Okay, I quit. Greg White wins. I should have listened to him back in 2011 when he told not to buy an Apple computer, but I didn’t. And I should have listened to him and dumped it a few weeks later when my brand new iMac started giving me problems, but I didn’t. And I should have…. well, you get the idea. But after three years of nonstop battling this piece of junk, I’m done and I officially declare that I was wrong and Greg was right, as always. (I can hear Jan White saying, “Welcome to my world.”)
Yesterday it converted about half of my current book into a bunch of gobblydegook. I was typing away and it just turned into a bunch of symbols and numbers. Fortunately, I had backed up to my external drive about 15 minutes before, so I didn’t lose everything. But it was the final straw. It’s time to move on. I called Greg and asked him to make a list of what I needed in a PC, and once we find something that will do the job I’ll be ordering it. Hopefully Amazon will have what I need, and with Prime I can get it here before we leave town on Sunday.
Yesterday Miss Terry started a new weaving project that she hopes to get finished before we leave. The hardest part is getting the yarn ready and sleyed onto the loom. This one has 541 individual threads that all had to be threaded through the heddles in a certain way to make the pattern come out.
While she did that, I was doing my thing at the keyboard, but while I had hoped to have another three to four thousand word day on my new Big Lake book, with the computer fighting me every step of the way I only managed about 1,250 words. If I typed more than two or three paragraphs at a time without saving and then closing the document completely, it would switch everything to the same mess of symbols, squares, and random letters. Hopefully today it will give me a break and let me get some work done. I never know going in exactly how big a book is going to be, but after putting out fifteen or so titles, I usually have a pretty good idea when I’m getting close to the end. I think I’m about 12,000 words away from wrapping this one up. So three good solid days of writing should do the trick.
We did stop for a while in the afternoon when Terry’s parents, Pete and Bess Weber, came by to visit and check out the residential refrigerator that we installed in our motorhome back in December. Then later we got together with them again and had dinner at J&M Chinese Restaurant. This is a real favorite of ours and we wanted to get there one more time before we left the area.
I got word yesterday afternoon that the long awaited audiobook of Big Lake Scandal is now available on Audible.com. It will also be on Amazon and iTunes within a few days. Now I have to talk to Bruce Miles, my narrator, and see what his schedule is to start working on Big Lake Burning.
Speaking of audiobooks, it’s Thursday so it’s time to kick off a new Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Highland Passage
Thought For The Day – In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. – Theodore Roosevelt
Check Out Nick’s E-Books In Our E-Book Store
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
I’ve been using Macs for years and have never experienced any of the problems you describe. I think you must be cursed. 8^)
I don’t know Nick. I’ve been a happy Mac user since 1984 and none of my machines has ever treated me so shoddily as you describe. Unix is a pretty reliable OS; but it’s got to be comfortable for you.
I also have been using Macs for about 20+ years and have never had any issues. It has to be very frustrating when you are trying to work on your projects.
Finally NIck. You abandon the dark side.
Darling Hubby bought a Mac several years back & it trashed all his files, including his book & research. He finally gave up & bought a Win 8 machine @ Costco for about $600. Sure Windows has its moments, but you don’t have to pay 4x more.
Apple reminds me of Jonestown… Lemonade anyone?
What kind of loom does Miss Terry use – and how do you stash it when you move?
I wonder if your wireless keyboard is the culprit? You were having trouble with your bluetooth several months ago with your Apple mouse.
I’ve been there, too, I bought a desktop Imac in 2010 and it started acting up within a month of purchase. Best Buy replaced it with a new one after getting the go-ahead from Apple tech. Everyone I told about my iMac experience said, “Oh, it must have been something you were doing. Macs never have problems.” My comment to them was: You want to bet??? The tech person at Apple told me there are plenty of defective units out there.
Jan, This is the same problem I was having back in December. I solved it then by turning off the built-in Bluetooth and using a wireless Logitech mouse and keyboard with the little Bluetooth sender that plugs into a USB port. I checked and the iMac’s Bluetooth is still turned off. I tried a different wireless keyboard and mouse with the same problem.
Anne, Terry has a Baby Wolf loom, made by Schacht. It has wheels and folds up, and we roll it back to the bedroom when we travel. Which means that at bedtime we have to roll it back up front for the night. Yes, it’s a bit of a hassle sometimes, but well worth it for the joy weaving brings her.
I have a Dell laptop and it has been flawless…. Touch screen and the whole works… But listen to Greg as that way when he has to fix the dumb thing you won’t be listening to if you would just do like I told you……. LOL
Hopefully you’ll let us know what kind of computer Greg recommends. I’ve had mine for so long it’s acquired a severe case of dementia. It can retire with yours.
For a computer, look on Microcenter.com. They will load one with Windows 7 on it if you do not want Windows 8.1
Please be careful on the road.
I guess you’re stuck on April 16 until further notice?
Is there a PC near your MAC? You do know that PC’s are trying to take over. It is a government conspiracy.
Russ, just some thoughts on your new computer. I’m probably not telling you or Greg anything you don’t know, but here goes.
Input/output: You are a writer, I would think you would want to pay special attention to the screen, keyboard and to a lesser degree the mouse. An example, I have old old IBM keyboard with mechanical keys that I just love (think big hands). Wireless keyboard and mouse? cords are a hassle, but wired is simple.
Power quality: I would think that electrical power issues in a RV could be especially troublesome. A blip, surge, etc at the wrong time could cause problems with a computer, especially the hard drive. I believe that power protection at the source, the circuit level if possible, and at the computer is important (cascading protection?). You might want to protect the ethernet cable, if you use one. I have wondered as I followed your Imac adventure, if It could somehow be power related.
I don’t claim to know anything about computers, but I did once talk to a computer guy.
I’m with Jerry!!!!! Hahahahahaha Sorry, it’s not funny … I know how frustrating it can be, but I’ve always had problems with BOTH PC’s and now my brand new MacBook Pro. Maybe it’s the sun spots after all!!!
I’m so sorry you have had so many problems with your Mac, Nick. I switched back to Mac after using Windows machines for about ten years and constantly having problems, so I don’t think it’s one particular company; they can all have problems and obviously there are some defective machines sold from time to time. Speaking for myself, I would never go back to Windows for the simple reason that I no longer want to deal with all the software required to make a Windows machine ‘safe.’ I had multiple attacks on my Windows machine, but have never had a single problem with my Mac. Could be I’m just lucky, but I do think the platform has something to do with it.
Have a great day, Nick, and go do something to get your mind off your computer frustrations! Take Miss Terry out to lunch! ????
Can you Mac be scrubbed clean? Any chance you’d like to donate it to a nice little sixth grade class in Azusa for the tax write-off? 😉
It’s already spoken for for parts, Laura. Sorry.