Busted power adapter

Around Christmas, I was unlucky enough the have my power adapter go out with a pop. I just inserted it into the wall socket, and a spark, a bit of smoke, a poping noise and that awfull smell of burned electronic equipment came out.

Thinking it was 600DKr I needed to spend, without actually having them put aside for that purpose, I just borrowed Katrin's power adapter once in a while. It just wasn't the best solution, since she forgot it at home a few times (after I borrowed it and left it lying around underneath the table) and had to try and preserve her iBook's power for a whole day.

Yesterday I got the idea, that Apple might be pursuaded to replace it, since it must have been a flaw in the product from the beginning, and not something that was due to normal wear and tear. In Denmark there is a two year limitted warranty, which covers flaws due to bad components or faults arrived from the manufactoring process etc., which I thought my power adapter would fall under.
It took a bit of explaining, especially trying to convince the first few people I spoke to that I didn't have an Apple Care plan, but was still entitled to two years of limitted warrenty. Finally, I was put through to a very friendly swede (or norwegian? I'm not good at telling them apart, eventhough I understand what they are both saying) who told me that my problem had been escalated to a security issue. Since the power adapter had expelled smoke and stuff, there could have been a risk of fire etc., and they would like to enquire a bit more into the matter.

After about 5-10 minutes, answering questions like "Did you have to call emergency services?" and "Did you suffer any burns or other damages?" (both answers were 'no' - only the power adapter suffered any kind of damage), he told me that they will be sending me a brand new power adapter! :) how cool is that? going from the thought of having to fork out 600DKr on something I really didn't want to spend money on, to getting a new for free! Naturally, the flaw could have caused burns, fire or other kind of damages to either me or the building, so I guess it's to be expected that they replace it. I'm just glad to have saved a lot of money on a simple phonecall...

The Machinist

We saw The Machinist yesterday. Pretty good movie actually, though a bit spooky at times. It's in no way a horror movie, but more of a psychological thriller, where you end up expecting the worst. Christian Bale does a very good job of being the disturbed, sleepless, skin-and-bones main character, who has some serious problems. If you find it creepy or too wierd, don't stop half way since that would ruin the whole film. You have to see it all the way through to find out what has happened and why everything is happening the way it is.

I find it a bit hard to compare it to anything else, but something like 6th sence without the ghosts and generally more gloomy. If you like the think about the film both during and after seing it, you have to see the machinist. If you only like action movies, brainless splatter movies or chick flicks, this is not for you...

Better Google ranking

It seems my post about my Google ranking has helped. If you search for "dennis newel" now, this blog is the first hit :)

A new look for Carl Rasmussen

One of the projects I manage at work, just went live yesterday :) A bit late, but the extra time was well spent.

It's a really cool site if I may say so myself, and you can even shop there if you're not already registrered. Carl Rasmussen's customers are normally just companies, but with this new site, they've opened up for us end-user gadget/tool freaks, that simply must have the best equipment available on the market. One of the really cool features on the site, is the search engine. It allows you to easily find what you're looking for in their catalog of more than 27.000 items. Even using slang :) You can search for "kaninpik" ("rabbit dick" - which is aparently a normally used word for a jig saw) and it gives you a list of jig saw tools. How cool is that :)

Interesting Gadget

I just noticed the Tekkeon myTalker on engadget. Looks quite cool, and might be of great value.
At the moment I use my iPod when commuting by train, and naturally I have my mobile phone with me as well. Most times the phone is hooked up with a headset, partly because I find it easier to hear what people are saying, and partly to keep the mobile away from my brain :) I'm still not sure weather it's harmfull or not, but any kind of microwave activity too close to the brain sounds bad. I keep the phone in my jacket's inner pocket, but I'm not sure if it could have any effect on the heart either...we'll all probably find out at some point, when we've had mobile phones for 20-30 years or so.

Anyway, with this gadget, I would have a chance to actually notice my phone ringing, and be able to answer it before the other person hangs up. Now I usually pull out the iPod's headphones, try to fish out the mobile phone with it's headset, and hope that I can untangle the wires and answer the phone in time....quite annoying, and now I think of it I'm glad the phone doen't ring more often :)

Can It Really Be True?

It's hard to believe. If I didn't know better, I would have expected it to pop up on SETI before I got the news. Actually, It's quite amazing to recieve news from something you startet to doubt existet. Like a religious person starting to disbelieve and then recieve direct word from his or her god(s). About 18 months ago, Katrin and I launched into a project that took us to unknown lands. The lands of the waiting. We submitted out immigration application to the Canadian High Commission in London thinking that in this day and age, we would be able to track the process somehow. I read about the "e-client", and believed that it would change once in a while, when the application moved from one desk/person to the next or something. We were badly wrong. Untill this morning, the only information we've ever gotten out of them, was a small slip of paper saying that they had recieved out application on the 19th of July. We managed to change out address, with suprisingly was a very quick process. Not that they notified us or anything, but around then I think I checked the e-client about once a day, and noticed that our address was now the new and correct one. Now I check about once a week if I remember, having read somewhere that they only update their e-client the night between sunday and monday. Anyway, it wasn't the e-client that had a new status or anything. We got a letter! With great exitement Katrin opened the letter (with me on the phone), but it didn't include an update! :( It was just a letter saying that they hadn't been able to process our application in the timeframe they had told us on the small slip of paper we got (wich was 18 months) Well no suprise there! They did say, that they expected to have processed out case by March 2006 (I'm guessing they'll start the processing then) and that they are now processing applications from April 2004. With their calculations, the people who submitted their applications in April 2004 ought to get answers around now. Lucky people :) All is not lost though, because this letter has a great significance even though it didn't ask us for more details or told us that we are on to the next face. But it did tell us that this mystic "Canadian High Commission in London" (whom we paid quite a few money too) actually exists! and not only that, but our case is active, laying on someone's desk and hasn't been dropped behind a bookcase or something! :) This is great news, and I hope they keep that up, and don't go spoil the whole thing by refusing us immigration ;)

CES and a load of new gadgets comming

Unfortunatly, I'm not at CES even though I would really like to :) Perhaps some day. Anyway, I stumpled across a few interesting gadgets, that I look forward to seing more information on. One of these, is the e-Ink device that i've been waiting for for a while now. Unfortunatly it's from Sony, which means the is uses a proprietary format, besides allowing the user to view PDF files. I'm guessing that when other makers get on the market, they will use some form of standard format, and Sony will not agree to the same format for about 10 years...we've seen it before :) I'm not sure I'll buy the first one out ($300 is still a bit of money for something that can't show other types of e-books than Sony's own) The other thing I'm looking forward to hearing more about is Google Video Store. So far no pricing has been mentioned, and I guess that it's only the US that can benefit from it, but it still sounds interesting. I've seen quite a few episodes of CSI, and I have a feeling that if I might be able to get the newst episode (about a year or so before it might be aired here in Denmark) for around $3, I would most likely sign up and use it. But it all depends on price, ease of use and naturally if I'm allowed access or not :) It could probably end up as it has with iTunes Music Store which opened in Denmark lightyears behind the rest of europe, just because some greedy people controlling most artists like puppets wouldn't play with the others in the play ground. And when it finally arrived, the available music isn't really that interesting. It seems the sony reader is heading the same way, with their problems with the publishers - which is why it make so much less sence not to support other types of formats, so the users can read books from sources like Project Gutenberg. Most of the other stuff seems to be about HDTV, which for me isn't relevant for et least a year or so. I have no room (or money) for a huge flat screen tv, and since noone I know of in Denmark is going to be delivering HDTV any time soon, all I would be able to watch would be normal TV stretched into an even worse quality than now. If we manage to get to Canada at som e point though, HDTV is much more interesting since there are actually providers (provider?) over there...

A Year Has Ended And A New Begun

All of the sudden, the year 2005 has ended - what happened to November and December? Work I guess :) Anyways, a lot happened in 2005, and then again not much happened. We were in Canada twice, in February and again over the summer, and I got a new job which I'm really happy about. On the other hand, nothing has happened to our immigration application and we're still living in Katrin's parent's basement. The same duality of 2005 is probably going to be repeated during 2006 i guess. I think my new job will continue to be interesting and challanging, but I don't expect anything to happen to our immigration application. Because we haven't heard from them at all, it's difficult to say whether they are working on it, or if it's been forgotten at the bottom of a stack of old papers. At least we can inquire about the process once 24 months has gone by, which will be on the 19th of July 2006. I've been thinking about making new years resolutions, but I've decided not to. They won't last anyway. In stead I'll just make regular promisses to myself, that I'll try to get to the gym more often :) I'll also try and make time for blogging a bit more. When I started out in September I had a post each day, but that soon turned out to be way too ambitious. Maybe I'm just lacking focus, which is why I've thought about writing a bit about books I've read or the once(s) that I'm reading. Let's see what the new year brings :)