Disable the internal iSight on MacBook, MacBook Pro

Some day you may find this useful like I did.

The new MacBooks have internal iSight cameras. While this is an excellent tool, it may not be desirable in all situations (such as classrooms or labs) You can disable it in software by removing…

/System/Library/QuickTime/QuickTimeUSBVDCDigitizer.component

…applications will complain that the camera is already in use by another application.

If you want to make sure they also can't use an external Firewire iSight remove…

/System/Library/Extensions/Apple_iSight.kext

I moved the component rather than deleting it so I could re-enable it again. Link.

The banana tree bloom: Day 3

Wow, a lot has happened in 3 days. Yesterday, the blossom head took a turn southward, bending down to the ground in typical banana bloom fashion. Today, the first petal opened up to reveal the top-most row of flowers and ultimately fruit. In the pictures below, the stamen (contains the pollen) sits around the pistil which sits atop the soon to be fruit. I expect there to be more petals opening below in the next few days.

Click the pictures for a larger image.

The proof is in the pudding– MINI Cooper S MPG report

On a recent trip to the beach (May 2007) I tried my hand at some hypermiling on the way back. Below are the gauge readouts of the trip computer. I maintained an average speed of 55 mph on Rt 113/Rt 1 and then 65 mpg on Rt 1 on the toll sections. Although every single person passed me (whatever, what's the rush) I believe I pulled off some impressive numbers. Average speed was 53.8 (odd, but I guess it also factors in stop light time) and average consumption was 37.9 MPG. To the beach in just over 2.5 gallons. See images below.

Link to a site about hypermiling.

The banana tree is going to bloom!

The banana tree in the back yard is going to bloom this year. It was planted there three years ago and has been protected from cold each winter up to the top of the stalks. This will be the first time it has bloomed. It's definitely an odd plant to have in this location.

Here's a website with some pictures of the snow banana bloom. Link. It's very alien looking indeed.

Click for a larger view.