Oliver Siodmak's Rants & Raves

Interested in getting a MacBook Pro as a first your first laptop or a second machine as a backup? I just posted my MacBook Pro 15.4″ 2.33 GHz for sale on eBay (Auction #250467093464).

This MacBook Pro 15.4″ 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo has been my primary work machine for the past 1.5 years. I have upgraded both the RAM (3 GB) and hard drive (320 GB). Original display and both batteries were replaced 3 months ago under AppleCare warrantee.

The MacBook Pro specifications are a MacBook Pro 15.4″ 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo w/:

• 3 GB RAM
• 320 GB Hard Drive
• Dual Layer Super DVD Drive
• Built-in iSight Camera
• Built-in 802.11n Airport Extreme (WiFi)
• Built-in BlueTooth (v2.1.6g8)

Package also includes:

• 2nd battery w/ black battery carrying case
• Mac OS X Leopard installed (disks not included) and upgraded to 10.5.7
• Original restore DVDs
• Apple iLife ’09 installed (disks not included) and upgraded with latest updates
• Original Box and documentation
• Applecare TechTools disk
• Remaining AppleCare service (coverage expires on 11/25/09)
• Speck “see-thru” hard shell case (plastic case that protects your Mac)
• Marware leather wrist rest

The machine is in great condition but does show signs of being used; Command, Shift and N keys are slightly worn, exterior case shows some scratches.

AppleCare coverage includes telephone and in-store Apple Genius hardware and software support.

Reason for selling: Recently upgraded to 17″ MacBook Pro

Check out the auction on eBay (Auction #250467093464)

I help customers build a lot of commerce web sites; Panasonic, Maghound, eTopps; WSJ, FT to name just a few. So for that reason I spend a lot of time online looking at various commerce web sites. Most of the time I don’t really focus on the particular products but the user experience around how a given product is presented. Then I saw this little gem on Amazon.com.

Now I’ve thought of many “do-it-yourself” projects over the years. Norm Abrams is like a god to me. But I have never considered building a coffin for myself or a loved one. While it is really just another wood project I would have to think you can’t just show up at the funeral home with your own box. If you could, we’d all do it. Hell, Home Depot would have a whole section devoted it to it. Could you just imagine the in-store workshops!

I’ll do some research to see if this is legal in my area. If it is I’m going to order the kit and schedule it as the next “father/son” project. We can cover proper use of hand tools and death at the same time!

BTW .. take a moment to read through the user generated comments posted to this product. They are well worth taking a moment to read!

This trick has been out there a while but I only recently rediscovered that you can actually send an SMS message to an AT&T cell phone using @txt.att.net as the email address.

So if your friend’s phone number is (917) 555-1212 and they are on the AT&T network, address the email to “9175551212@txt.att.net”. Then simply type the message in the subject field. Since phone companies used to limit the message limit to 160 characters (20 longer then a Twitter message), it is best to keep your messages brief and to the point. Also the entire email (body content including signature) is sent in the text message, you may want to delete any body content before hitting the send key.

Example:mach zehnder modulator

TO: 9175551212@txt.att.net
SUBJECT: Hey .. Have a Great Day!

Then hit the SEND key .. it’s that simple.

For a full listing of cell phone SMS addresses, check out SMS411′s site.

Happy texting!