Mac Mini OS X 10.4 Dropping Wifi [updated]

OK, so this has been bothering me for a few weeks now, but the front room mac mini has been incredibly flaky with wifi lately. Like, proper flaky...maybe up 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day and then drop for no reason whatsoever, refuse to reconnect....but then sometime later mysteriously connects.

It seems that the solution is to delete the AirPort preferences file in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration (com.apple.airport.preferences.plist) and let it be regenerated.

Shall try that tonight...fingers crossed.

[UPDATE: This does not work]

You are a geek when...

...you *could* go out to play on a Friday night but...

• You have decided to rename all the machines on your network after hominoids. You do not know this word, but...you can phone someone and describe what you mean rather than GTMF! [ cheers bruv*!...sorry I called all apes monkeys ;) ]
• You now have "bonobo" (laptop, about to get Gutsy), a server running same but server version (having previously been a feisty "fatbox") called "gibbon" a mac called "chimp", a tiny Gumstix machine called "utan" (because it will fucking crush you with orson tiny) and an as yet still bricked Neo1973 (just time constraints, nearly there!) which I will rename "siamang" as soon as I can...how fucking cool are they! The arboreal thing appealed to the mobile thing (yes I know) and the "throat pouch that can be inflated to the size of its head" swung it!
• Keyboard shortcuts beat mice (except for drawing "freehand" natch)
• You are writing a How-To called "Restoring Neo1973 GTA01v4 From Scratch with a Debug Board using JTAG on your Ubuntu/Debian system" (subtitle...."trust me and see!")
• You're thinking of upgrading to a gas soldering iron
• Because you want to make a new taser and mod the Buddha Machine
• There are robots to be made for Christmas
  
• You understood any of that.
  

On the other hand it's fucking freezing, I have a cold, I really want my bed and I have (oh noez!!) a ready-meal pizza in the freezer I could eat...
*He's gonna be a doctor don't you know!

The Tubez Are My Biotch!

This post is mainly dedicated to Rosie, apropos of a chiding I ranted the other day. I'll try not to geek out too bad:

So. Essentially it's a tips & tricks guide. Little things I've learned...some of it will work on most platforms, some of it will be limited to Mac, some to Linux. Most of it is based around doing "internet stuff"...I'm trying to link loads of stuff - so if you follow my advice....use the "open in new tab" option with Firefox ;)

• Use Firefox
• Except on Mac...Camino is better
  
• It's insanely customisable and has some extremely useful plugins/features, of which more later....
• I have my RSS reader (see below) as my homepage
  
• I only have a couple of bookmarks stored and they're stored with keywords ("work" takes me to work Exchange webmail, "blog" takes me straight to a new blog post...you get the idea).
• Use Linux
  
• I use Ubuntu...hey, I want the easy life dammit!
  
• It! Just! Makes! Sense!...but you will need to know a little more than just "click icon"...that said, something like Ubuntu (of any flavour) or if all else fails Knoppix will easily suit most.
• I should point out that I'm working on a separate "how and why my home network is cooler than yours" post, so for all/many/some of my customisations for Ubuntu Linux and OS X you'll just have to wait sorry.
  
• Firefox Extensions and Add-ons
• AdBlock Plus
• Greasemonkey
• Lifehacker BetterGMail
• ChatZilla
• Google Toolbar
• Use RSS
• OK, you can accuse me of being a Googlewhore now...I use Google Reader as well as GMail
• I have something like 100 subscribed feeds...what can I say? A bonus feature is that by looking at the "trends" option I can soon see what needs trimming or which feeds need to better organised by folders etc.
  
• I really, really appreciate shortcut keys here; much easier to navigate and less "growling" from my mouse wheel as I scroll past the dross. My RSI and Dupuytrens is thanking me on a daily basis.
  
• I'll probably post some select sites here soon, but if you use the "Read More..." link on my Dump Bucket over there on the right you'll probably get a good idea of what sites I think are worth sharing with people
  
• Use GMail
• I'm even beginning to bore myself with the googledom now. So? I can't help it if they are actually doing some cool stuff.
  
• Use Keyboard Shortcuts
• Reader
• GMail
• Firefox
• Mac
  
• Windows XP

That's your lot for now, I'm all geeked out...and if anyone's seen the power cable for my laptop I'd be grateful if they can tell me where the fuck I put it!

Eggs Perry Mental

Right. I'm knackered, a bit fed-up of feeling guilty (for no reason) for not posting quite as often or in quite the same rantageous (yes it is a word...if I say so) way as I have in the past. I blame Missman (joke). Actually, because I told Missman of the site I suddenly thought I'd better re-read some of my older posts to see if I came across as some kind of mentalist. What I mean is, a different type of mental from my mental....ya get me?

Also, Ricola better phone me soon or they're in trouble!

By the way, I don't want an iPhone (which you may have inferred from the last post), but that interface does look awesome. If I'm a fanboy at all, I'm a Mac OS X fanboy and possibly not even that as I'd rather it was all free...I'm still running a Debian machine as a server and using the Daptop regularly now I sorted out some of the wireless issues. Somehow though, my Mac Mini has become my machine of choice rather than just the media machine I'd intended.

I'll also admit to heaving several huge sighs of relief at work today; just before I went on Yuletime holiday I realised I might have 'over sold' something to Belgium and that I'd possibly fucked Belgium (ugh!) and thus probably a very, very expensive project right up. I couldn't do anything about it other than worry (not that I do that much) about it a bit over the last few weeks. Anyway, long story short we finally caught up on the matter today and it turns out I'd just twisted it round in my head (and so had one of the Belgo's which was why I was worrying) because their techie guy is definitely on the ball and had also noticed my cunning 'call per service' (too long a story) plan...it just wasn't flow-charted correctly. Also, Maggie is back which is really good and I'll be working with her now.

The paragraph above has been written suspecting that Teh Bo55 still has this thing RSS'd or bookmarked. But it's true...and cannot be submitted as evidence for my next Performance Review ;-)

Flo has some seriously sore nappy-area issues, but is happy enough despite being a bit pasty and under-the-weather-looking. She ate loads of Fishcake, Rice, Brocolli and Sweetcorn and was sooo tired she wanted her bed at 6:30 right after her bath (lots of shouting and splashing...and bubbles)...let's hope she sleeps through as I've another killer 2 days at work coming up followed by (hopefully) some debauchery and then a full Saturday...Flo's staying a bit later than usual on Sunday.

O.O

Seems I can rant when I have it in me...except now I'm definitely going to bed before 9!

You thought I'd forgotten....haha!

F****** 'A*' M*****F*****!**

Camera is here! Sleep is evading me...

Did I mention I got it for £50? And that it now appears to be selling for £100? Steal! Or that I stuck my £15 2GB SD Card in and now have ~1900 5MP photos to hand? Plus video?..MmMmmMmm!

....then...just plugging it into the Mac, which said "Starting iPhoto, here's a new 'Roll' called 'HP Camera'...shall I just load all this with the description you give?...cool...and should I like save this a bit so next time you just get a new 'Roll' each time you connect with all your new stuff, labelled appropriately?"

So. No pictures.

I felt the need to take great quality pictures of my evening: Toasting seeds, cooking rice and greens, loading up the buggy with a 15" CRT and an old mouse* for Gazatron & Cer, waiting for Gaz to bring the buggy back and thinking up shit jokes about him 'forgetting the baby'...eating, playing Animal Crossing, working a bit (admin, since you ask) and writing this...but that would be sadder than some of my sadder posts upon this blogthing which, it has to be said, is not the un-saddest thing in the world.

I am saving the quality pictures for quality content...namely Teh Chile!

Here's an old one!


* The monitor is about 5 cubic feet and weighs over 4 kilos!....buggy advised when faced with a hill!
** In case you were wondering the title is meant to be "Fucking A* Motherfucker"***/****
*** Which is meant as A 'Star' as in the new fancy way of marking exams
**** And is in reference to the arrival and aceness of the camera