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MacBook on Willem's Blog

Offline Music

Streaming Music Alternative

July 17, 2022
People sometimes act suprised when I tell them about my music hobby, manually converting CD's to lossless audio files; there is some reason to this madness however!

Music has the universal power to move people. Different rhythms, emotions and vocals enable us to enjoy music very personally. Music is very close to my heart and I don't like anything to get in between. Therefore I don't rely on streaming music services, but manage my own offline music library.

Why Apple Silicon is a big deal

Blown away by a MacBook Air

Dec. 15, 2020
Never have I been so blown away as by the new MacBook Air with M1 processor. It is a big deal.

Apple now designs its own processors and I had a chance to work with the very latest from Cupertino: a brand new MacBook Air with M1 processor. Never ever have I been so blown away by a MacBook Air, pun intended. Let me share some thoughts why I think Apple Silicon is a big deal.

Building a professional 72TB NAS

Configuration and installation of an HPE ProLiant DL380 server

Nov. 22, 2019
This month I installed a professional HPE ProLiant DL380p server in a datacenter in Amsterdam, read this post to see how this was done!

Over the past few years I have been moving my data and work from local computers (mostly laptops) into the cloud. Cloud computing is done by servers in a datacenter, powerful computers that do the hard work. As my company grew, I needed more capacity. It was time to add some power to my cloud!

Saving a MacBook Air with exploded battery

Don’t try this at home - but I did

Sep. 14, 2017
Saving a MacBook Air with a swollen battery pack.

Last night I had a nasty surprise: my original MacBook Air was swollen due to an exploded battery. I immediately had to take action, for reasons of safety and to preserve this piece of modern computer history. Don’t try this at home, but if you do... read along for some practical tips.

Building the blog... in style!

Developing on a 20-year old computer with 16MB RAM and Windows 98

June 23, 2016
Find out if it is possible to turn a computer from the 90s into a modern development machine.

One must be a bit crazy to come up with the idea to build a blog (as in: actual programming) on an old 486 laptop with just 16MB RAM. I happen to be that crazy: I took my very first laptop from the 90s and decided to find out if it was possible to turn it into a development machine.

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Computers on my desk powering the installation from left to right: ThinkPad X1, iPad Pro and MacBook
Computers on my desk powering the installation from left to right: ThinkPad X1, iPad Pro and MacBook
The damage to the battery pack is clearly visible
The damage to the battery pack is clearly visible
Toshiba T2130CT laptop with a 75Mhz Intel 486 processor and a whopping 16MB RAM (that is megabytes!)
Toshiba T2130CT laptop with a 75Mhz Intel 486 processor and a whopping 16MB RAM (that is megabytes!)
Servers in a datacenter: the black racks are like closets for the grey server computers, each rack fits multiple servers (photo: HPE).
Servers in a datacenter: the black racks are like closets for the grey server computers, each rack fits multiple servers (photo: HPE).
iLO:
iLO: "sea of sensors" enabling an extensive remote insight in the server
I disconnected the battery from the logic board using a plastic tool (that does not conduct electricity).
I disconnected the battery from the logic board using a plastic tool (that does not conduct electricity).
The 486-development machine!
The 486-development machine!
MacBook acting as monitor and keyboard of the server
MacBook acting as monitor and keyboard of the server
MacOS X correctly concluded that there are no batteries available, it works fine using a Power Adapter.
MacOS X correctly concluded that there are no batteries available, it works fine using a Power Adapter.
Server (top left) connected to the computers on my desk (lower right) during installation inside my office
Server (top left) connected to the computers on my desk (lower right) during installation inside my office
That bobble is not supposed to be there.., causing the keyboard to be bend
That bobble is not supposed to be there.., causing the keyboard to be bend
Integrating chips inside the processor reduces the need to transfer data hence and forth to other (external) chips
Integrating chips inside the processor reduces the need to transfer data hence and forth to other (external) chips
I had to remove the original disk because it didn't work... or so I thought!
I had to remove the original disk because it didn't work... or so I thought!
Once removed the deformation in the battery pack is clearly visible
Once removed the deformation in the battery pack is clearly visible
The original MacBook Air: Groundbreaking due to its thinness and lack of ports
The original MacBook Air: Groundbreaking due to its thinness and lack of ports
Inside a HPE ProLiant DL380p Gen8 server (LFF)
Inside a HPE ProLiant DL380p Gen8 server (LFF)
Astell&Kern Ultima SP2000 - it connects to headphones, stereo systems and it can even stream wirelessly using Bluetooth APT(X)
Astell&Kern Ultima SP2000 - it connects to headphones, stereo systems and it can even stream wirelessly using Bluetooth APT(X)
Opening the MacBook Air is possible by removing the bottom lid.
Opening the MacBook Air is possible by removing the bottom lid.

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