Gear Diary » Do It Yourself

How My MacBook Pro Avoided the Trash, Part 3: Replacing the Fan

Travis Ehrlich — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:00:57 +0000

In part 2 of this series, I took the fan out of my 13" MacBook Pro, cleaned it and lightly lubricated it. For about a day, the fan noise was almost non-existent and the heating issue was mildly approved. Unfortunately, the noise quickly returned along with the hot CPU. This problem had to be fixed one way or another or I was going to have to throw the computer out of the window since it had become painfully slow and buggy. The next plan was to buy a new fan and replace the loud, failing original. I also decided to double the RAM from 4 to 8 gigs since the back would already

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Arch Linux: Only the Hardcore Need Apply

Joel McLaughlin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:00:35 +0000

In search of a different distro (term of endearment for Linux distributions) to try, I decided to try installing probably one of the harder distros to install, Arch Linux over the weekend. I thought I would gather some thoughts into a post and share what I think of this interesting distro that doesn't get the press that Ubuntu does.

Arch Linux is a bit different than most Linux distributions out there. For example, it doesn't have a default graphical interface. It boots directly into a Linux command prompt from the CD. You get into the install by typing in: /arch/setup in the command Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

A Few Cool iTunes Match and iTunes Cloud Things to Remember

Michael Anderson — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:15:34 +0000

Having used iTunes Match along with iTunes in the Cloud for the last few months, I have developed a few habits that I don't even realize are new anymore! This weekend I gave my younger son my 4th gen iPod Touch to use as his own, as he was constantly pushing beyond the limits of his 8GB iPod Touch that was the pseudo 3rd gen that was really a 2nd gen model holdover. Since I almost never use it, I had no qualms since I'd rather it actually get used than sit idle. But while going through things with him I realized just how much has changed with iOS 5, iTunes in the Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

How My MacBook Pro Avoided the Trash, Part 2: Cleaning the Fan

Travis Ehrlich — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:00:06 +0000

In part 1 of this 3 part series, I discovered that my computer was not acting happy due to a fan issue. Catch up with the post here to follow my MacBook adventure. One goal of this project is to avoid the Apple Store and keep the cost down as low as possible. The fan noise is definitely out of control, the machine is running hot and it has become super slow. My next plan of action is to open up the case to clean and lubricate the fan. I took a few photos to explain how to open the machine, take out the fan and clean and lubricate. Remember, this is purely for

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How My MacBook Pro Avoided The Trash, Part 1: The Diagnosis

Travis Ehrlich — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:00:31 +0000

I pretty much live on my Mid 2009 13" MacBook Pro. The computer literally goes everywhere I go, and it contains most everything I need for work and home life. The past few months, my amazing little machine has developed some annoying problems. First, the fan started making a loud noise. At first I thought that it was running too fast, but after adding iStat Pro to my Dashboard, I quickly found the fan to be running at normal speeds with extra noise. Soon after the loud fan issue came the heat. My CPU was regularly running a temperature up to 90+ degrees. When this would occur, the machine was almost unusable. It seemed the noisy fan just could not keep up with the temperatures. I know the MacBook is getting to be a bit old when looking at computer years, but I love this computer and cannot afford to replace it. In fact, the computer was a family gift to me upon graduating with my Masters degree. Fixing the MacBook will be a three-part series of my adventure from start to finish. DISCLAIMER: ALL OF WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ WAS DONE AT MY OWN RISK! IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO THE SAME, YOU WILL VOID ANY APPLE WARRANTY FOR THAT MACHINE. NEITHER GEAR DIARY NOR I ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT RESULTS FROM YOU DOING THE SAME. (ALTHOUGH IF YOU DO AND, AS A RESULT YOU FIX YOUR FAN WE WILL HAPPILY TAKE CREDIT) :-)

IN OTHER WORDS, THIS POST IS NOT A RECOMMENDATION, BUT RATHER IT IS SIMPLY A RECOLLECTION OF HOW I SAVED MY OWN LAPTOP.

My adventure began with a week-long search of forums and websites for easy fixes for the fan issue. It seems the issue is common for fans to go out or become noisy and various fixes are posted across the web. This is an account of my journey through diagnosis and home repair. My goal is to begin simple and free and work up until my MacBook is like new again.

This post recalls diagnosing the problem and possible plans of action.

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Setting Up a Sonos Home Audio System

Dan Cohen — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:00:34 +0000

My biggest personal tech find of 2011 has to be the Sonos home audio system. I got a review loaner and bought one within a day. I was that impressed with it and continue to love it. You can read the the initial review here and read the review of the new, smaller PLAY:3 here. During the inaugural Gear Fest last summer I had Carly film a quick walkthrough of setting the Sonos system up. It never made it into a post... until now.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Antenna + Roku HD + Netflix = $90 Savings Per Month

Matthew Hall — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:15:27 +0000

I hate bills. I also hate paying for things I can get for free. I was at Thomas' house last year just hanging out. We were watching a movie on his Roku box, and I realized that the little box was giving him everything that I watch on TV except for local channels. That was the beginning of my quest to get rid of my cable bill. At first I searched the web and found that all you need is an antenna to pick up local television stations. I could remember back to my childhood, and how we had an antenna that was pointed toward Indianapolis so we would get about 10 channels; that is Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

An Infographic on Getting More out of Google!

Michael Anderson — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:15:12 +0000

If you have been using Google to search for a while, chances are you have picked up a few tricks along the way such as putting quotes to specify phrases to find, or adding a '+' or '-' to specify things that must be included or excluded. But now the folks at HackCollege have come up with a great new infographic to help you see even more possibilities for searching. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

WiFi Sync your iPhone and iPad using Personal Hotspot

Mitchell Oke — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:15:33 +0000

One of the coolest features in iOS 5 WiFi syncing, which I now use far more often than USB syncing. Being able to hit "Sync" on my MacBook for my iPad while it's still in my bag (it only needs charging every few days) makes me giggle every time I do it. It's just so simple, and works so effectively every time. With it, new music, an updated playlist, and a few new apps are just a click away. Obviously this functionality is normally used over a WiFi connection at home or the office, but it turns out you can actually use WiFi sync when you're mobile too. As a regular user of the Personal Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

So You Say You Have Zombie Files on Your iDevice? Let GD Help!

Douglas Moran — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:30:20 +0000

Do you have less room on your iDevice then you think you should? Are you seeing space taken up by a media file that you can't remove via an iTunes sync? Do you have weird, grayed-out items in your list of iDevice media files when you look at them in iTunes? Well, Gear Diary is here to help! (This comes firmly under the heading of, "Doug screws things up and finds out how to fix them so you don't have to!") I am pretty dang happy with iOS 5 on both my iPhone and my iPad. But there is some odd behavior that I have been seeing since I upgraded, and I wanted to share with you all what to do about it should it happen to you. In a nutshell, I'm getting some zombie media files. "What the heck do you mean by that, Doug?" Well, it's pretty simple: for some reason, on my iPad and iPhone, I have ended up with TV show and movie files--both purchased and rental--that show up in iTunes, but don't appear in the appropriate media app on the device. For example, I rented an Episode of "Primeval", watched it, and then (I thought) deleted it. But then weeks later, when I clicked on the "Movies" item in the left-hand navigation pane in iTunes, it was still there. Or so iTunes thought. In other words, in the above, I saw an item for that episode of "Primeval" under the "Rental" category on my iPhone (and weirdly, it was grayed-out). But when I opened the video app on my iDevice, there was nothing there. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

A Day in the Life: Using a Bluetooth Headset as a Remote Recording Device for Lectures

Matthew Hall — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:00:58 +0000

I have been teaching for the past few years and have found that recording my lectures is helpful for students that are sick or that need assistance due to attention deficit issues. Many of the programs to record lectures are costly, so I set out to see if I could use my MacBook and a Bluetooth headset to accomplish the task. I found that not only can I, but that it works remarkably well. The Bluetooth Device: The Bluetooth device I opted for is the Jabra BT3030 Bluetooth Stereo Headset [affiliate link]. Not only is it a good headset, but it can Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

iOS 5.0 QuickTip: It is Worth the Time to Set Up Keyboard Shortcuts

Dan Cohen — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:00:42 +0000

I'm a huge fan of the application TextExpander. It is, in fact, one of the key Mac utilities I cannot do without. TE offers a good deal of power but the primary reason I use it is that it allows me to create text shortcuts that have saved me a great deal of typing. For example, instead typing in Gear Diary's URL constantly I simply type "ggear". Less than a second later TE converts that combination into "www.geardiary.com". That's five characters instead of seventeen. It is even more helpful when using HTML code in a post. For example "llike" yields "What I Like: " at the end of a review. TE is also good if Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Macbook Pro Utility You NEED for Better Battery Life: gfxCardStatus

Michael Anderson — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:15:59 +0000

Perhaps it was because I was using the Sony Vaio S-series laptop with its 15-hour battery, but I never really looked critically at the battery life on my 2011 15" Macbook Pro. But recently I have been using it almost exclusively and have felt that I should be getting more hours between charges. My assumption - particularly how the fans would spin up even when I was doing nothing particularly challenging - was that there was something related to the graphics card. So I looked around and found that the dynamic switching on the graphics cards will often leave the system stuck using the discrete card when the integrated is more than enough (for Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Siri and iCloud Turn the iPhone’s Notes App into a Powerful Tool

Dan Cohen — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:00:58 +0000

The Notes app that is built into iOS has always struck me as a bit anemic. That's hard for me to write, considering that my cousin works for Apple and is one of the key people involved in its development. Unfortunately... it's kind of true. Sure, Notes is great for jotting down quick memos, but that is about it. There is very little you can actually do with it other than, well, take notes. Documents can't be formatted. You can't add pictures. The app doesn't even have folders, so you can't organize your notes. The message Apple is sending with it is simple, "This is the most basic of notes apps. If you want something Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Red Bull “Creation” Event: The Official Gear Diary Report

Carly Z — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:00:44 +0000

If the apocalypse comes, I want to spend it with the teams who competed in the Red Bull Creation event. They were given 72 hours and a pile of junk, along with the mission to illustrate "Energy in Motion". Any scraps were fair game, from metal to electronics to slabs of wood, and the creations were just astounding. What they created was absolute brilliance, from hamster wheels to see-saws, and did I mention they did it in 3 days? If you left me in a room with a pile of junk and Red Bull, you'd come back to find a hyper-caffienated blogger probably trapped under said pile of junk. You certainly wouldn't find the jaw-dropping creations these 16 Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Mac Quick Tip: Use Faces to Find People and Organize Out of Control iPhoto Libraries

Dan Cohen — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:30:38 +0000

Sometimes it is the little features in a program that can make the biggest differences. iPhoto's facial recognition is one example of this. I knew the feature was there in the '11 version of the software but never used it. Last week Elana's grandma Pearl died. It was and is sad, but at 87 she had led a long, good life and is remembered fondly by many. We should all be lucky enough to have the same said about us when we are gone. I wanted to put together a montage of pictures to share with Elana and her family, but my iPhoto library was an absolute chaotic mess. That's when iPhoto Faces came to Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Using Technology to Train for My First Triathlon

Brian Hollar — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:00:50 +0000

I am currently in the final weeks training for my first triathlon here in DC on June 19th. The race lengths are an 800m swim, 20k bike ride, and 7.5k run, mostly along the National Mall. (Here are more detailed maps of the swim, bike, and run routes.) What makes this race particularly challenging for me is that when I began my training on March 19th, it was four weeks after I had hernia surgery, I couldn't jog for more than 60 seconds without getting out of breath, had never swam freestyle in my life and couldn't hold my form even once across the pool. I am now up to 5-mile runs Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

IPad Quick Tip: Want to Read Outside on Your iPad? Go Landscape

Dan Cohen — Mon, 30 May 2011 01:00:10 +0000

Now that summer is unofficially here you may be spending more time than ever outside. As great as the iPad is it leaves a good deal to be desired when you are in the sun. There is the glare. There is the overheating and subsequent shut down safety mechanism. And there is the fact that polarized sunglasses do a number on the iPad and can result in a screen that looks blank even on the highest brightness. One solution for getting some reading done is to pick up the least expensive Kindle or nook and use it for reading. But if you don't want to go that route and want to read your books you can at least Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

How To View Free Books and Blogs on the Kindle

Gary Bunker — Thu, 05 May 2011 22:00:32 +0000

Now that the ad-supported Kindle with Special Offers (aka the Kindeal) is out, sales are apparently through the roof again. With that in mind, it seems a good time to bring up the question on many (some?) people's minds - how do I get free stuff on the Kindle?

Books

There are a truly remarkable number of free digital books on the internet, legally. Everything eventually goes out of copyright and becomes public domain (and there's a huge discussion following from that statement we'll not get into today). Project Gutenberg is likely the oldest of the many free-text archives on the internet (OpenLibrary is another big one), filled with public domain works in various Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

iPhoneography update: Going HDSLR (almost)

David Goodspeed — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:30:18 +0000

During my recent shift in gear and equipment from days gone by to the modern era I began to collect all the little hardware that was either loose or just kind of hanging around with other stuff. In a moment of inspiration this week I dumped a pile of it out and began assembling a rig for providing me with better iPhone images and video. Hand-holding a device that small and light does not bode well for “expert” imagery so adding a handle or a bit of heft here and there would certainly improve things. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

HDSLR, Part 3: Enter the new Nikon D5100

David Goodspeed — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:00:10 +0000

In part two of this series on using DSLR cameras for capturing high-definition video I teased to the new D5100 camera coming from Nikon. It’s here … and my favorite little camera store here in Dallas had one. Now it’s mine. What drew me to the new unit is the variable-angle LCD monitor which will make shooting my own stand-ups a snap. And the introduction of full-time-servo autofocus (AF-F) to the HDSLR line when capturing video. The D5100 loses the additional memory card slot that the D7000 has and overall it is a smaller and lighter camera than the D7000. What kind Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The HTC HD2: A WinMo Story with an Android Happy Ending

Francis Scardino — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:00:07 +0000

When the EU model of the HD2 came out in late 2009, it was one of the coolest phones I had ever seen. Knowing it was coming to the US a few months later, I had to decide if I was going to ditch my Mytouch and pick one up. The hardest part about doing that was that the HD2 still ran Windows Mobile 6.5. If you ever had that OS, or if you still have it now, then you know that there is much to be desired with that operating system, and it should for all intents and purposes be retired as soon as possible. I picked up the HD2 from T-Mobile and immediately starting doing Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

HDSLR, Part Two: Getting It In Gear

David Goodspeed — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 23:00:31 +0000

I did not choose the Nikon D7000 for its digital still photography features, no, I solely based my purchase on its HD video capabilities. This morning I ran out to shoot a few shots of a couple of vehicles I am reviewing this week and the D7000 had the lens on it that is my new workhorse, the 16-85 VRII. Wow, what a nice still camera. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

High Def With D-SLR: Adding the Nikon D7000 to My Gear Bag

David Goodspeed — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 20:00:08 +0000

Offering to help out landed me some new work. Paying work. Sweet. It starts, as most things do, innocently enough. “Hey, can you take some pictures for us for the annual company banquet?” “Hey, can you get with supervisor so-and-so and see if they need any help with getting the highlight slideshow/video ready for the banquet?” “Hey, how is that video coming, and hey, how about an extra slideshow to run in the background while guests arrive and mingle?” And then, “Hey, awesome job. I haven’t met you but I am one of your really big bosses and I want to meet with you to talk about your work,” and (wait for it) “Hey, we Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

How to Get Zinio “Unofficially” Working on Your Android Device

Francis Scardino — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:00:18 +0000

If you're like me, and you have been waiting for the official Zinio app for Android, then you're going to have to wait a bit longer. I like to harass Zinio every once in a while on twitter about the Android app, and they usually tell me that it's being worked on and to be patient. That's all fine and well, but in the meantime, since I don't have an apple device it's really not worth buying any subscriptions because I have nothing to read them with. Some of the members of the XDA forums found that unacceptable, so they extracted the Zinio app from the European Samsung Galaxy Tab and were able Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Long Playing Long Gone: an In-Vehicle USB-powered Turntable

David Goodspeed — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:00:09 +0000

I read a story the other day about how automakers have finally axed putting cassette players in new vehicles. Lexus was the final brand to do so and that went away with the announcement of the SC430 being discontinued. As I look around my office area here at home I am reminded of other technology gone the way of the Dodo bird. Nearby sits an old 8-track tape and in the other room is a “stack of wax” as DJs of days gone by described them. LPs. Long-Playing Records. This past Christmas I bought a USB-powered turntable to turn some of those “golden oldie” recordings into digital music. And today I was inspired. OK Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

How to Fix Ethernet Issues When Running Windows 7 On Your Mac Virtual Machine

Judie Stanford — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:00:44 +0000

I recently upgraded to a 27" iMac [thanks to a spectacular deal from Dan], and the first thing I did was install VMWare Fusion so that I could run Windows when needed. Well, truth be told, there is only one time that I ever really need to run Windows, and that is when I run Microsoft Money. You see, after nearly three years of using OSX, I have yet to find a money management program that I like nearly as much as Money, Microsoft's long in the tooth financial software. It's not an ideal solution, but being able to run a virtual windows machine on my Mac desktop has been a lifesaver. I've tried Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

UPDATED: iPhoto More Than Just an Image Browser – It Moonlights As One of Santa’s Elves!

David Goodspeed — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:00:02 +0000

I have an update to the short self-publishing piece I wrote this past December. My first calendars did arrive in time for gift-giving and they were a big hit! I only ordered a handful in the first batch but they were worth the effort and the (slight) shipping charges. In January I put my efforts into creating my first book, which I completed and titled “One.” Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

With the Apples Rotting Maybe It’s Time to Back Up Your Apps

Dan Cohen — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:00:42 +0000

Talk about a one-sided love affair! Many of us, consumers that is, love Apple but does Apple love us in return? Heck no. Apple loves market share and money. Yes, once again the company that once called on us to "Think Different" is using its new moniker, "We're Apple, we don't care, we don't have to... And by the way that will cost you 30%". Truth be told it is a little (LOT) frustrating. And dumb. Just as Apple's momentum seemed unstoppable they are on the verge or being their own worst enemy... And ours. We're here to help. This is a public service announcement to anyone and everyone Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

NOOKColor Morphs from Quiet Little eBook Reader to Killer Little Android Tablet

Francis Scardino — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 21:00:30 +0000

If you have been following along here at Gear Diary you probably have seen Carly's review of the NOOKColor. The NOOKColor was noted as Barnes and Noble number one seller for the holiday season and it's pretty easy to understand why. I am not really an eBook user and don't often find myself reading too many books, but what I do enjoy is pretty much anything Android and the hardware that it runs on. So far you've seen what the $250 devices gets you, a full featured, beautiful color screen eBook reader powered by Android 2.1. It was not days after the new eReader hit the shelves, nookDevs's along with some wizardry from XDA members Continue reading on Gear Diary ...