Apple released the following updates today:

• iTunes 8.2 now supports iPhone or iPod touch with the iPhone 3.0 Software Update. iTunes 8.2 also includes many accessibility improvements and bug fixes. For information on the security content of this update, visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222
• GarageBand Update 5.0.2 addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and fixes a number of other minor issues. The issues addressed include:
  • Improved purchasing experience for Artist Lessons in the GarageBand Lesson Store
  • Accessing installed Jam Packs in the loop browser

  The update is recommended for all users of GarageBand ’09 and is required to use the Lesson Store.

• QuickTime 7.6.2 includes changes that increase reliability, improve compatibility and enhance security. This release is recommended for all QuickTime 7 users. For detailed information on this update, visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3520. For information on the security content of this update, visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

A while back, someone I know here in Wickenburg called me with an Excel question. He needed to calculate the date of the Wednesday least 90 days from an entered date.

So, for example, if he entered 2/14/2009 in a worksheet cell, he didn’t want 5/15/2009 (a Friday), which was 90 days later. He wanted 5/20/2009, which is the Wednesday at least 90 days after the date he entered.

The solution was to use nested IF statements to evaluate whether the day of the week 90 days after the entered date is a Wednesday. If it is, it uses that date. if it isn’t, it does the same evaluation for 91 days after the entered date. And then 92 days. And so on.

The spreadsheet I came up with can be downloaded here. This screenshot shows what it looks like. It has a lot of other stuff in it that I used to test the formula. Notes in the worksheet explain. I saved it just to share it here. You might find it useful if you have a similar need.

Just watch those parentheses.

Here are a few links of interest to the folks who read my books and articles or watch my training videos.

• The Microsoft discount - An opinion piece about the Microsoft "Apple Tax" advertising strategy by Dan Miller on Macworld.com. I couldn't agree with this comment more: "But for the benefit of my Windows-using friends, I will say for the record: I don’t use a Mac because it’s cool. I use it because it works better for me. I use it because it doesn’t stink." Thanks to @danfrakes for tweeting the link.
• The Poor Man’s Mac: Microsoft’s recession-era ploy to get you to buy a PC instead of a Mac - By focusing only on price, Microsoft is telling us only one thing about the Windows logo: It's what you look for when you're settling. By Farhad Manjoo on Slate Magazine.
• Microsoft conjures imaginary ‘Apple Tax’ - The age-old battle between Microsoft and Apple is heating up again, and this time, Redmond is cheating. On The Register.
• TweetSig, simply converting your tweets into an image. - A way cool tool to generate a Twitter-based signature line for use in e-mail and forum posts. Thanks to @Firgs for sharing the link.
• On Twitter, mindcasting is the new lifecasting | Technology | Los Angeles Times - Another article about real-life uses of Twitter. On the Los Angeles Times blog.
• Finding Utility in the Jumble of Tweeted Thoughts - NYTimes.com - Good article on the New York Times about putting Twitter to good use. Thanks to @mjvalente for sharing the link.
• 10 Most Extraordinary Twitter Updates - Excellent post that gives real examples of how Twitter is used. On Mashable.com.
• A Visual Guide to Twitter - Interesting diagram showing how Twitter can be used.
• Operating System Interface Design Between 1981-2009 - Interesting history, with screenshots, of GUI operating system development. On Webdesigner Depot. Thanks for @god on Twitter for sharing the link.

iTunes 8.1 is now faster and more responsive. You will enjoy noticeable improvements when working with large libraries, browsing the iTunes Store, preparing to sync with iPod or iPhone, and optimizing photos for syncing.

In addition, iTunes 8.1 provides many other improvements and bug fixes, including:

• Supports syncing with iPod shuffle (3rd generation).
• Allows friends to request songs for iTunes DJ.
• Adds Genius sidebar for your Movies and TV Shows.
• Improves performance when downloading iTunes Plus songs.
• Provides AutoFill for manually managed iPods.
• Allows CDs to be imported at the same sound quality as iTunes Plus.
• Includes many accessibility improvements.
• Allows iTunes U and the iTunes Store to be disabled separately using Parental Controls.

iTunes 8.1.1 adds support for renting HD movies and provides a number of bug fixes, including addressing issues with VoiceOver and syncing with iPhone or iPod touch.

Here are a few links of interest to the folks who read my books and articles or watch my training videos.

• 10 Features That Will Make Twitter Better - A wish list of features that should please any hardcore Twitter user. On SixRevisions.com.
• Exporting 720p from iMovie ’09 | Video | Mac 911 | Macworld - Excellent article by Chris Breen outlining a problem and workaround for de-interlacing 1080i HD video from iMovie ‘09. Thanks to @JeffCarlson on Twitter for the link.
• Twitterfall: A New Twitter Tool for Journalists - A quick review of TwitterFall, which offers life tweet tracking by keyword with other bonus features. On Poynter Online.
• Tuesday is upon us: new Apple hardware - A summary of the new hardware released by Apple today. On TUAW.
• Explaining Twitter to Grandma Rose - This explanation is pretty good, although I know my grandmother (who is no longer with us) wouldn’t have understood. By Hildy Gottlieb.
• Jim Cramer smackdown includes talk of Apple - This is the kind of stuff that needs to stop. As an Apple stockholder and user of Apple products for over 20 years, Cramer's attempt to manipulate Apple's stock prices makes me sick. What other companies are being screwed over by people like him? How much money have innocent investors lost? On TUAW.
• Apple - Support - Discussions - Converting AVI files - Having trouble getting video clips into iMovie '09? ricktoronto provides some advice in this Apple support forum thread. Worked for me, although I still had a few questions.
• DV, DVD and (XS)VCD on a Macintosh - A good reference for converting all kinds of video on a Mac.
• We found the chip inside the new iPod headphones…but is it DRM? - I'd like answers to the questions in this post. On Boing Boing Gadgets. Thanks to @danfrakes for sharing this link.
• Apple, vendors confirm iPod headphone-chip rumors - This is not the kind of information I want to read about Apple products. On Macworld.
• TweepMe | Browse Members - These people are so desperate for followers that they'll use a Web service — and possibly even pay! — to get automatic followers. Pity them. They are true social networking losers.
• How to Tweet Your Way Out of a Job - When will they learn? On I’m Not Actually a Geek. Thanks to @jodene on Twitter for sharing the link.
• Dealing with M2T (HDV) for Macs - Jeez Louise! Where was this when I needed help a few months ago? Wish I'd had this info then. I won't lose it now. On MacHouse - A World of Video Tutorials.
• Twitter Unveils New Premium Accounts - You know, I was believing this until I got near the end. I guess I shouldn't read Web-based articles too early in the morning, before my brain has a chance to spin up. On BBSpot.

This morning, on Twitter, I read a tweet from one of the folks I follow, @SeeTTL :

RT @JCDean: PSA: Please back up your computer! My wife just went to console a friend who may have lost EVERY pic of her kids.

This sad story really hit home with me. No, not because I have kids. And not because I’ve lost the contents of a hard drive forever — despite the fact that I’ve suffered three total hard disk crashes since 1989. But because I could imagine how badly I’d feel if I’d trusted my hard disk to hold the only copies of all my photos.

As a computer user, the data you create is the only thing that can’t be replaced when lost. I’m talking about photos, diaries, accounting records, address books, original manuscripts, and more. Sure, a lot of this stuff can be recreated with some effort, but some of it can’t. Like all those photos.

The only way to protect this data from loss is to create reliable backups and, whenever possible, store them offsite, away from the computer.

Mac users have a few options for automated backups:

• Time Machine is truly transparent. It goes to work in the background to faithfully duplicate what it finds on your hard disk. You can use it with its default settings or customize settings to limit what’s backed up. All you need is an attached hard disk or Time Machine-compatible network disk. Time Machine does the rest. Best of all, it will even keep copies of stuff you deleted by accident — at least for a while — so you can get it back. With external hard disk prices so low right now and Time Machine free with Leopard, why not take advantage of it?
• Backup is backup software that comes with Mac OS X. It’s highly configurable and can be used to back up to a hard disk, optical media such as CDs or DVDs, and a MobileMe account. This last option is probably the best because it automates off-site storage. I wrote about using Backup in “Save Yourself (and Your Data) with .Mac Backup,” which I wrote for Peachpit.com in 2006. It might be dated, but I’m sure you’ll find some good tidbits of information there.
• iDisk is part of a MobileMe account. You might not think of it as a backup solution, but it can be. First, you can simply drag and drop the things you want to back up to your iDisk to copy it to your MobileMe storage space. That’s an offline storage solution for you. But what you might find easier is to enable iDisk syncing so a copy of your iDisk space is available on your computer’s desktop. Then simply store data in it. The data is automatically copied to your iDisk space on MobileMe when synced. Not only that, but if you more than one Mac, all of them can share the same iDisk. That means the documents you copy there are available with you on all of your computers.
• Third party backup solutions are also available to you. There are quite a few out there and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not up to speed on them. I haven’t needed them. I have a very good backup strategy without them.
• Fetch and iCal can also be used together to create an automated offsite backup solution. I wrote about that in ““Creating an Automated Backup Plan with Fetch and iCal”,” in 2007.

CDs and DVDs can always be used to back up data to. This is what some people seem to forget. And it’s what probably could have saved the woman referenced above a lot of grief.

Last week, I wrote a blog post for my personal blog that outlined my workflow for geotagging images. In it, I included Step 4: Backup. That’s the step where I copy all of my images from my hard disk to a CD or DVD before erasing the camera’s data card. I have dozens of these discs, nicely labeled, in my office. I’d be smarter to have them offsite. But at least I have them. Anyone who makes a lot of digital images and does not perform this step is looking for trouble. Don’t say a hard disk crash won’t happen to you. It will. It’s just a matter of time.

Heck, it happened to me three times already.

I’m a member of several social networking services: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, Yahoo Groups, etc.

All social networks have the same idea when it comes to setting up your account. You provide information about yourself in a “bio.” The maximum length of a bio can vary from site to site. Twitter, on the low end, allows only 160 characters. LinkedIn has no maximum length. Other services fit in between.

Your bio is your primary way to tell people who don’t know you what you’re all about. If they’re heard about you from someone else or stumbled upon one of your Twitter tweets or Facebook wall posts, they might be interested in learning more. They might even want to become your . . . wait for it . . . friend.

Whatever.

The point is, they’ll start with your bio to learn more about you, so it’s in your best interest to create a good one.

Here are some tips for creating an online bio for social networking:

• Be brief. This is required on Twitter, which allows only 160 characters. As such, you’ll need to keep the text tight and specific. Lists usually work well here. Even if the service allows longer bios, don’t get carried away. Start off with the basics — the “must-know” info about you. Then expand in additional paragraphs. Nobody is going to slog through hundreds of words just to decide whether you’re someone they want to follow or be friends with.
• Be accurate. Include the things that are important to you, keeping in mind the audience of the social networking service. The things you put on a Twitter or Facebook bio are likely to be very different from the ones you put in a LinkedIn bio, since the services are set up for different purposes. Don’t make stuff up. If you have to make up things about who you are, you really need to step away from the computer and get a life.
• Be meaningful. Sure, lots of folks think it’s cute or cool to have a one-line bio with some spiffy saying, possibly snatched from a punch line in a movie. If a movie-one liner describes you to a stranger, I’m impressed by the shallowness of your character. The folks I want to know tend to be a bit deeper.
• Be aware of turn-off words. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be friends with anyone who is a self-proclaimed guru or expert. These are words that other people should apply to you — not words you apply to yourself. Other turn-off words vary from person to person. If you are a woman and describe yourself as “sexy,” a heterosexual woman like me is not going to be impressed. But a teenaged boy or a lesbian might.
• Be aware of providing too much personal information. Do we need to know that you’re rebuilding your life after a divorce? Or that you’re a recovered alcoholic? And while you might be proud to be a “Christ follower,” when you include that in your bio, you shouldn’t expect to make many friends with people who aren’t fundamentalist Christians or not religious at all.

Think of your bio as bait on a fishing line. Who will it attract? But, at the same time, how many people will ultimately be disappointed by the mismatch between what your bio says about you and who you really are?

What do you like or hate about things people put in their social networking bios? Use the comments for this post to share your thoughts.

I’ve been a Twitter user for about two years now and seen enormous growth in this social networking phenomena.

One of the things I’ve noticed lately, however, is that newcomers often have trouble distinguishing between the two methods available for addressing a tweet to a specific user. I hope to clear up some of the confusion with this brief article.

@Replies

An @reply (pronounced at reply) is a public communication to a specific person on Twitter.

It has a rigid format. It begins with the @ symbol followed immediately (without a space) by the account name of the Twitter user you’re addressing it to. This must be the very beginning of the update or tweet — if it’s buried within the tweet, it won’t go onto the recipient’s @Replies page on Twitter or be specially identified in third party clients like Twitterrific and TweetDeck.

So, for example, an @reply to me would look something like this when composed:

@mlanger Great post about the difference between @replies and DMs!

You use an @reply when you want to reply to an update made by another Twitter user or send an update directly to a Twitter user. In either case, the update is public — it appears on the Everyone (Public) Timeline and it could appear to your followers, depending on how their @reply notices are set.

@replies are what make conversations in Twitter. One user tweets, another user replies. The first user replies again. Perhaps a third user joins in. By correctly using @replies, you can interact with other Twitter users publicly, in a way that’s effective — and might get you new followers.

Direct Messages

A direct messages or DM is a private communication to a specific person on Twitter.

A DM also has a rigid format. It begins with the letter d followed immediately by a single space and the account name of the Twitter user you’re addressing it to. This must be at the very beginning of the update or tweet — if it’s buried within the tweet or not formatted correctly, it will be published as a regular tweet. It might look like this when composed:

d mlanger Give me a call about flying next Tuesday. My number is 602-000-0000.

DMs are special on Twitter:

• DMs do not appear in the everyone or public timeline.
• DMs appear in the sender’s and recipient’s Direct Messages page. They’re on the sender’s Sent tab and the recipients Inbox tab:
  
• You cannot send a DM to someone who does not follow you.
• If you have device updates enabled, DMs addressed to you are sent to your device, even if device updates are not enabled for the sender.
• You cannot use Twitter’s Reply button to reply to a DM with an @reply. This is usually true with third party Twitter clients, too.

DMs are private, but they’re not secure. Don’t use DMs — or any other online communication method, for that matter — to share content you must keep private, such as personal or banking information.

Which to Use?

This may be what confuses new users the most. Which method of addressing another Twitter user should you use?

I believe there are two points to take into consideration:

• If the tweet is of a private nature and you don’t want it seen by other Twitter users, make it a DM. Similarly, if it’s of a public nature and you’re inviting other Twitter users to join in on the conversation, make it an @reply.
• If the tweet is part of a lengthy exchange between you and one other Twitter user and no one else seems interested in joining in, you might want to move it to a DM discussion.

What do you think? Use the comments for this post to share your point of view.

This Front Row update provides improved iTunes 8.1 compatibility.

iTunes 8.1 is now faster and more responsive. You will enjoy noticeable improvements when working with large libraries, browsing the iTunes Store, preparing to sync with iPod or iPhone, and optimizing photos for syncing.

In addition, iTunes 8.1 provides many other improvements and bug fixes, including:

• Supports syncing with iPod shuffle (3rd generation).
• Allows friends to request songs for iTunes DJ.
• Adds Genius sidebar for your Movies and TV Shows.
• Improves performance when downloading iTunes Plus songs.
• Provides AutoFill for manually managed iPods.
• Allows CDs to be imported at the same sound quality as iTunes Plus.
• Includes many accessibility improvements.
• Allows iTunes U and the iTunes Store to be disabled separately using Parental Controls.

For information on the security content of this update, visit http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

This update includes general fixes and compatibility updates for the following applications: AirPort Utility and AirPort Base Station Agent, including AirPort Disk Utility for Tiger.

This update improves overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues. It is recommended for all users of Aperture, iLife ’09, and iWork ’09.

This update is recommended for all Intel-based Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.5.6. It addresses issues with roaming and network selection in dual-band environments.

This update improves overall stability and addresses minor issues in a number of areas, including internet connectivity, keyword import, and slideshow export.

Here are a few links of interest to the folks who read my books and articles or watch my training videos.

• The ‘Twitter Effect’: Possibilities and limits - Interesting article about the effect of retweeting links on a grand scale. On CNET. Thanks to @mjvalente for sharing this link.
• iMovie ’09 - Jeff Carlson, author of numerous iMovie-related books, reviews iMovie '09. Spoiler: Good news. On Macworld.com.
• Commercial Twitter spamming tool hits the market - This is not a good thing, but by making this public, it will hopefully spur the folks at Twitter to improve the registration process and put tools in place to stop automated tweets and accounts. Thanks to @mjvalente on Twitter for the link. On ZDNet.com.
• Top 10 Twitter Related Sites - One user's list of top ten sites for Twitter users. On SpookyIsMy.name.
• Google Next Victim Of Creative Destruction? - Interesting article that includes insight on how Twitter might be better for search results on current events than Google. Thanks to @jodene on Twitter for sharing the link. On AlleyInsider.com.
• Creative Ways to Use Twitter for Marketing and Branding - This article is a bit old and outdated, but it has some good ideas. On ShoestringBranding.com.
• Writing My Twitter Etiquette Article: 14 Ways to Use Twitter Politely - A handful of tips for using Twitter more politely. By Margaret Mason on The Morning News.
• A Twitter Decision - Deciding who to follow on Twitter. This makes sense. On Rands In Repose.
• Twitter: How to Get Started Guide for Business People - Not sure if this is a good one…a primer for business users who are interested in getting started on Twitter. Like we need more people [ab]using the system for profit. On CIO.com.
• Twitter’s Potential for Business Users - One take on how business users can benefit from Twitter. On CIO.com.
• MacVoices #950: Maria Langer and Scott McNulty Share Their Knowledge of WordPress - Thinking of starting a blog with WordPress? Maria Langer, the author of Self-Hosting a WordPress Site and WordPress.Com 2.7 Essential Training on Lynda.com and Scott McNulty, the author of Building a WordPress Blog People Want to Read, share some tips from their respective projects to help you make the right choices. Maria and Scott talk about deciding on using WordPress.com or selecting your own host, one-click vs. user installs, why permalink structure is one of the first things you should think about, and finding and customizing a theme for your blog and more. Backup options, favorite plug-ins and why their video and book compliment each other are discussed.
• Favicon Generator - Yet another online tool for generating favicons. This one lets you base your icon on an image you upload or draw one online.
• [ws] Color Scheme Designer - Great site for folks who struggle with color schemes.
• 8 Useful Tips To Become Successful With Twitter. What are YOUR tips? - Great article for becoming a Twitter success (whatever that is). On the Blog of Mr. Tweet.
• Rise of the Twitter Scrapers - There's a new kind of spammer in Twitter town. Learn more on PlagiarismToday.
• 10 Ways Microsoft’s Retail Stores Will Differ From Apple Stores - PC World has a sense of humor. Unfortunately, their readers don't. Thanks to @danfrakes on Twitter for sharing this link.
• 15 Useful Wordpress Tricks to Make Your Theme Even Better - A good article with easy tips for modifying WordPress themes. Some of these are pretty basic, while others are more interesting and advanced. On ForTheLose.org.
• Create Groups for Twitter - Interesting article on Mashable explains how to create groups on Twitter, using 3rd Party sites and clients.
• Consumed - A Successful Failure - Fail Whale - NYTimes.com - New York Times article about Twitter's "Fail Whale," including its history and some information about it's original artist.
• Life is tweet: How the Twitter family infiltrated our cultural world - Excellent article on the Guardian about Twitter in the U.K. and beyond. Thanks to @twitter on Twitter for the link.
• Apple - Support - Apple Expert - Get support from an Apple expert — when you need it. Would love to know how this works out. If you've tried this, drop a comment for the links post on my blog.
• 9 Common Usability Mistakes In Web Design - There's nothing that bugs me more than a Web site that I think might have the content I want but is so poorly designed, I run out of patience before I can find it. This article talks about common Web design mistakes that affect usability. On Smashing Magazine.
• 5 Ways to Instantly Write Better CSS - NETTUTS - Simple tips for writing better CSS. On tutsplus.com.
• Field Trip to the Apple Store - Teachers, PAY ATTENTION. This is a great idea to introduce your kids to technology. Thanks to @BWJones on Twitter for the link.
• UnTweeps - Cleanup Twitter users who don’t tweet often enough. - This quick utility will identify the Twitter users you follow who haven't posted an update in 30, 60, or 90 days (your choice). You can then unfollow them as desired or take other action. Requires your Twitter password, but doesn't store it. Great way to weed out the people you follow who don't actively participate in Twitter — or to nag the ones you want to continue to follow. Thanks to @AndyPiper on Twitter for the link.
• The Netbook Effect: How Cheap Little Laptops Hit the Big Time - Excellent article about the history of the Netbook and why it has become so popular. Apple? I'm still waiting for my Mac OS X netbook. Thanks to @jmoriarty on Twitter for the link. Read it on Wired.com.