I’ve had my MacBook Pro 17-inch for a bit over two years now. It is a great computer and still works fine. Aside from the letters “a” and “c” falling off from the bezel, turning the computer into a “M– Book Pro,” a couple of the cushion pads on the bottom falling off, a ding on the back side, some light scratching and a dead pixel, the computer works just like it did on day one. Well almost, the fans tend to run more often now.

However, I never purchased Apple Care protection, so basically it’s living on borrowed time. One catastrophe, such as the logic board going, and I’m out a computer. So I’ve been recently thinking about replacing it with another MacBook Pro. And I’m happy to say that I finally did. I purchased the computer yesterday at the Providence Place Apple retail store, in Providence, Rhode Island.

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This one happened upon me due to my own personal needs. My MacBook Pro nylon carrying case has a velcro flap. Over two years or so, the velcro has become quite “non-sticking” and easily tears away. I thought for a second, and without hesitation, I took a small pair of scissors I found in my bathroom and proceeded to trim off some of the excess “hair” on the loop side.

As you may know, standard velcro consists of two sides– one side has hooks, which when come into contact with the loop side, forms a tight fastening. After repeated opening and closings, the loop side fabric can become stretched, fatigued, and otherwise a bit worse for wear.

Snipping off just enough of the frayed fibers gave me a much better fit. Now, when I press both ends together, and give it a little extra wiggle, the velcro makes for a much better fit. Now, I can actually hear that “ripping” sound when I open my flap.

So if you’re velcro is getting long in the tooth, give this a try. Only remove a small amount of loop fiber at a time, then test. Remember, you have to keep some fiber so the hooks can find their target.

Image Credit: Scott Cambell design for Velcro Indie Dance Party @ Spanish Moon

Twenty-three months and over 350 battery load-cycles, my Apple MacBook Pro battery finally bit the dust. According to Apple, the battery was rated at 80% charge at 300 load-cycles. I call that a LOAD O’ SHIT cycle.

Anyway, I posted in the Apple discussion forums and received a reply that Apple had updated their Battery Replacement Program to allow for replacement of defective batteries for up to 2 years from the original computer purchase. I made the cut by about a month!

Yesterday I went to the Providence, Rhode Island Apple Retail Store. Working with Apple has been so easy when it comes to repairs or problems. You simply make an appointment with a Mac Genius, and be there at the specified time. I’ve never had to pay for any repairs or problems I have had with the hardware, although usually I am under warranty. This time however, I had no warranty on my computer. If it wasn’t for the battery program, I’d have had to spend $129.00 on a new battery.

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Fo Rilla? Yup. So I was working yesterday (for 11 hours). About the 5th hour, I noticed by MacBook Pro was sagging a bit in the middle, as it was sitting on a flat glass surface. So I, the quick thinker I am, decided to “bend” it back into shape. My bending job was great. When sitting on a flat surface, the middle was now parallel. There was just one problem… the small metal strip that above the screen release button popped out. I could see that it was glued to the sub-surface and I just @#!*$# it up. I’ve seen this happen on another MacBook Pro. Now where was that…

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This MacBook and MacBook Pro firmware update addresses an issue where the first key press may be ignored if the computer has been sitting idle. It also addresses some other issues.
– Apple

For some time now, I kept on getting my passwords wrong. I couldn’t understand why. Then at times, I would have to type the first letter of a word twice. Seems there was an issue with Leopard that prevented the first keystroke from being accepted if your computer had been sitting around doing nothing for a while.

It’s nice to know that this annoying problem will be a thing of the past.