MikeyP.comUnstructured Thoughts by MikeyPhttps://mikeyp.com/Updating an Old iMac from Snow Leopardhttps://mikeyp.com/blog/updateoldmacos/https://mikeyp.com/blog/updateoldmacos/I decided to give away a functional yet very old 2010 27" iMac. Prep seemed somewhat straightforward if I followed Howard Oakley's instructions. After methodically deleting everything, I rebooted into Recovery Mode…Thu, 01 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMTPolishing Frets on a Jazz Guitarhttps://mikeyp.com/blog/jazzbox-fretpolishing/https://mikeyp.com/blog/jazzbox-fretpolishing/I hit upon a lucky eBay find, and managed to acquire a mid-1990's Korean-made Epiphone Howard Roberts guitar for a great price. It's a terrific jazz box, and is really fun…Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMTDust Control in the Garage Workshophttps://mikeyp.com/blog/workshopdustcontrol/https://mikeyp.com/blog/workshopdustcontrol/After years of sweeping and dusting and dozens of disposable air filter masks, I'm finally taking dust control seriously in my garage workshop. Dust control starts at the tool with a vacuum…Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMTUnchaining the EVH Flanger Pedalhttps://mikeyp.com/blog/evhflanger/https://mikeyp.com/blog/evhflanger/I used a Boss BF-2 flanger pedal for years.  It's a great pedal, especially if you can find one of the older Japanese-made models.  But it could never really do that over-the-top…Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMTRaising the Aeronhttps://mikeyp.com/blog/raisingtheaeron/https://mikeyp.com/blog/raisingtheaeron/Almost every high-tech startup in the Bay Area outfits their office with Herman Miller Aeron chairs. And as some of the startups inevitably go out of business, the Aeron chairs hit the…Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMTSuntory Yamazaki Whiskyhttps://mikeyp.com/blog/suntory/https://mikeyp.com/blog/suntory/The Uncrate "buyers guide for men" has discovered one of my favorite beverages. Here's what Uncrate has to say: Born from the pure waters of the Vale of Yamazaki and handcrafted at Japan's oldest distillery,…Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMTKomo Store Kona Coffeehttps://mikeyp.com/blog/komocoffee/https://mikeyp.com/blog/komocoffee/Every time I visit the Big Island of Hawaii, I buy fresh Kona coffee.  I love driving through Holualoa and Captain Cook, where you can buy freshly roasted coffee right from the…Sun, 15 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMTJohn Pearse Guitar Stringshttps://mikeyp.com/blog/johnpearsestrings/https://mikeyp.com/blog/johnpearsestrings/When I got my new Breedlove guitar last year, I ordered my usual set of Thomastik-Infeld strings from JustStrings.com (my favorite place to buy strings). Unfortunately, the brand that works so well on…Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMTTucano WorkOut Minimalist Laptop Baghttps://mikeyp.com/blog/tucanoworkout/https://mikeyp.com/blog/tucanoworkout/With the iPhone replacing my iPod, cel phone, PDA, and camera (for casual use), and with my switch from older, clunky laptops to the svelt MacBook Air, I decided to…Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMTMiter Saw Laser Guidehttps://mikeyp.com/blog/mitersawlaser/https://mikeyp.com/blog/mitersawlaser/I love my old Delta Compound Miter saw. I have a fairly basic model, but it does what it is designed to do: make straight cuts at measured angles. But with basic…Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMTA New Axe to Grindhttps://mikeyp.com/blog/breedloveguitar/https://mikeyp.com/blog/breedloveguitar/For the past few months, I've been looking for a nice-sounding concert-sized acoustic guitar. I have a fine Takamine Dreadnought, but the size is uncomfortably large for me to have in…Sun, 25 May 2008 00:00:00 GMTRoland CUBE 30 Speaker Upgradehttps://mikeyp.com/blog/rolandcube30speaker/https://mikeyp.com/blog/rolandcube30speaker/I decided to shop around for a lightweight guitar amp, and the Roland CUBE 30X hit the sweet spot perfectly. Very affordable at under $250, the amp has a 10" speaker,…Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMTShiny Guitar Fretshttps://mikeyp.com/blog/shinyfrets/https://mikeyp.com/blog/shinyfrets/After neglecting my Takamine acoustic guitar for a few years, the frets became tarnished and dull. Many guitarists would recommend rubbing steel wool against the frets to polish them up, but…Sun, 23 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMTEVH 90 Phase Shifter Pedalhttps://mikeyp.com/blog/evhphase90/https://mikeyp.com/blog/evhphase90/I received a much-coveted MXR EVH 90 Phase Shifter guitar pedal as a birthday gift. Wow, this pedal really rocks! You can totally get the Van Halen Atomic Punk sound, as…Wed, 05 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMTThe Non-Designers Design Bookhttps://mikeyp.com/blog/nondesignersbook/https://mikeyp.com/blog/nondesignersbook/I have no formal training in typography or page layout design, but as someone who needs to constantly communicate and pitch ideas, page layout design is really important to me. A…Sat, 28 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMTFounders at Workhttps://mikeyp.com/blog/foundersatwork/https://mikeyp.com/blog/foundersatwork/I saw the book Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days as a recommendation on Guy Kawasaki's blog. This is a big book containing dozens of interviews with people who…Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMTPyongyang: A Journey in North Koreahttps://mikeyp.com/blog/pyongyang/https://mikeyp.com/blog/pyongyang/Over the past year or two, I've rediscovered a love for comics and graphic novels. But I can't stand most super hero comics, so I usually gravitate toward the independent and…Tue, 06 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMTAfforable Pressure Washerhttps://mikeyp.com/blog/pressurewasher/https://mikeyp.com/blog/pressurewasher/With a house on the northern slope of a hill, I need to pressure wash my siding and decks annually. Of course, I haven't actually done this in five years, so…Thu, 24 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMTPeoplewarehttps://mikeyp.com/blog/peopleware/https://mikeyp.com/blog/peopleware/The always interesting blog Cool Tools recommended a book called Peopleware. The book describes just how screwed up managers and management processes tend to be at software companies. The book basically states…Mon, 03 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMTReplacing a Norelco Beard Trimmerhttps://mikeyp.com/blog/norelcotrimmer/https://mikeyp.com/blog/norelcotrimmer/I've been using a Norelco Maverick T-1000 beard trimmer for several years. It is a durable, battery-powered trimmer that has an easy-to-clean trimmer head. You just press a button and the trimmer…Sat, 26 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT