For the whole time I've had it, the power adapter for my macbook has gotten hotter than I expected it to, but since I've been here, the cable plugging into the computer started discoloring, fraying, and eventually developed a dangerous-looking hole. Being a man, of course, I paid no attention to the electrocution hazard, and when it stopped working, I realized that if I taped the cable in the exact right position on the desk, it would come alive again.
This worked for about a week. Last week, though, it completely ate it. I thought I was out 9800 yen (about $100, or maybe $150 if the exchange rate keeps plummeting), but then I discovered this post on The Unofficial Apple Weblog: "Apple is now replacing (free of charge) frayed, discolored and deformed MagSafe power adapters for MacBook and MacBook Pro."
This looks pretty frayed, discolored, and deformed to me:
I had heard that it was hard to get the replacement outside of the states, but a quick trip to the Shibuya Apple Store (make an appointment if you need the Genius Bar), and one of the guys apologetically sorted me out with a brand-new adapter. If you've got a cord that looks like mine, go in to your local Apple Store and give it a go. It doesn't matter if you're out of the warranty period, but you do need to bring the serial number of the laptop it came with.
