So the XM radio is great. It has a pause button! There was only one problem with it, which I fixed today. The problem was a high-pitched buzz or whine which got a lot louder if I ran anything else on the dash like the headlights, heater, etc. I thought it was the power adapter (the thing that plugs into the cigarette lighter) which bummed me out. Because the XM won't run without it.
But then I noticed that if I switched over to a CD or the regular radio, I didn't hear the buzzing noise, even if I left the power adapter plugged in. Which made me think maybe it was the audio cable. I was using a cheapie cable I bought at Radio Shack for $2 years and years ago. Replaced it with a slightly better cable (I think it was $8 instead of $2) and the buzzing is no more! If I turn the headlights on and the heat all the way up, I can still hear the buzzing a little. But in normal use it sounds perfect.
Also replaced the battery in my laptop today. The old battery is just about shot: only lasts about an hour, and it had taken to shutting down abruptly when it got down to somewhere between 40-45% of power. Sooner or later I'm going to have to go to a meeting where I won't be able to plug in, and my laptop will shut itself off in the middle of the meeting, and wouldn't that be embarrassing? Time for a new battery!
I was worried that my computer is too old and the Apple store wouldn't carry my battery, but they had it. I couldn't find someone to help me until I figured out the secret: stand in front of the register as if you're ready to check out. That brings someone in a hurry. The old battery came out with a thick layer of dust caked on the inside. Gross!
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