MacBook Pro: Distorted video or no video issues

In July 2008, NVIDIA publicly acknowledged a higher than normal failure rate for some of their graphics processors due to a packaging defect. At that same time, NVIDIA assured Apple that Mac computers with these graphics processors were not affected. However, after an Apple-led investigation, Apple has determined that some MacBook Pro computers with the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor may be affected.

If the NVIDIA graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within four years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge, even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty.

Since I have been affected by this issue, I thought I’d throw up a quick post for anyone else who may get bit by it. Apple has extended the NVIDIA 8600M GT graphics processor recall on MacBook Pros manufactured around 2007/2008 to four years from date of purchase.

Update: My son’s machine was in fact covered under the recall, and the local Apple Genius Bar was able to diagnose and replace the motherboard in the unit in a day, no questions asked. One thing to note, your video has to have failed before they will fix it though. If your MacBook Pro from that time period is still running okay, you’ll have to wait for it to fail before you’re covered.

• Woes of MacBook Pro Unibody Owner
• Secure Virtual Memory on OS X
• What Is An Upgrade Worth To You?

And on the heels of yesterday’s beta, we have the final Yasu 2.6.8 release thanks to some great beta testers. Not much changed from the beta other than cleaning up some of the code.

But to make it official, here is the complete list of changes:

• Failure to clear all system & browser cache files if there were an overly large number of files to be removed.
• Adding the “-r” (recursive) switch to the reset launch services option for Snow Leopard which was mistakenly omitted.
• Fixed an issue where the maintenance preferences were not being written to disk when Yasu was quit.
• Other minor UI fixes and code factoring.

As always, you can grab the latest from the Yasu page, or fire up your current installed version for an automatic update if you have that option enabled.

• Yasu 2.6.8 b2 Available for Download
• Yasu 2.6.0 Released
• Mail may unexpectedly quit with Safari 4 Public Beta and GrowlMail installed

A new public beta of Yasu is available for download on the Yasu page.

This version addresses the following:

• Failure to clear all system & browser cache files if there were an overly large number of files to be removed.
• Adding the “-r” (recursive) switch to the reset launch services option for Snow Leopard which was mistakenly omitted (Thanks to Gregory Swain for pointing this out).
• Fixed an issue where the maintenance preferences were not being written to disk when Yasu was quit.

Even though it’s a beta release, this version is a recommended update for those who want to live somewhat on the edge. On a test machine that had Yasu 2.6.7 run on it only seven days earlier, version 2.6.8 b2 was able to recover 4.66 GB of disk space…

That’s a lot of files that were being missed…

If no issues are reported, this version will most likely be released as the final version within the next day or two. Please feel free to drop me a line if you try it out and find something wrong.

• Yasu 2.6.8 Final Released
• Mail may unexpectedly quit with Safari 4 Public Beta and GrowlMail installed
• Yasu 2.6.2 Released

I’ve hacked together a quick little AppleScript that will let you post quick one-off tweets to Twitter without the hassle of dealing with a full-on client.

I originally created it to fire off quick to-do’s to Remember the Milk. Combined with FastScripts from Red Sweater Software, it takes me 2 seconds to get that to-do reminder out of the way and back to work. It also keeps me from browsing through my Twitter feed, which my ADD nature tends to want to do.

If it sounds like something you could use, go check it out. The code is totally open source, so add to it as you have need. If you come up with something cool, let me know.

• Secure Virtual Memory on OS X
• Path Finder Updated to v5.0.9
• Mac OS X: How to Troubleshoot a Software Issue

There are many times when in our articles we will mention “General Maintenance” as part of a troubleshooting routine. If you are having software issues, either with third-party applications or the Mac OS itself, giving the computer a virtual scrub-down will many times help, or at least give you a cleaner slate upon which to do more in-depth troubleshooting.

Via MacFixIt.

A good general maintenance article from MacFixIt, which includes a mention of Yasu. Worth a read if you’re at all in the dark about how to maintain that beautiful new Mac you just switched to.

• Mac OS X: How to Troubleshoot a Software Issue
• Yasu 2.6.7 Released
• What to do When Songs on Your iPod Skip

A tentative new rumor asserts that Apple may turn MobileMe into a free service. The plan would drop the $99 annual fee and let anyone with an iPad, iPod, iPhone or Mac get the online sync service for free. The MDN contact wouldn’t give a launch window but hinted at it coming “sooner than later” with the launch depending on “certain facilities” going live on time.

(Via MacNN.)

I don’t know. Would I give up Google Apps in favor of MobileMe? The service would have to be pretty darned good — and free — if I did.

• A Stylish Treat for Mailplane Users
• Report: Verizon iPhone finally coming; will you switch?
• Woes of MacBook Pro Unibody Owner

A very quick post…

A user of my Bogart WordPress theme was kind enough to point out that there was a minor bug in the comments.php file which was causing some page rendering issues when users were required to be logged in to make comments. I quickly tracked the culprit down and squashed the bug with my big size 12…

If you’re a Bogart user, head on over to the theme page and grab a new copy. Or, if you’ve modified the theme in some way, all you really have to replace is the “comments.php” file from the new archive you download, and you’re all set.

Update: Another minor bug was found in the “archive.php” file which has corrected as well, bringing the latest version to 1.0.4.

• Bogart WordPress Theme Finally Updated
• Bogart WordPress Theme Updated to v0.9
• Bogart WordPress Theme Updated to v1.0.2

Easily Convert Database Character Sets

If you began using WordPress prior to version 2.2, you may notice that your database has tables with two different character sets and collations. This is because all database tables created prior to WordPress 2.2 use the latin1 character set and the latin1_swedish_ci collation, and all database tables created after WordPress 2.2 use the utf8 character set and the utf8_general_ci collation.

(Via MacManX.com.)

James Huff has written a very handy how-to for fixing your WordPress character sets & collations. I highly recommend preforming the clean up if you’re technically savvy and have access to your MySQL database. I was in bad need of a clean up myself, and this helped tremendously. I was also able to fix some other lingering link and email address issues I’ve caused by serving my WordPress install on 3 different domains over the years.

• Getting Back to Basics
• A Stylish Treat for Mailplane Users
• Always Do Your Own Usability Tests

The person who found and sold an Apple iPhone prototype says he regrets not doing more to return the device…

Via MacDailyNews

Funny how regret seems to work these days. Every time I caught one of my kids doing something they shouldn’t have, that’s when they seemed to regret it. I honestly can’t recall one time when they came to me about something I didn’t know about and told me how much they regretted their actions.

The only regret this guy is feeling is getting caught — which for the life of me I can’t see how he thought it would turn out any different.

• Report: Verizon iPhone finally coming; will you switch?
• RUMOR: Apple iPhone Coming to Verizon Wireless Soon
• MacBook Pro NVIDIA Recall Extended

How I’d Hack Your Weak Passwords

If you invited me to try and crack your password, you know the one that you use over and over for like every web page you visit, how many guesses would it take before I got it?

Via: Lifehacker by way of DF

Here’s how I came up with my password…

I first devised two strings of completely random numbers and characters in my head — each a different length — committing them to memory by mentally reciting them to myself over and over during several days until they became so engrained that I could rattle both of them off to myself without thinking. Then, I added a few special characters at logical breaks in the cadence of the strings and combined them — leaving me with a password that’s over 20 characters long consisting of random numbers, upper & lowercase letters, and special characters that I have no trouble remembering or typing quickly.

The key for me was the mental memorization exercise. I’ve never written my password down (not even the smallest bit of it), nor have I ever verbalized any part of it, ever. This string of numbers & letters exists in one place only — my head. And there they shall stay.

Basically, my password is so secure, the sun will burn out before it can be cracked according to the graph in the linked article, and it only took a couple of days of mental gymnastics to accomplish the feat.

• Yasu 2.6.8 b2 Available for Download
• Yasu 2.6.8 Final Released
• Bogart WordPress Theme Finally Updated

With the move of everything back to jimmitchell.org, I decided to use the Google Apps Standard Edition (free) to manage my email, calendaring, et al. The one thing that bugged me the most was the extra ads and other fluff in Gmail that was visually distracting. Because of that, I resorted to using Firefox with the Better Gmail add-on, or Google Chrome with the Better Gmail extension. While they were great, I still wanted my email in a separate app, mostly because I have a habit of quitting my browser when I’m done using it (this goes back to my System 6 days probably).

I’ve been a long time user of the very awesome Mailplane by Ruben Bakker, but was always a little bugged by the afore mentioned ads and other fluff. Because of it, I’d flop back and forth between browser and Mailplane use.

I’m happy to say that I’ve finally solved this dilemma by releasing my very own Mailplane Clean CSS style sheet. This is basically a rework of some styles that are part of the Google Chrome Better Gmail (Unofficial) extension, with the addition of others that I wanted (like making the bottom button bar go away).

The best way to see what it does is download the stylesheet archive, and set Mailplane to use the custom stylesheet in “Preferences > Tweak UI > Custom Stylesheet.” Then restart Mailplane and bask in the awesome goodness. I promise, if you’re a Mailplane user, you’ll like this stylesheet. It makes everything about the Gmail UI so much cleaner.

I will probably add the file to the “mailplaneapp” Google Group in the near future, so keep an eye out for it there if you prefer. If you have any questions or comments about the stylesheet, drop me a line through my contact page.

• Yasu 2.6.7 Released
• Yasu 2.6.5 Returning Errors for Some Users
• FontSquirrel.com Adds @font-face Generator

Apple is reportedly developing yet another version of the iPhone for launch this summer, according to “people briefed on the matter” speaking to the Wall Street Journal. On top of this news, the company is also preparing a CDMA version of the new device that will work with Verizon Wireless.

(Via Ars Technica.)

The iPhone on Verizon has been speculative fodder for a long time now. While it seems like it could be plausible, I’m going to say not yet — but it will happen eventually.

AT&T service blows from what I continually read (I’m a satisfied Verizon customer), so I’m sure Apple wants to do something about that. For as much as AT&T service stinks, the next best GSM alternative is T-Mobile, which, as far as I can tell, doesn’t have anywhere near the infrastructure to handle the data needs of most iPhone users. So I say that a Verizon deal will eventually happen — but not this summer. It will only happen when Verizon rolls out more than two 4G cities, which means it might be closer to the end of 2010 (maybe in time for the holidays), or summer 2011.

Additionally, I really, really, really doubt Apple is making a CDMA based iPhone just for Verizon to sell for a year or two while 4G coverage rolls out. So on this point, I call total bull on the “people briefed on the matter” mentioned above. Apple doesn’t brief anyone on anything. We all know that. And if Verizon briefed anyone they may find themselves in hot water.

Admittedly, I’m far from well versed in wireless technology, and could be talking out of my left elbow. If you know more than me on the topic, please set me straight. At any rate, should the iPhone come to Verizon eventually, I might consider dumping my Blackberry in favor it. That is a big maybe, though. I still prefer the BB hardware keyboard over the software version on my iTouch hands down…

• RUMOR: Apple iPhone Coming to Verizon Wireless Soon
• Apple may offer MobileMe for free to fight Google
• Individuals involved in sale of Apple’s 4G iPhone prototype revealed

I’m pleased to announce that Yasu version 2.6.7 has been released for public consumption. This update adds the following:

• Added browser cache, history and cookie removal routines for Google Chrome.
• Addressed a rare issue that caused the “Reset home permissions” option to fail on some systems.
• Rebranding the software back to the “jimmitchell.org” name.

As always, it’s a recommended update for all users. Click on over to the Yasu page and download now if you haven’t already.

Speaking of releases, do you realize it was nine years ago today that the first version of OS X was released to the general public? Man, how time flies…

• Yasu 2.6.1 Released
• Yasu 2.6.2 Released
• Yasu 2.6.6 Released

Troubleshooting Songs That Skip

Symptoms: While playing a song, iPod unexpectedly skips to the next song. Find out what you can do if your iPod unexpectedly skips while playing a song.

More often than not, my skips are due to damaged song files that were ripped eons ago, which I don’t have the original discs for anymore thanks to the neighbor’s kid who broke into my car…

Anyway, this article does give some good pointers to deal with that unexpected skip.

• Yasu 2.6.5 Returning Errors for Some Users
• Apple may offer MobileMe for free to fight Google
• Mail may unexpectedly quit with Safari 4 Public Beta and GrowlMail installed

Create Your Own @font-face Kits

Usage: Click the “Add Fonts” button and select all the TTF and OTF fonts you want in the @font-face kit. Choose your option then click the download button at the bottom. Voila!

I’ve just started getting into HTML5, CSS3 and @font-faces, and FontSquirrel.com is the resource I turn to the most for eye-catching web enabled type faces. Now they’ve added an @font-face kit generator to their offerings. Just upload a font (that’s legally eligible for web embedding, naturally), and you get your own font kit — ready to add to your CSS.

Very nice resource, and all for free.

• Bogart WordPress Theme Finally Updated
• Yasu 2.6.2 Released
• Yasu 2.6.7 Released