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Filing the corners off my MacBooks

kentwalters.com

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Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#261

Post by pxc »

chihuahua wrote: post #177
vvpan wrote: post #101

I just came into Mac world for work and struggle to understand the choices Apple makes: - Sharp edges eat into my forearms. - Glossy screen makes it hard to see when it's light out. - The keys have a real hard stop when you press on them which tires out my hands. - An arrogant desire to obsolete ports. I don't understand the appeal of the machine, it feels like style over function everywhere.

I, too, only use Macs when my employer forces me to do so. Here's how I made it bearable: MacBook lid stays closed at all times; plug it into a Thunderbolt hub (requires just 1 Thunderbolt port for everything); connect a proper matte monitor, external keyboard, Logitech mouse. Now the only annoying things are the MacOS window manager (uBar attempts to fix this, but is flaky) and the weird keyboard mappings for things…

> weird keyboard mappings for things like "start of line", "end of line", "previous word"

Those are Emacs keybindings, and they're also present by default in Bash since they were copied by GNU Readline. They're one of the few things I really like about macOS. (But I'm an Emacs user and I'm also used to using them in my terminal.)

The window manager never stops sucking. Rectangle and Contexts or Witch help. Ice helps with the stupid menu bar design and problems with overflowing icons or oversized menus.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#262

Post by block_dagger »

overtone1000 wrote: post #249
jasoneckert wrote: post #222

Thanks for this interesting post - I've been showing it to co-workers to get their reactions, which was incredibly entertaining for me! Co-worker 1: Interesting. I wonder if that voids the warranty. It's Apple you know. Co-worker 2: May Jobs have mercy on their soul... Co-worker 3: Not a bad idea. But not sure if that would cause problems with structural integrity of the laptop, like if you drop it or something. Co-w…

Co-worker 4 is the one I want to have a beer with.

I have just the opposite reaction.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#263

Post by mvdtnz »

If my work computer were my own I would do this in a second. The MacBook pro is ridiculously uncomfortable, both in terms of geometry and heat. I don't mind when it gets warm but on a cold morning it's just downright unpleasant to get working on it.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#264

Post by sillysaurusx »

tlb wrote: post #254

Cool, but why is the most rounded-off part in the center? My wrists cover the edge at 5-25% and 75-95% when typing. When mousing, my right hand fleshy pad covers the edge at 65-80%.

I think because they had to. The rounded-off center part is actually the part you usually stick your finger into to lift up the lid. So it wasn't done for wrist ergonomics, but rather because it would've otherwise been sharp. The result is a big hole in the center.

It looks a bit strange, but to each their own, I suppose.

EDIT: this thing, below the trackpad https://imgur.com/a/DVzlDOj (What’s that even called? And is there a better image hosting service than Imgur?)

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#265

Post by BobAliceInATree »

imglorp wrote: post #216
ajam1507 wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Using a 3 prong extension cable on the charger will prevent this.

How? The (US) charger's only got 2 pins so ground stays unconnected.

Apple sells a 3-pin extension cable

US Version: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/mw2n3ll/a/power-adapter-e...

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#266

Post by BobAliceInATree »

ddlsmurf wrote: post #228
dataviz1000 wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve been traveling around the world. It is 50 / 50 of the socket is properly grounded —-anywhere in the world. I get a tingling zap on the wrist when not properly grounded. The charger also gets hot and sparks.

but it's never going to be grounded, there isn't even a ground pin on the charger

Apple sells a 3-pin extension cable

US Version: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/mw2n3ll/a/power-adapter-e...

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#267

Post by mvdtnz »

vl wrote: post #212
convolvatron wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

if you want to do this, there is a better technique than shown in this video. get a single-cut fine file, maybe with a little more weight than the one in the video. single cut file has diagonal slots and allows firm and continuous contact with the piece. most files are double cut, have two sets of slots and look like bumpy diamonds. they remove more material but tend to bounce. use long even strokes with firm pressur…

Or get a Dremel.

There's absolutely no way you get a good result with a Dremel.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#269

Post by sillysaurusx »

powvans wrote: post #30

Nitpicky, but he’s rounding the edges, not the corners. And yes, why are they so sharp? I seem to recall my wife having the plastic MacBook that came out circa 2006 and the edges on that thing were legitimately painful. I always marvel at how sharp the points are on the notch of the lid on my current MacBook. Very very pointy.

I bet the author deliberately called them “corners” instead of “edges” to put more people on edge.
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