Monday, January 05, 2009

Mac Issues - Keyboard Locks, Needs Rebooting

I asked Agron (Ropi, can you tell me after whom he was named?) at Best Buy about a problem I'm having with my MacBook. The keyboard randomly locks. I have to shut it off and reboot to get it to work again. This happens anywhere from 1 to 4 times a day. Reminding me what it was like to work on a PC.

Agron's family is from Albania and he's been back often. We talked about Albanian and US schools. He's getting his computer science degree at UAA and hopes to go on to Stanford for graduate work. It's nice to know you can get intelligent assistance at Best Buy. He said there was a problem with my edition of the MacBook and the MacBook Pros - something about the wire heating up and expanding and affecting the keyboard. He sent me to the MacHaus to get it repaired.

So, after calling and getting my Mac Care confirmed, I went to the MacHaus across from REI, where Kory checked it out. He said I'd lose my stick on Thai letters because the keyboard would be replaced and even checked about putting on a Thai keyboard, but they weren't in stock. He also pointed out the crack on the right below the keyboard - see the tip of the pencil in the picture. This is also a known defect that Apple will repair for free he said. I remember someone showing me that crack in theirs. I just don't remember who it was. But they'll fix it free. Even without Apple Care.

I really don't want to be without my MacBook, so I opted to take it home and bring it back when the parts come in. It's getting pretty tight. We leave early next Monday morning for Thailand.

Meanwhile I had a few more errands to do. A package to mail and a hotel voucher to pick up from China Airlines - we have to overnight in Taipei on the way home. That's a nice break actually. It was a spectacular day today. Here's the view coming back from the airport. And it was above 0˚F today. Amazing how 5˚F can feel warm, but after a few days of -15˚F, it does.

5 comments:

  1. Well, Agron was a king. I have heard this name once or read it maybe but he wasn't a world famous king such as Alexander the Great or anyone who is known even by people who are not interested in History. He ruled somewhere in the Balcan. Now I write directly what I think so you can see my logic. According to my memories he ruled in the mid 3rd century BC. I base my logic to that. That's why I exclude Greece because it was under Macedonian rule. I can exclude Macedonia but my explanation is much weaker. Macedonia took Greec culture and his name doesn't sound Greek. Slavic invasion hadn't started yet, so Eastern Balcan isn't really in the game so remained Western Balcan. It was still the age when great societies emerged around seashores so I have a view in my mind where he could rule but I am not really into geography so I have to explain it. It was Illyricum province in Ancient Rome and in Hungarian history it is Tengermellék or Littoral (It is the English equvalent of Tengermellék). So it is my guess.

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  2. And you helped a lot when you said he is Albanian. Without it I would have been clueless so it is partly your success too If I am right. :D

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  3. You're so good! He was the first King of ..., but I didn't write down where. It was some kingdom I never heard of. But he is from Macedonia. Maybe Agron will fill in the final details himself.

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  4. I'm on the 2nd keyboard for my MacBook. The first one started tearing at the edge flange, just like yours, but the replacement cover doesn't do that. I also got one of those KB keyboard covers to spew proof the alphanumeric areas. It has saved me at least 3x now.

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  5. Hey guys, you almost had it. It was the first king of Illyria. "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agron_(king)" this link may help understand more about the origin of the kingdom. Which was just before Roman rule. Agron was the first to declare the Illyrians as one kingdom. Before that, they were similar to the Greeks with many city-states that were more or less they're own tribes.

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