Solving Problems

A few brief followups:

• Re "Things Go Wrong," the washing machine repair cost $397.48, more than half the price of a new one; the water heater, replaced under warranty, cost $468.83. My butt hurts like somebody gave me a swift kick in the wallet. Hence....
• B&H sends me a holiday gift card every year to thank me for being an affiliate (thanks B&H!), so I solved my problem of needing IBIS because of my "yips" by putting this year's gift card toward a used Fuji XF 18–55mm OIS lens. Not IBIS, but rather in-lens IS, but I can't afford a new camera right now. (My X-T1 is not even three years old yet and works fine.) 
• Re "The 2017 Novel," I finished Heart of Darkness in 2016 with a little over two hours to spare! However I did not enjoy it. Have decided I do not actually like Conrad, much as I would like to. Went to the attic of the barn and, until my hands got stiff with cold, rummaged through boxes. Found one of my two editions of Moby-Dick; ordered two more...despite the fact that I'm reading an online version (cf. Mrs. Wittig, "all you book collectors are insane").
• To solve the computer problem, I'm using my 13" 2014 MacBook Air as my main computer. I may have already mentioned this. Seems to be working okay, except that not infrequently it makes a giant industrious whooshing noise like it's hot and its fan is blowing, despite the fact that there is no detectable inlets or outlets for air to pass and, if it actually has a fan, I have no idea where they put it. This bears more discussion, but I'm not going to post my thoughts about Apple right now because the new Print Offer starts in the morning and I don't want the Comments to be inundated with talk about computers.

Did I mention the Print Offer starts in the morning? It does. This one is going to be special; I adore this print. I've already found a frame shop in Canandaigua and I've been Scotch-taping John's proof up to the wall here and there in the house to help me decide where to hang it.

More in the morning. Noon actually, to be precise.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2017 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

Like what you read?
Give Mike a “Like” or Buy yourself something nice

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Jim in Denver: "Earlier this year my mother had to replace her GE clothes dryer, which she bought new in 1967. To say that 'they don't make 'em like they used to' seems accurate in this case."

Rob L.: "The 18–55mm ƒ/2.8–4 is a great lens, that I don't use often simply because the 16mm is so amazing. It's not as great as the Nikon 17–55mm ƒ/2.8, but close, and in fairness about 45 lbs. lighter.  :-)  "

Manuel: "Curiously, I felt a strange lack of attachment when I tried to read Heart of Darkness. It just didn't grip me. When a book doesn't rivet me by page 28, I usually give it up, but I made an extra effort with this one. It didn't work. It's weird that, while being quite straightforward and short, the narrative is boring. I read behemoths like Magic Mountain, with its thorough character and environment depictions—I could actually see Hans Castorp in my head!—and I never felt tired as I did with Heart of Darkness. At least now I know it it's not a translation issue, nor a lack of comprehension."

Mike replies: It might be one of those programmatic novels that's supposed to be one big extended metaphor, so maybe it's gripping to those who know all about the subtext. A novel like that is Andre Dubus III's House of Sand and Fog—supposedly the story of the Middle East conflicts recast as an epic real-estate squabble. I mean the characters are contending over a house. That novel, which I read all the way to the end, infuriated me—the whole programmatic premise seems utterly disreputable to me. I felt betrayed that the author wasn't true to the humanity of his characters, but had made them into straw dogs in his programmatic agenda. This I suppose is a matter of taste. Or ethics, or something.

Kev Ford: "The MacBook Air vents out of the gap between the main body and the screen. There is a fan that pushes air out that is a little like a water-wheel. It's normal for the fan to come on occasionally; the fan will lower the temperature quite far below where it needs to be before turning off and allowing the heat to build up again."

Comments

[John Shriver]

Yep, there's a little pancake fan in the MacBook, a little under 2 inches in diameter. There's a little radiator it blows through that connects to the heat pipe that goes over the CPU chip. You'll see the vents along the inside of the hinge.

Try the healing brush in Photoshop if you want to get it spinning really fast.

Bummer on the washing machine, at this point I'd rather have a classic 1970's Maytag. New ones are hopelessly short-lived.

[MJFerron]

Well Mike the glass is half full. I work for a company that sells both washing machines and provides a service for water heater installation. Having managed the departments that sells these products at one time or another I can tell you the average new water heater installation is about $1500. So there is your win.

As for the washer I would have taken $200 of the $1000 you saved on the water heater install added it to the washer $400 repair cost and purchased a pretty decent new one for $600. Now you have what $800 left? My wonderful local camera store here in Austin has several Ex condition Fuji 18-55's for $525. $275 in the bank! Not bad at all. You won :)

(PS the fan replacement on my wife's PT cruiser just cost me $600 to replace) I know you pain)

[Bill Mitchell]

For Christmas I rewarded myself for surviving 2016 by buying a print of Matt Weber's "The Perfect Kiss. I've wanted it ever since seeing it in "More Than The Rainbow," and it was only $130 (of course, it's going to cost nearly that much to mount and frame it). It is the first print that I've bought for years.
I hope that your new TOP print is really crappy -- I don't need and can't afford anything else right now. Please, Mike, nothing exotic and irresistible!

[Josh Hawkins]

"My X-T1 is not even three years old yet and works fine." I don't know how to absorb that statement. It's just disconcerting with reality as I comprehend it.

[Wise guy! :-) --Mike]

[Ben Rosengart]

It has a fan.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Air+13-Inch+Early+2014+Fan+Replacement/24767

[Dave Van de Mark]

Mike,
If you get a good "sample" of the 18-55, it will serve you well - a real sleeper of a lens! And to get a wider angle than the 18 gets for me, I just move camera slightly, shoot another frame, and stitch 'em together. The only downer for me is that it doesn't go to 16mm. But Fuji must know what they are doing. It is a nice compact winner..

Since we have exactly same computer setup - 13" laptops running the show - I can confirm the same over heating issue. When driving 3 monitors, warm goes to hot and it needs help. The solution is a USB powered fan base. Keeps it nice and cool.

[Nigli]

If you want to like Conrad, there are more enjoyable books, notably Lord Jim.

[mike in colorado]

I'm not sure if all MacBooks are like this, but some of them suck the air in through the gaps in the keyboard. I learned that while at the "genius bar" one day.

[paul in Az]

Yup. These appliance repairs can cost more than it is worth. My fairly expensive washer just crashed after only 6 years and I have debated simply junking it. Repair guy coming today so I'll see what the estimate is. Leaning to a new one.
Our disposable society. Nothing is built to last anymore.

Count yourself lucky that you don't have anything major going wrong. I just had my Spanish tile roof re-done -for $14,000! Ouch.

[Davd L.]

The underside of my old MB Air got very hot, so I raised it slightly to let air circulate below.

[Michael Trupiano]

I also went through a hot water heater "project" right before Christmas. I discovered that there are a couple of maintenance items one can do to prolong the life of their tank-type water heater. One is easy: drain and flush the tank periodically. The other a little more work but can easily be done by a homeowner: inspect and replace the anode. The schedule on this is highly dependent on your water quality (hardness, etc.). You could ask your plumber about these based upon your area. Happy New Year! Looking forward to the print offer later today!

[Ed Kirkpatrick]

I know it's too late but next time if you have Xander around to help move it replacing an electric heater is easy, three pipes and an electrical connection. Gas heaters really should be done by a professional because of the gas fittings but if one is comfortable and familiar with gas work it's pretty straightforward too.
I know, I know.... sorry.

[Mark Kinsman]

Bummer on the repair expenses, it's one of the costs of home ownership. Regarding the lens, it's a great one, Fuji does know lenses and has redefined what a kit lens can be. I've printed 24x30 images taken with that lens and they are quite good.

[Joe B]

Can someone supply an ode to the simplicity of an old Maytag washer?
My super duper electronic wonder of a newish front load washer stopped working. Service guy comes over and, somewhat like diagnosing a problem with the new computer controlled automobiles, finds the motherboard has gone bad. $300.00 board. The motherboard of my PC was only $150.00!That washer part was filled with individual discrete parts, resistors, caps, a chip here and there. This was one example where buying the extended warranty paid off. I rarely purchase them.

Next washer will be an old fashioned top load, all mechanical. If they still exist.
cheers,

[David Bennett]

Is it a very short burst whooshing noise?

If so, it sounds like the mysterious 'I am a whooshing noise that sounds like mail is being sent although there is no mail to send' that I sometimes get on mine.

[Jacob]

The Fuji XF18-55mm lens is excellent if you play to it's strengths. I shot one of my monographs with it, the prints look great, even at larger sizes. http://www.blurb.com/b/5966436-below-the-surface

[andrew john]

I've always enjoyed reading Apple fan stories.
This one is the best yet.

[Roger Bradbury]

I once had an Acme spin dryer, which I gave away when I bought my first programmed washing machine. I wish I hadn't because it was far more efficient at removing water than the spin cycle on the washing machine. Every time I used the spin dryer, I smiled as I thought about how Acme was the preferred brand of Wile E. Coyote.

The spin dryer was rather better than the old single tub washing machine I used it with. That used to pick out my favourite clothes and chew holes in them. When I got rid of that it went to the tip, but not before I threw it hard down the outside stairs then jumped up and down on it. That caused no end of satisfaction. Sweet, sweet revenge.

[hugh crawford]

Re yips:
A really simple solution that sometimes works is to change your grip on the camera and to use a different finger to trip the shutter. Doing that seems to disrupt muscle memory and bypass the yips. Try using your middle finger or thumb.

[Michael Perini]

You can help your MBAir dissipate heat by buying a 'fan base' as someone already suggested or add a passive heat sink like a flat piece of Aluminum. I have used an Aluminum plasterers hawk like this for years https://www.amazon.com/MARSHALLTOWN-Premier-Line-1D-Aluminum/dp/B00002N5Q5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483558249&sr=8-1&keywords=hawk+plaster
The handle unscrews and I added a couple stick on rubber bumpers to locate the computer. I added 2 stick on feet in the back so air circulates easily.The fan almost never comes on.

[Larry Gebhardt]

When your expensive Breville coffee grinder stops ejecting the grounds there's a simple fix that involves a screw driver and a custom 3D printed part you can order. Took me all of 10 minutes and $20. Breville wanted $80 plus my paying to ship it, and they would send me a refurbished one. They won't sell parts.

It really pays to attempt to fix many of these disposable appliances on your own. Even if you break it you were most likely going to trash it anyway, and when it goes right it feels pretty good.

[jim]

Small world.... Repairman comes to fix our washing machine tomorrow. Then Friday the plumber comes to replace one of our hot water heaters.

[Zach]

@paul in az - "Our disposable society. Nothing is built to last anymore."

No, more that we're unwilling to pay for anything that will last.

@Joe B - They do still make the top loaders - maytag and speed queens fit the mechanical bill. http://thesweethome.com/reviews/the-best-washer-and-dryer/

[Rob]

Good luck with "Moby Dick." I must have started that book five or six times but always got bogged down in the dense prose. It's rare that I give up on a book no matter how difficult, but Melville's masterpiece has got me in a figure-four brain lock.

[c.d.embrey]

CES (the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas) is here again.

Panasonic has pre-launched the GH5. Now is the time to pre-order this piece of vapor-ware 8-) Newsshooter has a mini review http://www.newsshooter.com/2017/01/04/panasonic-gh5-internal-10-bit-422-4k-recording-at-400-mbps-and-hd-up-to-180fps/ As does Photo Gear News http://photogearnews.com/panasonic-gh5-spec-announced/

Also announced was the FF 91, a powerful computer posing as a car https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/03/here-is-faraday-futures-first-production-car-the-ff-91/ It uses face recognition to open the door, and remembers everything about each driver (seat adjustment, favorite music, etc). The last I find very exciting—imagine loaning a camera to a relative who changes all your settings. Then imagine the camera recognizing you, and adjusting the settings back to your favorites 8-)

[Øyvind Hansen]

You should buy a pentalobe screwdriver on ebay and unscrew the bottom of the macbook, it is really easy. The interior tends to get pretty disgusting after some real world use, and the little fan fills up with dust. Clean it out with compressed air, and the computer will run much more silent.

[Dave Stewart]

Having taken a good few laptops apart for repair in the past, and am a bit wary of the, "clean it out with compressed air" advice. I'd want to be sure that the fan is rotating freely after that, and hasn't had any larger bits of fluff forced into anywhere that might restrict it!

Here's the kind of thing that can be encountered:
https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/3854619

[Mark Jennings]

Conrad. Conrad. Poor Joseph Conrad, one of my favorites. I named a barn cat "Conrad".

He lived and wrote in a time when Europeans had the rest of the world in a bag and were starting to struggle with the self doubt that sometimes come with the complications of compltete sucess. Conrad's work is about people being in places that challenge their values, and usually they don't come out on top in the struggle.

His language seems dated. The themes are timeless but set in a period that both carried a lot of colonial era baggage and triggered the start of modern social consciousness. Getting thru Conrad can be too labored for a lot of today's readers.

I like his stuff, but I'm old enough to have been brought up on writing of his era. His descriptions of place stay with me: "It was the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscruitable intention." [Heart of Darkness] inspired me to a body of work on forest interiors.

His stories about ships in storms at sea have been called the best of the type.