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Two of my favorite things (Early Intel Mac edition).
- Thread starter eyoungren
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WriteNow
macrumors 6502a
Closer view of the caraffe. Until yesterday, I thought the brown plastic thing was the top of the coffee filter, since it has holes right under the hot water spout. Although it does not seem to be a good arrangment for really spreading water out over the coffee.
Yesterday, I realized that it probably would fit the caraffe, and I was right.
Yesterday, I realized that it probably would fit the caraffe, and I was right.
Charging…
Amazon's Solimo Dark Roast. Which is a good enough roast that it quickly became our standard K-cup brew around August-September 2025.
Oh! And power for the devices! 🙂
Amazon's Solimo Dark Roast. Which is a good enough roast that it quickly became our standard K-cup brew around August-September 2025.
Oh! And power for the devices! 🙂
boswald
macrumors 68030
Forgive the iGnorance, but are those Apple mice? Are they comfortable?
Yeah, that's the wired Mighty Mouse (attached to my Mac Pro) and the wireless Mighty Mouse (current connected to the iPad in the center).
The wired Mighty Mouse is my favorite of all Apple mice because it has the rollerball in the center. That makes it easy to scroll webpages and Finder windows. The wireless version is cool too, but I don't use it for my main mouse because it's slightly heavier to push around.
boswald
macrumors 68030
Thanks for the clarification. I've never seen those before. Probably before "my time" with Apple. Also, have you tried using a Magic Mouse? I have one and I thought it was weird at first, but now I love it.
Yeah, the Mighty Mouse came to my attention some time in 2005. Not sure when Apple first started shipping it. But it's been my favorite for a long time.
As to the Magic Mouse…
This one is attached to my other iPad at the moment. I don't use it for my Macs for the same reason I don't use the wireless Mighty Mouse. Pushing these mice around when trying to make selections in Photoshop can get tiring. Especially if you're trying to make a fine selection.
But I do love the scrolling you get off the back of the Magic Mouse.
Certificate of Excellence
macrumors 68020
I’ve watched various iterations of your workspace over the years and I must say this one is my favorite. (Of course I never forget about your wintertime additions out in the garage).
Very well done 🙂
Is that an actual made-for-magicmouse mouse stand? Either way very cool way to display it/get it out of the way when you’re not using it.
It is a never ending process which highlights both my obsessiveness and stubbornness. I want all this stuff in there, but I don't want it to feel cramped. And I don't want it impeding on my tendency to move my keyboard around because I usually eat here. There are some things I've had to tell myself to just settle for - and let it go.
The only way to make it work is trial and error…and then improving on things. Which results is massive amounts of iterations and deck chair rearranging. Eventually it will fully lock in. 🙂
Yesterday, the challenge for me was to use what I already have to get what I want, versus running off to Amazon to get (again) what I already have.
As to the garage…well, I'm aiming for different things there. I am trying to make space so that I can bring all the stuff in our storage unit back and quit paying an excessive amount in rent for that. That's been a work in progress. I've also been trying to get the garage cleaned up as I go. Then my issues with this Mac started and my focus has been on that for the last two and a half weeks. All the Mac Minis in the garage have been down for two years now because I didn't turn them back on last year.
Now that the replacement Mac seems to be stable, I can start looking at getting back to the garage. That's going to be an in the morning thing though as it is now the height of summer.
Oh, as far as the holder - that's a phone stand. I just used it for the mouse. Less than $10 purchase on Amazon.
PS. Look for this to change…again. 😉
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So, yeah. Thanks for that. 🙄 LOL!
Yesterday's change I wasn't really happy with, so back to the one you like (and me too), but with some slight alterations. I am only really using the keyboard and mouse with the 7th gen iPad (the one now in the center) because it has a bad home button and sticky volume keys. It's connected to the BT soundbar behind it so this all just works.
I disconnected the other keyboard and mouse from the 6th gen iPad because everything on that iPad functions. It's also sitting to my left, so I can control it with my fingers. Same for the iPad Mini on the right. That one isn't really used, except in the car but it's there now in case I come up with a use for it.
Iterations! 🫨
Today it is three of my favorite things…
Mac (Mac Pro), coffee (Starbucks 1971 roast), and ambient music. DroneZone 2 dropped on SOMA FM, I don't know when. But I saw it this morning and added it to my favorites!
I have a bit of a wide shot here because the MP is playing the stream through the two BassJump 2 speakers in this shot (multi audo device trickery, an app to control the volume collectively, plus a systemwide equalizer app), and the iPad is playing the same stream through the soundbar.
PS. The coffee mug has been around since I was 11 (1981). It looks new because I didn't actually start using it for anything until around 1999 or so. And I tend to use larger mugs, which means it doesn't get used much.
But the fact that the Knots Berry Farm gift shop (by the chicken restaurant) had my name on a coffee mug in 1981 AND spelled correctly, meant I had to have my dad buy it.
Happy Friday!
Mac (Mac Pro), coffee (Starbucks 1971 roast), and ambient music. DroneZone 2 dropped on SOMA FM, I don't know when. But I saw it this morning and added it to my favorites!
I have a bit of a wide shot here because the MP is playing the stream through the two BassJump 2 speakers in this shot (multi audo device trickery, an app to control the volume collectively, plus a systemwide equalizer app), and the iPad is playing the same stream through the soundbar.
PS. The coffee mug has been around since I was 11 (1981). It looks new because I didn't actually start using it for anything until around 1999 or so. And I tend to use larger mugs, which means it doesn't get used much.
But the fact that the Knots Berry Farm gift shop (by the chicken restaurant) had my name on a coffee mug in 1981 AND spelled correctly, meant I had to have my dad buy it.
Happy Friday!
WriteNow
macrumors 6502a
I got a small bag of "Great Blend" Brazil coffee at a dollar store (so called, even though almost nothing is a dollar these days...). I made a pot of coffee with the Hamilton Beach I posted about last week.
Not sure how I like the coffee. It's drinkable, but I'm not wild about it. BUT I'm not wild about this coffee maker, either, so I'll make some of this coffee with a different coffee maker before I pass judgment.
Not sure how I like the coffee. It's drinkable, but I'm not wild about it. BUT I'm not wild about this coffee maker, either, so I'll make some of this coffee with a different coffee maker before I pass judgment.
boswald
macrumors 68030
Not to be rude, but can anyone really have high expectations for coffee from a dollar store?
Certificate of Excellence
macrumors 68020
The review sounds pretty good if you are into smooth, non acidic coffees at a modest price point.
"Great Blend is an established, family-owned gourmet coffee brand known for its Brazilian medium and classic roasts. Their Brazilian coffee is celebrated by users for its smooth, non-bitter profile, subtle nutty/chocolate notes, and an approachable price point.Great Blend Brazilian coffee is generally sold in pre-ground, non-GMO 100% Arabica bags. You can find varying sizes and bag options available across major online marketplaces and physical retailers"
Doesn't sound like a bad breakfast cup for a $1.25. I assume it is a smaller bag for that price point.
"Great Blend is an established, family-owned gourmet coffee brand known for its Brazilian medium and classic roasts. Their Brazilian coffee is celebrated by users for its smooth, non-bitter profile, subtle nutty/chocolate notes, and an approachable price point.Great Blend Brazilian coffee is generally sold in pre-ground, non-GMO 100% Arabica bags. You can find varying sizes and bag options available across major online marketplaces and physical retailers"
Doesn't sound like a bad breakfast cup for a $1.25. I assume it is a smaller bag for that price point.
My wife and I were between paychecks once, low on money and food. Shopping at Food City (which is a grocery store chain catering to the Latino community in Phoenix), we picked up a bag of Café Combate.
The package noted that it's name largely came from the fact that it was the coffee served to the military of Mexico. And it had sugar included.
My wife and I measure this coffee as the bottom baseline. We have never found any other coffee since that was worse than this. It was bad. It was horrible, it was absolutely the worst tasting, most vile 'coffee' we've ever had. We will purchase, brew and consume Folgers before we EVER buy this stuff again.
So, your dollar store blend is probably worlds better than Café Combate!
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Certificate of Excellence
macrumors 68020
Similar story. I was between paychecks and out of coffee and on a meager line cooks wage in my early 20s ... oh around 2003-4. I got some cheap and discount flavored coffee bag (I dont even remember what it was lol) at I think it was a Marshalls. Anyhow, It was like vanilla flavored ash. It was so bad but all that to say, that I have found some pretty great discount bags as well, most notably a German coffee that was absolutely fantastic - smooth, deep and velvety rich; a full 16oz bag of amazing coffee for like $2.00 bucks 🙂
"Dont knock it till ya try it" will always ring true to me. Some are indeed misses but some are wonderful hits as well. You miss out on some great things if you dont try em.
"Dont knock it till ya try it" will always ring true to me. Some are indeed misses but some are wonderful hits as well. You miss out on some great things if you dont try em.
retta283
macrumors 68040
How do you keep the scroll balls on them from getting ruined? I would definitely use them instead of the Magic Mouse if I could prevent the ball from getting gunked and eventually it just quits working in a certain direction altogether. Love the shape though.
The only thing we could tell ourselves was that it had caffeine in it. And I'm not so sure we weren't lying to each other. 😀
But, to add to your point. Once, a long time ago, Burger King was using Douwe Egberts. This coffee is great and smooth, but didn't last at BK for long. And it was a years long process in tracking down who they were. They are a commercial coffee, the large part of their business involves serving other businesses. You can however, find them at Amazon (we bought a bag from there in 2020). But they are not cheap.
Really good coffee though.
Yeah, that's a particular problem. I've got a lot of these with rollerballs that don't work. I did try refurbing one and it worked for a while, but the rollerball quit again a couple weeks ago.
You can crack them open, disassemble them and by doing that get all the gunk out. That is largely what stops the rollerball from working. But, it takes a little work and it also means having to glue the fascia back on. Apple didn't design them for user-disassembly.
Right now I'm making do with one Mighty Mouse that has the rollerball still working. However, it has the hitch that you have to press down on the left button hard while dragging or it will just drop everything and start selecting other stuff as you drag.
My usual solution is just to buy another one. They average around $10 on eBay. I have two more coming in this week.
Certificate of Excellence
macrumors 68020
You can pop it open and clean it. There's a collar on the bottom that you can pop off that holds the top and bottom together. Out of the three of mine that Ive worked on, two came apart ok and one broke, so be careful. That collar is particularly brittle. Anyways, with that removed, you can remove the roller with three screws from the top section and then with that part out you can pull the roller ball out and clean the mini rollers with IPA.
That stupid collar part is such a PITA. I need to buy a 3d printer and design a replacement collar piece. Then I could print replacements in cool colors 🙂 or maybe make it so it has a connection part for easy removal and reassembly (do what apple should have done with the original). Anyways its possible but that collar is really easy to break 😕 so be very patient if you give dissassembly a shot.
Yeah, I have enough of these lying around that I used one for a test pancake. The fascia (collar) on the test broke in three pieces. The collar isn't necessary for the function of the mouse, but without it you have to tape down the wire in front so it doesn't move out of the groove.
My main problem is that once you use super glue to put the fascia back, getting it off the second time is likely just to destroy the entire thing.
WriteNow
macrumors 6502a
From your description above, yes!
It's certainly far from the worst coffee I've had. My dislike is (mostly) personal taste.
WriteNow
macrumors 6502a
I remember one coffee years back that was so awful I gave up drinking it. I can't remember the brand, but it was something canned. I can't remember why I got the stuff, except I'd suppose curiosity.
It collected dust in the cupboard. Then, during a spell of bad winter weather, I ran out of coffee. I ended up using up the awful canned coffee, which wans't improved by sitting all that time. I think I might have tried putting it in the toaster oven to create a darker roast and try to revive it. I definitely remember making some of it in a percolator that I'd gotten to play with. The percolator wasn't very good, but it was fun to play with. That percolator and that bad coffee at least meant I had coffee during the time I was snowed in.
It collected dust in the cupboard. Then, during a spell of bad winter weather, I ran out of coffee. I ended up using up the awful canned coffee, which wans't improved by sitting all that time. I think I might have tried putting it in the toaster oven to create a darker roast and try to revive it. I definitely remember making some of it in a percolator that I'd gotten to play with. The percolator wasn't very good, but it was fun to play with. That percolator and that bad coffee at least meant I had coffee during the time I was snowed in.
About a year ago (and I think you and I had discussions on it in this thread) we had coffee sitting around that we'd bought, but decided we didn't like. I decided to just use it up, no matter how awful it was going to taste, just to get rid of it. My wife was on board because her idea of consuming coffee is largely just to acquire the caffeine.
Wasn't fun, but we got it all used up and now our canisters are full of the coffee we DO like.
WriteNow
macrumors 6502a
I think I remember those discussions.
Usually, I'm pretty good at using up coffee I don't like. It takes something pretty awful for me to let it sit like I did with that one can!