The Blog-Files

Attack of the Panther...

So here's the deal. I get my shiny new copy of Mac OS X "Panther" delivered to my door today. I sit down at my Ruby iMac DV+, slide the install disc into the slot loading CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive and "BAM!!". The CD gets ejected. I try again. It spits it out again. I don't panic. I know it has happened before, maybe just be patient. After trying about 5 times, it accepts the disc, spins it, whirs it, but eventually mounts it. Whew! I read the standard "read me first" file and then proceed to click on the "Install OS X" icon. The computer asks for authentication and then mentions that it has to restart the system to begin with the install. Oops, of course after the restart it tries to mount the CD again and as you have probably already guessed, it fails, and just boots to the hard drive again. I try the procedure one more time thinking I might get lucky. No dice. Crap!!!!

I phone one of the local Mac stores and talk to one of them about my problem. They recommend trying a firmware update, phoning Apple, but they know as well as I do, the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive on iMac is on its last legs. A repair of the drive would be a significant cost, one I'm not likely to wish to incur. So I search for a work-around. While I'm searching, however, I decide to install it on Rosie's iBook. This takes a long, long, long time, but it installs. I encounter an error whilst trying to update the additional applications on disc two but I can install them manually later. After getting some conflicting reports from the web, I decide on a tactic and give it a try. Here is the procedure I used, and to my surprise, with success:

- Boot my iMac in "Target Disk Mode" by holding down the "T" key during start-up.
- Using the iPod firewire cable, attach the iBook to the iMac, so now the iMac is a mounted hard drive of the iBook.
- Run the install program on the iBook.
- Specify the iMac as the install location.
- Mistakenly allow the installer to install every little language localization and printer drivers possible.
- Wait for what seems to be an eternity for the install to finish.

I must say, however, that annoying as the install procedure for me had to be, I quite like "Panther". Exposé alone is worth the trouble. It's also nice to know that when I go to upgrade I won't have to go through this procedure again. Plus, there is always the nice feeling of satisfaction when you manage to work your way through a problem. Now I've got to go play with all the new features.

But I Remember Christmas?

Well, for those of you who don't know, tomorrow is Hockey Day In Canada. All six Canadian teams are playing against one of the other Canadian teams, all at separate times, all on television, starting at 11:00 PST. First Calgary plays Ottawa, then the classic match up of Montreal vs. Toronto, and to end it all Edmonton plays Vancouver.

For the past 3 years, as far as I can remember, there has been some version of HDIC, and I always plan on taking the day off work to celebrate. Every year I forget the exact date, this year I remembered. Saturday, February 21, 2004. The only problem is I remembered on Friday, February 22, 2004 at 10:30PM, much too late to book off for a holiday. Damn!!! DAMN, DAMN, DAMN!!!!!

Oh well, maybe next year. If there IS hockey next year. Maybe, the year after.

Best In It's Class.

It's very rare these days to have a good experience dealing with any given company's customer service. That's why I just had to take a few moments to mention the hassle-free and remarkably easy exchange we recently had with Amazon.ca.

We ordered seasons four and six of the television sit com Friends from Amazon and it arrived something like the day after the sixth season was due to be released. This alone was a pleasant surprise although not a completely unexpected one, as we had experienced Amazon's prompt and timely delivery on a previous occasion. However, after watching (and thoroughly enjoying, I might add) discs one through three of season four, when we tried to play disc four it didn't want to play on our DVD player. After examining the disc, I noticed quite a significant scratch, which seemed to be the problem. Well, I got online and went to the Amazon customer service section, which is completely automated, and filled out an order for a replacement. It instructed me to print out a mailing label (postage paid), and wrap up the offending product and to drop it off at a postal outlet to be returned. I did this the next day, which was last Sunday. To my utter shock, when we arrived home from work today (Tuesday) the replacement DVDs were waiting at our door!! That's less than two days!!

This can only mean one thing. They shipped the replacement DVDs before they received the damaged ones. That is not what amazed me, however. What amazed me is that they actually trusted me to send the damaged ones back to them. You don't get that very much these days. Trusting a customer has kind of become outmoded. The fact that they wanted us to have the product we ordered, in perfect condition, as soon as possible, can only be described as outstanding and I will not only be posting my praise here but Amazon.ca is going to get a lot of positive word-of-mouth as well.

It's nice to see a company getting it right, for a change.