It is a fairly neutral car, handles better than you would expect given the curb weight of 3,800 lbs. This is a car the size of a Taurus with the Wheelbase of a crown victoria, so it isn't as point to point as some other cars, it will plow through curves. With all that being said, it is quite fun to toss around on a back road as long as you're aware that it really favors understeer, and you have really thick 15 inch tires. 215/70R15.


Performance:

Not break neck, but not downright terrible. I have the 4.6L 205HP 280 LbFt Modular V8, a very stout engine, coupled to a fairly weak 4R70W (AOD) Transmission which i have to get a new valve body and seperator plate for so i can actually have more fun. Not that mine are broken just there is a modification that gets done to them to allow for firmer shifts and increased longevity. That being said, as it stands, completely stock, it can get up and go fairly quickly, releasing an awesome sound from the Y pipe non true dual exaust. 0-60 is around 8 seconds, which is not too bad given the curb weight of 3,800 lbs. Notice how I keep coming back to the curb weight, well that comes into play with the major problem. This car has undersized brakes. Now, ford digged into the parts bin for these, got them off a base Taurus, which only weighs 3200 lbs and is a FWD family car with at most a 3.8L v6 in the nose. I am in the process of upgrading the front rotors and pads to Wagner Advanced Tech rotors with ceramic pads, hopefully that fixes the brake fade issue. Friend of mine took it to work to get some things checked for me while I've been out on the road in the semi, he said in city driving the brake fade gets horrendous. Since i have a plain LX i do not have the 16 inch alloy wheels which came with Taurus SHO nor do i have the rear disc set up. from the ABS equipped model, just Taurus drums in the back. This all adds up to a braking system that is overwhelmed quite easily, and is not going to stop you reliably after a few hot passes. I will update you guys after the new pads and rotors are installed. The rear end is very well sorted, just everything has this isolated feel to it, due to the thick tires and the fact that you got front and rear suspension subframes.


Interior:

The interior is where the vehicle really shines, Very well laid out with easy to read buttons and gauges. You get a full instrument Cluster with a 120mph speedometer, a volt meter, and a oil pressure gauge. Now this oil pressure gauge is a dummy gauge, it only reads in the middle due to it being a simple 6PSI on/off switch. It is very functional as a gauge cluster. Moving over to the center stack, you have a very well designed semi automatic climate control. What that translates into is instead of a computer controlling the position the air comes out of you do it by hand, and you have a rotary knob to control fan speed. Instead of a bunch of buttons and a roller switch like in the Taurus or Crown Victoria. The Radio is a Ford "Premium" Sound CD player with an 80 watt amp in the trunk. The downside to this stereo is that all the wiring is in the trunk, and you have to run a cable back there if you want to convert to a newer stereo, and you have to figure out where you want the power antenna. As i am unsure you can keep it working after a stereo install without some complex wiring. Under the radio is an odd little quirk of this car, they decided to move some idiot lights to a DIN sized hole under the AM/FM/CD radio, to allow for you to see your door is ajar, your fuel,coolant,or wiper fluid are low. On the dashboard you have a Check Gauges light in the tach, which means look down at this device and check your levels. It is very weird. The gear shift feels like it is out of a 1995 Taurus, as I've driven a 1995 SHO with a floor shift automatic it feels just right in my hand, well stitched leather and doesn't feel out of place in my car. I don't smoke but having the ashtray and lighter near the shifter seems like an odd call. The oddest and worst feature of this interior, the arm rest houses the cupholders and a second glove box. To use the cupholders you must flip the arm rest up, fold down this flimsy plastic housing, and you get two cup holders, problem is the roof of the arm rest is now against the passenger seat, and your elbow will keep bumping the cups. Totally useless in terms of size for anything other than a soda can up to 16oz. The rest of the interior thankfully is more sane, the seats are low back due to the low roof line, and are fairly comfortable for long drives, the color is a very nice grey with a black gauge surround that continues onto the driver's door controls in a very nice touch. all the controls on the driver's side are inside this black surround and gives it a fairly nice cockpit feel.


Finally...Reliablity.

It isn't very reliable, i learned that even though it was low milage when i bought it with 88,000 miles on the clock...that does not mean it will be pristine under the hood. Stuff that i have replaced: New tires to replace 2002 tires with barely any wear on it, fuel filter, fuel line, brake fluid, the power steering fluid went bad at one point and was watery, i had that flushed out. 8 spark plugs, i went with OEM double platnium, cost 50 bucks, the plug wires I had to order due to it being a non standard 4.6L style. Ford mounted stuff differently to make it fit better in the engine bay. I now need to install new lower control arms on the front end due to the ball joints being shot. And my oxygen sensors have started to go bad, the heater elements are shot on at least one. All of these repairs have added up to nearly half the cost of the car, but i barely count doing the tires as that is something i would have done any way even if it didn't have 2002 tires on it, most people stick cheap rubber on these cars due to the size, Good Year Viva 2 or integerity may be fine for a minivan but it can really ruin the handling of this type of car. If you plan to buy a car of this vintage, remember to have enough money saved up to repair it when random things start to fail, and always join at least one forum for your vehicle, they can be a wealth of knowledge.

From EEVBlog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO-vbzLPwSc

Really sony, taking a shit on your past there.

Yeah i am not getting the 2003 eclipse fixed.

The car i bought is an american classic.

1996 Thunderbird LX 4.6L V8 with only 88k on the clock, 2000 bucks for it.

So far i've had to put new tires on it (the 2002 michelin tires had 8/32nd tread but dry rotting) a new fuel filter and fuel line. Otherwise it is rust free and just needs a repaint due to clearcoat death to look new again.

In 2014 MGM released a movie that was under their dormant since 1999 Orion Pictures name.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSWgbA5BuUg

Hey, as a kid i used to visit the popcorn park and zoo. They are an Humane Society zoo/adoption center/hospital/etc. They take in abused and neglected farm/circus/closed zoo/ etc animals and help them back to health. Sometimes they can let them go back to the wild, other times they have to keep them in New Jersey. For example they have rescued tigers and lions before, and recently rescued rabbits that were left after someone passed away, and are helping them back to health.




You can donate to help them by visiting them in Person and getting admission, they have animals you can feed with popcorn roaming around the zoo, or by directly donating money to them.

Info on the Popcorn Park and Charity: http://www.ahscares.org/page2.asp?page=popcornpark&style=2

Not entirely sure what brought about this call for donations to a charity in my home state, but it may be nostalgia for this place kicking in and thinking about what i can do to help them out.

Well, I'm still here, problem is my multi messenger program (im+pro) no longer supports Skype after this recent update to the protocol. I will soon be able to use my laptop more, btw I got a more powerful one, ThinkPad t510 with the nvs3100 513mb NVIDIA and 2.53ghz core i5. Once I get issued my own truck.

Just turned 26

I just got diaganose with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and as such i am required by DOT law (to keep my CDL) to use it 70% of the time period. Not sure how long it will take me to get used to it, but any advice, tips, or even websites that sell stuff pertaining to it you want to share, just drop a line on this journal.

I have a Phillips System One, for "non compliant" users, it has the modem that tells on me when i do not use it. Company i got a job with sent me for a sleep study and this 1,500 buck machine is mine for just 270 bucks, broken down into 27 weekly payments that are an automatic payroll deduction. I got the full face mask as they said it is better, and it has the polished silicone

i will be starting my orientation in little rock friday morning at 10:40, when i board a greyhound bus from NJ to Little Rock. sunaday at 0700 local time i will be going to the orientation that will last til thursday, then for 21 days starting that friday i will be on the road with a trainer.

In today’s 32x review, we take a look at the other arcade port to the 32x, After Burner Complete.

From the start, you take a look at the box and it just says After Burner, does not indicate what release it is as After Burner has had two versions released to arcades, the original lacked several features such as the speed control, all 21 stages, and behind the player enemies. Those features were added in After Burner II that was released later in 1987, less than 6 months after the release of After Burner. In 1990 Sega had Dempa-Micomsoft port the game over to the sharp x68000 and the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. I will be comparing the 32x port to the 1990 Genesis port, to see if there are any major advantages to the 1990 release over the 1994 release.


Graphics: Genesis 5/10 32x 7/10
The 32x version starts out with a head start. The 32x allows for sprite scaling, but here the sprites look blocky and grainy, the genesis on the other had makes do without scaling by using multiple sprites or by avoiding it. The Genesis for example does not zoom in on the carrier prior to take off, it does it from a long shot that may not be arcade perfect, but it is the lesser of two evils. Both games have similar visuals, the 32x version has more happening at once and does do the scaling. Genesis has a bit of sprite popup issues due to having to reload the sprites to allow for an image to get bigger and bigger.

Audio: Genesis 6/10 32x 9/10
The 32x pulls even farther ahead on this one, the genesis audio is scratchy and lacks the melodies that the arcade version sometimes had, the 32x version also lacks these melodies that the arcade version sometimes had, but the audio is arcade perfect, plenty of instruments being played at once, proper sound effects.

Gameplay: Genesis 8/10 32x 8/10

The gameplay is almost identical between the two, the 32x version has the controls set to more aircraft like by default, so is easier to control if you are used to flight sims, the genesis port can be made to have this as well, the genesis version uses only 3 buttons so your cannon is set to auto fire at all times, using the b button for missiles and the a/c buttons for throttle. The 32x version uses all 6 buttons on the controller, XYZ for speed and A for Roll, B for missile, C for cannon. AutoCannon is optional. Both games allow for some tweaks, but once you are in the game itself…main difference is that the missiles in the 32x are touchier to get a lock on with, the graphical differences do not enter into this equation, as long as the game is the same at the core it should be fine and here, both versions have the same fast game play as the arcade version, both have the full 21 levels, the genesis lacks the landings due to taking the high road out with the scrolling. The 32x version has more adjustable features but this does not make it any better than the genesis version.


Conclusion: Genesis 7/10 a must have genesis title 32x: 8/10 A must have title, but is not a reason to buy the console.

The 32x version offers moderate improvement over the default 16 bit version such as proper scaling, the full arcade soundtrack versus the genesis rendition, the landing events with the hang-on bike and the car from outrun. But, as it costs more than the genesis version complete in box. At the time of this writing, April 2014, a boxed copy of afterburner II on the genesis goes for 15 bucks shipped on eBay complete, a 32x copy of the same goes for 25-35 without manual but with the original cardboard box.
The 32x version barely edges ahead, both games are excellent, and show off what Sega was good at, making fast paced fun games that had great soundtracks.

It may be an infamous console add on, the 32x was received as well as a trip to the dentist by gamers in the 1994. But, did it have any good games? That is what I am here to find out.

Today’s game is Space Harrier, a port of the 1985 arcade game to the 32x. Released around launch in November or December 1994, at this time there is very little data on the month it came out, but as the 32x came out in November 1994 I am leaning towards it being a November release as a launch title. This is the first port to the genesis of the original game versus a sequel. As such there is not much to compare it to other than the master system version from the 1980s or the sequel from 1989 as far as home versions prior to 1994 go.

Graphics: 7/10
I gave the graphics a moderate score due to it being a 1985 arcade game, 9/10 for accuracy to the arcade, but 7/10 overall due to the fact that it does not seem to really use the power of the 32x except for scaling and colors. A game that could have easily been ported to the plain genesis unchanged graphically except for less smooth scaling type effects, using multiple sprite sizes. It is smooth, and is slightly letterboxed to allow a higher frame rate.

Audio: 10/10
You cannot get much better than this for an arcade port, I cannot tell any difference personally between this and an arcade version. The audio is arcade perfect. I cannot tell if it is using the 32x for the music and the genesis for the voices, since the 32x can use the Yamaha 2612 on the genesis for FM synth. But, this port really shows off how the 32x can be used to make sounds the genesis would have trouble with.

Game Play: 6/10 or 8/10 depending on controller
This is where you run into trouble, the gameplay is pretty decent. Fast and Frentic would be the best way to describe it. But I am unsure if the arcade had rapid fire/turbo/mega fire (depending on what you want to call it), so I have to give playing it on the standard genesis controller a 6/10, you will get a sore thumb after a while. My preferred way is to use the sega 6 button arcade stick when playing, and set the buttons to mega fire. It may be cheating to some, but this game is a quarter gobbler, and there are cheap deaths all around just like you would expect from a game designed to gobble up your quarters. No major game play mode changes are here, except for difficulty levels and adding more lives, up to 5 from the standard 3.


Final Verdict: 7/10 Not worth getting a 32x over, but if you get one, definitely a title to grab along with it. You will not be displeased by this port, it stands out as one of the better 32x releases.

Today is the final day for xp to have any updates released via windows update to the general public.

Went to go and see robocop tonight at the regal cinema near me.

First omen of it being a bad showing, we were put into theatre 19, which means we were in the original part of the theatre, from 1994...and it was about 10 seats across, felt like they split two larger screens into one small one, maybe 60 people could fit in there at most.

That was the first complaint that my friends had and i lost a buck becuase i bet em a buck we would be in the newer section from around the time dinosaur came out, nice leatheresque seats with stadium seating.

Then the trailers start, these teens were in there being loud, one had his camera phone go off in SOS mode for the flashlight, i gave him a 3 strikes rule one the movie started. about 20-30 mins into it...he used up all 3 strikes, i left the theatre, they went "oh you got him ticked off" according to my friends they were still being loud, then they saw me come back and take my seat..they knew that i basically told an usher what was going on, and i somewhat implied they were taking photos of the screen due to saying camera phone and flash. That shut them up.

This is after me and my friends paid about 12 bucks each (i paid 5.50, but normally it is 12 bucks, i had a discount of 7.50 to any showing of robocop)

Somehow just by holding in the power button the system powered back up, i unplugged everything and held in the power button while putting the adapter back in, all seems fine now

Yeah my birthday started out fine, except for the fact that i accidentally drained my laptop down to nil, causing it to not want to power up. Ordered a replacement battery for the system, and a replacement ac adapter. It is a HP Compaq NC8430 business notebook