Dr. Mac Connecticut

Burning Pics to a Disc; Toast to the Rescue

2011-05-17T09:46:00.001-04:00

Q: I returned from a trip with lots of photos I’d like to share in slideshow form. But I really don’t want to spend time fooling around creating a slideshow. What’s the quickest way to create a slideshow without a lot of editing or a learning curve?

A: If you have the time, iPhoto is the best choice. It does require a small learning curve, but its results are most impressive. If you would like to learn how, go here:

http://www.apple.com/support/ilife/tutorials/iphoto/ip4-1.html

However it sounds to me like you want a quick drag and drop, quickie method.

You’re best bet is the application Roxio’s Toast. Toast has been the preferred CD/DVD app for many years. It has a little known feature called “Photo Disc”.

First, make a new folder with all the pics you want in your slideshow. Make sure the pics are NOT nested in other folders. Review all the pics and confirm they are the correct orientation, that is, rotated right side up. (Use Apple’s Preview application to correct the orientation.)

Open Toast 9 or later.

To make a Photo disc:

1. At the left side of the Toast window, click Data and choose Photo Disc.

2. Choose optional disc settings.

3. Add pictures to the disc by dragging and dropping them into the Content Area from your hard disk or the Photos section of the Media Browser.

4. Insert a blank, recordable CD, DVD or Blu-ray disc.

Note: The Media Browser provides immediate access to photos in your iPhoto and Aperture libraries.

5. Click the red Record button, choose a recorder from the list, and configure recording options, such as Number of Copies.

5. Click Record to continue.

Toast displays a progress bar and status information as it records your disc.

To play back your images as a slideshow (using Mac OS X v10.4 or higher):

1. Insert your Photo disc into a Macintosh computer.

The disc folder opens.

2. Double-click the Slideshow icon to begin the slideshow.

Always Back Up and have your Mac maintained,

Steve

A Hard Drive Divided; Partitioning

2011-05-16T10:34:00.000-04:00

Q: Steve, I’m having a new hard drive installed in my MacBook Pro. Since it’s a larger drive, a friend said I should partition the drive into two volumes. One volume would be for my normal system, applications and documents and another volume for a spare system to boot from should I have problems with my main volume. Someone else I consulted thought that was a bad idea but couldn’t explain why, at least in a way that made sense to me...

Can you shed some light on this?

A: In my opinion, taking a new drive and partitioning it is a bad idea.

For those who don’t know what a partition is, it’s when you take a new drive (or wipe out a hard drive and restore it “data free” to its original state), then cut it up into virtual pieces. For example, you buy a 500Mb hard drive. Most of the time it’s partitioned as one drive; 500Mb. But you could cut it up in to two or more drives, a 250Mb partition, a 125Mb partition and a 125Mb partition. All three parts equal 500Mb. You would see 3 Hard drives on your desktop although you only have one hard drive inside your machine. You could do this, but why?

Note: Many PC’s are sold this way with a hidden “D”, “E” or “F” drive. It’s called a “recovery partition”, but note that a lot of computers today are sold with a smaller partition that has the operating system recovery on it. Often this is in place of providing the recovery on another media like CD or DVD. Often you are given the opportunity to make at least one copy of that media on CD or DVD as well. These recovery partitions sometime show as another drive, or are sometimes hidden, and are usually four to eight gigabytes in size.

In my view, making another partition is another potential problem that can go wrong. Backing up to the same drive also is not a good idea. If the drive dies, then all the partitions are gone. You lose everything. Having a divided drive now requires double the maintenance and double the risk something could go wrong. Also you won’t have the full size of the drive you’ve bought.

So unless you’ve got a unique reason to partition a drive, I say “no”.

When Your Laptop Gets Soaked!

2011-05-15T20:04:00.000-04:00

When Your Laptop Gets Soaked!

Turn it off. If need be, do a hard shutdown.

Blot up excess liquid with a soft cloth. Don't use a wiping motion, that just pushes the liquid around.

Remove any cables, external drives, removable bays and external Network Cards.

Blot up the liquid that may have gotten on the removable media.

Do not take apart the casing. This can void your warranty and you could damage internal components.

Tilt the laptop from side to side to allow the liquid to drain out. Do this gently and do not shake the laptop.

Place upside down so that any excess liquid that you couldn't reach will drain out.

Use a blow dryer if you have one and set it on the coolest setting. Carefully dry the laptop, paying attention to the keyboard and the parts you removed. Keep the blow dryer moving over all parts.

The minimum recommended drying time is one hour but it leaving the laptop to dry for at least 24 hours is preferred.

Once your laptop has had time to dry, reattach the removable components and start up the laptop. If it starts up with no problems, then run some programs and try using the external media.

If the laptop does not start up or there are other problems, it is time to take your laptop to a certified repair service. If your laptop is still under Warranty - follow those procedures.

Tips:

Water is the easiest liquid to clean up on a laptop. It is a case of moving quickly to ensure water doesn’t get into the internal casing. Other liquids, especially those that are sugar based will makes things sticky and is harder to clean up. Use a slightly damp warm cloth to clean up sugar based liquids.

What You Need:

Clean soft cloth, Blow dryer

Time - to let the laptop dry out.

Always Back Up and have your Mac maintained,

Steve

Computer Disaster: Spills

2011-05-14T11:01:00.000-04:00

Spills

If you have kids, you're worried about spills. If it happens, immediately turn off your computer, disconnect the keyboard, and flip it over. While the keyboard is upside down, blot the top with a paper towel, blow compressed air between the keys and leave it to air dry overnight. For laptops, liquid can easily penetrate the hard drive so turn the computer over immediately and then leave it to air dry overnight.

Laptop spills need more attention because liquid can easily penetrate the keyboard and damage internal parts. For laptop spills, immediately turn off the computer and remove any external power source and other items plugged into it. Turn the laptop over, remove the battery, and then bring it to your nearest repair center to check for internal damage. Simply blowing compressed air into the keyboard and letting your computer air dry upside down overnight aren't enough because liquids can sit inside a laptop for days.

For all spills, be aware that anything other than plain water may cause severe damage, and never attempt to dry a keyboard or laptop in a microwave or conventional oven.

Dirty Apple Keyboards

2011-05-13T19:41:00.001-04:00

Q: My keyboard is filthy from dust, airborne particles and fingerprints from over the years. Is there anyway to clean it and not buy a new one? It’s pretty dirty...

A: Actually there is. The best bet is to get a can of compressed air and turn the keyboard upside down (obviously not attached to the mac) and blow in between the keys with the compressed air. You might want to do this outside or over a sink as lots of “stuff” comes out.

(Compressed air can be purchased at camera stores or bigger department stores in the electronics section. Best Buy and larger computer stores should sell them too.)

Next, take a cotton swab and dip it in rubbing alcohol. It should be damp, but not wet. Run the cotton swab around the outside of the keys. Rub the tops of the keys. If you have a laptop, follow the same procedure but take extra care with your machine. Do this monthly.

Note: I thought I was the only one to try this but several times I’ve put different Apple keyboards in the dishwasher and I just read it was suggested in a copy of Mac World. So if your keyboard is beyond gunky and sticky, go ahead, put it in the top rack of the dishwasher. Set the washer to rinse only with NO soap. Afterwards let it drain with keys facing down. It could take days to dry but I’ve saved a couple keyboards from spills and just plain wear this way...

How to Cut Microsoft Office Loose and Never Miss it! Option 4

2011-05-11T10:02:00.002-04:00

Option Number 4: TextEdit

Ignoring the power and convenience of TextEdit would be a big mistake. TextEdit is a highly versatile word processor, including tools to format and layout your page, edit and stylize text, check spelling, create tables and lists, import graphics, work with HTML, and even add music and movie files. TextEdit is a Jack-of-all-trades app that few people use enough.

It’s a distilled version of Word without all the bells and whistles that most people don’t even use anyway...

TextEdit used to be called SimpleText in the OS 9 days. It loads instantly and of course TextEdit is free on every Mac.

Pros: Free, loads very fast, included on every Mac; Cons: Slightly under-featured

How to Cut Microsoft Office Loose and Never Miss it! Option 3

2011-05-11T09:57:00.001-04:00

Option Number 3: OpenOffice

OpenOffice.org 3 is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.

It is basically Office created for free on Mac or PC with 100% compatibility by a team of programmers sick of Microsoft. Pros: Free, powerful, for PC and Mac new and old; Cons: None

How to Cut Microsoft Office Loose and Never Miss it! Option 2

2011-05-10T10:38:00.003-04:00

Option Number 2: Apple iWorks; Pages

Pages is the successor to the word processing portion of Apple's multipurpose office suite, AppleWorks, which was discontinued in August 2007.

Pages is a word processor and page layout application developed by Apple. It is part of the iWork productivity suite and runs on the Mac OS X operating system. The first version of Pages was announced on January 11, 2005 and was released one month later. The most recent Macintosh version, Pages 4, was released on January 6, 2009 as a component of iWork '09. On January 27, 2010, Apple announced a new version of Pages for iPad with an all new touch interface.

Pages is marketed by Apple as an easy-to-use application that allows users to quickly create professional-quality documents on their home computer. A number of Apple-designed templates comprising different themes (such as letters, résumés, posters, and outlines), are included with Pages. Among Microsoft Office applications, it competes with both Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher, and has compatibility with both. 100% compatible between Macs and PCs.

Pros: Apple product, stable, full featured; Cons: requires purchase

How to Cut Microsoft Office Loose and Never Miss it!

2011-05-09T16:17:00.003-04:00

The first thing I see owners of new macs scramble for is Microsoft Word. “Where’s Word?” “How do I get Word on this?” “Can I use my old version of Word on my new mac?”

You can almost see the panic set in. Microsoft would have you believe that there is no other alternative than to fork over $350 for their Office suite so you can use Word.

Granted it considered the industry standard, but p-sssst, there are other cheaper and better alternatives. Some are free.

I can hear the reluctance now. Will it open and save all my existing Word documents? Probably yes if you’re not a “power user”.

Scientists and others in the psychological, sociological fields have asserted that humans use maybe .01 to.10 percent of our brain. Most Word users use less than .08 of its features, so why pay for them? Many people don’t use all of Office anyway. It’s a lot like buying a pizza for only the pepperoni.

Option Number 1: Google Docs

A free service from Google that allows you to upload and save documents from your desktop, edit them online from any computer, and invite others to read or edit your documents. Files are stored in Google's secure servers. Search for “Google Documents.” So you can’t lose them or delete them by mistake.

I can’t say enough good things about Google Docs and how handy it is. All you have to do is google “Google Docs” and create an account. It only takes a few moments. Not only can you create documents online you can also create spreadsheets and presentations. Yes you can even download the file if you need to.

Google Docs is the best of both worlds; online access from any computer with an internet connection and all the power and features of Word. And it’s all FREE! 100% compatible between Macs and PCs. Pros: Free, powerful, sharing; Cons: Requires internet connection (not really a “con”).

Safari and the Spinning Wheel of Pain... pt.2

2010-05-24T22:37:00.003-04:00

At this point, power off your DSL or cable modem for 1 minute. Also power off your router if using one. Now power everything back on and check eBay or Yahoo.

As a note, sites can get overcrowded with visitors so try another site before blaming your computer or service. Another good tip is to reboot your modem at least every two weeks. Your IPS provider probably does small upgrades to services and fixes which can’t be realized by your connected computers until the modem is rebooted on your end. If you have continued slow downs call your provider for a line test.

Safari and the Spinning Wheel of Pain... pt1

2010-05-17T23:35:00.002-04:00

A: You are probably doing nothing wrong. People are quick to blame their computers first because that’s the technology staring them in the face when the trouble happens. The truth is, many smaller non-pro websites are built wrong, have compatibility issues and sometimes just poorly coded. This causes browser problems with some applications whether it’s Safari, Firefox or even on Windows using Explorer.

If using Safari, the first thing is to quit it, (if you haven’t been forced to already) and relaunch it. Under the Safari menu select “Empty Cache”. Now go to a site that’s known to be reliable such as eBay. Click on any auction and see if it comes up. Or click on a news story link on Yahoo.com. If the browser is very sluggish, it’s your broadband service. (cont'd)

You're 35mm Films and Slides are Dying Pt.V

2009-12-10T23:40:00.000-05:00

If you value your images you should have them scanned to digital where they’ll be saved reliably for your lifetime and future generations.

Next month I explain the trials and tribulations of trying to yield good results yourself with cheap flatbed consumer based scanners. The results are lackluster.

Professional slide and negative scanning is now a service I provide to save your precious memories. So if you don’t know what I.C.E., ROC or DEE is then perhaps you should bring your film to me for professional conversion to digital. I can restore film and images too.
See my ad to the right... The clock is ticking...

You're 35mm Films and Slides are Dying Pt.IV

2009-12-09T20:34:00.001-05:00

Mold growth on slides and negs is a huge problem, as the fungi actually eats into the emulsion layer. Trying to remove the growth with liquid cleaners most of the time results in more damage than good. Also a dry mold can spread spores very easily to other slides. Needless to say damp conditions promote this damage. Once this damage starts it’s hard to stop and precious negs and slides can not be saved.

The bottom line is that slides and negs under normal storage conditions begin to degrade after about 20 years. Some will degrade earlier and some later, based on other factors.

You're 35mm Films and Slides are Dying Pt.III

2009-12-05T23:22:00.001-05:00

After doing some extensive research on the subject I’ve found that many people are experiencing a red color shift of their slides and negs. Although some cases are more severe than others it seems the storage conditions are a factor, but maybe not the reason. Negs and slides stored in high humidity and heat have resulted in accelerated color shift and often promoted even worse problems such as mold and fungi growth. More on that in a moment. It seems to be a feeling that poor initial developing is the reason for accelerated degeneration of film, specifically; contaminated or poorly executed rinsing at the time of developing.

You're 35mm Films and Slides are Dying Pt.II

2009-11-21T21:36:00.015-05:00

Today’s digital cameras have done away with the film era, as film is getting harder and harder to find and film developing labs are even harder to find.

Unlike digital data, film has a life. A recent article I read said that film shot before 1962 is especially susceptible to degradation due to the early chemistry used, called E1. Shortly after 1962 a process called E6 was introduced which promoted film longevity, among other things.

You're 35mm Films and Slides are Dying

2009-11-19T21:53:00.003-05:00

Most of us are old enough to remember film and slides. Slides were my main staple as a kid since aside from developing the negatives, they didn’t require the additional cost of making the prints. In many cases the prints seemed to stray away from the developed negative strips which really didn’t look like anything when held up to the light. Slides were developed and returned in tiny little boxes, often then arranged and loaded into a slide projector. And the bulb would blow when everyone was ready for showtime...

Today’s digital cameras have done away with the film era, as film is getting harder and harder to find and film developing labs are even harder to find.

The PDF, Acrobat and Preview

2009-11-13T17:20:00.000-05:00

Want to quickly read a PDF file but don't have (Adobe) Acrobat Reader? Wonder why Apple no longer includes Acrobat Reader with the new Macs for a long time now...?
That's because Preview will read PDF files. Just drag your PDF file on top of Preview and Viola!
Preview also opens most JPGs (Pics) too... Preview is to PDF and JPG files as TextEdit is to text.

Mac Users and .exe Files

2009-11-08T12:24:00.001-05:00

I'm amazed how many macs I work on have ".exe" files floating around on the computers.
Mac users, don't download any files from the internet that end ".exe". These are PC Windows files and can not do anything with them. Often times a website will assume you're using a PC and a not a mac, so you'll see a "download now" button.
When you download you'll see a "Downloads" window appear on your desktop. If you see the downloading file ends with ".exe". Click the stop downloading button next to the file, you'll see an "X". Stop the download, you're wasting your time.
Steve "Dr. mac" Woron

Still Don't Know What a Widget is?

2009-11-05T20:55:00.004-05:00

Q: What is a widget? I hear this term frequently. So what is a “Widget” and why should I care?

You'd be amazed how many mac users still don't know what a Widget is or how many have never used one. Widgets are mini-applications that you download and install into Dashboard to add new functionality. Dashboard is only available in Tiger (OS 10.4). Systems before Tiger do not offer this software.

To access Widgets press F12 at anytime and the Widgets installed by default zoom to the front of your screen. Default Widgets include a forecast, calculator, measurements conversion table and even a language translator.

To have the forecast give your zip codes 6 day forecast, click the little “i” in the lower right hand corner. The Widget flips around. Input your zip code and click done. The Widget flips back now with your zip code specific highs and lows with the six day out look. To make all the widgets go away, either click anywhere that’s not on a widget or hit F12 again. The Widgets zoom off screen.

One particular Widget I find useful is the GAS Widget. When your zip code is entered, it finds the best gas price per gallon near you and even gives you the option of finding other close gas stations and their best prices. To find that widget and others go to : http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/ They are free to download and use.

What Does the Apple System Profiler Do?

2009-11-04T21:38:00.003-05:00

Q: How do I find my Apple System Profiler (ASP) and what does it do?

A: In OS 9 –Go to the Apple menu and choose Apple System Profiler. In OSX –Go to your hard drive\applications\utilities and choose the Apple System Profiler.

The Apple System Profiler provides information about your computer's software and installed hardware devices. It includes information about the version of system software you're using, how many and what kind of devices are connected to your computer, and what applications are installed on your computer.

The information that the Apple System Profiler provides can be invaluable when trying to reproduce a particular problem. You should always include an Apple System Profiler report when submitting a bug report. Many times, software and hardware problems are specific to an exact configuration. The Apple System Profiler is the best way to get detailed information about the configuration you are using.

Slow internet on your mac? What's the cause?

2009-11-02T20:13:00.001-05:00

From Neighbors Paper Issue 88, Nov 09

Q: I often will be online and either the spinning wheel appears for a long time or Safari will crash all together. Surfing the internet seems painfully slow and I have broadband DSL. What am I doing wrong?

A: You are probably doing nothing wrong. People are quick to blame their computers first because that’s the technology staring them in the face when the trouble happens. The truth is, many smaller non-pro websites are built wrong, have compatibility issues and sometimes just poorly coded. This causes browser problems with some applications whether it’s Safari, Firefox or even on Windows using Explorer.

If using Safari, the first thing is to quit it, (if you haven’t been forced to already) and relaunch it. Under the Safari menu select “Empty Cache”. Now go to a site that’s known to be reliable such as eBay. Click on any auction and see if it comes up. Or click on a news story link on Yahoo.com. If the browser is very sluggish, it’s your broadband service.

At this point, power off your DSL or cable modem for 1 minute. Also power off your router if using one. Now power everything back on and check eBay or Yahoo.

As a note, sites can get overcrowded with visitors so try another site before blaming your computer or service. Another good tip is to reboot your modem at least every two weeks. Your IPS provider probably does small upgrades to services and fixes which can’t be realized by your connected computers until the modem is rebooted on your end. If you have continued slow downs call your provider for a line test.

Snow Leopard (OS 10.6 ) is HERE! My findings...

2009-10-29T14:33:00.004-04:00

From Neighbors Paper Issue 87, Oct 09

Usually when a major update is released I’m not willing to jump on board right away as I don’t need to tell you there are usually lots of compatibility issues. But Snow leopard was not considered a major update so for some reason I decided to take the plunge and install it.

Everything seemed ok, at least at the beginning. But as I began to use 10.6 I noticed several of my apps didn’t work. Apple says:

Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard is designed to protect your Mac from certain incompatible software that can quit unexpectedly or cause other issues in Mac OS X v10.6.

When you install Snow Leopard or migrate to Snow Leopard, known-incompatible software is moved to a folder named Incompatible Software on your hard drive.

Snow Leopard also prevents known-incompatible software from opening. If you see an "Incompatible software" message, contact the software's vendor or visit their website for a later, compatible version.

Snow Leopard moves known-incompatible software such as; Parallels Desktop, VirusScan, Norton AntiVirus, Internet Cleanup 5, Application Enhancer, AT&T Laptop Connect Card, launch2net, iWOW plug-in for iTunes, Missing Sync for Palm Sony CLIE Driver, TonePort UX8 Driver, ioHD Driver, and Silicon Image SiI3132 Drivers to a folder named Incompatible Software at the root level of the hard drive.

You will need to check the vendor’s website to see if there’s an update.

The biggest problem I’m hearing about Snow Leopard is printer compatibility. My Epson Photo R280 did not work properly after the upgrade. A quick visit to Epson’s website and I found an update to fix the problem. I downloaded and installed the update but the problem remained. At this point I tried the old tried and true “fix” which was to uninstall the old drivers and reinstall the new download from Epson. It worked. However Epson failed to mention this little trick to all it’s adoring users.

How do you uninstall a printer driver you ask? In the blue Apple icon menu open your System Preferences, then click on the Print and Fax icon. It will open a new window called Print and Fax so from here on the left side of the pane you should see a list of printers that your mac can access. Click on the printer you’d like to uninstall, then click the “-” minus (subtract) button just below. You just removed the old driver and printer connection.

Although it’s usually not required, I like to restart the mac and this point with the printer off. Once it’s up and running fine, turn on the printer making sure it’s connected via USB (or ethernet). (Sometimes I noticed HP printers like to be on before the mac boots, especially older HP printers connected to older Macs.)

Now go ahead and install the latest printer driver software from the vendor’s website. Follow the prompts if there are any. Now let’s go back to add the printer if it’s not there.

Again, in the blue Apple icon menu open your System Preferences, then click on the Print and Fax icon. It will open a new window called Print and Fax so from here on the left side of the pane you should see a list of printers. If your printer is there, you are done. Try printing something.

If not, click on “+” plus (add) button just below. Be patient as you’ll see some messages about searching for driver... Keep in mind most printers are bundled with some kind of print interface or multi-purpose software that scans , prints and performs all sorts of output options like printing 3 up on a sheet of paper or making greeting cards. Be sure this software is updated and compatible with the system you are using.

While I’m at it there’s a special considerations for you when buy a new printer. Never install the CD software that comes with the printer. You should first go to the company's website and check to what the latest software is for your printer. The CD in the box is probably ancient.

To see what printers are compatible with OS 10.6 see:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3669

Snow Leopard (OS 10.6 ) is HERE!

2009-10-27T18:51:00.005-04:00

From Neighbors Paper Issue 86, Sept 09

Surprise! OS 10.6 Snow Leopard has been released early—today, August 28! I am very excited about Snow Leopard, even though Apple is not heavily promoting its launch with pre-press, etc.

Snow Leopard is designed to make day-to-day tasks on your Mac easier, faster and more accessible. It delivers a wide range of enhancements, next-generation technologies, out-of-the-box support for Microsoft Exchange Server, and new accessibility features. Snow Leopard is the most powerful and refined version of Mac OS X ever.

Our Favorite Features

Some of the most exciting new features and overall system enhancements in OS 10.6 Snow Leopard include:

64-bit support, the next big step for the Mac. All key system applications are now 64-bit so they can take advantage of all the memory in your Mac. Translation: Your applications will run faster...

Out-of-the-box support for Microsoft Exchange. Mac OS X Snow Leopard delivers built-in support for the latest version of Microsoft Exchange Server, something even Windows PCs don’t have.

Smaller footprint. Snow Leopard takes up less than half the disk space of the previous version, freeing about 7GB for you—enough for about 1,750 more songs or a few thousand more photos.

The Finder has been completely rewritten using Cocoa to take advantage of the new technologies in Snow Leopard, including 64-bit support and Grand Central Dispatch. It’s more responsive from top to bottom, with snappier performance throughout the Finder.

Quicker Time Machine backup. Snow Leopard makes Time Machine up to 80 percent faster and reduces the time it takes to complete your initial backup to Time Capsule. (Time Capsule is Apple’s backup hard drive.)

Faster to wake up and shut down. Your Mac wakes from sleep up to twice as quickly when you have screen locking enabled. And shutting down is up to 80 percent faster.

QuickTime X: As the next generation of media players, it’s built on new core technologies and advances modern media and Internet standards.

More efficient file sharing.

Multi-Touch gestures in older Mac models. All Mac notebooks with Multi-Touch trackpads now support three- and four-finger gestures.

A new technology called Grand Central Dispatch takes full advantage of multicore systems by making all of Mac OS X multicore aware and optimizing it for allocating tasks across multiple cores and processors.

Universal Access: Every Mac comes with built-in technologies designed to help people with disabilities experience it. Innovations in Snow Leopard advance accessibility even further..

How to Purchase and Upgrade to OS 10.6 Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard is an upgrade for Leopard users and requires a Mac computer (duh) with an Intel processor, 1GB of memory (though at least 2GB is highly recommended), 5GB of available disk space, and a DVD drive for installation.

If you’ve purchased a qualifying Mac or Xserve on or after June 8, 2009 that didn’t include Mac OS X Snow Leopard, you can upgrade to Snow Leopard for $9.95 exclusively from Apple via the Mac OS X Up-to-Date Program.

If you have OS 10.5 Leopard installed on a Mac purchased before June 8, 2009, you can upgrade to the Snow Leopard Single User Edition, on sale for $29.99.

If you have multiple Macs running OS 10.5 Leopard, you can upgrade to Snow Leopard with the Snow Leopard Family Pack. This can be installed on up to five Macs and is on sale for $49.99.

If you have Mac OS 10.4 Tiger or earlier, the only way to upgrade to Snow Leopard is with the Snow Leopard Mac Box Set. This includes OS 10.6 Snow Leopard, along with iWork ’09 and iLife ’09. Purchasing those separately would cost $289! See the Snow Leopard Mac Box Set on sale for $169.99.

Amazon.com has some great deals on Snow Leopard (last I saw it was $29 shipped) and also Best Buy had the upgrade for $25 with in store pickup. They were sold out so they shipped it for free...

Be sure to tune in next month about how I lost 3,000 pictures from my iPhoto library using the critically hailed “fail safe” back up utility called Time Machine. Yes even backing up isn’t fool proof. I’ll tell you how it happened and how you can prevent it.
Learn from my emotionally costly mistakes next month...

PC or Mac: For Busy People. The LAST Calendar You’ll Ever Need.

2009-06-26T18:10:00.001-04:00

Are you like me and get blamed for scheduled events you were told about weeks or even months ago? “I told you about Tyler’s triangle practice and Catlin’s underwater basket-weaving class 3 weeks ago. Don’t you LISTEN to me?”

I’m thinking , “Not till I have to..”

I could argue that she never told me, but in 20 years, I’ve never won that battle. So. I have a new weapon in my arsenal; Google Calendar. Sanity saved. Have you ever wanted to share a schedule with your wife, girlfriend, co-worker or ex? Well, now you can. This is not a Mac product but I thought it relevant enough to write about.

Google has been the heavy weight of web search engines and they seem to get everything right when they do it and Google Calendar is no exception.

Google writes, “Simplify. Organize. (And relax.) Organizing your schedule shouldn't be a burden. That's why we've created Google Calendar – our free online shareable calendar service. With Google Calendar, it's easy to keep track of all your life's important events – birthdays, reunions, little league games, doctor's appointments – all in one place.

Using Google Calendar, you can add events and invitations effortlessly, share with friends and family (or keep things to yourself), and search across the web for events you might enjoy. It's organizing made easy.

Features

Calendar Sharing: Set up a calendar for your company softball team, and share it with the whole roster. (Your shortstop will never forget about practice again.) Or share with friends and family so you can view each other's schedules side by side.

Invitations: Create event invitations, send them to friends, and keep track of people's responses and comments, all in one place. Your friends can receive your invitation and post responses even if they don't use Google Calendar themselves.

Quick Add: Click anywhere on your calendar where an event belongs (or use the Quick Add link), and start typing. Google Calendar understands whole phrases like "Brunch with mom at Java Cafe 11am on Saturday," and will pop new events right into your agenda.

Gmail Integration: Add your friend's Super Bowl party to your calendar without ever leaving your Gmail inbox. Gmail now recognizes events mentioned in emails.

Search: Find the date of the Baxter family BBQ (you knew it was sometime this summer). Or, search public calendars to discover new events you're interested in and add them to your own calendar.

Mobile Access: Receive event reminders and notifications on your mobile phone.

Event Publishing: Share your organization's events with the world. Learn more with our Event Publisher Guide.

Cost: Free.”

This suite is a great way to share your schedule with family, friends, girlfriends and especially your spouse. No more excuses about “not knowing”. You can make your calendar as public or as private as you want, allow others to only view and/or edit it.

Someone has brought to my attention Google documents which work on the same principal as the Calendar. Sharing documents isn’t usually a big concern for most people, however being able to access it anywhere and always seeing the correct version can be very handy. There’s also the issue of losing the document which can’t happen if it exists online. Hmm something to consider.

MacBook Pro Just Shutsdown

2009-06-17T11:44:00.000-04:00

Steve,
I am enjoying my new screen very much. But the computer has been having a problem since I had it done and it is increasing in frequency. It just shuts itself off randomly. When I turn it back on it sometimes does it again. I can't find any similarity of when it happens. not too hot or near end of battery. Any ideas on what is going on? kate

Hi Kate,
I had this issue with mine also, then the fan started making a loud (!!!) noise on startup. It was so loud, I could not hear the TV.! I called Apple and they replaced the entire logic board for free (out of warranty). If you haven’t had yours replaced, call Apple before they stop the “voluntary recall”. Tell them the fan is making a loud sound and wont stop and you’re having this shutdown problem. (it has nothing to do with the LCD replacement.)

Also see:
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2006/07/4689.ars

http://www.fixya.com/support/t710869-macbook_pro_just_shuts_down