Grits, backups, and MacBook sudden shutdowns revisited

Last night I made Shrimp'n'Grits, a recipe I adapted from The Healthy Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson; I could only find instant grits instead of stone-ground, so couldn't use the slow cooker. Still, I was very pleased by how easy it was to make and how good it tasted! The shrimp were in a tomato sauce spiced up a bit with cayenne. I fell in love with grits during a GAfilk weekend, and only recently discovered that grits are known as MILLET here. I've been dying to try the Shrimp'n'Grits recipe ever since I saw it.

A note about The Healthy Slow Cooker, by the way, in case any of you have been considering buying it. I've found these recipes more prep-intensive than other slow cooker cookbooks; Finlayson's book tends to focus more on gourmet cookery than simple standard recipes, but so far I've found the results well worth the prep time.



My friend Craig helped me taste-test my Shrimp'n'Grits as we talked about a creative project he's been working on. We had sugar-free truffles and a small bit of very dark chocolate (99%) for dessert. I even shared some of my carefully hoarded Woodchuck Cider, which I had received in a barter with John Hall for some artwork. I have five (5) bottles left; so far I haven't been able to find any in Canada. One evening I came into the kitchen to find Jeff imbibing in my precious WC but forgave him because I had just dumped some of his precious Innis & Gunn in a slow cooker pot roast recipe.



My MacBook is still shutting down without warning, though Jeff and I seem to be getting closer to a solution. My automated backup, SuperDuper, appears to be linked to the problem, though not the root cause. SuperDuper has been letting me down terribly in recent days, not only failing to work but leaving corrupted backup file images in its wake. Jeff has tried tinkering with it several times, but so far it seems not to like the taste of my MacBook.

The current pattern (what little of it there is, anyway): My MacBook always shuts down a few minutes after I've woken it up after a failed backup. It has also begun shutting down at random times during the day. Sometimes this happens after I've shut down the computer and then restarted it, sometimes after waking it from sleep. Recently, the only way I've been able to start it up again successfully is to remove the battery, replace it, then hold down the power button for a couple seconds longer than normal.



Then Jeff found info about a firmware update posted by Apple that will supposedly fix the problem. Jeff's been away but is coming back today; he's going to try the firmware update tonight. We've been trying to back up my computer beforehand without success, just in case something screws up with the update.

Hope this solution works. But even if it does, I'm still a tad nervous. From an Information Week article: "As an Apple Tech, I can confirm that this is simply ignoring a bigger issue. I have seen first hand dozens and dozens of MacBooks with the thermal sensor wires melted to the side of the heatsink. Though this may be a nice temporary fix to get people up and running, I really hope that Apple is not encouraging this as true fix."



I spent much of yesterday dragging files to an external drive for backup. I also signed up for a .Mac account. I'm using the Synch feature as a painless way of backing up my contacts, calendar, and bookmarks; this will also enable me to easily access this info from any computer with a browser and Internet connection. I've also been forwarding any important e-mails, like work-related correspondence, I'll need again later) to that e-mail address. I have a Gmail account, but I can't drag and drop files the way I can in my Mac.com account, plus since it's my main public account I get a lot of non-essential "noise" e-mail. I'm not posting my Mac.com e-mail address anywhere, and am only going to use it for archiving specific e-mails. I've also started using the Backup feature, and will also set up some automated backups. I'm assuming I'll still be using SuperDuper eventually, but this gives me an extra net.

All this has gotten me thinking a lot harder about how I'd cope if my laptop were suddenly taken away from me (stolen, stopped working, etc.) but also what I'd do if the house burned down. The logical solution would be to always keep a copy of your backups off-site, but how many of us -- the ones who have to do our own backups at home, that is -- really do this? I think I've copied stuff on CDs and given them to my sister once, a long time ago. Realistically, I know I'm going to be too lazy to do this regularly. It's one reason I've started sending important files and correspondence to my Mac.com account, which is hosted elsewhere.

A SURVEY:

This survey is geared to those who do their own backups...

How many of you do regular backups?

Do you keep these backups in your home or off-site? e.g. If your house/apartment burned down, would any of your computer data be saved?

Related links:

Appledefects.com: MacBook: Reading through this Wiki entry is both unnerving but informative. The first item on the "Resolved Problem" list is Random Shutdowns: "There have been reports of random and inappropriate shut downs, in the midst of doing typical computer tasks. After the random shut down, the MacBook frequently has trouble turning back on, and sometimes will repeat the random turn offs frequently enough to render the MacBook completely unusable (turning off every few minutes, for example)." It suggests a possible workaround is to press and hold the power button for about 15 seconds until you hear a loud beep.

Macbook Random Shutdown: Yes, someone actually registered MacBookRandomShutdown.com! From the About page:" "My wife's new 2.0 Ghz Macbook with 1GB of factory installed RAM just started randomly shutting down. What a pain! I started this site to discuss the issue. Is this happening to anyone else?"

Possible fixes for a MacBook Pro sudden shutdown issue: This fellow temporarily solved his problem by switching batteries with a coworker several times. He also drained the battery by leaving his machine unplugged and asleep, waking it and watching it do its sudden shutdown thing a few minutes later, then plugging in the machine and rebooting it, closing the lid and letting it sit unplugged for a few more hours. Whew.

Link O' The Day

Thanks to Jim Bowlin for the following:

"Since you have an interesting relationship with squirrels, Andrea suggested that I send this to you with the directive to think Marshmallow Squirrels:

Marshmallow Bunny Apocalypse"



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Cancel relationship?!?

The above was cropped from my Facebook Edit Profile screenshot; Jeff (who recently joined the social networking community, much to my shock) pointed it out to me. Funny and scary at the same time, eh? :-)

My laptop woes continue, but Jeff has been investigating. Apparently my random shutdowns are caused by my hard drive overheating, which was precipitated by my SuperDuper backup malfunctioning.

We're going to fix my backup first, so I have a hope of staying sane if my laptop decides to stay shut down one day, and then look at the shutdown problem. I'm starting to check my Activity Monitor to see what programs and tasks use up the most CPU. I've had to cut down on my multitasking hugely (i.e. no more Corel Painter, Firefox multiple windows and MS Word going at the same time...).



Earlier this week, I had a Cartoon Caption Challenge. Here are some of the suggestions for a caption:

Phil Mills:

Sylvia's expectation of a large tip had been based on her exacting attention to detail.

and

He'd been warned that the Venusian Death Spider appetizer was served rare.

djbpeek:

"Sorry the veg took a while to grow."

Blade:

Sally just had to learn to cook faster - so many first dates ended badly when she entertained at home ...

Amanda:

Anna's latest blind date was a real dead head.

DoubtingThomas:

"I'm sorry for the delay, sir, but I had a great idea for chapter 27, and I just had to write it down."

Joshua Kronengold:

"Honey? I'm sorry I took so long, but the stasis fridge was acting a little weird..."

Christine Hintermeyer:

graveyard shift

Scott:

"I guess the buffet tables are too long here."

Chellie:

Could you do one with a male cook? That'd be swell.

Vivek:

Shashikala's cooking speed was often the bone of contention at dinnertime.

Zander:

"It is a very dry wine, yes, sir..."

Margaret:

"This will put some meat on your bones, sir. Sir?"

Vixy:

"But honey, you said you wanted me to try out some slow-cooker recipes..."\

Katharine Swan:

"See, honey, I told your mother I'd learn to cook someday... Honey?"

Christo:

John was starting to regret Allison's recent purchase of a slow cooker.

Christa:

"So, I was going to fix soup, but then I was afraid it would just go right through you."

Amanda (not sure if this is the same Amanda as the one earlier on):

Anna was disappointed that Mr. Jones yielded such a small serving.

Amy:

"Sorry... I'm on a diet."

Scott Schumacher:

"Well, I see that the Atkins Diet is really helping you these days!"

From the FilKONtario photo archives:




Above: Sibylle, Erin and Walter improvise choreography during an Urban Tapestry rehearsal. Sib's from Germany, Erin's from Buffalo and Walter's from Toronto. Speaking of filky stuff, Allison, Jodi and I got together for dinner last night. Allison wrote about it here. We talked a LOT about slow cookers, and now Jodi might be getting one! Looks like a quiet stretch for Urban Tapestry for a while. The next convention that all three of us will be attending will be next year's FilKONtario.

Thanks to Crystal for the Chocolate Tea, which has been helping me cut down on chocolate:



Have a great weekend, everyone!

Link O' The Day

The squirrels are at it again (link courtesy Dave Weingart)




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Friends and books, plus MacBook random shutdown woes

Had a lovely dinner with Dave Weingart, who is in Toronto on business; he lives and works in New York. It began with books and ended with books; not surprising, since both of us are bookaholics. After meeting in the lobby of a Chapters-Indigo, we had dinner at The Happy Buddha (2366 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4P 2E6 416 544 0330). THB had a wide range of vegetarian choices, with many mock-meats (which I believe are made from soy proteins): mock shrimp, mock chicken, etc.

The abundance of the word "mock" in the menu is somewhat off-putting, but both Dave and I very much enjoyed our meals. We shared a mock chicken satay appetizer, mock breaded sweet and sour shrimp, and a spicy mock chicken with peanut sauce dish. VERY good! I won't mock mock food again. Well...maybe just a little, but only because it's way too fun to use that phrase.

Conversation was fun and fascinating. So fun that at some point later in the evening, Dave had to point out that the restaurant staff was obviously shutting down the place, wiping down tables and putting chairs up on tables, so it was probably time for us to leave. On the way to the subway station, however, we got distracted by BMV Books (2289 Yonge Street, Toronto (416) 482-6002). I am ashamed to say that I had never been in this bookstore; I had always gone to Chapters-Indigo across the street.

Anyway, thanks to Dave for nudging me into checking it out! It was bigger inside than I expected, with two floors of new and used books. Prices were excellent, usually no more than half price. Lots of kids' books, too! We browsed a while, and I bought two books for young people, and just barely resisted a book about the history of chocolate. Dave escaped unscathed (no luggage space, he claimed) though he was sorely tempted several times. I'm definitely going to make this store a regular visit from now on.

A wonderful evening...thanks for dinner and the great company, Dave!



Above: Will Write For Chocolate has been updated (click above image for a bigger version plus an inspiration survey). If you identify with the above comic, do check out this XKCD strip; I think Randall Munroe did a much better job at summarizing what I suspect is a common trend. :-D

This morning is not going so great. My laptop has started shutting down at random times for no apparent reason. It happened yesterday and this morning. I did a bit of searching online and found:

Users report MacBooks and MacBook Pros randomly shutting down
ARStechnica discussion
AppleInsider discussion
The Uber Geeks
Appledefects.com
MacForums discussion
MacRumors discussion
Macnn.com discussion

:-(

So far, it does sound as I have one of the MacBooks with a faulty logic board, and that I might have to take it in. And yet the thought of going without my Mac for a even a week (or however long it takes) fills me with dread...I have client work due as well as my own writing. It's not just a matter of sending text files to another computer, but also having to install Wacom software so I can use my Artpad for illustration projects, moving over prefs, etc.

Argh. Not a happy camper right now. Meanwhile, I'm saving my work like crazy throughout the day. To make things worse, my backups don't seem to be working properly. I'm going to do manual backups by just dragging files over onto my backup drive for now. Jeff is going to look at my computer this weekend. Yay for technonerdboy husbands!




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Slow cooking

Just want you all to know that I am LOVIN' my slow cooker (thanks again to my father for the Christmas present!!). I've been mainly going through recipes in Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. Last night night I tried slow cooker bbq ribs for the first time, using bbq sauce gifted to me by Margaret Middleton when she heard I bought a slow cooker:



OH MY! Prep was so ridiculously easy that I feel like I'm cheating somehow: basically dump the ribs into the cooker with the sauce, and cook on the LOW setting all day. By dinnertime, the meat is so tender it literally falls off the bone.

Now I'm starting to look through The Healthy Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson as well, and was delighted to find a slow cooker recipe for steel cut oatmeal for my size of slow cooker (3.5 quart). As I've mentioned before, I'm a big fan of steel cut oatmeal and have been having it most mornings, often with dried cranberries or fresh fruit thrown in. In fact, both cookbooks have lots of hot cereal recipes, so I'm going to start experimenting with those for breakfast; I love the idea of waking to a hot breakfast waiting.



I'm also working up the nerve to try some of the other kinds of dishes in my slow cooker books, like soups, vegetarian dishes, and desserts. Baking cake in a slow cooker? Who would have thought it possible?!? Some may ask, "why not in an oven?" but the advantage of using a slow cooker is that I can go out on errands or for a run while it's baking, something I wouldn't be comfortable doing while using a regular oven.

I also have a yummy-sounding crockpot honey wheat bread recipe from "halfmoon_mollie" that I'm looking forward to trying. My friend Allison recently bought a slow cooker, and I've been combing her message boards for other ideas. Like this scrumptious-sounding recipe for North Carolina Pork BBQ from Rob Wynne.

And while I'm on the topic of food, I have to rave about Chow.com. Foodies should definitely check out this site, which is nicely designed and packed with all kinds of useful info. I was delighted to find a video section, where you can SEE experts trussing chickens, poaching eggs, etc.

Ok, I'm hungry now. :-)

Speaking of slow cooking, I originally created this cartoon to post at the top of today's Blathering, but decided to post it in Inkygirl instead as my weekly Cartoon Caption Challenge:



You can see what captions people have come up with as well as post your own by going to Inkygirl.

I'm still enjoying checking out Facebook. I like the fact that there are a wide range of Privacy options (what other people can and can't see) and I REALLY like the capability of threaded conversations via the "Wall-to-Wall" feature. One of the frustrating things about Livejournal is that an interesting thread starts up between two people but then is often abandoned as soon as there's a new post.

In Facebook, you can always click on "Wall-to-Wall" to see a conversation correctly interleaved, no matter what its length may be, and even if other people post about other things in between. This also makes it possible to have a Facebook "conversation" even if each person only posts every once in a while.

Back to writing...







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Facebook vs MySpace and other social networking sites

So I got curious about Facebook; you can click on my new Facebook badge in the lefthand navigation bar, if you're curious as well. Couldn't help myself; I've always been interested in social networking communities. I've done Orkut, LinkedIn, and a MySpace page among others. I'll save blogging communities like Livejournal for another post.



Orkut - Interesting, but didn't seem to go anywhere, at least for me. Apparently it's huge in Brazil right now.



LinkedIn - I signed up but found that (again, at least for me), it didn't provide any benefit. I found it time-consuming to have to evaluate each relationship and referral request; I started getting 6-7 a week. At first I took the time to e-mail back, asking for clarification about how I knew the person. It always felt awkward to me to decline a request, and it made me wonder how many people DID approve requests even though they had no idea who the person was. What pushed me over the edge: When someone I didn't know passed a referral request through five people to get to me ("Can you help me get an agent?", a question I already get asked at least once a week). I said "no" to the request but then the person who made the original request had the gall to request that I add her into my network now that we had interacted(!). I ended up requesting that my account be deleted.



MySpace - I signed up out of curiosity, created accounts for myself as well as my music group. I began checking my pages less and less often. Browsing user pages was painful because of many user-designed pages which made it nearly impossible to actually read the content. Also, the "I have more friends than you" mentality encouraged total strangers, particularly bands, to get themselves added to people's Friends lists. I was discerning at first, but then began finding the whole "friend approval process" time-consuming and sometimes irritating because of the number of complete strangers that would ask to be added to my Friends list. It seems good for indie bands, though. Setting up Urban Tapestry's MySpace page was fairly straightforward, and gives us a free venue to posting soundclips. I still have no idea if it has helped us find new listeners, however.



And that brings me to Facebook. Yet another social networking site, Facebook was originally developed for college and university students. Now, however, users can opt to join a non-school network, such as a place of employment or geographic region (like Toronto!); all you need is an e-mail address.

(Update: Missquirt on LJ points out that until recently, Facebook was ONLY available to university/college students. "Until a few months ago, an official school email address was required for signing up, and 'accepted' schools were added gradually. I remember when McMaster 'got facebook' in my fourth year.")

According to this Wikipedia entry, Facebook is ahead of Flickr in terms of the number of photos uploaded daily, and is the sixth most visited site in the United States. The name comes from the college publication distributed at the beginning of the academic year by universities to help students get to know each other better.

So far, I'm finding Facebook a much more satisfying experience than MySpace. It has a much better user interface, with a cleaner design with fewer ads, and easier navigation. Before trying out MySpace, I might have whined about how all the user pages look the same but y'know, there's something to be said for READABILITY.

Like many other social networking sites, Facebook has the friend request feature. Instead of listing the total friend count, Facebook lists totals for each of your networks. Because the number of friends isn't pushed as an obvious goal in Facebook nearly as much as it is in MySpace, however, I'm hoping that this will cut down on the needy "gotta pump up my Friends count no matter what" types. I like the fact that you can specify HOW you met people. For those I've met online, I usually choose "Randomly" and then type something like "through the blogging community" etc.



Facebook has much better search facilities than MySpace.

I'm experimenting with having my Facebook page automatically import blog entries. When I post this Blathering, for example, Facebook should automatically update my Notes to include the post. I might nix this, though, because I can't edit the posts once they're imported.

I love the tagging feature. If you post notes or photos, for example, you can "tag" them with the names of people you mention. If these friends are already on Facebook, then you can just select from a pull-down menu. Those Facebook friends are notified and, with just one mouse click, can see what you've posted about them.

So far, I've gotten back in touch with some old neighbours and classmates, and even found a few filkers. :-) Checking out the user-created groups, I notice there also seems to be a huge number of aspiring authors on Facebook, so I figure it will be a fun place to promote Inkygirl and Will Write For Chocolate.

Facebook is one of the best social networking sites out there right now, in my opinion, and it's encouraging to see that it continues to improve its offerings to users. For it to become THE social networking site in such a crowded arena, however, it's going to need features that will distinguish itself even more from its competitors.



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