Welcome to 2015...

Well, it may be the end of February but… Happy New Year!  Waddya mean, “you’re a bit late”?  I got here as quick as I could!  I had places to go, things to do, people to see.  And websites don’t build themselves you know.  Yes, this shiny new site is all my own work… well, with the help of those awfully nice people at Weebly, but still, it takes time…

Anyway, it’s here now and I’m raring to go with 2015.  Like it says above, the blog entries dated earlier than 2015 have previously appeared elsewhere and have now been rescued to here, sort of like a ‘greatest hits’ compilation.  This venture has been a long time in the planning, but that’s probably a story for another day, maybe even another place.

And, readers, it’s not just websites that don’t build themselves, oh no.  Another continuing story has been the setting up of our new IT infrastructure, better known to the rest of the world as ‘getting a new computer’!  You may be able to tell from the banner photo up above that I’m firmly in the Apple camp when it comes to technology.  So that should’ve made the changeover process a scoosh, right?  Well, not entirely but, in Apple’s defence, this was largely self-inflicted!  It all started back in 2013…

Our aged Mac Pro, the last of the PowerPC beasties (technical term), was starting to baulk at certain modern webpages and programs so we had the “time for a new one” conversation.  As resident, and self-appointed, tech expert it was down to me to research and procure the replacement.  Our super-duper 20” Cinema Screen was still doing the business so I wasn’t overly keen on forking out for an iMac.  That left the field clear for the Mac Mini, but it was overdue an upgrade…

I’d been here before, but although waiting for the next generation of tech gear is generally a pointless process – it’s all out of date once you’ve bought it anyway – this upgrade appeared to be ‘imminent’ and therefore apparently worth hanging on for.  So we waited… and we waited… and meantime I got far too well acquainted with all manner of Apple rumour websites.  Finally, the waiting paid off and the upgrade was announced in… October 2014!

That’s not the end… then the Apple community spun into some crazy fervour warning people off buying the new model for various spurious reasons but, having waited this long, I decided to wait until I could see it in the flesh.  Or aluminium…

We’re not blessed with an Apple Store in Dundee so I trotted off to our ‘Premium Reseller’ but couldn’t see the Mini on display.  “Can I help you”, said a slightly shifty looking youth.  I told him I was looking for the new Mac Mini.  “The iPad Mini?” he offered.  “No, the Mac Mini” said I.  Looking around the shop he gestured at an iMac and said, “that’s the smallest we have”.  Left speechless by his complete and unashamed ignorance and incompetence, I left.

Next stop was our out-of-town electrical and computer superstore that I usually try to avoid, but, needs must.  A quick play around with a display version convinced me that the naysayers were wrong and that this was indeed for us.  So, back home and one of the last big jobs for our trusty Mac Pro was to order its own replacement – poignant.

Anyway, my research had also told me that the screen needed an adapter to fit the new Mini as the connections had changed.  Relevant adapter ordered.  When it came to hooking up the machine though I discovered there were 3 cables – the first was OK with the aforementioned adapter, the USB was fine but the third, Firewire, needed another adapter.  Mama mia!

Back to Premium Reseller, no chances taken with discussion this time, Firewire to Thunderbolt (are you following this?) adapter purchased, return to base camp.  Didn’t fit!  Further research confirmed this adapter was for Firewire 800 and I had Firewire 400 – who knew?  Yet more research confirmed the requirement for yet another adapter, Firewire 400 to 800.  I wasn’t convinced…

‘Phone a friend’ time, 2015 style - I went online and had a web chat with Scooter (no, really) who was reading from an Apple script somewhere in the good ol’ US of A.  After a bit of toing and froing Scooter patiently explained that I didn’t really need the Firewire link at all!  How on earth are you supposed to know this?  Anyway, there was still reason enough to order the new adapter from eBay for £3.60 including postage, but I could continue the setup without it.

So, to cut an extremely long story a little shorter than I could make it if I really wanted you to suffer, our new IT infrastructure is absolutely splendiferous and it has been a pleasure to write the first blog post of 2015, belatedly, using it!

Oh, just realised, I forgot to tell you about the new phones…!