Apple store visit

Anybody that knows me a little knows that I extols the virtues of Apple, and the joy of using a Mac. I'm a Mac? I could have played Justin Long's part in the adverts without the large pay check :-)

Needless to say I was more than a little disappointed when my MacBook Pro stopped responding to keystrokes and trackpad movement last week. Having tried the usual turning off and on again, and frustrated searching on the internet I had to give up and take it to the Apple Store. The Apple 'Genius' didn't tell me anything I hadn't already figured out: "The keyboard and trackpad isn't working". He run it through a few diagnostic tests and decided to send it off to some unknown magical place that would sort it.

I was a bit apprehensive at sending it off somewhere as my experience (ala MediaMarkt) was that if it did come back it would be in a months time.

Shockingly, I was summoned back to the Apple Store yesterday and was presented with my MacBook again, apparently a ribbon cable that connects the keyboard/trackpad and the motherboard had been faulty. It took them less than a week to diagnose, fix and get it back to me. I was duly impressed.

I have often been in the minority in "what computers should I buy?" discussions and there is no doubt that I could buy PC's that are a third of the price for the equivalent computing power but for me it is still the service and professionalism that Apple gives, especially in their stores that makes me a happy consumer.

Thankfully I was still under warranty (and have extended Apple Care) as you would not believe how much it would have cost to get it repaired ;-)

 

 

Meetmidway

I discovered a really interesting web application this morning during my procrastination time: meetmidway. The application allows you to chose two geographical points and an activity (such as a movie theater or coffee meeting) and it plots the course, the midway point and the nearest place for that activity to the midway point.

It uses google maps to run the query, although it is running off the web right now the founder has expressed interest in building a mobile app (which would be much more useful). I wonder if the mobile app will be a GIS M.Sc. project... 

Fun, if you like that sort of (geography) thing.

Dissertation writing up...

The last time I had to 'write up' a large body of work I had a job in the university library. Actually I had about four jobs in the library, which basically funded my beer, accommodation, and cheesy pasta that I apparently lived on. The jobs I had in the library were amazing, they were never terribly busy and I was always sat at a computer. This allowed me to type up my work, think about my work and run downstairs to the journals if I needed to look something up. Of course now I can find any journal online... Of course, I also served people when it was required ;-)

Still, I miss having those jobs right now as I have been finding writing up more difficult this time, hence being up since 4am (which is when it gets light) having slept very little last night. This dissertation come in two parts, a scientific paper and a technical report. Thankfully the paper section should be finished off for review today and i can start finishing off the technical section next week.

Lake 15

It has been interesting getting back into a subject that has always interested me (Glacial  Lake Outburst Flood's) and it has been great applying new skills learned during the M.Sc. to that subject. My results have been interesting, lots of histograms and images of glaciers with polygons around their pro-glacial lakes! :-)

Well, it's almost 6am and the rain is steadily falling. Time for some tea I think. 

 

Lake 15 Histogram of Lake Area

Lake 15 Histogram of Lake Area

Falkirk Trinity Church

Vote day for the UK remaining or leaving Europe gave me chance to go home. As it was a sunny day I got a few photographs of from Falkirk's Trinity Church - Faw Kirk. The church stands on the historic site of Faw Kirk and was probably the first Christian structure in Falkirk. It is believed that Faw Kirk gave rise to the town's name, Falkirk. The church is also the burial ground and resting place of William Wallace’s finest knight, Sir John de Graham, whose body is said to have been carried from the battlefield and laid to rest in the kirkyard by William Wallace himself.