Black Holes and Snowy Mountains

As I posted a few days ago, my beloved 2006 Core Duo MBP was stolen off a train in Lausanne. I guess it couldn’t have happened at a better time, since Apple just released updated versions of the Macbook Pros (as well as a price drop) in early June.

After spending a little time with my new machine (15″, 2.53 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 9400M), here are some general impressions. I also got the MiniDisplay Port to VGA adapter.
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Unfortunately it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to achieve my original goal of 365 straight days reviewing a piece or movement each day. My computer was recently stolen, so I’m busy trying to get things back in order. If anyone sees a 2006 Macbook Pro with the serial number W86230Z5WBH on the street in Lausanne, Switzerland or on eBay/Craigslist, let me know and I’d be eternally grateful. Things should be more normal hopefully by this weekend. Thanks for your understanding!

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My latest article on MakeTechEasier is up,

2 Ways to Batch Rename Files in OS X
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I’ve recently started contributing weekly articles to MakeTechEasier.com.  My first is entitled, “Change Sidebar Categories in Finder and iTunes.”

The tutorial explains how to get rid of the annoying, capitalized sidebar category headings and change them to normal capitalization.

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Macrumors forum member r.j.s. is in the process of producing a useful series of OS X Tutorial videos.  So far, they cover:

• Changing Icons
• Installing Windows XP in VMWare Fusion
• Creating encrypted Disk Images (password-protecting folders)
• Installing and uninstalling applications
• Using Automator

They’re very well done, and sometimes it’s nice to see something done rather than read a step-by-step guide. If you’re a forum member, you can make suggestions in the proper thread.

[tags]Youtube, macrumors, icon, OS X, disk image, VMWare, Windows XP, automator, workflow, applications, Apple, Mac, password, install, workflow, permissions
[/tags]

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In general, just moving an application to the Trash will only leave behind a few preference files that only take up kilobytes of space on your hard disk. For those of you want don’t even want these files, you’ll need to use a specialized application to find and remove them. Here are 4 applications that find the files associated with an application and move them to the Trash.

Note: If the application you want to remove comes with its own uninstaller, I always recommend using that first- especially for large, commercial programs like those in the Microsoft Office Suite or in the Adobe Creative Suite.
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One of the most popular questions on the Macrumors Web Design and Development forum is “What is a good HTML Editor for OS X?” Here’s a list of the most popular suggestions. While many of the editors I will list have other advanced functions, for now I am writing this for those who want to create a basic webpage containing images, CSS, and perhaps some PHP for those looking to start or maintain a blog. This is what I use my HTML editor for, and I’m sure more advanced users will have stronger opinions.

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For the most part I can’t stand the Apple power adapters. Initially they’re OK- nice and shiny and a refreshing, clean white. Then after a few months of use they get dirty, the little wings that hold the cord break off, and you lose the little corner piece that allows you to plug the brick into the outlet.

You might think that if you lose that little piece you have to buy a whole new adapter, which isn’t totally out of the question considering Apple’s usual method of forcing you to buy an Apple-only replacement. Fortunately, that’s not the case.
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Here’s my meek plea for you to leave comments.

Why?

• They give me something to read and respond to when I’m bored at work (which is often).
• It gives you an opportunity to point out my factual or subjective errors in reasoning (who doesn’t love that?).
• It’s easy to do. As long as you provide “a” name, “an” email address, and something that isn’t blatantly spam (i.e. no comments of “HUAHhfjsssjsjjjkioOUYATSID”) you can leave one.
• If you have a blog, you can put your website into the field and I will in turn look at it and comment on your posts. More comments mean more people are likely to read the comments, which in turn leads to greater exposure for everyone. Win-win-win!
• You can now edit your comments thanks to the WP Ajax Edit Comments plugin.  I’m investigating some other plugins, but it will take some fiddling with the CSS to make them compatible.  Any suggestions?

As usual, thanks for visiting.  Leave a comment

Filed under: Apple, Culture, Humor, Lifestyle, Sports, Technology by HP

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Everyone has their own favorite list of applications. Here are some great applications for OS X that I find indispensable. This list, especially the free apps and those already included with Leopard, could also serve as a great starting point for a switcher just starting to find their way around.

1. BBEdit (Text editor)- An absolutely phenomenal text editor, the new version (9.1) is a huge improvement over previous versions when dealing with multiple files. It comes with all the features you’d expect from a powerful text editor, including syntax highlighting for almost every language you can thing of, built-in FTP, and regular expression matching. I’ve also found that BBEdit opens large files (10 megabytes and larger) faster than Textmate. $125 single user/$49 educational license.
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