Nothing to say

Say you have a MBP.  Say you want to upgrade the HD.  Maybe you want a bigger drive.  Maybe faster.  Maybe solid state.  I understand.  I really do.  I have a MBP with a 2.2 GHz Core 2 Duo and 2GB of RAM, but the drive is a pathetic 120GB Fujitsu MHY2120BH that is just a generally slow drive.

While a SSD sounds nice (no spinning parts, longer lifespan, better data protection, etc) … the things are expensive.  And given the selection on newegg.com, I could gain a whole 8GB from upgrading to their largest drive.

Instead, I want to upgrade to the largest, fastest drive reasonable.  I have less than 20GB free right now, and that’s only by sheer force of will.  I frequently dip to less than 1GB free, though.  That’s not ok.  As it is, I only have a small portion of my “active data” on here.  I just don’t have the room for all the files I want regular access to.  It’s frustrating.

So I’m thinking a 500GB drive.  That would make my laptop a dream to use.  I can consolidate all of my data in one place and then back it up properly.  I can plunk down the $30 for a good dedupe program, and go through all my old, inefficient backups to get rid of duplication and update the outdated.

Newegg has two 500 GB drives (in the mandatory 2.5″ size, but both are also 5400 RPM.  They’re about $150 each.  If I step up to 7200 RPM, I have to step down to a 320GB drive.  Those three drives are $90 and 110.  Hitachi also makes a 500GB 2.5″ drive, but it’s 12.5mm high.  Great for enclosures or the 17″ MBP, but it absolutely won’t fit in a regular 15″ MBP.

Here’s the rub, though: hard drive replacement in the MacBook Pro voids the warranty.  To preserve your notebook’s warranty (or AppleCare), you need to take it to an authorized service shop.  In Boulder, there is only one: The CU Bookstore.  Apple stores cannot and will not perform this service.  Mac Geniuses cannot and will not perform this service.  I called Apple’s support line, and that’s what I learned.

The good news is that the nice folks at CU only charge for 1 hour of service to install a drive, and they really don’t care where I get the drive.  That’s good because a lot of repair shops, computer or otherwise, only want you to use parts that they sell, which prevents you from getting the best deal.

So for those of you who need or want to upgrade your MBP, don’t want to void your existing warranty, or just don’t feel you have the technical aptitude to do the job yourself using the excellent guide on iFixIt.com, check for local authorized Apple shops and find out how much they charge.

I can get the job done for 150 (drive) + 85 (install).  If I were buying a brand new MBP today, there isn’t even an upgrade option for a 500GB drive, so I call this a deal.  And I get to keep the existing 120GB drive for offloading files I don’t want or need active access to.

Imagine, for just a moment, you’re the president of Pakistan.  Or Canada.  Take your pick.

Senator Obama said that, as president, he would act on intelligence to get Bin Laden in your country (Pakistan) with or without your consent or support.  He didn’t say he’s going to attack you, mind you.  He just let you know that he would send troops into your mountains for this one target if he had to.

Senator Obama said that, as president, he plans to unilaterally renegotiate his trade agreement with you (Canada).  He didn’t say he’s going to make it worse for you.  He just said he doesn’t like the way it is, and he wants to talk to you about it.

And in each case, McCain basically said “You don’t tell people that you’re going to do that!”

Neither of these points are unexpected, really.  The US Government, and most of their people, want Bin Laden completely dead.  And they want the national debt to drop.  And they want a greater demand for the products they produce.  I’m not commenting on how good of an idea these things are.  I don’t know.  I am comfortable commenting on their predictability, though.  Anyone surprised?  Pakistan?  Canada?  Big shocker for you?

Didn’t think so.

Now say you’re still one or both of those people (PaCanadastan), and McCain has just chided Obama for letting you know his intentions.  He doesn’t want you to know he’d go into the mountains after Bin Laden.  He doesn’t want you to know if he plans to make any changes to NAFTA.  He doesn’t want you to know what he’s thinking, doing, or planning.  He’s happier to surprise you.

Oh, by the way, we’re already IN your mountains.  We’re changing NAFTA.  Surprise!

It just seems, that as an open country of the world, such as we are, we should find some way to let the rest of the world vote for our leaders, too.  Bush’s approval rating is now lower than Trumans.  It’s even lower than Nixon’s was before he resigned.  It’s the lowest of any US president as long as such polling numbers have existed.  I remember the international press 4 and 8 years ago.  I think it’s clear that if the world would have been able to vote for our president, it sure as hell wouldn’t have been George W Bush.

Who would the world elect this time around?

Who will YOU elect?

Having received mountains of both critical acclaim and box office earnings, Swing Vote’s producers have taken on a new project: the biopic of Joe the Plumber.  In an effort to repeat their unfathomable success, they have already secured Kevin Costner to lead.  Michael Chiklis was quoted as saying, “This is a load of crap.  Joe is a national hero, and should be played by a national hero.  It’s an outrage!”

James Carville slapped Chiklis on the back of the head and said “Being bald simply does NOT qualify you to play a national hero!”

Chiklis left the room in tears.

—update—

Shame on Joe the Plumber.  Or maybe pity.

factcheck.org says that abcnews.com says that Joe the Plumber won’t actually make enough money to qualify for the higher tax bracket ($250,000/yr) under Obama’s proposal.  In fact, that’s about how much money the business would cost him.  Now I’m no economist, but I’m pretty sure that he won’t be seeing ANY business completely pay for itself inside of one year.  So no way in heck is he making even close to 250,000 (after expenses, mind you.  we’re talking income, here).  So Senator Barack Obama’s plan, which Joe himself accused of being socialist, would give him a tax break.

Joe, are you a party line Republican with an agenda?

Or were you just not listening during the last two debates?

America wants to know.