Mo’ memory, (no) mo’ problems

My first-generation MacBook Pro (1.83 GHz Core Duo model) is now running with a maxed-out complement of 2 GB of RAM. It wasn’t easy.

The MacBook shipped with a gig of memory, which I thought would be plenty since my G4 had been reasonbly OK with 1 GB. But I hadn’t reckoned on two things: the enormous hunger of iPhoto, and Leopard. Both combined to make the move to a maximum memory profile (2 GB) seem advisable.

So I ordered a 2 GB upgrade kit (a pair of 1 GB DIMMs) from Other World Computing. I’ve done business with this company since 1995, when I bought my PowerMac 7200/90 and a reconditioned Radius monitor from them. I last bought a memory upgrade from them for my mother-in-law’s iMac, and that process went extremely easily.

Upgrading the memory in the MacBook Pro, on the other hand, gave me heart failure. The process of getting at the memory was easy enough, theoretically: remove the battery, and remove the cover from the battery compartment, then swap the DIMMs. But first, I had to find a P0 Phillips screwdriver—not easy, even with a full toolbench. Then I had to unseat and reseat the new DIMMs about three or four times before the machine would boot.

But, now that it has, it’s slick, slick, slick. The Finder is more responsive; iPhoto feels snappy. Leopard loves some RAM. And at $50 for the upgrade, I wish I had done it about six months sooner.

Glee Club nostalgia trip

Courtesy fellow VMHLB the Tin Man, the other version of the Twelve Days of Christmas, the audience participation version performed by the Virginia Glee Club. Some of the traditions seem to have gone away: there is no “Hens Suck Eggs” chant from the Four Calling Birds, for instance, and the traditional bum-rush of the conductor followed by champagne toast has been replaced by a skit that’s not really visible in the video. But you get some of the spirit of the occasion. And I was excited to see that it happened in Old Cabell Hall; there were some dire predictions about what was going to happen with hall availability this year that appear not to have come fully to fruition.

Enjoy:

RIP, Anita Rowland

Sad news from BoingBoing this morning: Anita Rowland, the blogmother of the Seattle blog meetups and a longtime Internet presence, has passed away at the age of 51. Her cancer finally overcame her indomitable personal strength.

I’ll always remember Anita for putting out a welcoming hand when I first started trying to find my way in the greater Seattle community outside Microsoft. I can only hope that she’s welcomed upstairs with half the hospitality she offered everyone who met her.

If you ever met Anita, or if you ever knew anyone who had cancer and no health insurance, please consider making a contribution to her medical fund as a memorial.