So I get up this morning and realize that my iMac's screen is slowly dying (it's now got a vertical pink line and doing some weird things on randomly). Predictably, this happens right after I finally consolidated all the files to that particular iMac. Time to dust off the busted Macbook, I guess.

A friend of mine is in the market for a good UPS for his Mac Pro. He sent me this:

I'm in the market for a reliable, consumer-grade UPS that works well with Mac OS X 10.6. I have a Mac Pro ca. 2007 that has 3 internal disks and a 30" display. I'd like to power this combination of hardware long enough for OS X to shut itself down safely in the event of an outage lasting longer than 30 seconds. I don't need to power any peripherals besides these two items, and I'd like the OS X built-in software, manageable via System Preferences, to handle the task of emergency shutdown if at all possible.

I've owned 3 UPSs in the past decade, all of which have been unsatisfactory for one reason or another. Two of these units didn't "play nicely" with OS X, even when the UPS software was part of the OS. The most recent, an APC "tower" unit, appeared to communicate with OS X, but actually didn't when push came to shove, and it frequently and suddenly powered off my Mac(s) for no apparent reason, thus defeating the very purpose of using a UPS. The previous was some 2001-looking black monolith that wouldn't talk to the Mac, even though it had a USB port, and it emitted a horrid alert sound when the battery was in need of replacement, an alert that was impossible to shut off without unplugging the unit. The third was serial-only and I don't think OS X even had UPS support then.

In short: I want a UPS that will help my Mac Pro shut itself down quickly and safely in case of a power loss.

I know OSX has some internal power management that can safely and quickly shut down the system upon receiving the proper signal from a UPS. I've never had experience with this function personally. Any H-Cers dealt with this?

The UPSes I've tried in the last few years all look to the OS as if it's a laptop battery, so they work just great. So I'd think anything current would work fine.

I've had several APCs that worked fine, the main difference being backup capacity. Though, IIRC, to set some of the advanced settings, like to turn off the loud alarm, I had to hook it up to a PC, use the APC Powerchute software, then hook it back up to the Mac.

macbook air going up to 80C while using word and watching the daily show on chrome. nothing else that i can tell is running. nothing processor intensive anyways.

is that temp ok or should i take the machine into the apple store before mom leaves for india?

Edited January 21, 201214 yr by crappyjones123

I guess it would depend on what ambient was. If it was 50F, I would definitely worry.

I meant 80C in the last post. Fixed now. Under no load it idles around 51C. Hovers between 50 and 52. I guess I'll try safari but I don't know if it will make a difference...take it in?

Update...hmmm same episode playing for 10 minutes. Highest temp it's hit so far has been 70C and hovers around 67-68. Are there any known issues with chrome on MBA?

Edited January 21, 201214 yr by crappyjones123

Watching the daily show in a flash window? Flash is a nightmare.

Are there alternatives?

I use the Kill-Flash chrome extension

Are there alternatives?

VLC and the usual sources.

vlc doesn't play flash video

The daily show can be found in non flash formats

I typically watch it on the TV when I watch it. You should try that.

I'm not home when it's on. And I usually just listen to it in the background while working on stuff.

The original 128K Macintosh came out 28 years ago today.

The original 128K Macintosh came out 28 years ago today.

Cute - my first Mac was an Atari 520ST running the Magic Sac with 128K Mac ROM chips in it (in 1985 or 1986). http://lowendmac.com/clones/atari.html

i just got me a shiny new mba too. on my pc i was using dbpoweramp to move my flac stuff to alac to make it all iphone/ipad/itunes compatible. there are a few that i found for mac. any recommendations?

My recommendation is to use FLAC Player in your iOS devices and Audirvana or Decibel on Mac OS if you prefer the format. If you want to convert to ALAC Max is decent.

And congrats on the MBA! So want.

Edited January 25, 201214 yr by blessingx

The Reg outdoes itself with its latest NSFW "fondleslab" article

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01/26/ipad_fleshlight_design/

id like to be able to connect the macbook air to the tv in the house. the tv has no internet capabilities that i know of - i can find the model number and check again when i get home but last i checked there was no internet connectivity.

http://www.amazon.co...28381863&sr=1-1

i could get that cable to connect the macbook air to the tv.

are there any other/better options available? would like both audio and video transmission.

^ If you want to just watch something that is saved on MBA on your TV, there's AppleTV. If you are looking use your TV as an external monitor, direct connection with a cable (like that one you linked) is probably the easiest/cheapest solution.

Edited February 4, 201214 yr by Salt Peanuts

http://thenextweb.co...-week-of-march/

if that resolution and those specs are true, I'll be getting one(maybe two)

Edited February 10, 201214 yr by HDen

My excitement about it would be directly related to price. It's hard to imagine that they can hold the same pricing structure if the screen rumors are true and my guess is that we'll end up with two tiers of iPads each with their own set of price steps. That said, I don't know what would motivate someone to buy one if the price creaps up against the Air.

That said, I don't know what would motivate someone to buy one if the price creaps up against the Air.

Because I like toys. I carry an iPad daily, I use my Air maybe once per month. I would definitely pay for a better equipped iPad at a price equivalent to a stripped down MBA.