tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-190521239842965002024-03-13T17:35:52.934+00:00The Macintosh ChroniclesTales of elation, woe, and just plain mundaneness.Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-48489300124789925252009-09-13T02:33:00.003+01:002009-09-13T02:37:45.458+01:00Snow LeopardI installed Snow Leopard on Tuesday with little hassle. Almost annoying little hassle. Nothing went wrong. Nothing broke. It was almost disappointing there was nothing to fix or change. So far the most detrimental thing that happened was that Snow Leopard made a few screen savers obsolete, but my favourite one (Pong Saver) has been updated for Snow Leopard already anyway.<br /><br />My impressions: favourable. The only large tweaks I've noticed are Expose and stacks (and faster startup and shutdown). The new iTunes (and iPod Touch) software that also came out a few days ago have been a welcome addition. As well as the nicely redesigned app store.<br /><br />I still have a few projects hanging around to which I need to get, and hopefully will have something interesting to post soon.Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-40991777155249939392009-09-05T21:46:00.005+01:002009-09-06T00:51:10.022+01:00A Few Updates<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">It has been far too long since I have posted an update here. I have been on holiday and generally busy, and in consequence 1) I have not had time to post, and 2) I have not had as much time to play around with my computer(s). A few things I think I have not mentioned:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">-I obtained a Mac Mini (but that was back in March)</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">-OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard is on the way!</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">-I obtained an iPod Touch</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The Mac Mini has been having some audio issues I have yet to fix, and I'm sure Snow Leopard will give me a cornucopia of new thing to talk about when it arrives. The iPod Touch has given me access to the world of the app store, so I may end up writing about some of my favourite apps.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Photography is becoming more of an interest for me as well, so I might have some brief forays into that world if the fancy strikes me.</span></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-21553203824585230362009-06-27T23:56:00.004+01:002009-06-28T00:07:35.743+01:00Finder Tweaks<span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://lifehacker.com/5301914/tweak-your-way-to-a-better-finder">This</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> article from Lifehacker I found quite interesting, though I only applied a few of the tricks myself. The two tricks from the article I applied were the ability to view the contents of compressed folders and normal folders in QuickLook. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I underutilise QuickLook myself,</span> and these should allow me to use it more than I currently do. The instructions for both are the same: download the QuickLook Generator file from the website and paste it under ~/Library/QuickLook and restart Finder. (The easiest way to restart finder is to hold Alt, right-click the Finder icon in the dock and select "relaunch."<br /><br />For viewing compressed folders, download the file <a href="http://d.hatena.ne.jp/t_trace/20071125/p2">here</a>.<br />For viewing normal folders, download the file <a href="http://www.mactips.org/archives/2007/11/30/view-the-contents-of-a-folder-in-quick-look/">here</a>.<br /><br />The article is great and definitely worth a read.<br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-33412657647240452752009-06-10T08:25:00.002+01:002009-06-10T08:29:05.466+01:00Show Hidden Files and Folders<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">As I am a curious sort, I always want to know exactly what is on my hard drive. One thing that always irks me about OS X is all of the hidden files and folders. Because of this, I prefer to keep them hidden. However, it is always good to know how to reveal them, and as such I will tell you how here. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Open Terminal and type the command:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">This reveals the hidden files and folders.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Hit enter and then type the command:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">killall Finder</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">This restarts Finder so the folders and files will be visible.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">To revert it, the process is basically the same. Open Terminal and type:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">defaults write com.apple.finder ShowAllFiles FALSE</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Hit enter and then type:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">killall Finder</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">A utilitarian trick all should know.</span><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-24295212621529001522009-05-25T01:17:00.000+01:002009-05-26T05:22:57.572+01:00Some Good Freeware<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">A couple of good freeware programes: LiteIcon and AppCleaner.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I had an odd issue of the icon for my NAS reverting every time I tried to change it. LiteIcon solved that issue for me; it allows for the changing of the default icon for any number of things. You can get it </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.freemacsoft.net/LiteIcon/">here</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">My second application stemmed from the first. You will remember AppTrap from a few posts back. This one does more or less the same thing, but with a bit more in the feature department. AppCleaner is an application (rather than just a preference pane) that does the same things as AppTrap, but also allows you to remove widgits, preference panes, and other such files. A good thing to have around. It also can be found </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.freemacsoft.net/AppCleaner/">here</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> at FreeMacSoft.</span></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-47528170010889226512009-05-21T00:02:00.001+01:002009-05-21T00:04:01.401+01:00ACDSee Pro for Mac Beta<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">ACDSee Pro for Mac Beta is live now! Download it </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.acdsee.com/offers/proformac/">here</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">.</span><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-91952103625432704162009-03-16T00:25:00.002+00:002009-03-16T00:28:37.094+00:00AppTrap<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Now one thing I like about Apple programmes is that most are contained in that single .app file. To uninstall, simply move that to the trash. However, unbeknownst to you, many also create files scattered about your hard drive, and when you delete the .app file, it does not delete these files.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Cue AppTrap.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">AppTrap (when running) detects when you send a .app file to the trash and asks you if you want to delete the other system files associated with that app. A nice little cleanup preference pane to help keep things tidy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Links:</span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://konstochvanligasaker.se/apptrap/">AppTrap</a><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-89664595718284578412009-03-16T00:06:00.008+00:002009-03-16T00:29:09.226+00:0050th Post!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This is the fiftieth post on this esteemed weblog! That calls for a celebration.</span></span><br /><pre><span><span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Courier New,Courier,mono;font-size:78%;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"></span><br /></span></span></span></span></pre><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Happy fiftieth to, well, me! Congratulations, you're well on your way to being a blog centurion.</span></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-51846896185454811952009-03-07T00:43:00.003+00:002009-03-07T00:48:28.235+00:00Preventing .DS_Store<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">A helpful hint I found in the Apple Knowledge Base today. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Because I still have a Windows machine hanging around (in its death throes, I might add) and dislike lots of hidden files lying around (one of my little annoyances with Mac), I was excited to see there is an easy way to prevent the .DS_Store files from being created on your networked drives. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Open Terminal and type:</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-weight: bold;">defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores true</span><br />and then hit enter.<br /><br />After a reboot, this should disable any more of those from being created. Whether the old ones ever get deleted is up to you and your OCD.<br /><br />There is a disclaimer that this "can cause unexpected Finder behaviour," but nothing too dire will occur.<br /><br />Links:<br /><a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1629">Apple Knowledge Base Article</a><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-53402274322575911862009-02-23T14:45:00.001+00:002009-02-23T14:45:00.810+00:00Exposé (Or Lack Thereof) in Boot Camp<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When in Boot Camp (also, for me, VMWare seeing the Boot Camp Partition) the Exposé buttons, (the buttons to either side of the Mighty Mouse) function by default as a browser back button. Since I have a habit of squeezing these, it is really rather annoying when your browser keeps jumping backwards on you. However, I did find this little programme called X-Mouse Button Control that allows you to disable that (and really customise your mouse to no end). Just another little Freeware programme that everyone should know about.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Links:</span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/XMouseButtonControl.htm">X-Mouse Button Control</a><br /><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-87247157270833616502009-02-22T22:48:00.001+00:002009-03-09T01:26:55.639+00:00A Few Finder Tips<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Here's some Finder tips that everyone should know. Some of them I feel stupid about for not discovering earlier, some of them are obvious, some redundant, but most all are helpful.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Icon View Sorting</span><br />When one views the finder window in icon view, it is helpful for sorting photos. However, when you start copying items into the folder or accidentally (or purposely) dragging the files around, it can get messy (and seriously bother one's OCD). However, there is a fix. Hit Command + A (to highlight all of the files) and then in the OS X toolbar click View -> Clean Up Selection. Voilà, all of the files will snap to a nice grid and be arranged!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Some File-Moving and Navigation Tips<br /></span>You probably already know that<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>when you hover a file over a folder it opens the folder (this is "spring-loaded folder" which is enabled by default). However, this can be shortened two ways: the first is to hit the spacebar when hovering over a folder, which will open it immediately; the second is to change the time the folder waits to "spring" in Finder's preferences. You can also press Escape to sop the file move before it occurs.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. The Finder Toolbar</span><br />If you have certain programmes, files, or folders that you like to access on a regular basis, you can drag the file, folder, or programme into the finder toolbar (in the window itself, not the OS X toolbar) and hover it there for a second until the + sign comes up and allows you to add it. You can hold Command and drag the file/folder/programme off of the toolbar to remove it, and can right click (or control click) on the toolbar to mess with further options.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Finder Path Bar<br /></span>This gives the option to see the file path of the folder you are currently in at the bottom of the Finder window. The added bonus is that you can click and drag a file into any of the listed folders to move it higher in the hierarchy and can double-click any of the listed folders to view it. To enable this, click View -> Show Path Bar at the top (OS X) toolbar.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Finder's Proxy Icons</span><br />The little folder icon you see at the top of a Finder window, next to the title, can be right-clicked (control-clicked) to view the file path to the folder you are currently viewing. (This is somewhat redundant to tip #4.) You can click any of the folders listed there to jump to it, or hold command while clicking it to open that folder in a new Finder window.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Arrow Key Navigation</span><br />As most of you probably know, you can use the arrow keys to navigate around finder (as well as the alpha keys to jump to files). The arrow key navigation is rather self-explanatory and intuitive, so I won't go into too much detail. The only real trick in this one is Spacebar (for Quick Look) when any object is highlighted, and Command + Down Arrow to open a file or folder.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-19962989606440811942009-02-22T22:19:00.000+00:002009-02-22T06:20:05.795+00:00A Few Firefox Add-Ons<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A few Firefox Add-Ons I have been toying with lately:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/189">Google Preview</a><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1122">Tab Mix Plus</a><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addons/policy/0/9251/39818">Inquisitor</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Google Preview</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This is a little tool that shows you a screenshot of the webpage in your Google search results. It slows down the page load a bit, but the added convenience of this is, in my opinion, worth it. It is quite likely I will change my mind later, but for now, it stays.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Tab Mix Plus</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tab Mix Plus is to tabs as Onyx is to OS X or TweakUI is to Windows XP. It allows you to tweak, edit, customise, and otherwise tinker with your Firefix tabs. Some of its default settings are downright awful, but once you get in and explore the options (and, of course, meddle with them) it proves quite useful.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Inquisitor</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This one I remain somewhat ambiguous/undecided upon. It goes in your search bar to the right of the address bar and provides suggestions for your search. It defaults to Yahoo, but can be set to Google (which is my personal preference). I have not found it all that useful yet, but it is a nicely polished little add-on that has a pleasing visual interface.</span><br /><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-17825398169071452762009-02-21T00:16:00.000+00:002009-02-21T08:16:40.713+00:00Audio Issues in iDVD Menus<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Whilst creating a DVD with iDVD, I encountered an issue. When I added music to the audio tracks, the submenus would play the files just fine, while the main (title) window would not. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A quick forum search at Apple Support Discussions led me to find that the problem was most likely due to the audio track being muted without one's knowing it. The solution: remove all the files so that one can see the audio file drop box in the menu inspector; if there are no waves coming out of it, that means it is muted and </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >should </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">be able to be fixed by simply clicking the speaker icon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> However, in some themes seem to have problems with this. The solution beyond this gets slightly more complicated. When you save the iDVD project, it creates a .dvdproj file, which is a file containing resources. Right click this file, and click "Show Package Contents," which brings up the contents of this file. Under this you follow Contents -> Resources -> Project Data and open that file. (If you have the Apple Developer's Tools, you have the XML reader so that you can view and edit this much easier.) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the Property List Editor, find the section labelled "Doom of Fate Jump Targets." Under this, there are several random-looking strings of numbers and letters, and under one of these will be the menu with muted audio. There is a selection labelled "Menu Audio Muted" which will read "Yes," and should be changed to "No."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Save the file, reopen your iDVD project, and it should be fixed! I tried it while the project was still open, and thus it did not work the first time for me. If it doesn't work the first time, try saving and quitting iDVD, editing the file, and then reopening it. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-37120764974017207462009-01-10T01:17:00.001+00:002009-01-10T01:19:05.173+00:00Picasa for Mac Available Now!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Picasa for Mac (Beta) is available now! I am downloading it as I type, and will post again with impressions, opinions, and prejudices in the near future.</span><br /><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-82860639967536693302008-12-14T23:52:00.003+00:002008-12-14T23:54:01.238+00:00ACDSee for Mac Coming True?!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Can it be? People over at ACDSee actually listened?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I checked a while ago, and nothing more had happened except for a lackluster response to my original post. But lo and behold, in addition to finding one other person on this planet who agrees with me, a moderator posted and showed me </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.acdsee.com/offers/proformac">this page</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">! It looks like ACDSee </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">is</span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> working on a version for Mac!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">First Picasa, now ACDSee! It is like a dream come true...</span><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-65964929793861907372008-12-14T07:19:00.003+00:002008-12-14T07:37:46.338+00:00New MacBook!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">This is the post I have been putting off for a while now. The post about the purchase of a new MacBook that occurred a few weeks ago. I have not had the time to write on it. But, as I have been productive tonight, I write on it now.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The new MacBook was purchased in all its two-tone glory. I love the backlit keyboard that is now standard and the edge-to-edge glass screen. The gloss really is not that bad, and I think the ease of cleaning way overcomes any downside that presents.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Along with the new MacBook was purchased Parallels 4. However, just a couple weeks ago, VMWare was running a "CyberMonday" (how I hate the term) special on Fusion; it was marked down about $40USD. Because of the deal, I also purchased Fusion and have tried it out somewhat; I hooked it up to my Boot Camp partition on the MacPro and it worked as well as Parallels I would say, but still did not run games well...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">At any rate, another Mac has been added to the family. Another hit from Apple.</span><br /><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-65506892184482337752008-12-14T07:09:00.004+00:002008-12-14T07:12:08.769+00:00Best Firefox Plugin!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I recently discovered AdBlock Plus Firefox plugin (found </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865">here</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">). I rate this as the most useful plugin I have ever used in Firefox. I don't see ads on my pages anymore. Whenever there is something annoying or offensive, I can remove it permanantly. It improves your load speeds because you are not loading flash ads or other unnecessary images. I do not see advertisments when I browse the web anymore because I have blocked all of the major suppliers. It is truely wonderful. I cannot reccommend it enough.</span><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-45262127313333443682008-12-14T06:56:00.002+00:002008-12-14T07:08:38.577+00:00Picasa for Mac?<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I recently read at </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/11/28/picasa-for-mac-undergoing-testing-may-arrive-by-2009">Ars Technica</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> and </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/11/26/google_testing_picasa_for_mac_beta.html">Apple Insider</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> (and tried to post at Slashdot) that Google looks like it may release Picasa for Mac! Possibly quite soon! I say it is about time we got a decent iPhoto alternative... But I've ranted enough about that in previous posts. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Hope* is on the horizon!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">*Curse the American politician for destroying that word in my daily usage. Chope...</span></span><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-67018207705194394732008-12-14T06:49:00.003+00:002008-12-14T06:54:17.520+00:00Locking Your System<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Macintosh has no obvious solution to the problem of wanting to lock your system. Macworld had a neat article discussing the topic </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.macworld.com/article/49080/2006/01/lockscreen.html">here</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">, but I did not really find any of their suggestions particularly helpful or useful. However, the one that I now use and found most practical and helpful was from the comments.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">If you activate Fast User Switching, you can bring up the login window without closing any applications or documents. To activate it, go to System Preferences -> Accounts and then to Login Options at the bottom of the left pane. Check the "Enable fast user switching" box and you are set to go! The Accounts icon will appear at your top menu bar (or user name, depending on the setting you choose). You can move it around to your liking as explained </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://macchronicles.blogspot.com/2008/12/customising-macs-menu-bar.html">here</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Just click on that icon (or text) and choose "Login Window" and (assuming the account has a password assigned) your system is locked!</span><br /><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-52170724017865353272008-12-14T06:44:00.002+00:002008-12-14T06:48:49.921+00:00Customising Mac's Menu Bar<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">A simple trick I wish I had learned earlier: Command + Click any of the little menulets and you can drag them around and even drag them right off!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">However, some of them seem to resist being put back through any settings tabs. But, if you navigate to your main hard disk (Usually "Macintosh HD"), System -> Library -> Core Services -> Menu Extras, you can double click on those and add them back. A neat little hack. There are many more developments that need to be blogged about, but I am indolent.</span><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-28124177428999909612008-10-16T01:30:00.002+01:002008-10-16T01:42:24.223+01:00Thoughts on Apple's Market Share<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Thanks to David Pogue's </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/how-big-is-apple-depends/">latest post</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> that got me thinking about this. I actually believe it is a thought I got from him originally (Via </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.mackorisnik.com/2008/10/03/interview-david-pogue-mac-guru-s-vrhunskim-smislom-za-humor/">Mackorisnik</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">), but I thought I would expound a bit on my feelings toward this subject. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I am happy with Apple having a small market share. Sure, you don't get all of the products you'd like due to lack of demand (à la </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://macchronicles.blogspot.com/2008/08/acdsee-for-mac-thread.html">ADCSee</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">), but along that same line of reasoning you don't get viruses, trojans, or spyware. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Steve Jobs never set out to make Apple a major computer dealer along the lines of Dell, he set out to make something beautiful. Owning an Apple (in my opinion) should be like owning a BMW: you get what you pay for, and it is something unique and beautiful. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The proliferation of iPods is really what started it all, and now the proliferation of Mac Notebooks (especially among university students) may be starting a future trend. I just hope I don't have to switch to Linux to avoid the hassle of viruses. </span><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-90057854237809942692008-10-16T01:01:00.004+01:002008-10-16T01:38:19.814+01:00Apple's New Laptops<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Well, yesterday afternoon I watched Steve Jobs give his keynote (online, not in person). I was audience to the revealing of the new hardware. New MacBook, new MacBook Pro (in the 15-inch variety, though I just read an Apple Insider <a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/10/15/apples_next_gen_17_inch_macbook_pro_due_in_a_few_months.html">article </a>that says the new 17-inchers are due in a few months), new cinema display, and updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 17-inch have been introduced. I though I'd add my voice to the cacophany already out there.<br /><br />The new cases I'm sure will grow on me, but they are a bit jarring at first. I kind of dislike that there is minimal difference between the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros (deprives you the pleasure of smugness). Another feature that will certainly make the cases grow on me is the strength and lightness of them.<br /><br />Faster processers is good. Better graphics is good. Can't argue with those. The new connectors give me pause, though. I will have to see how standard these get, but the idea of being charged more to buy adapters to make them work with current technology irks me.<br /><br />My favourite new feature: the solid state drives! You will remember from my <a href="http://macchronicles.blogspot.com/2008/02/macbook-air.html">MacBook Air post</a><br /><br />The glossy screens I remain neutral upon. If they are <span style="font-style: italic;">truly</span> glass, then I would be pleased (truly meaning that they can be cleaned like glass making for easy screen cleaning without damaging the delicate little pixels).<br /><br />Backlit keyboards are always a plus, but from what (limited) experience I've had typing on the MacBooks and MacBook Airs it takes some getting used to until you can type rapidly on the widely-spaced keys.<br /><br />All in all, new hardware updates from Apple are (most) always a cause for joy, and I look forward to playing with (and possibly purchasing) Apple's latest hardware.<br /><br />that I was hoping for these to be introduced. I am pleasantly surprised that they made it into the next update of notebooks! And increased size too! </span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-14305202735957213942008-09-28T02:10:00.006+01:002008-09-28T06:07:51.078+01:00Google Household<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Introducing the latest Google product: Google Household™!</span><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >With this new product, Google can index your entire home, car, place of work, even a second home or boat and store what is in there on their servers.<br />With this handy search option (available at <a href="http://household.google.com/">household.google.com</a>) you will never lose anything again. Simply navigate to the page, type in your search, and Google Household™ will bring up a picture of the last place you left whatever item it is you are missing!<br /><br />I managed to snag a screenshot of the search page<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTilWs4c7ePumfboZDGSIQE8CYGejhWyzKnqCGrv4cZfqSwYrlkrBwiWEOsYnzceCgDor-qOpE_qPWadaRUehf3z5KMdhUn02t4F47XWnkgDSY0Y5oveyHEqvLEm7FVfyMjVMZRfFhXY/s1600-h/Google+Household+Screenshot+Final.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTilWs4c7ePumfboZDGSIQE8CYGejhWyzKnqCGrv4cZfqSwYrlkrBwiWEOsYnzceCgDor-qOpE_qPWadaRUehf3z5KMdhUn02t4F47XWnkgDSY0Y5oveyHEqvLEm7FVfyMjVMZRfFhXY/s320/Google+Household+Screenshot+Final.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250922879657348498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I also got a screenshot of an actual search (in my own home)</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxiAdn2m_QQK4lQDj919cedxC9bpYOz1lMKTxyV0Fk4ee7ngCmxu6c5w8Oe72uEJ3Wl-GlEOU1bIPCCaOSeHNEc7TX0QlOECoxZzJdh0mKyDfO-iIie91YnulpRiuA9vg-E_zKsasZdM/s1600-h/Google+Household+Screenshot+of+Search.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxiAdn2m_QQK4lQDj919cedxC9bpYOz1lMKTxyV0Fk4ee7ngCmxu6c5w8Oe72uEJ3Wl-GlEOU1bIPCCaOSeHNEc7TX0QlOECoxZzJdh0mKyDfO-iIie91YnulpRiuA9vg-E_zKsasZdM/s320/Google+Household+Screenshot+of+Search.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250934009760445890" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Please Note:<br />This product is still in beta testing and has not received official support. Also, due to high demand, the server hosting the Google Household™ page is often down and thus the search feature is unavailable.<br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-72494877389182539952008-09-26T23:00:00.000+01:002008-09-27T06:54:26.261+01:00iTunes Alternatives (and Ranting)<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I would like to start off with this: I dislike iTunes to an extreme.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">To be fair, I access most all of my media off of a network storage, and it has irked me to no end that Macintosh is most certainly geared toward using your local drive exclusively. I am rapidly beginning to believe that Macintosh in general is not very good regarding accessing networked storage of any sort. The second option is that the home network is slowing, which I believe to also be true, and that iTunes is far too bloated. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I try running Winamp via Parallels and it works like a charm. Quick and easy. I reached the point where I have decided to switch back to Winamp, until I realised that I had already reformatted my iPod into HFS+ and would have to reformat into FAT or FAT32 to use it with Winamp again. About that time iTunes decided to work one more, so I was placated. For the time being...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">My main quarrel with iTunes is not the fact that it is slow to change information and begin playback and to transfer anything, I can accept that as the consequence of network storage, my main issue is that 3/4 of the time, when I click and drag to add a song to my iPod, it simply does nothing. It won't drag the song. Updates haven't fixed it, and it seems to be random. I can find no pattern. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">As such, I decided to try out some different music players/organisers. Here are the results:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Songbird - I didn't play with this one long; it disqualified itself quickly. It locked up almost immediately and has all the old downsides of iTunes and then some. The internet features are just adding more bloatedness to it. It took a slightly shorter amount of time to add music from the storage, but still, its playback was severely lacking, choppy, and just terrible. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">YamiPod - This is a handy little utility for on-the-go listening to your iPod, but not really practical for much. It is a standalone application that you could just load on your iPod, but it lacks the ability to add music to your iPod (as far as I explored). It is handy as far as changing metadata on songs on another computer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">All in all, I miss Winamp.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Links:</span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://getsongbird.com/">Songbird</a><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.yamipod.com/main/modules/home/">YamiPod</a><br /><br /></span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19052123984296500.post-61004213259667241832008-08-31T00:51:00.005+01:002008-10-16T01:30:17.341+01:00ACDSee for Mac Thread<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >For all 0 people that read this blog, and share my wish for an ACDSee for Mac, I have started <a href="http://community.acdsee.com/forums/topic/acdsee-for-mac">this</a> thread on ACDSee's forums asking for one. Who knows? If enough people bug them long enough, maybe we can get our wish...</span>Björn Ingenhouzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08291953269775501064noreply@blogger.com0