The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the 21st Century

Click the photo to see Nic’s Craigslist ad.

Once in a while, I like to use the reach of my blog to help out my friends. This is one of those times.

In cities with decent-sized populations, Craigslist is popular, which is good news and bad news for sellers. The good news is obvious; the bad news is that their wares are lost in a sea of everyone else’ offerings. My friend Nic, whom I met over a decade ago at a little local drinking-and-mischief club called The Thirsty People of Toronto, is selling his MacBook, and I thought I’d help him move it.

It’s 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo 13-inch “unibody aluminum” MacBook, with 8GB RAM and a 320GB hard drive. This is the model with the replaceable battery. It currently has OS X 10.5.6, and I believe — based on my experience with an iMac with a slower processor, less RAM and from the same era — that it will run the latest OS X (version 10.9, known as “Mavericks”) quite well.

For those of you who want more specs:

• Processor and bus details: 45 nm “Penryn” 2.4 GHz Intel “Core 2 Duo” processor (P8600), with two independent processor “cores” on a single silicon chip, a 3 MB shared “on chip” level 2 cache, 1066 MHz frontside bus.
• RAM details: 8 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-8500) installed in pairs (two 4 GB modules). This is the maximum that can be installed on this model.
• Hard drive: 250 GB Serial ATA (5400 RPM) hard drive.
• Optical drive: 8X DL “SuperDrive”, which reads and writes CDs and DVDs.
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory.
• Display: LED-backlit 13.3″ widescreen TFT active-matrix “glossy” display (1280×800 native resolution).
• Webcam: Integrated iSight camera.
• Networking: Loads!
  • AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n)
  • Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • USB 2.0 ports (2 of ’em)
  • Optical digital/analog audio in/out
  • Mini DisplayPort supporting an external display at 2560 * 1600

Apple’s internal reference for this machine is “Macbook 5,1”, and you can see its factory specs here.

What can you do with such a machine? A fair bit, actually. Yes, it’ll do the web browsing, word processing, spreadsheeting, and presentations, but I’ve been using an older, slower, less-RAM-outfitted iMac to do graphics work and iPhone development. If you’re a web or mobile developer or designer on a budget, you should consider this machine, especially given what Nic’s asking for it:

$600. That’s right: $600.

Nic says it’s in impeccable condition, nice an clean, and has been used in a non-smoking environment.

Check out his ad, and then buy it from him!

Screen capture of Black Friday Death Count on Friday, November 29, 2013 at 9:46 EST.

Black Friday — a day that some guy at Goldman Sachs called “the Special Olympics of capitalism” — often has a body count, and now you can keep score, thanks to BlackFridayDeathCount.com.

"Black Friday is the Special Olympics of Capitalism." – http://t.co/FXTZb2OWbn

— GS Elevator Gossip (@GSElevator) November 19, 2013

A screen capture of those three tweets, just in case. Found via Huffington Post – click to see their article.

In three consecutive tweets, Kenzie Lind summarized America on Thanksgiving weekend quite well. She may have invented Twitter haiku!

Thankful for shopping

— Kenzie Lind (@thekenzielind) November 28, 2013

Also for hot tamales

— Kenzie Lind (@thekenzielind) November 28, 2013

FIGHT AT WALMART

— Kenzie Lind (@thekenzielind) November 29, 2013

Click the photo to see it at full size.

And on it goes with my Great Declutter sale!

If you’ve been to one of my parties, chances are that you’ve seen the kitchen cart — er, BAR — that’s performed so much yeoman service as the storage and preparation area for drinks. It’s also functioned at some point as a TV/stereo/videogame cabinet, as well as a stand-up computer desk. And now, it can be yours!

Click the photo to see it at full size.

It’s in good condition with very few scratches or nicks on the side, and the top has remained smooth and shiny. I’m throwing in the ice bucket attachment that can hang off its side.

Click the photo to see it at full size.

As I implied earlier, it’s been well cared-for, because I am a grown-up. Take a look at that wood-grain countertop. Smooth like buttah!

Click the photo to see it at full size.

Whether you’re preparing drinks, dinner, or spreadsheets, this cart/bar has plenty of depth to accommodate all sorts of kitchen work, drinks mixing, a big honkin’ desktop computer setup, or a nice home entertainment system.

Click the photo to see it at full size.

The wheels roll smoothly, and the front two wheels have brakes that work perfectly, so this thing won’t be rolling around your kitchen, living room, rec room, or wherever you end up putting it.

Click the photo to see it at full size.

It’s a great cart/bar/stand-up desk, and it can be yours for $100. Want it? Drop me a line!

Click the photo to see it at full size.

That bear is adorable. Comic by Liz Climo.

To my American family, friends, and readers: Happy Thanksgiving, and for those who celebrate it, Happy Thanksgivingkah!

Since I’m a gentile and Canadian, it’s just another regular day for me (well, as “regular” as my days go, anyway), so I might as well post this:

I may have lost my “Honorary Member of the Tribe” status, but I still love a good Hanukkah gag, especially one this smokin’! Be warned: it’s a little racy and may not be appropriate for your workplace, especially the last line in the song. Have a good Hanukkah, folks!

Found via George Takei — it’s one of the winning entries from his “Caption This!” contest.