The Machine Paradox¶
Overview¶
Forensic Report
This forensic report outlines key details from the examination and testing procedures we took while disassembling the Macbook.
Forensic Report: Apple Macbook (13 inch, late 2009)
Inventory (Component Datasheets)
These datasheets provide functional insights, technical details, some example code, and wiring guidance for anyone who would like to use these components in a Macbook they have disassembled themselves.
Unfortunately for us, we learned that Apple’s products are not very “hackable”, meaning there aren’t many components we were able to take out and use. While it was extremely satisfying to get to peek under the hood of such an iconic piece of tech, it was ultimately a little anti-climactic at this step. Here are the datasheets of the two components we were able to make work:
Reflection¶
Growing up, I was a very curious child. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and would constantly ask them questions about the world around me. Why were things the way they were, and what made them work? My grandpa used to encourage me to take things apart. He would tell me stories about how in his childhood he would take apart radios and watches and try to put them back together to understand how they worked. I remember thinking how educational that sounded, but never following through on it.This class was an opportunity to finally take him up on his suggestion.
From a purely tactile perspective I loved this class. It was nice to work with my hands while taking apart the computer. A lot of the work we’ve done up until now has been intensely cerebral, and I enjoyed the experience of feeling myself more in my body and hands. I think it’s the first time I’ve had to pick up a screwdriver in this course.
My main takeaway was the dichotomy between how the Macbook looked on the outside - sleek and minimal, to how it looked on the inside - a big confusing mess of overlapping components. It was as if the inside completely counteracted the outside. As I wrote in the forensic report, it was funny that a company that is so user friendly in its UI & UX was the complete opposite when it came to hardware. There was no clear way to disassemble the Macbook, and we had to resort to using scissors, and even tearing a piece off with our hands to fully disassemble it.
Ultimately I think it would have been a bit more enriching to have chosen a machine with more mechanical parts, or at least more motors becaus it would have given us more components to tinker with. I also would have liked to go with a machine that isn’t intentionally designed to hide it’s pieces as much as the MacBook was.