Monthly Archives: July 2010

Macbook 5,2 video out to TV

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I have a Macbook 5,2 (model A1181) with Intel core 2 Duo, Nvidia Geforce 9400M. I purchased an Apple mini-DVI (D-Shape) to video adapter. It does not work. And hey what do you know this is a know issue with this model of Crapintosh laptop! I returned the cable and got a refund.

Not to be defeated I came up with a cunning work around. If you must connect your laptop to a TV (composite) or old skool video projector (composite) -by composite I mean devices that have either S-Video or 3 phono (yellow – video, white and red – stereo audio). OK so if you’re still with me here we go.

Connections used to get TV signal out of Macbook

Connections used to get TV signal out of Macbook

1. Go to an apple store and buy the mini-DVI to VGA cable (£16).
This, on it’s own, will allow you to connect to other monitors and some projectors.

2. Go to Maplin (UK version of Radio Shack) and buy PCTOTV (made by kworld code KW-SA325) £39. This has all the cables you need to plug into the VGA end of the apple cable.

3. Plug it all in. Your Macbook ‘senses’ the Apple cable and switches resolution. You may have to go into the Displays preferences panel and tick the ‘mirror’ displays box, if you want to play out a DVD on a projector. With my TV this was not necessary.

4. Curse Apple for selling you a laptop with a graphics set-up that requires additional hardware.

5. Smile, as this cunning solution works.

I hope this is useful. Please let me know if you have any questions or other work arounds for this problem.

Flat Track Experience

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Race start, 3 motorcycles on a speedway track

Race start and inset of track action


Had a great day at Rye House in Hertfordshire with CCM Flat Track Experience learning how to slide a bike into a corner on the back brake and out of the corner with the back wheel spinning and stepping out under power. It was a boiling hot day and I’m sure the adrenalin added to the amount of sweat! A lovely touch was the photos they took and uploaded for free of each rider.

We started the day riding CCM 230 bikes and after lunch switched to the pokey CCM FT35 bikes for the full track. Oh and had steel plates zip locked to the bottom of our boots. These made it safer I had to put my foot down sliding out of corners. Not a cheap day, but well worth it.

Video of Trashcatchers’ carnival Tooting

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN3uO77Bji8&playnext_from=TL&videos=1sBQamwmocI]
Quick edit I did of my footage from Trashcatchers’ carnival tooting and vox pops on what people liked about Tooting and what they thought could be better. This was shown at the Big Launch – unleashing we had at the Samaj Hall.

Farmers Market as a stall in an existing market

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A thought. We have a good market in Tooting with fish, butchers, tools, clothes, food, phone, pets, etc. It seems busy and well used. In most parts of London, that I have seen, farmers markets are set-up as a separate ghetto for middle class people to wander around for bits and pieces before they go Waitrose. If stalls became free in Tooting market could they be occupied by people selling as local as possible produce?