We'll Closed On Thanksgiving Day
November 27th, 2003
Discussion of using a 12" Powerbook G4 and a Nokia 3650.
Just run sysctl -a and you'll see what I am talking about... You'll get the same results for hw.cpufrequency, hw.cpufrequency_min & hw.cpufrequency_max This means that the sysctl command does not work properly, a fact we already recognized when evaluating tools like "XBench"...I followed these instructions and sure enough:
hw.cpufrequency: 866666664So, it looks like it doesn't really work, but I'll keep it available, as some people have used it and found their speed to be slower, reset their PMU, and have seen speed improvements according to XBench, which would seem to indicate that something is going on...
hw.cpufrequency_min: 866666664
hw.cpufrequency_max: 866666664
display dialog "Processor Speed: " & (round ((do shell script "sysctl hw.cpufrequency | sed 's/^hw.cpufrequency: //'")) / 1000000) & " MHz"
display dialog ("If the Processor Speed displayed is lower than the actual speed of your processor, you need to reset your Power Manager. Shut down your computer. Hold down SHIFT+CTRL+OPTION+POWER for 5 seconds, then start up again. Run this script again to see the improvements! WARNING: This will reset your preferences (clock, etc) to their defaults and erase any RAM disks you may have.")
The poster at version tracker is correct that sysctl doesn't return a real number. It returns a constant passed to the system at system start-up (and possibly wake-up, I'm not sure) by the PMU. The kernel and PMU will modify the actual speed on-the-fly based on load numbers and energy-saver setting in the pref pane, and sysctl will not return that number, you need to actually pool the processor to find out what it's doing at any given time...this is what the bogomips calculated a Linux start-up are all about.So, the CPUfrequency scripts work fine for what they are meant to do, which is simply to report the maximum possible number (speed in hertz) your computer currently thinks in the processor is capable of achieving. If it reports back 5333333334 and you have an 867mhz chip, as happened with me earlier this week, then your PMU needs to be reset, so that the computer will realize that there is more processing power available there, should it be needed...
For your purposes, though, the real numbers don't matter, because the bug in question involves the PMU essentially forgetting what the real speed is and setting the max Mhz artificially low. Effective clock speed may well often be below the number reported by sysctl (a kind of variable clock speed is what makes mobile chips possible: why waste power if your load numbers are below 1?), but it will never be above the number reported by sysctl. So if sysctl is reporting 400Mhz for a 800Mhz processor, you know something is seriously wrong. Even under full load, the PMU will not allow the CPU speed up past 400Mhz, which means you're never getting more than 50% out of your hardware. Get that back up to 867, and you can theoretically get 867Mhz out of your chip. You won't get that all the time, especially on battery power, but better and actual 400 out of 800 than an actual 200 out of 400.[bold emphasis mine]
With sysctl hw.cpufrequency you'll always get the maximum or the reduced processor speed regardless of the settings in the "Energy Saver" panel.I'm not really sure if the poster of this comment understands that I'm only trying to get the maximum processor speed (b/c if it is lower than it should be it is a problem). It is supposed to be diagnostic for the singular problem of a PMU that needs resetting, not as a processor usage monitor. I made the script based on information that I found on the 12-inch Powerbook Yahoo Group (as I stated below). As I understand it, it is working properly for what it is intended to do. Can anyone provide more info on sysctl hw.cpufrequency? I also realized my description of the program on Versiontracker was rather vague. I've updated it.
At the moment the only tool which reports the actual cpu speed correctly is Apple's Skidmarks GT (included in the CHUD Tools).
"We believe Test-Aankoop's new test results of original Nokia batteries erase any doubts as to the safety of Nokia products, including original Nokia batteries," Janne Jormalainen, a vice president at Nokia, said in a statement. "The recent media attention to this industrywide problem has put a much-needed spotlight on the potential dangers of non-original batteries--and the industry's ongoing battle to rid the market of inferior, potentially unsafe products."Good to know.
sysctl hw.cpufrequencyWhen I did this the first time I received the following as the output:
hw.cpufrequency: 5333333334So, for some reason, my computer thought that my 867mhz G4 chip was only capable of running at 533mhz. Evidently, it is tied into Power Management. So, if you do this with similar results, shut down your computer, then hit the SHIFT+CTRL+OPTION+POWER and hold them down for a slow ten count. Now boot up your computer.[UPDATE: For those of you with RAM disks, from the KB article linked below: "Warning: Resetting the Power Manager on any PowerBook or iBook will permanently remove a RAM disk, if present, and all of its contents." Word to the wise...] After doing this, I ran the sysctl hw.cpufrequency from the command line and received the following output:
hw.cpufrequency: 866666664Back to normal. Anyway, now everything is running even faster and zippier than it was after I installed Panther, so who knows how long I have been running at half speed. I might put this in a diagnostic script. We'll see. In the meantime, here's the somewhat unknowledgable Knowledge Base Article on the phenomenon. Also, what is going on Apple? Memory leaks are a plague of the PeeCee community that I am all too familiar with from working in a computer lab, but PERSISTENT PROCESSOR LEAKS?! And as the Knowledge Base Article states it is due to a circuit; it is another hardware problem. I wish they had at least publicized the possibility of this in some real way, so that users could be doing what is stated above as a part of their regular maintenance check on the computer.
"I can't live without my cell phone. It's the one with the big round dial, and it has a video camera on it. I have a ring tone of my sister, and she's screaming and singing on it. It's pretty funny."SO, she doesn't know it is called a 3650, and her favorite features are the video camera and customizable rings. If that isn't found poetry, I don't know what is...
However, Warentest still believes consumers should be careful when using Nokia batteries. 'We bought the batteries from retailers, just like any other consumer would have done,’ an Warentest test editor tells the German news site Spiegel Online.
Go Mobile and Keep Your NumberI really like the idea of this, except for one nagging concern: in the big blackout here in New York this summer, my cell phone couldn't always reach the network. But that old analog, wired phone that I keep could connect everywhere...
The Federal Communications Commission released rules Monday that will allow landline customers to keep their phone numbers if they decide to switch to cell phone service. The new rules take effect Nov. 24 in the largest metropolitan areas. [Wired News]
To make sure that no memory-resident programs start when you reboot your phone, hold down the pencil key when you turn the phone on. I don't have anything running on my phone that this affects, but the idea is that you can stop some of those apps - say Handy Day or something like it - that starts up automatically when you restart the phone. [Russell Beattie Notebook]
Important: If the computer is force-restarted or power is lost while disk space is being reclaimed, data loss can occur. Mac OS X 10.3.1 does not address this type of data loss.So, it looks like if you want to use FileVault, you might want to be very careful about when you freeze your computer and have to force a resta--oh, wait! You have no control of that sort of thing! Might want to pass on FileVault for now...
App. closed! AppArchServerThreadOver the weekend, I received a 128MB MM card for my 3650! When I replaced the 16MB card in the 3650 with the new card, without bothering to move any of the information over, and synced, the error entirely disappeared. The reason for all these errors? I was housing all my images on the 16MB card, including the ones that were linked into my Address Book, and evidently the pictures in my 12-inch's Address Book and my 3650's Address Book were causing the conflict, as the 12-inch couldn't overwrite the linked-to images that weren't in their default location in the phone. This at least is my theory, because in addition to the disappearance of the error, several images linked to contacts changed on the phone, based on the images in my 12-inch's Address Book. So, if you are having this problem, I would advise moving images linked to your address book over to the phones main memory and relinking them to the Address Book and then attempting to resynchronize everything. Good luck! In other news, having 128MB on the 3650 is amazing! Unfortunately, I discovered that I need to get some sort of USB card reader to transfer the large files, as sending a 3GPP version of Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers, weighing in at 98MB, via bluetooth was going to take 4 and a half hours according to Bluetooth File Exchange. Oof!
Also, if you do completely botch your iDisk, like me, post a request on .mac discussion forms asking that they "reset your iDisk to it's original state". An Apple Engineer will reset it for you (and erase all files, backups, websites, etc. You need to make a local copy before requesting this). It took 3-4 days for them to reset my iDisk, but it seems to be fine again. I'm going to request that Apple offer a "reset iDisk" preference pane or check box...because I have a feeling this won't be the last time this happens.Good idea. If anybody at Apple reads this, we'd like a reset iDisk option in the System Prefs. Thanks.
Mac OS X Unwired is a one-stop wireless information source for technically savvy Mac users. If you're considering wireless as an alternative to cable and DSL, or using wireless to network computers in your home, office, or on the road, this book will show you the full-spectrum view of wireless capabilities of Mac OS X, and how to get the most out of them.I just got an email from an O'Reilly & Associates editor asking if it would be okay to include mention of my Share2Blue2th scripts and a link to this site in the book! Pretty cool! Go order a copy! Now! I'll write a review of it here when it comes out. Thanks, Phil!
"Using inferior quality standards may lead to these types of incidents [exploding phones] occurring. The best way to prevent such incidents is to use only original Nokia enhancements and to buy them from an authorized or other reputable dealer."
cd /.Then, go to your System Preferences/Sharing/Firewall and open up port 70 for Gopher (add port, other, 70, gopher). Now simply go back to the terminal and type "gopher" without the quotes! Tada! You now have gopher, the super fast information highway that predates the internet ready to go on your 12-inch. You also have just compiled a program and ported it to OS X. Whoo-hoo! i am a g33k! Gopher rules! Veronica!!!
cd gopher
./configure
make
sudo make install
you will be prompted for your password
export PATH=${PATH}:/usr/local/bin:$HOME/bin/
Is a cloth used to wrap things, comes from the word 'furo' (bath) and 'shiki' (spread). As the name describes, Furoshiki is a wrapping product. It accommodates objects of various sizes and shapes. The inner material of 5-mm polyurethane can sustain shock, and keeps your electronic or other gear safe and handy. It can be carried by the outside belt, or in your bag. It is a novel Furoshiki for our generation.$69.
Nokia's new Bluetooth accessoriesI want that new headset...
The Nokia avalanche continues this week, with a few new Bluetooth products due out early next year: the HS-4W wireless headset, the Nokia 610 Bluetooth Car Kit (which has an LCD display for caller ID), and the AD-5B Wireless Audio Adapter for adding Bluetooth to phones that don't already have it built-in. Read... [Gizmodo]
Sexy Mini Movies for Cell PhonesThe RingtonesNokia site is not safe for work, so I am not linking it here. If you actually do download these for your 3650, please know that you are, in fact, a freak.
Not great for the Nokia image, a website calling itself RingtonesNokia, offers downloadable mini porn movie clips for cell phones. Images take about 1 minute to download via wap. Not for children. Or anyone you would want to know.[picturephoning.com]