I was having a few problems getting the Extreme to recognize my Epson 7600 printer on the network. It worked at first, but disappeared when I tried printing from it again. Mind you, I am not connecting the printer to the USB connection of the Extreme. The printer has an ethernet print server card installed in it, and that is connected to one of the ethernet ports on the Extreme. Anyways the key is to give the printer a static IP address. I was able to do it on my Netgear, but I didn’t know if the Extreme had the ability. It does.
- Open Airport Utility
- Click Internet
- Click DHCP
- Go to the bottom section labeled DHCP Reservations. Click the + symbol.
- Think of a description and fill in the description field.
- Choose the Reserve by MAC address radio button.
- Click Continue.
- Find the MAC address off the ethernet print server card, fill in the MAC address field.
- Choose an IP address you’d like to reserve.
- Click Done.
This solution seemed to work for me.
My new want is the MacBook Pro. I currently own a MacBook which is a great computer, but as you all know if you really want to be cool, you need the Pro version. Whenever I see people with the MacBook Amateurs, I honestly think, “Wow, that guy is not very serious. He only has a MacBook.” I don’t think I’m alone on this, I hope I’m not at least. I wonder if that’s what people think of me. Hmm. I suppose other times when I see people with MacBook Pros I think, “Wow, what’s that guy trying to prove?” But that’s something else. Anyways. Let’s look at the main differences.
- MBP has a dedicated video card for the gaming I’ll never do.
- MB has an integrated video card sharing memory with the main memory.
- MBP has an optional matte display.
- MB has a glossy display.
- MBP has a lighted keyboard which I would find very useful.
- MBP has a larger screen. 100px more height, 160px more width.
- MBP is aluminum.
- MBP has an express card slot.
- MBP has FW800.
- MB is a newer design.
- MB has the magnetic clasp.
- MBP has the little button with hooking thing clasp.
- MBP has the multitouch trackpad.
- MB has a user replaceable hard drive.
- MBP has slightly better battery life.
- MBP is cooler than the MB. (I think Apple should restart doing the “What’s on your PowerBook” ads.)
The MBP is probably due for a more major redesign. It has essentially stayed the same since the Titanium PowerBook. It makes sense that Apple has stuck with this proven design. What other improvements can be made? My main thing right now is a user replaceable hard drive. I’ve heard rumors that new MBs and MBPs are introducing at WWDC. Maybe I’ll want the new MB by then. No, wait. I have to be cool and get the Pro.
A few more things I’ve noticed:
- Time Machine over Airport Extreme with a MacBook Core Duo (only wireless g) is very slow. I unloaded a bunch of pictures a few days ago. It’s been trying to backup the files since, but keeps failing because of the amount of time it needs. I guess that’s the nature of notebook computer sometimes. Look up something really quick, then close it. Write something quick, then close it. Mind you I gave the MB a couple hours last night to backup about 12gb. That wasn’t enough time. I’ll have to hook it up directly again.
- I really like using Airport Utility versus the browser based configuration. On the Netgear, I’d only configure the router when hooked up directly through the ethernet. It’s apparently the only secure way. I noticed that I can us Airport Utility over wireless on my MB. Should I be worried about security?
- You can allow the Airport to notify you when it has a firmware update. With Netgear, I’d have to visit the netgear website whenever it occurred to me that there might be an update.
MacUpdate is offering a bundle of all these apps for $64.95. One little catch, that shouldn’t be a big deal is this. The last three apps are locked until target numbers of bundles are sold. Once a target is reached, a locked app will be available to you. The last two bundles sold reached the final target number. This offer expires April 29th.
- Hazel - Cleans and organizes your files
- Art Text - Creates pretty text
- MenuCalendarClock - A menu item on the top of your screen with lots of info
- Leap - Like spotlight but a lot more
- StoryMill - For writing stories
- Typinator - fills in your commonly typed words or pictures for you
- DVDRemaster Pro - Compress large dvds to fit into standard size ones. Compress for iphone, ipod, etc.
- Sound Studio - Edit sound files
- BannerZest - create flash slideshows
- Parallels Desktop - run windows on your intel mac.
Last night I picked up an Airport Extreme! I’m pretty excited. Set up was relatively easy. Below are some random observations so far because I love unordered lists.
- No more web based configuring like with my old Netgear, instead you use Airport Utility.
- In Airport Utility, “SSID” is listed as “Network Name.” And is it just me or does it seem confusing that there is something called “MAC Address” and it has nothing to do with Macs?
- Airport Utility shows who is connected and how much bandwidth they’re using in a neat little line graph.
- The Extreme’s access list setup also lets you choose what times devices can connect to the router.
- If you have an iPhone or any pre-N device like my Core-Duo MacBook, you can’t use the 5ghz frequency. You’re stuck with 2.4ghz like everyone else.
- Airport Disk is cool though I swear it was called “Airdisk”. I can’t wait to figure out how to access it from anywhere on the internet. Also, I don’t think you can change the name of the disk while connected to the Extreme.
- Time Machine through the Airport Disk seems to be working. I used the gigabit ethernet for my initial MacBook backup. I’ll let you know about the wireless-G backup experience after I work on some large files.
- I have an Ethernet card in my Epson 7600. My old version of EpsonNet 1.9a couldn’t find the printer through the Extreme, 2.2a could! I thought Epson was going to leave me behind again, but they didn’t.
- I have not used the built in print server.
So far it seems like a pretty solid router at a good price considering what you get: gigabit ethernet, wireless print server, NAS, Time Capsule-like Time Machine, wireless-N, and Apple support.
I’m looking for something that organizes ideas and thoughts for the Mac. These are the choices I have so far:
- Journler - I used this for a while when it was free. The developer is going to start charging with v2.6. It’s mainly for organizing written thoughts though you can integrate music, pictures, weblinks, etc.
- Yojimbo - I’ve heard good things about this. This just feels like an information database.
- Bento - Pretty new. From Filemaker.
- DevonThink
- VoodooPad
These apps kind of do the same thing but not really. Some focus more on text, some more on just keeping data organized. It all seems so vague to me thinking about it now. I’m basically looking for a hub for my life, a centralized spot where I can start my day. A place I keep attachments like pdfs, pictures, docs, whatever. A place where I can go to when I think, “Oh I need to pick up some milk,” or “Oh I really want that USB coffee warmer so bad. I should blog about that soon,” or “Oh I need to remember to buy those tickets when it goes on sale next week.” Basically an app that does everything! That’s all I want.
My trusty old white Netgear wireless-G has served me well for a few years now. It hasn’t caused me too many problems, well nothing a simple unplug/replug couldn’t fix. But I think it is time it should be replaced with the new old Airport Extreme.
A couple of days ago Apple offered a software update for their Airport Extreme that now allows time machine backups. This means you can back up your files wirelessly. This was the only reason to buy the expensive Time Capsule and now you don’t have to. Unless there is some other reason to get the Time Capsule I’m just not aware of.
I also own an Airport Express. I once used it for Airtunes only. Currently it just sits on a shelf. My Apple TV has replaced that role. But now if I get an Airport Extreme, I can bridge it with the Express to extend my wireless range!
Oh yeah, this is going to work so great with my new Blac X! FTW!
Installation
Very easy. Just plug all the cables in. Drop the drive in. It just works, on a Mac that is. I didn’t really look at the instructions.
Observations
- 3.5″ drives slide in easily. It doesn’t feel like it’s going to go off track and not hook up right.
- Ejecting 3.5″ drives require a little more than just pressing the eject button. You should probably pull on the drive too. (I wonder if that was in the instructions.)
- Ejecting 2.5″ drives seem to get stuck a little. It just might be the drive I was using.
- The flap which covers the drive slot seems a little flimsy.
- The drive light on the top of the Blac X consists of two lights: a blue power light, and a red drive activity light.
- I’m having an issue when unmounting a 2.5″ drive then remounting it. Blac X doesn’t seem to recognize the drive. I have to turn the Blac X off then back on for it to work.
- It allows deep sleep like so many USB devices do!
- Does not prevent automatic sleep like so many USB devices do!
I made a few calculations. I hope I did this right.
I am charged about 22 1/2 cents per kWh used. The PowerMac G5 averages about 0.2 kW of power. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Ideally, I’d like the desktop to be on continuously. This is about $394 a year. The Mac Mini uses about 0.02 kW of power. This equates to about $39.42 a year. A final savings of about $355. That’s not bad. In just two years, I would have paid for my Mac Mini.
To put it another way, I was just talking to a friend who plays WoW. I’m just not really into video games. I have no idea why. Anyways, he said it costs $15 a month to play. I was shocked! That’s like getting 3 DVRs from your cable co, or getting 1/2 an unlimited text messaging for a family plan. So this is where my mindset is coming from. To run my PowerMac, it costs about $33 a month. The Mac Mini would only cost me only $3.25 a month!
I am so cheap!
I currently own a PowerMac G5 DP 2.0ghz. It is so awesome!! That is…if this post was written sometime in 2003. Unfortunately it was written in 2008. The computer still performs great, the problem I have with it is the amount of power it uses. My handy dandy power calculator machine (Kill A Watt) shows that the PowerMac uses about 200 watts idle and about 300 watts full bore. The Mac Mini uses about 30 watts full bore! Benchmarks even show that the Mac Mini is faster. What’s especially funny is my PowerMac uses about 40 watts when it’s sleeping! I was wrong about this, it’s only about 10 watts. In comparison, my electric heater uses about 1000 watts. I wonder how much savings I could get in a year from replacing my G5 with a Mac Mini? A few bucks? I’ll feel greener at the very least.
