This week disaster struck and it was all of my own making.

Michael inadvertently deleted all the files off his MacBook Pro forcing him to have to rebuild his system from scratch.

But thanks to practicing safe computing with backups and running LicenseKeeper, Michael was able to recover his data and successfully rebuild his system.

Fortunately, I did have backups for all my data and my OS X disks were on hand (I now know why I’ve been carrying them around for years)… I had quite a bit of fiddling to do, including re-entering registration codes. Fortunately I run the excellent LicenseKeeper software so I had everything in one place.

Use “Check for Updates” under the main LicenseKeeper menu or download it directly from here.

This update fixes the blurry source list icons bug, improves serial number scanning, adds the ability to import and export multi-line values to CSV text files, and allows merge XML imports with your existing data.

You can read the full details in the Release Notes.

PMC Software: Build Your Bundle

All proceeds will be donated to the Pan-Mass Challenge, and in turn to the Jimmy Fund, for the research and treatment of cancer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Pan-Mass Challenge is one of the most efficient charities in the world (over 99% of all rider-raised funds are passed through directly to the Jimmy Fund).

If you’ve been waiting to pick up a copy of LicenseKeeper or any other Mac software, now’s your chance to get a great deal and do some good at the same time.

LicenseKeeper 1.5 brings support for Apple’s newest big cat, Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6).

Use “Check for Updates” under the main LicenseKeeper menu or download it directly from here.

You can read the full details in the Release Notes.

Use “Check for Updates” under the main LicenseKeeper menu or download it directly from here.

This update improves import support for text and XML files that are incorrectly encoded, fixes a couple of crash bugs, and fixes a few nagging but minor UI issues.

You can read the full details in the Release Notes.

Roughly nine years ago I quit my last full-time permanent job and went out on my own to do consulting. This was a decision based more on unhappiness with my situation than any drive to run a business.

My first big client told me that they couldn’t hire me for their project unless I was incorporated. So, after several hundred dollars to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a couple of hours of consultation with a lawyer and accountant, my company was born.

Having no idea what I was doing and certainly no long-term plan, that decision lead me to slowly morph from a one person consulting company into an indie software shop.

Just amazing where seemingly small decisions in life lead you.

LicenseKeeper 1.4.8 has been released.

This critical update fixes several important issues and should be installed as soon as possible.

Use “Check for Updates” under the main LicenseKeeper menu or download it directly from here.

This version includes fixes for two bugs that can lead to data loss in the specific situation where an undo is performed immediately after an app import or document attachment operation. I’ve also fixed two crash causing bugs and a printing related issue.

I’ve also added import support for MacHeist and MacUpdate AppShelf data files. You can import them via the XML Import tab under the Import External Data menu item or just drag and drop the files to the LicenseKeeper doc icon or to the source list in the main window.

You can read the full details in the Release Notes.

LicenseKeeper 1.4.7 has been released.

Use “Check for Updates” under the main LicenseKeeper menu or download it directly from here.

This update fixes a couple of rare crashes along with several memory leaks. It also fixes an annoying bug where the auto-save would cause keyboard focus to jump around inside the Notes field.

Check out the Release Notes for full details.

Recently, I decided to get back into playing the guitar after a 10+ year hiatus. As you can imagine, I forgot a great deal. Thankfully, Apple helped out a bit with their GarageBand guitar lessons. But, it didn’t take very long for me to move through the provided lessons and want to start learning the songs in my iTunes collection.

Enter Capo

Capo is a musician’s best friend. It lets you slow down your favorite songs, so you can hear the notes and learn how they are played.

Chris asked me to help beta test Capo just after he talked me into buying my new guitar (coincidence?) and it’s been the perfect tool for learning to play all over again.

Just drag your favorite songs into Capo from iTunes and hit play. Hit a complex guitar lick or chord progression, no problem. Create a loop over the section you want to concentrate on and set the play speed to 1/2 or even 1/4 speed without altering the pitch.

At $39, Capo is just the price of a half hour guitar lesson. And the gorgeous user interface makes it so much fun to play with.

Today, we’re happy to welcome a new addition to the Airfoil Speakers family, with the immediate availability of Airfoil Speakers Touch. Using Airfoil Speakers Touch alongside Airfoil for Mac or Airfoil for Windows, you can now send audio from your computer to your iPhone or iPod Touch on the local network. It’s a mobile audio receiver, right in your pocket!

(Via Rogue Amoeba: Under The Microscope.)