Hosea הוֹשֵׁעַ

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  • Apple Hotline: Case ID vs CS Code

    Applecare Hotline: Case ID vs CS Code

    Many times, when we have technical problems, we call Apple Hotline for support to determine if it is a hardware or software issues. If it is a software issue the Hotline will provide support. If it is a hardware failure the Hotline will ask you to bring the hardware for warranty exchange at one of the Apple Authorised Service Centres.

    Everything we make a call to Apple Hotline, a Case ID will be issued to us. A Case ID is a reference number that refer to your report with the Hotline. That is it. Is a reference number for your reported case.

    When a user is told by the Hotline he has a hardware failure, the user happily bring down the faulty device to the service centre and expect a replacement. Sad to tell all Apple owners, calling Apple Hotline and given a Case ID do not entitle you to any free or warranty hardware replacement at a Service Centre.

    The Service Centre’s decision supersede the Hotline and the Case ID is just a reference number for your case. It only proves that you have logged a call to the hotline, not an agreement to carry out the repair. The Service Centre is bounded by the laws of Apple warranty, for which anything not of electronic failure is not covered under warranty. The only thing that can overwrite the Service Centre‘s decision is a CS Code.

    CS Code is Customer Service Code issue by the Customer Relations Officer. This CS Code will only be given if the Customer Relations Officer is satisfied that the issue is not under mishandling or the repair is given under good will. The CS code can then supersede Service Centre decision and even free replacement for out-of-warranty hardware.

    Co-author with Puat.

  • Fixing Macbook Pro Fan Problem

    Fixing Macbook Pro Laptop Computer Fan

    After two weeks of waiting, my fan replacement arrived.

    My Macbook Pro laptop computer fan, left side fan suddenly produced some flapping noise. I thought was the anti-static film wore out and went into the fan and created the noise. After fixing the anti-static film, the flapping sound was still there. So, I ordered a replacement.

  • Bye Bye Microsoft Office

    Bye Bye Microsoft Office
    Earlier years I used Microsoft Outlook and when I shifted to Mac, I migrated MS Outlook to MS Entourage. All in all, ten years of Microsoft Office slavery. Over the years, I slowly moved away from Microsoft products and moving my data to other platforms. The toughest of all migration was moving away from Microsoft Entourage.

    Finally, this day, I decided and migrated to Apple Mail and iCal, replacing MS Entourage. Replacing MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint with Apple Pages, Numbers and Keynote respectively.

  • Vista In Parallels

    Vista In Parallels, Not Boot Camp Windows
    I am now running Leopard 10.5 with Windows Vista in Parallels 5540 Beta.

    Have some errors during setup but manage to solve them and now running well on the fourth installation.

    Vista is a bit laggy compare to my previous Windows XP in Parallels.

    I realise Leopard 10.5 manages swap files much better than Tiger 10.4. Running Parallels in Tiger will use 1 to 2GB of swap files. With Leopard, I hardly use up to 64MB of swap files when Parallels was running.

  • iPhone How To Phone

    New iPhone Docking

    I got myself a new iPhone. Flown in from New York and I picked up in the airport. It was a cool iPod but a sucky phone. The phone features were so handicapped.

    I upgraded the new iPhone firmware to 1.1.1 and hacked it. It was a perfect hack and I got my chinese input working. The killer app was the full blown Safari browser. I can surf the World Wide Web on the iPhone with the same experience a desktop computer browser.

    This iPhone was almost an innovative must-have gadget until I tried out the stupid phone functions. I was greatly disappointed with it. I could not edit and call a contact, which was an important function to us, people that travel between countries.

    For the time being, I would stick to my SonyEricsson K800i. and my third generation iPod.

  • Leopard Is Here

    Installing OS X Leopard Screenshot

    The Leopard is here. I was at the launch. We were issued and had only one hour installing OS X Leopard on all the demo unit. It was pressurising because we had lot of shoppers outside the store looking at us doing installation and rushing ourselves to be on time for the launch.

    And the trick to shorten the installation time was to, not to install the 3 to 4GB of drivers by unchecking the option.

  • Upgrade To Business Class

    Waiting For My Flight UA895 After Upgrade To Business Class

    Got myself a United Airlines ticket to get me back home. I went to the counter and was told that my flight was overbooked and I was offered compensation if I gave up my seats and wait for the next one.

    While I was asking about the compensation details, another staff came over and told me there was no more seat left and transferred my ticket to the Cathay Pacific Airline. I was escorted to the counter at the other end of the building and was told no seat was available too.

    I was hungry and tried after four hours of travelling to the airport. I was told no seat and was being pushed around. Finally I got a seat with Cathay Pacific but it was too late. My patient ran out and I decided to lodge a complaint and went furiously to the United counter and looked for the manager.

    I contented with him about the lousy service rendered to me. I told him if I were to fly Cathay Pacific, I would bought the ticket myself and not by transferring. I also wanted to complain the staff that changed my seat to Cathay Pacific flight without my acknowledgement, giving the excuse of no seat left. The manager was decisive and immediately gave me a business class seat on my original flight.

    Upgrading my seat to business class sound like a good offer but it was not. With all the hassle and rushing to be on time for the flight on a hungry stomach, it was a bad event I did not want to experience.

  • Crossing Shenzhen Bay

    Shenzhen Bay Border Crossing Station

    Went to Hong Kong through Shenzhen Bay, the new border crossing station. The place was spacious but emptied. May be because the place was newly opened and not many had travelled through here yet.

    Traffic was congested in the evening but it was a smooth ride for me, surrounded by beautiful twilight scenery, to Hong Kong International Airport.

    I guess I would be using this Shenzhen Bay often soon.

  • I Am Not A Plastic Bag

    I Am Not A Plastic Bag

    Selling “I am Not A Plastic Bag” bag, on ebay.com was my first ebay auction and also my first ebay sales. I sold this bag for USD$6.50. Did not make any profit out of it but it was fun seeing auctioneers bidding for the item.

    Seem like I had found a new hobby on online beside playing online games.

  • Get More RAM The Merrier

    Get More RAM For Your Mac
    Upgraded my Macbook Pro memory from 1.5GB to 3GB, Doing so, I shifted the bottleneck to the harddisk. My Mac was now running at it best. When I had 1.5GB of memory, my Mac could only open about four to five heavy duty applications like Adobe Photoshop before it lagged my machine. Now with 3GB of RAM, I could open more than ten applications as intensive as Photoshop and database driven application like iPhoto and iWeb.

    Increasing my RAM also doubled my machine performance. Everything was so much faster and smoother except sometimes when it had to write huge swap files to the harddisk. The magic of 3GB RAM also made my Windows in Parallels ran seamlessly and faster without stressing the swap disk like before.

    I was glad with my RAM investment. Worth every penny spent.

    Talking about memory, RAM module for Mac, I would recommend to use Crucial module. Please avoid Kingston brand. Kingston module would not run well on Mac. Crucial was the recommendation in our workshop.

    Go! Get More RAM The Merrier!