欧州自転車レース追っかけ日記

Well, I went to the local post office to pick up the small package that I could not get because I did not have small change (smaller bills).

It turned out that I had to pay a lot more than I thought I should and there was nothing I could do about not paying the bill.

The amount of tax I thought I owed was around €6, which was just fine. I had to pay additional €15 for nothing. Nothing. It is the fee that the custom want for their work (of troubling themselves with the handling). Really nothing.



Anyway, I put them on the wheels after coming home feeling a bit nauseated by the thought of unexpected and undeserved additional payment to the government. Not that I don't like Luxembourg government but in fact I love Luxembourg.

They work! Wheels won't roll. Of course they don't. That what SkaterTrainers are for. It is extremely easy to stay put on the board. Practicing how to manual will be easier than ever.


On returning home, I noticed that I had missed another delivery from the post office. Yes, there was a notice reminder sheet of paper in the mailbox. It will be the battery that I was expecting for some time. I will pick it up on Monday early morning. Operation "Battery swap" will be done on Tuesday, I hope.

Now I will get the rest of everything that I ordered.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ


[SkaterTraines cost me more than I wished but that is life]の続きを読む

テーマ:スケートボード - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2016/10/30(日) 16:30:37|
2. Skateboarding
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4. | コメント：0

SkaterTrainers

My SkaterTrainers arrived at the door but I could not have it because I had to pay the import tax and the post man did not have the change (I only had €50 bills).

The post man will bring it to the local post office and I can retrieve it Tomorrow.

A question. Must I pay so much import tax on the item that I originally paid only $46 (US dollar)? I will ask Tomorrow at the post office. They will give me the breakdown of what I owe them (the state or Luxembourg).

The amount that the post man showed me was like 50 % of the price (item and shipping fees). How so? Usually the import tax is roughly the VAT rate in Luxembourg, which should be around 20 % of the item.

Anyway, they arrived, that much I know now.


Lubuntu 16.10

I noticed its release a week ago or so. I have been keeping my eyes on it for a while. I knew that it would a minor upgrade. Now I decided not to upgrade to 16.10. I will wait for 17.04 to arrive.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [SkaterTrainers and Why is wrong with the import tax (so steep??)]の続きを読む

テーマ:スケートボード - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2016/10/27(木) 10:49:27|
2. Skateboarding
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4. | コメント：0

Voila! NFC

An envelop arrived from my bank. I felt the envelop for the contents of it and I instantly sensed that it had some hard object in it other than paper. I found a new credit card inside. Was my debit card expiring?

I knew that my credit card had some more validity until it would eventually expire. I glanced at the accompanying letter and saw the reason. The unmistakable NFC logo was there.

Yes, I got the new credit card (replacement to the current one) with a NFC chip on it.

So the NFC thing is starting in Luxembourg.

Apply Pay has not been present here in Luxembourg and there's no reason to expect it any time soon.

Last year while I was touring in France chasing some stages of the Tour de France I noticed that almost all vending machines (majority of them are coffee machines) at the various gas stations had been upgraded to accept NFC payment. So far I haven't seen any of them in Luxembourg but I believe soon they will be here.


Brim Brothers Zone won't materialize

I had just read the news at cyclingweekly.co.uk that Brim Brothers had been fallen. Sad.

Once I seriously thought I would get one as I had been a Speedplay pedal users since 2004. The clumsy design (of the transmitter) and the price made me eventually give up on it. I am happy I did not chip in when they started the mass production campaign at Kickstart.com. Those who did are crying and screaming in panic by now.

Wait a minute! I am in a similar situation now. My Limits unit has not been delivered yet to me!

I am crossing my fingers now that I get my Limits unit in time before they fall (if ever).


Wheel base effect

I have been driving a car for a long time and by now I have driven longer outside Japan than I had in Japan (where I was born and grew up eventually got the driver's license).

I have always adored one of those racing cars and exotic cars since my childhood. My particular favorites are Porsche Spyder 550 and Lancia Stratos HF (High Fidelity).

I read a lot about the those cars. Midship engine cars takes corners better and others. One of the basic things I am familiar with is that a longer wheel base improves car's handling on a straight stretch and a shorter wheel base makes a quicker handling on corners in theory.

I never actually sensed the difference between the longer or shorter wheel base difference in my life, . . . well until now!

Learning to ride a skateboard makes me feel deeply that the wheel base factor was dead real. It does affect the way the devices steer themselves.


Some movies

Ghostbusters 2016: I saw the movie but it was not funny nor scary. Of course it meant to be scary at all but was supposed to be funny and entertaining. I did not find it funny. Why? I don't write about how I felt but I think many viewers agreed with me.

Star Trek Beyond2016: Not bad. Action packed and visually very beautiful. The story line was a bit weak to my taste. I don't remember hearing Dr. McCoy say, "Jim, he is dead." I think in overall it was OK.

Miles Ahead 2015: I once went to a outdoor concert to listen to the music of Miles Davis. I think that was early 80's in Japan. Of course, I enjoyed the movie. For a jazz music fan this movie is a piece of jewel. I don't recommend anybody who appreciate the music of Miles Davis, though.

Approaching the unknown 2016: OK.

The Duel 2016: I enjoyed myself watching it.

The Do Over 2016: Despite the movie critics' rating, I enjoyed it. I recommend it.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ
[Unexpectedly has the new credit card arrived and guess what, . . . NFC!]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車用品 - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2016/10/26(水) 16:23:14|
2. Info Luxembourg
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4. | コメント：0

Skateboarding

I fell.

Hahaha, I fell off the skateboard while just balancing on it outside on a cemented pavement on the outer rim of a small park. My back landed first on the ground (I think as it happened so quickly and I don't know how I landed exactly). My head was safe as I quickly prepared for the crash landing. It did not hurt but I felt bad and terribly embarrassed. It's part of growing up or learning how to skateboard.

Oh, my neck hurts a bit. I feel a dull pain in the back of my neck. It'll go away in a few days. Nothing serious.


LIMITS

I've almost given up up my hope of getting them this year before Christmas but there's a shimmer of chance I might.

The long overdue update has been put up on the Indiegogo site. They said that they have been working on the painting (I guess) issue that had risen in the silver version. They have not solved the issue and for the moment given up. They will send out black version ones to everybody. The manufacturing issue had held up the entire shipping schedule for the last three weeks.

My order is the black one but the entire shipping schedule has been affected as they want to send in bulks to each region.

They say that remaining UK shipment and North America would start soon but they were not sure when they could send the units to the rest (including Europe) regions.

So, I could hope to get it by Christmas.

ACTON Blink

Blink (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/acton-blink-most-advanced-eboards-in-the-world#/)

Eon (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/eon-world-s-1st-electric-skateboard-powertrain#/)

Speaking of Christmas, there's another electric skateboard campaign on Indiegogo that promises its perks by Christmas, this year. There are three e-longboards planned from ACTON, S, S2 and Qu4tro (read quatro, of course). The first one, S (supposedly stands for Single or something) is expected to be delivered by Christmas 2016. Others to follow.

Remember that LIMITS also once promised the delivery by Christmas (2015) when I chipped in ( May 2015) but I am not sure if I get it by this upcoming Christmas!!

Eon by Unlimited says that they expect the delivery starting March 2017.

What is significant about this Blink longboards is their climbing ability. The top range Qu4tro boasts its ability of conquering climbs up to gradient of 30 %. This is magnificent. On the other hand I am not an electric climber. I like climbing on my own muscle power.

In this respect, Blink S (single motored wheel) or Blink S2 (two motored wheels) will suffice. I was about to check S2 out (logging in the Indiegogo) when I found out that the international shipping fees were so steep. This is not their (ACTON) fault. Air freight is really steep these days when combined with tracking numbers.

I even emailed immediately about the shipping fees after getting to know ACTON Blink and I got the reply almost immediately. Someone was working there (I = past midnight, they = around afternoon tea time).

Let me compare Eon and Blink.

1) Eon by Unlimited and its Solo kit (drive unit only, single motored wheel) V.S. Blink S by ACTON (complete longboard)

By the time I add the shipping fees (and a cheap longboard to make Eon a complete longboard), the prices are almost same.

Eon Solo kit (pre-order version) + shipping + a cheap longboard
$449 + $50 (from Spain?) + €60 = around $580

Blink S (early bird) + shipping
$349 + $230 = $579

So the Blink S is not too expensive.

Blink S seems really attractive.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Injury and That old LIMITS power meter]の続きを読む

テーマ:スケートボード - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2016/10/25(火) 18:12:35|
2. Skateboarding
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4. | コメント：0

Skateboard arrived!

The door bell rang and I thought maybe I was going to have one of these things came.

1) SkaterTrainers from Tulsa OK, USA
2) MacBook Air battery from China
3) Small electric parts from China

They are expected by by now.

A man handed me a big box with big letters that I immediately recognized. It was the box seen somewhere on the seller's site (I guess) so I knew it contained a skateboard that I ordered several days ago.

So soon? I thought it would come from China. It was delivered by DHL and the sender's address was in Germany. Germany? That was not expected. That was why it came so soon.

I immediately switched on my MacBook Pro and left a feedback after jumping on the skateboard still wrapped in the film. The trucks were loosely set up (I will set up as I like later). The measurement was described 7.75 inches but I think it is actually 8 inches. This does not really matter. The total quality seems to be OK. The description of the item said the color tone of the design base (some nonsense graphics on the blue base) would look different due to the individual difference of monitors. It was correct. The base color was black and not blue!

How do I rate the "accuracy" of the description by the seller? Accurate or inaccurate? It was accurately inaccurate!

I was going to use only the trucks for indoor balancing practice.

Wait a minute! The wrapping thin film is still on so the surface of the deck is smooth. I can put the SkaterTrainers on (when they come, soon I hope) and make it a indoor trick trainer that won't abrade my shoes.


T2 is coming!

I was watching TV (German channel, Kabel 1) when I saw this strange commercial. It was a kind of informercial that warned the Germany people of the coming T2 attack. T2 is not the Terminator 2 but DVB-T2 standard. DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial) is getting replaced by its second generation standard.

It was my "Eureka" moment. I immediately google-serched for "DVB-T2 France" and got some answer (Thanks Google!).

In France at the end of 2015 they started replacing the DVB-T by BVC-T2. This explains the reason for my big frustration in Paris, July 2016. I could not watch any TV programs at all.

The DVB-T was present in Paris in July 2015 (this I can testify) but it was not by July 2016. Obviously T2 was there! Damn! all of my TV tuners (two portable mini TV and 2 eyeTV devices) only decode T not T2.

eyeTV devices by Geniatech (www.geniatech.eu)

I have to buy something, either a portable TV or additional tuners. Damn!

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [A Skateboard arrived!]の続きを読む

テーマ:スケートボード - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2016/10/22(土) 11:48:55|
2. Skateboarding
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

Today I received my package from Germany. It was the package that contained things I ordered last week. It was delivered by DPD. DPD Luxembourg has a main office in Bettembourg. It is a city located about 8 km from the capital. I have been to this office (and the sorting facility) several times to get my packages.

Yes, I have been there before. When they (DPD) came to me and I was not there, they could not deliver the stuff. I wrote them not to attempt to deliver and just hold it and I would come to get it. It was the only way I could get it.

Now they have an outpost in Luxembourg city where customers come and get the packages. Today I was there. The place is not really related to DPD. DPD commission this outpost to do the transaction. This place (commissioned by DPD) was a kind of credit shop. I did not look into it too much. Whatever it was, the man gave me my package and I signed on the electric terminal.

As I wrote a few day before, UPS also has an outpost. It was a gas station (Total). Who started this outpost thing? I was happy because I did not have to drive all the way to Bettembourg this time.

I wonder if DHL also has one here in the capital. DHL has a facility not far from the airport (Findel). I have been there several times.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Things have changed and I wonder since when]の続きを読む

テーマ:ヨーロッパ - ジャンル:海外情報

1. 2016/10/20(木) 23:30:37|
2. Info Luxembourg
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

Written on Friday, 14 October

Wow! That was quick! The online shop (there is a real shop behind it but I used the online shop) delivery estimate was 1 to 2 days by UPS and it was true. It has been delivered, not to me as I was not home at that time, to a gas station about 3 km from my humble home. I will visit the station on the earliest occasion.

*** Later the same day ***
I was there but the packet was not there. The gas station had a sign saying "UPS access point" and it meant that you can pick up the undelivered packets when they are there.

The attendant told me that usually UPS dumps the packets on Monday and also that I should call before I come in to make sure that it would be there.

The reason that UPS uses this kind of places is simple. The UPS branch in Luxembourg, at least its main facility, is located in the city not far from the central station but it is not open to the public. It seems to be adamantly refusing to be visited by customers. It is not a friendly place.

I once tried to visit the facility but failed. This story has been duly logged here in my blog. If you search for it, you might find it.


I am waiting for other items to be delivered to me. One of the things that I am really expecting is the gadget that I ordered from SkaterTrainer. These will help me learn the skateboard tricks.

UK Pound is, according to some reports, going low in value against Euro. That means that I should buy from the UK if I need something from there. I am considering buying a used iPhone 4S from the UK (before they exit from EU as for the moment there is no import tax imposed on stuff from the UK).

I sometimes use Wiggle to buy some items on sale. I will be buying fewer items or stop buying from them once they get on the other side of the border. I heard this expression "other side of the border" a lot when I was in California, USA a long time ago. They meant Mexico back then.

The purchase above-mentioned (UPS related) was from the Netherlands so there was no exchange rate involved.

"New" used iPhone to buy or not to buy now

Should I buy an iPhone 4S because it fits in the Wahoo ANT+ bike case?

It is true that iPhone 4S is now cheap. It is not capable of running iOS 10. I am quite content with my iPhone 4. It is old but works. I'm not happy with it only because the home button hardly works, Wahoo Fitness app fails to run on it and its bluetooth standard is obsolete.

I can not decide whether I should buy an iPhone 4S or opt for more recent iPhones like iPhone 5S.


Written on Tuesday, 18 October

www.ups.com told me that the parcel had been deposited to the Access Point. I picked it up at this gas station Today. Inside the UPS plastic bag I found the item I ordered. A black hoodie with a big letters of "Nike Skateboarding" on the back. It is really cool.

This is only a reminder for me:
Not delivered items
1. A battery for MacBookAir 3.1 (from China)
2. SkaterTrainers (from Tulsa OK, a.k.a. Oklahoma, USA)
3. Bike / Skateboard related items (from Germany)
4. Small electric connectors for Exposure Lights Revo (from China)

Item 3.
I wanted to buy the Bkool ANT+ USB stick from the online shop in Germany (marked above 3.) but they were out of stock. I need this USB ANT+ adapter to use Zwift software on my MacBook Pro. Without this USB stick, Zwift does not at all.

This stick seems to be in a huge demand or the manufacturer has not been able to catch up with the demand. I could order it although it was marked as "out of stock." A few days later the shop wrote to me telling that I should cancel it as its delivery date is completely unknown. I cancelled it and the rest of the stuff have been shipped and on the way to me.

In this parcel, I have a pair of shoes by element. I have been an element shoes wearer for a while. I did not know and had absolutely no idea when I bought them last year that this brand element was related to skateboarding at all. I bought them because they were sold by the bike online shop that I frequently use and were on sale.

They (the pair that I bought last year) are durable and comfortable so I decided to buy a new pair. Only this time I bought them knowing that they are skate shoes.


Item 2.
SkaterTrainers v2.0 (obviously the revised second generation) should be delivered to me by the end of this week according to the estimated delivery schedule. The tracking number does not work as it is only valid within the USA. I have to wait patiently before writing them to alert the delay. I can not wait! I want them as soon as possible.

Item 4.
I have been using this Dynamo-driven light for a while. It is good. It is bright and its stand light function is excellent. I want to have spare connecting cables other than the one that came originally with the product. I think I correctly ordered the male connector plug that fits the Revo. I will know when they (10 pieces) arrive.

Tour de France 2017 stage rough layout has been presented in Paris

Surprise! No surprise at all as velowire.com has already correctly tracked it down days before the official presentation. Hats off to velowire.com by Thomas Vergouwen!

Today I picked up a newspaper in Luxembourg "Tageblatt" and it had the TdF 2017 stage layout on it. I think it was copied from the one made by Thomas Vergouwen. For example, it had la Ciotat on Stage 20. I looked for the names of sources or credit but there seemed to be none. Shame on Tageblatt!


New Skateboard is arriving soon

I ordered a cheap skateboard from the UK. It will be here by the end of October (I hope sooner). I am going to take the trucks off this cheap skateboard and bring it around with a bottle of water (thick round body of any PET bottle will do, polyethylene terephthalate). They will be used to train my balance on the board. This training method was suggested by my Master Aaron Kyro. I can do it anywhere with a help of some cloth (a used towel will do).

It turned out that the skateboard is coming from China instead of the UK. It will take 2 weeks to 3 weeks to arrive here in Luxembourg. The seller gave the false impression that the product would be shipped from the UK. OK, as long as I get it in about 3 weeks I would not complain. And the price was dirt cheat.

macOS Sierra 10.12.01 beta 3 and 4

Totally not useful information. The glitch that brought Mountain Lion icon on beta 1 and 2 is gone now and the correct icon is shown here.




In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [My new hoodie has been delivered to a gas station ... Not!]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車レース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2016/10/18(火) 18:56:18|
2. Skateboarding
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

Manual

I found that Ollie came from Alan "Ollie" Gelfand. Wikipedia really works. So it came from a name who invented it. Just like some gymnastic or ice skating tricks.

Why manual? I can not find the origin of the name.

Today, I fried the charger (for a MacBook Air belonging to a friend of mine). When it happened, there was a spark coming out of the fuse box in my room. The room light (on the ceiling) went out and although I flipped the toggle switch of the breaker back in the "on" position, it refused to function. After a while it began to work.

The charger is completely fried and does not work at all. I did not see any smoke coming out of the charger. I did not smell anything. I touched the charger but it was just lukewarm not hot. I guess the circuit inside the charger was shorted and fried. It was the second day that I used it. I asked the ebay seller to replace it. I hope they respond quickly.



Change of perspective

Since I got interested in skateboarding, I noticed the change of perspective inside me. My MacBooks now have skateboard images for "Desktop Background." When I see one of those dollies, they remind me of skateboards. When I see some flat and raised structures, they remind me of "Manual Pads." I just bought a hoodie that has some skateboarding scheme on the back.



What is happening to me?



By the way I was a bit taken aback a bit when I saw it when I was about to check out the order (Hoodie). PayPal is my choice of payment but I could have paid through the use of bitcoin here. I knew bitcoin was widely in use but I did not expect this.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Manual, OK but why is it called manual?]の続きを読む

テーマ:スケートボード - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2016/10/13(木) 00:20:39|
2. Skateboarding
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

velowire.com, my favorite site, is now (since a few weeks ago) showing the dedicated page.

One of the biggest surprises in recent weeks is that mountain top finish on Col d'Izoard from Stage 20 (on Saturday before the ultimate Sunday in Paris).

Now many sites are predicting that Marseille is going to be the city where an ITT stage is held. I was in disbelief for a week first when velowire.com tentatively reported this but after other sites began to follow it, I had to believe it.

Marseille? How far away is it between Marseille and Paris? The answer is 800 kilometers. Why? I mean why do you have to have an ITT in Marseille so far away from Paris (I am asking A.S.O.)?

Here is my plight.

Should I bother and travel over to Marseille to watch the final ITT (if this was the case in 2017) and then drive over to Paris for the final stage?

Or, should I skip the Marseille stage and drive to Paris one day ahead of the Sunday stage?

Why did A.S.O. decide to bring the last moment Saturday ITT again after abandoning the idea several years? Did ASO desperately want the money that city of Marseille offered and have to include the stage just for it?

I have to wait the official presentation of the rough course layout by ASO in two weeks.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Tour de France 2017 Parcours rumors]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車レース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2016/10/11(火) 00:59:29|
2. Tour de France
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4. | コメント：0

Available on iTunes Store and it costs 6.99 euro. The first volume is relatively big in volume about 860 MB.

This volume gives the basic information on skateboards (as hardware) and riding them from pushing to kickflipping. I am supposed to follow the steps that my Master Aaron Kyro bids me to follow.

1. Ollie
2. Frontside 180
3. Backside 180
4. Pop Shove-it
5. Frontside Pop Shove-it
6. Heelflip
7. Kickflip

Before I decided to buy this video book, I watched many of his YouTube videos. He advocates loosening the kingpin (bolts) to make the truck steering soft. I thought tightening them was better way of staying on the skateboard. I was wrong. I just had to get to used to it.

I am getting used to looser and softer truck setting.

Now my Master's teaching is on my iPhone 4, too (first it was on my MacBook Pro). I can watch the video whenever I wish and wherever I desire.

I will learn to push my skateboard.

On a slightly related note, I ordered some stuff on the Net. I have been planning to get SRAM PG-1050 12-32 for some time by now. I finally bought it along with others. I bought a BKool ANT+ USB adapter (needed for my Winter training with Zwift), a cotton bar tape and a skateboard shoes from Element. I am excited to get them.


I am finishing this entry almost two days later after I started. Now I bought the second volume of Master Aaron Kyro's "Skateboarding Made Simple" and it is all about "Manuals." I haven't accomplished any of the tricks in volume 1 but I just wanted to get it.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Skateboarding Made Simple Volume I (Aaron Kyro) and others]の続きを読む

1. 2016/10/09(日) 23:31:59|
2. Diary
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

iOS 8 or later

There is an app called "nRF Toolbox" by Nordic Semiconductor ASA on App Store. It is a tool box app for manipulating some devices through Bluetooth connection. It is required to manipulate (or simply upgrade) the firmware of the Limits power meter.

My Limits pedals are yet to arrive and I don't know when they arrive as they (Limits Technology) reported yet another production difficulties in China. They will arrive eventually, though. They are struggling to come up with the right firmware for the device and they will continue to update the firmware until they get it right.

When I receive mine, I will probably have to update the firmware at some point. Doing so requires some device (Apple iPhone, iPod touch or iPad) to do so. Some Android devices may do the job right but I don't own one. I own an iPhone 4 (up to iOS 7) and iPod touch 4th generation (up to iOS 6) but they both won't run iOS 8 but this nRF Toolbox requires iOS 8 or later.

Now I have a compelling reason to buy iPhone 4S or later iPhones. Now I am convinced that I need one. Which? Which one is easy on my wallet?


Skateboarding was not easy

Today I got on the board a bit and I have to say that I sucked at it. Well, I have to keep practicing. Like I had already written, I don't aspire to be a professional skateboarder but I just want to ride it well enough to deserve to buy an electric skateboard for commuting and having fun.

I am so hopelessly bad at pushing. I have to go back to those YouTube videos that teach how to push.

I won't give up.

My favorite YouTube videos features this guy - Aaron Kyro - a professional skateboarder. Toward the end of the video, he urges us to get his videos from iTunes Store. So I checked them out. They are a series of video instructions telling us how to ride the skateboard. They are not free, of course. He is a professional skateboarder and he has to make living out of his skill sets. I first downloaded the samples. I am seriously thinking of buying the entire series. I think I will.

And now moments later I bought it, the first part called "Skateboarding Made Simple" the first volume. Downloading takes some time as I am doing on my 4G modem over the cellphone network.

Thanks, Aaron for this nice tutorial! You are now my master. I am your padawan learner.

MacBookAir 3.1 (Late 2010 11-inch)

I have this one at hand. It is not mine but it belongs to a friend of mine. He decided to sell it to someone he knows and also wanted to bring it to a working condition before doing so. He commissioned me to do two things; (first buy and then) replace the internal battery and get a compatible charger. The original charger works but the cable shows a sign of wear and may break anytime soon. The internal battery is completely dead and not recognized by the system at all.

He thinks and I also hope that only the battery is dead. I hope that the charging circuit is working. And if the problem subsist after replacement, I have nothing else to do. Buying a used mainboard will be too expensive.

I ordered them a while ago but they are not here yet.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ ["iOS 8 or later" required and none of my iDevices won't be qualified]の続きを読む

テーマ:iPhone/iPad - ジャンル:携帯電話・PHS

1. 2016/10/06(木) 22:50:15|
2. iPad, iPhone and iPod touch
3. | トラックバック：0
4. | コメント：0

One of my MacBooks (namely MacBook Late 2009) has been on the Public Beta program for a while. I have been on this program since the inception of this public beta program. I have used El Capitan betas and Sierra betas.

Now for the moment it is on macOS Sierra 10.12.1 beta 2 and may be soon on beta 3.

I was amused when I about to install this beta 2 update (and also beta 3). Why? Because of the little glitch that took place then.

Pictures tell thousands words so let these pictures tell you what happened.




Here are the screenshot clips that I took. You see the small icon pictures that represent the Sierra version of the OS. It is supposed to be a rock rugged peak of the mountain covered with patches of snow (which is part of the Sierra mountains?) but instead it is a mountain lion (OS X 10.09).

I personally never used this version. I believe that I may have touched the "big cats" versions of OS X on the Mac machines on display at various stores.

I used to use Macs and they were with Motolora M68 series CPUs. The latest System on them was 7.5.5.

I bought this used MacBook Pro Mid 2010 in 2014 (?) that came from the USA. I wanted to have the US keyboard so that I can easily blind-type on it. The seller kindly wiped out the HDD and installed the Mavericks (10.10) on it. So I missed the entire big cats. Personally I love cats so I would have been happier to have big cats on my Mac.

This mountain lion glitch amused me. I thought it was just a minor glitch when I installed the beta 2 but it subsisted. I can still see this lion face with beta 3 update.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Mountain Lion is there waiting for me]の続きを読む

テーマ:ヨーロッパ - ジャンル:海外情報

1. 2016/10/05(水) 13:20:47|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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Watching a lot of YouTube videos on “Skateboarding” recently, either tutorials for doing the tricks or AWSMKIDS videos.

I am waiting for the arrival of the SkaterTrainer gadgets which I ordered a while ago. They will be here by mid October for sure (I believe). I would like to learn some tricks, namely, Ollie and Kickflip. There are essential even when I don’t aspire to be a professional skateboarder. When (and if) I buy an Eon kit and have an electric skateboard to commute (or climb down a high mountain during the Tour de France), I have to jump over enevitably curves and other objects. If I can not ollie at all, it won’t be much of fun at all.

I am torn. I would like to get one of those Eon (unlimited.engineering) kits. There are three configurations for the moment, Solo, Cruiser and R. What does R stand for? I specurated for a while and came out empty-handed.

This R kit has two motors and two batteries and it is the most powerful one of the three. Why R?

I am, if I ever decided to get one, likely to get the Cruiser kit because I have two batteries. It is desireable if I could afford the R kit but it is a bit pricy.

Here is the wrap up.

Solo kit (US $449 and shipping to Luxembourg is US $50 =) US $499 (its planned retail price is US $799)
a) 1 motor (inside a wheel) and three wheels
b) 1 battery and the plate (takes up to just one battery)
c) 1 handheld controller
d) 1 ESC (motor speed controller)
e) 1 battery charger
f) screws, bolts and nuts

Cruiser kit (as above calculated) US $599 (its planned retail price is US $899)
a) 1 motor (inside a wheel) and three wheels
b) 2 batteries and the plate (takes up to two battery)
c) 1 handheld controller
d) 1 ESC (speed controller)
e) 1 battery charger
f) screws, bolts and nuts

R kit (ditto) US $899 (its planned retail price is US $1,149)
a) 2 motors (inside a wheel) and two wheels
b) 2 batteries and the plate (takes up to two battery)
c) 1 handheld controller
d) 2 ESCs (motor speed controller)
e) 1 battery charger
f) screws, bolts and nuts

The price difference between Solo and Cruiser is US $100 and the it is the price of an extra battery and the battery plate upgrade. I am assuming that they (Unlimited Engineering) will eventually start selling spare parts and the battery will cost more than US $100. It it costs less than US $100, I am a big loser.

It the total price for 1 extra motor and VESC is less than US $400, I am a big winner. In other words, if I can upgrade to R from Cruiser within US $400, it means that I save some money by not buying the R now.

The motor will likely to cost around US $250 and the VESC, US $150. If I have guessed it right, I am a winner.
In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [An electric skateboard wanted]の続きを読む

1. 2016/10/04(火) 17:18:59|
2. Diary
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