New MacBook Air Problems – Kernel Panic and Application Crashes

Nov 21st, 2010
by eGoh.
8 comments

I received my new MacBook Air 13″ on November 11th. Here are the specifications: MacBook Air 13″ (2010) 1.86 GHz, 4GB memory, 128GB flash storage. Overall, I’m loving the form factor and the quick booting. The screen resolution is fantastic as well.

Upon initial booting, I installed all the Apple updates. I then synced all my MobileMe stuff, and installed Evernote, Chrome, TextMate and the Flash plug-in. Everything worked flawlessly for 5 days and then I had a kernel panic a couple of minutes after waking from sleep. I got the message that told me to hold the power button to force a restart.

After that I got consistent error messages and program crashes when waking from sleep or when quitting applications – iTunes, Mail.app, Flash plug-in, Evernote, and Safari all seemed affected. Even creating a new user account yielded the same results. Tried repairing permissions, resetting SMC, and PRAM, but no change.

I reinstalled the OS last night and so far I haven’t had any problems. Ran memory tests, CPU load test, and GPU load tests and nothing seems to force an error. So, my current thinking is that the originally installed OS had some installation issues from the factory or I have an elusive hardware issue.

I’ll update this post as I have more info to help others who might have the same issue.

Here is the Kernel Panic error report:

Interval Since Last Panic Report: 109815 sec
Panics Since Last Report: 1
Anonymous UUID: D521AC7F-6707-4E01-ACA2-5CF3A008E326

Tue Nov 16 17:17:53 2010
panic(cpu 0 caller 0x2aab55): Kernel trap at 0x0028e026, type 14=page fault, registers:
CR0: 0x80010033, CR2: 0x50c45000, CR3: 0x1422b000, CR4: 0x00000668
EAX: 0x50c45000, EBX: 0x00ff8000, ECX: 0x0fcac984, EDX: 0x0fcac984
CR2: 0x50c45000, EBP: 0x51142728, ESI: 0x00000001, EDI: 0x0fcac984
EFL: 0x00010206, EIP: 0x0028e026, CS: 0x00000008, DS: 0x00000010
Error code: 0x00000000

Backtrace (CPU 0), Frame : Return Address (4 potential args on stack)
0x51142518 : 0x21b50c (0x5d42fc 0x5114254c 0x223974 0x0)
0x51142568 : 0x2aab55 (0x59616c 0x28e026 0xe 0x596336)
0x51142648 : 0x2a09a8 (0x51142660 0x0 0x51142728 0x28e026)
0x51142658 : 0x28e026 (0xe 0x48 0x10 0x10)
0x51142728 : 0x28e1f4 (0xfcac984 0xff8000 0x1 0x2b19f7)
0x51142788 : 0x28f9a4 (0xfcac984 0xff8000 0x1 0x0)
0x511427f8 : 0x2921d6 (0xfcac984 0xff8000 0x1 0x0)
0x511428a8 : 0x26b9a7 (0x672b6 0x0 0x80980f 0x84b7e4)
0x51142948 : 0x260b60 (0x1284bf9c 0x0 0x0 0x3000)
0x51142a78 : 0x261130 (0x42fb0000 0x0 0x1 0x0)
0x51142ab8 : 0x259ecb (0x1b3bd74 0x42fad000 0x0 0x42fb0000)
0x51142af8 : 0x220342 (0x1b3bd74 0x42fad000 0x20b4 0x577754ac)
0x51142b18 : 0x52e90c (0x42fad000 0x20b4 0x800 0x0)
0x51142b38 : 0x5777fdf5 (0x42fad000 0x20b4 0x140000 0x1)
0x51142b78 : 0x577824ce (0x42c68000 0x51142e58 0x51142e40 0x51142e44)
0x51142bf8 : 0x565148 (0x42c68000 0x10c2896c 0x51142e3c 0x28)
0x51142c38 : 0x56628a (0x5780cda8 0x42c68000 0x10c2896c 0x28)
0x51142c88 : 0x566b0b (0x42c68000 0xb 0x51142cd0 0x0)
0x51142da8 : 0x285bce (0x42c68000 0xb 0x10c28968 0x0)
0x51143e58 : 0x21d8ba (0x10c28940 0x70b05a0 0x1fd618 0x5733)
0x51143e98 : 0x210a3a (0x10c28900 0x0 0x7fdb230 0x8748b20)
0x51143ef8 : 0x216c9d (0x10c28900 0x0 0x0 0x0)
0x51143f78 : 0x295156 (0x809aac8 0x0 0x0 0x0)
0x51143fc8 : 0x2a148d (0x809aac4 0x1 0x10 0x8ea5724)
Kernel Extensions in backtrace (with dependencies):
com.apple.GeForce(6.2.4)@0x57773000->0x57828fff
dependency: com.apple.NVDAResman(6.2.4)@0x5814f000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(2.2)@0x57c83000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.6.1)@0x50f66000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.2)@0x57cca000

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: WindowServer

UPDATE (3/2011): After this issue, there were a couple of Apple updates that seem to have resolved the problem. I’m happy to report that the laptop has been running flawlessly for over 4 months now.

Posted in: Annoyances, Technology.
Tagged: · · · ·

Purchased music or video by accident in iTunes 10

Nov 21st, 2010
by eGoh.
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If you’re like me and are a little clumsy in the morning before your coffee, you might accidentally purchase a song, video, or other media from the iTunes store. Back in version 8, there was an option to use a shopping cart which eliminated this problem, but as of version 9, the shopping cart has been removed.

If you’ve made an error, contact iTunes support and they will likely reverse the charge. Follow these steps:

  1. Click on “Store” from the main menu of iTunes and choose “View My Account”
  2. Click on “Purchase History” from your Apple Account Information page
  3. Then click the “Report a Problem” button on the bottom of the page
  4. Find the erroneously purchased item and click the “Report a Problem” link to the right on the list of items
  5. Fill out the form and the iTunes staff will contact you

To potentially avoid these problems in the future:

  1. Click on “Store” from the main menu and choose “View My Account”
  2. Click on the “Reset Warnings” button from your Apple Account Information page

This will cause iTunes to at least ask for confirmation when you click a buy button.

Hope that helps!

Posted in: Product Review / Recommendation, Technology.
Tagged: · · ·

No more overnight shipping at Endless.com for all shoes

Feb 4th, 2010
by eGoh.
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I recently noticed that Endless.com no longer had free overnight shipping for all shoes. From their site, the new policy says:

We know how hard it is to wait when you buy something online, so all of the items we sell will be shipped fast and FREE – FREE Overnight Shipping for styles marked “New,” and FREE Two-Day shipping for everything else.

However, a recent order of “older” styles shoes was shipped with UPS NEXT DAY AIR SAVER. I’m not sure if this is part of a planned transition, or if Endless is adopting Zappos’ under-promise, over-deliver policy. Either way, it seems their official policy has changed. It’s a rather interesting choice as shoes that are $1000+ ship slower than some $19 styles, simply because of the style’s age.

Posted in: Annoyances, Fashion, Technology.
Tagged: · · · ·

Architecture: Visit to The Philip Johnson Glass House, New Canaan

Jan 20th, 2010
by eGoh.
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IMG_8445

I’ve often said that if I could do my life over, I’d be an architect. There was also a time I thought of becoming a chef. However, I decided that I’d be a terrible chef. I would never have tolerated a person sending back a perfectly cooked protein because they prefer a charcoal briquette, or worse, vegetarians. That said, I suppose architects have a difficult time ensuring clients are happy. As Philip Johnson said,

The care and feeding of clients is really one of the main obstacles, because you always have a client with some preconceived idea of what a house looks like, and all you want him to do is leave a check and go to Europe for a couple of years. Or leave two checks. But alas, life isn’t simple. If it were, more people would be better architects.

No other art form moves me emotionally like architecture does. I’ve searched deep in my soul for the reason why. Perhaps it’s the permanence, or the monumentality of great construction. Perhaps it’s because it’s the one art that people interact with daily, living and working within. But, one shouldn’t fight feelings and intuition. When viewing amazing architecture, all the hair on my body stands on end and I feel waves of emotion course through my veins. It must be important.

I was extremely fortunate to have made the pilgrimage to The Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan in November on the last day of the 2009 season. I was inspired and in awe during my 90 minute visit. Two months later, I still think of the designs and continue to question how I live. People far more knowledgeable than I have written enough about the compound, so I’ll just share some images of details that struck me.

Da Monsta: The way the rain made the building’s skin seem alive:
IMG_8434

Da Monsta: Only one focal point.
IMG_8574

Glass House: The way the mirror in the bathroom frames the view outside:
IMG_8465

Glass House: Almost every light inside the house fired up:
IMG_8479

IMG_8504

Glass House: The building was constructed with the windows protruding from the steel frame, far more difficult than if they were recessed. Was this the view he wanted on the rainy days?
IMG_8486

Glass House: Mies van der Rohe wouldn’t approve :)
IMG_8511

Glass House: I learned that the painting blew over often when the doors were open during his life, yet there are no fasteners to the ground. Not an oversight, seems quite deliberate.
IMG_8506

Gallery: Check out the details near the tracks.
IMG_8541

Sculpture Gallery: Just think of how the lighting changes the sculpture throughout the day.
IMG_8556

Posted in: Architecture, Travel.

Life without cable or satellite TV, a 1 year experiment

Jan 19th, 2010
by eGoh.
2 comments

I’ve been thinking of ridding myself of cable and satellite TV for over 4 years. When I moved to Austin, TX a year ago, I thought it would be the perfect time to give it a try. Here were my requirements:

  • 100% legal
  • No cable, satellite, or antennas
  • Minimize DVD usage – I’ll have a DVD player hooked up, but I despise physical media

Here was my evolution of equipment/services and the learning from each setup:

  • Version 1: Apple TV, MacBook Pro connected to TV, Netflix subscription
    There were less wires and stuff for me to maintain. I didn’t have to worry about a DVR and scheduling things on time. Initial small list of shows we were watching was far less expensive on iTunes than what I was paying Comcast back in the Bay Area. However, episodes were not always delivered on time. Hey, I’m paying! Shouldn’t I get my content on time? Live streaming on sites like CNN for news and other time sensitive media was poor quality. Laptop to TV works, but it isn’t ideal for the living room – video cable across the floor is cumbersome and experience isn’t remote control based.
  • Version 2: Apple TV, MacBook Pro connected to TV, Netflix subscription, antenna for OTA broadcasts
    I realized news and other time sensitive media access was poor, so I hooked up an antenna to my HDTV. Damn, I already broke one of my requirements. Tried Boxee on Apple TV – Cool software, but Hulu management is clueless.
  • Version 3: Apple TV, MacBook Pro connected to TV, Roku box for Netflix streaming, antenna for OTA broadcasts
    As a result of trying to minimize dealing with DVDs, I added a Roku box for Netflix streaming. Yes, I could use the laptop connected to the TV, but this solution seemed more elegant.
  • Version 4: Apple TV, MacBook Pro connected to TV, Roku box for Netflix streaming, antenna for OTA broadcasts, Tivo
    Wow, I realized that shows from the big networks are expensive! Since I had a lifetime subscription Tivo, I decided to hook it up to record the shows on OTA channels.
  • (Desired) Version 5: Nothing

    Netflix – I’m disappointed with recent developments at Netflix. See these articles about Disney blocking content and Warner Bros delaying new releases.

    Streaming shows are still a mess – low quality and many have weird advertisement integration. I recommend that content providers simply embed ads throughout the stream – no strange pop-ups, pop-unders, or redirects. MTV, your ad server is crap. It constantly fails. And if you’re going to get an exclusive sponsor for a show, that’s fine, so long as it’s not the same exact commercial. Seeing the same commercial 10 times in an hour doesn’t work. Seeing a series of 10 commercials from the same advertiser would be an amazing advertising opportunity.

    Tivo – There is nothing really wrong with the Tivo, unless you consider the redundant recording of the same show millions of times a problem. Scheduling conflicts can be irritating.

    Apple TV/iTunes – Content providers don’t upload shows on time – way too many spoilers on social media to avoid. If I’m paying $40 or $50 for a season of a show, shouldn’t I get priority access? I doubt if they are making that kind of money from ad revenue per TV viewer. Also, the catalog isn’t that comprehensive. Lots of great long-tail shows aren’t available.

So after this 1-year experiment, I haven’t found a great new way to receive media. However, I have broken my dependency on TV. If it weren’t for my wife, I’d just throw it all out.

Posted in: Annoyances, Technology.
Tagged: · · · · ·

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