It’s time for yet another update…
T42 Update
The ThinkPad T42 has been running fairly well* since the last update. It has been utilized more and more since the last update, with me lugging it to class every day instead of my T420.
I’ve also been experimenting with a Telnet (teletype emulator) program, PuTTY, using the T42. I will try to write a separate entry regarding my experiences with PuTTY and Telehack.
Another “breakthrough” with the T42 is the ability to play MP4 videos reliably. The T42 has been able to reliably play 360p (and even 480p) videos in Windows Media Player with no issues and very little (if any) lag. This does stress the Pentium M by running it near maximum capacity during the duration of the video, but its nonetheless capable.
Another interesting discovery is that the T42 will run Google Chrome. I’ve used Google Chrome for short periods of time just to see if it will work, and it does. It is just currently extremely unstable due to the limited amount of memory. Until I max the computer out with 2GB RAM, Internet Explorer 8 will continue to be my “go-to” browser on the T42.
*The only problem I’ve had recently with the T42, operationally at least, is that it will often claim “Operating system not found” on boot. This is always remedied by going through the BIOS menu.
T420 – Overheating?
Speaking of ThinkPads…
The ThinkPad T420, my daily driver, is actually going to be a subject of a post coming this Spring Break. I recently learned that the T420’s CPU has been staying around 80*C (176*F) for quite some time. For even laptops, this is very warm and can damage the processor if its exposed to those temperatures continuously for quite some time. (I knew the T420’s CPU was getting fairly hot [as holding your hand next to the outlet vent would get uncomfortable after a few seconds], but not that hot.)
My first step of action to try and counteract this is to clean the T420 and reapply a fresh coat of thermal paste to the heat sink. This should help bring temperatures down back into a respectable range. Plus, I’ll finally get to dig deep into the core of the T420 (I’ve never fully disassembled it.)
The Pinnacle – Plan
The T420 isn’t the only project on my Spring Break to-do list. My other project is to button up work on the 1981 Free Spirit Pinnacle.
In order to finish that project, I’m going to have to take the Pinnacle to a bike shop. It was determined (through some professional input on a bike forum) that the brakes have become misaligned, causing the strange wear pattern. A local bike shop has the proper tools for fixing and correctly calibrating the positioning of the brake assemblies.
I’m also going to have to try to fix the tire issue I was having last time – which you can read about here in the last update. I’m suspicious that the thickness of the thorn-resistant inner tube is the culprit for the tire problems. In order to test this hypothesis, I’m going to replace the thorn-resistant tube with a spare standard-thickness tube I have. (Plus, if things go wrong, I would’ve only destroyed the $3 tube rather than the $10 tube.)
Worst case scenario: the tire is the culprit, and I’m going to have to buy another tire. (Unfortunately, the deadline for returns on the tire I bought has long passed.) The best case scenario is that the standard-thickness tube works fine – and I will just run the standard-thickness tube and keep the thorn-resistant tube for later. That or trying some other tricks allows the thorn-resistant tube to work just fine.
Long Lines Tower
A couple weeks ago I published an entry discussing the history of the Long Lines system, specifically the towers. Just a couple days ago I actually drove out to take pictures of a local tower.
All of these pictures were taken with my new phone… the Samsung Galaxy Express Prime 2. These pictures demonstrate how good the zoom on this phone really works, and also the outdoor image quality.
