I set up a new testing environment for IE11 through VirtualBox on my computer running Ubuntu. But I couldn’t get to any of my sites that are served by the Ubuntu host. I had to do some tricks to get this working on my old work Mac, and the same principle applies for Ubuntu.

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So, I started a new job. Besides actually leaving my home to at least occasionally go into the office, the other big change is I’ve been given a brand-spanking-new MacBook Pro to use (our shop is a part of the Apple Consultant Network).

While using Linux professionally for the last 13 years is sort of coming to an end, Linux certainly isn’t going away from my life, especially after using it almost exclusively at home for 20 years.

The MacBook is still a BSD unix system at heart – with some great hardware, and a lovely, albeit sometimes frustrating, user interface laid on top. Mac enthusiasts might abhor that the only application I set to launch on boot is the terminal. This article is not for them, because in old-school fashion I’m going to cover installing and using Emacs and some other extras in OSX.

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My son Jules loves trains. I like trains too and my enthusiasm was probably the seed that grew into his obsession. My good friend Joe bought Jules a copy of “Trainz Railroad Simulator” for Christmas a year ago. It was in the bargain bin at Mills Fleet Farm:

trainz_fronttrainz_back
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With all new Apple i-devices moving to the lightning connector, I’ve found my alarm clock with it’s 30-pin dock connector has reverted to it’s 20th century radio-only state of use. I suppose I could use an adapter, but it seems like a great way to break something (by adding a longer lever).

Then I remembered I have a 6th generation iPod nano sitting in a drawer. You know, the one that looks like this:

Image courtesy PC Mag

But with older iPods that exist outside of the “App” and jailbreak realm, there a beast to contend with: iTunes. Continue reading

Forced upgrades and planned obsolescence – almost all companies do it, but Apple has really advanced it from a science to an art form. I was holding onto iOS5 with my cold, Minnesota frost-bitten hands because I liked Google Maps as the default mapping app – you know, one that will actually deliver correct directions. But there were a couple of apps I wanted to install that required iOS6. Too bad I waited too long, once iOS7 was released, upgrading to iOS6 was no longer possible. At one point, iOS6 users were automatically upgraded to iOS7 “over the air” – meaning it happened automatically without user approval or intervention. Then there was a lawsuit which quickly stopped OTA updates. None-the-less, iOS6 is a memory, and while I thought I would only have to deal with Apple Maps and iOS7 generally grinding my “old” iPhone to a halt, it turns out there are many more bugs to be discovered.

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