PureGin.org

This has got to be one of the simplest little hardware hacks I've done, but perhaps also one of the most effective.

The problem:

I've owned four generations of Mac notebooks, and several other Apple products besides, all featuring variants of the same basic power adaptor design: the squarish, rounded white brick with flip-out wings for wrapping the low-voltage line for storage. Many of these power adaptors have not stood up well to everyday use - though to be fair, I do mean I use them pretty solidly every day. One of the early adaptors for my iBook developed a short on the 120/240v side. The magsafe adaptor on my latest laptop, a Macbook Pro, had the low-voltage line pull out of the rubber strain relief sleeve attached to the brick, exposing the internal wiring.

Today, the first day of Spring, marks my second commute of the week on my relatively new bike, an Ezee Forte electric model. If you've been following along you'll know that the first few rides left me less-than-impressed with the electrical system.

I finished Neal Stephenson's Anathem over the weekend - all 900+ pages including appendices.

Wow... I was enthralled.

If you've been paying attention, you'll know that we've been down to a single car for the last month or so. Last weekend, after a good deal of discussion, we bought a new vehicle: an electric bike. The goal is for this to replace one car for my 4 times per week 20km each-way commute, thus saving 80-120Kg CO2e per month over taking my 2004 Golf TDI (the numbers are from this article). So, we made the trip to Victoria to Scooter Underground.

The situation with our car which I blogged about a couple of days ago appears to be getting sorted out.

Pamela talked yesterday with Gary Doolin, an instructor in the auto service training department at VIU who has been taking care of matters for the university, and Fred Macdonald, Dean of Trades and Applied Technology. They were very helpful, courteous and open with information. Pamela was offered the department's Toyota Prius hybrid as a loaner