mac dummy dot com

Joost

Wed, 02 May 2007 21:03:05 -0400

Many thanks to Norbert Ursu and Lifehacker for providing me with a Joost invite. I won’t go on and give an in-depth presentation of what Joost is but rather let you find out for yourself by reading this very nicely crafted review on Lifehacker. Joost works on Mac OS X and even has support for the Apple Remote. Access to the Beta program is granted based on an invitation from an existing member. If you want an invite, just shoot an email to joost@macdummy.com and I will be more than happy to send one your way.

TeachMac

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:29:31 -0400

TeachMac:

TeachMac: Learn how to use your Mac. At TeachMac you can learn from the experts or create your own TeachMac Modules and share your knowledge with others. Check it out!

App of the day: Think

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 20:53:23 -0400

Think is a simple application, created with one goal in mind: to help you get important things done. Think does this by blacking out your desktop and illuminating only the application you choose to work with. This way, you can concentrate on the most important task and avoid distractions. Think is available as a free download.

This was the Mac Dummy tip of the day, stay tuned for future posts where we discuss about other applications that boost productivity and help you get things done.

I’m still anxious too see what new features the next Tumblr update will bring. I’m crossing my fingers for a feature that will allow some kind of reader feedback/interaction to Tumblr blogs. Until then, feel free to send your questions, tips and comments to tips@macdummy.com

MAC OS X Quick Tip: How to take a screenshot

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 20:39:39 -0400

Whether you’re showing off your slick OS X desktop to you friends or writing a document, sometimes you just need to capture an image of your workspace or a running application. Mac users have the following options available to them:

Keyboard Shortcut: The ⌘ Shift 4 key combination will change the regular arrow mouse pointer to a cross hair that you can use to designate the window or desktop element that you want to capture. Once the cross hair is hovering over the target, press the Space key to capture your screen dump. The image will be saved on the desktop as a .PNG file that you can open in the Preview application.
3rd Party Software: If you’re not so good at remembering various key combinations or simply need more features such as the ability to select the area to grab or the destination graphics file format, you might want to check out freeware applications such as SnapNDrag or InstantShot.

App of the day: Jiggler

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:25:57 -0400

Jiggler is a simple little application that has one goal: to keep your Mac from dozing off. Jiggler allows you to run your lengthy, processing intensive apps like dvd ripping (for backup purposes of course :)) and cd/dvd burning without the risk of interruptions caused by your screensaver or power management settings. Jiggler does this by simulating a mouse move every now and then too keep your machine alert.

Mac OS X: WMW, DivX Playback

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:41:00 -0400

The quickest and least painful way to enable support for WMV (Windows Media Video) files on your Mac is to install Flip4Mac, a free download from Microsoft’s web site. The Windows Media Components for Quicktime by Flip4Mac will enable playback of wma and wmv files using the Quicktime player or through your Web browser (Safari, Firefox and Camino supported).

As for DivX playback support, the simplest way I found to enable this is by installing the free Video Lan Client (VLC) Media Player. VLC is cross platform and can play virtually all of the most popular multimedia file types out there. Another nice feature particularly for Mac users is the ability to your the Mac Remote to control VLC which is very convenient if you’re as lazy as I am :)

Last but not least, Perian, also known as The swiss-army knife of Quicktime components, enhances Quicktime with support for a large number of video formats.

This was the Mac Dummy tip of the day. Send your comments, questions and tips to tips@macdummy.com.

Cool OS X Apps

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:01:12 -0400

Cool OS X Apps:

Huge collection of Mac OS X freeware applications at coolosxapps.net

Enable Hibernation (Safe Sleep) on your Mac

Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:52:03 -0400

One of the few things I miss since my switch to Mac OS X is Windows’ hibernate feature. The hibernate feature allows you suspend your Mac OS X session (running applications) to the hard drive and automatically restore it the next time your machine is powered up. This is useful for two reasons: first, while your machine is on Safe Sleep (the Mac OS X equivalent to the Windows hibernate feature) it is completely shut down so you conserve power / battery and second, the saved session is restored more quickly than a regular clean boot.

Mac OS X versions 10.4.3 and newer support Safe Sleep and this article I found on Lifehacker explains in great detail the configuration steps you need to take in order to enable it on your Mac. The whole process described is a little complicated if you’re not the average geek, but fortunately there is a painless way to enable hibernation by installing the Deep Sleep Dashboard widget, a free download from Apple’s website.

As a final note, make sure that your Mac supports Safe Sleep by reading the requirements posted on the download page.

This was the Mac Dummy tip of the day. Send your comments, questions and tips to tips@macdummy.com.

Thrift Mac

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 21:24:24 -0400

Thrift Mac:

After today’s tutorial, it’s time for you to flex your application installing muscles by checking out the fine selection of Mac OS X freeware at Thrift Mac.

Installing Applications on Your Mac

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 19:28:22 -0400

If you just got your shiny new Mac and you’re clueless as to how to install your favorite applications, then look no further. Here’s the Mac Dummy guide to installing and managing installed applications on Mac OS X.

The majority of the latest Mac OS X compatible applications are distributed as .dmg files; dmg (abbreviation for disk image) files are compressed archives that can be “mounted” under the Mac OS X Finder. The process of “mounting” a .dmg file involves making the contents of that file available to the user as a regular storage device like a CD, DVD or a hard drive volume.

The first step to install a new application is to download and save the application’s .dmg installation file to a temporary location in your home directory. Simply double click on the .dmg file and the Finder will automatically open, mount the image file and create a shortcut to the image disk on your desktop.

At the same time, a new Finder window will be displayed allowing you to view the contents of the disk image.

In order to complete the installation, simply drag the application icon to the location where you want the application to be installed, usually the Application folder on your Mac. A link to the Application folder is located on the left side of the Finder window (the sidebar), along with links to Documents, Movies, Music and Pictures.

At this point you can unmount the disk image file by dragging the desktop icon to the trash bin or by choosing “Eject” from the properties context menu (Ctrl Click) of the desktop shortcut.

When you get tired of that application and you want to uninstall it, simply navigate to the Applications folder and drag the application’s icon to the Trash on the Mac OS X Dock. Most of the time, this will complete the uninstall process but some applications will leave behind some of their configuration and user preferences files under the /Library folder on the file system. I’m not usually very concerned about it but sometimes will take a look under the /Library folder and do a little house cleaning.

If you really want to remove 100% of all application files you can use 3rd party software like AppZapper and AppDelete that will locate and delete all preference files left behind after the application was uninstalled.

This was the Mac Dummy tip of the day, thanks for visiting Mac Dummy and feel free to send your questions, comments and tips to tips@macdummy.com.

The One Button Mouse

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 19:44:55 -0400

The first thing my friends ask when they find out I bought a Mac is “How can you get used to that one button mouse?”.

This puts a big smile on my face whenever I hear it. OK, so let’s go straight to the point: the context menu is an important feature of the Mac OS X user interface. Almost all Mac OS X applications expose additional functionality through context menus that are accessible using, you’ve guessed it, a right mouse button click.

If you’re a recent switcher, here’s what you need to do to enable the secondary click on your tracking device. All of these settings are available under the System Preferences application in the Keyboard & Mouse category.

If you’re using a laptop, enable the following option under the Trackpad tab:

Tap trackpad using two fingers for secondary click

Other trackpad options that I like to have enabled are:

Use two fingers to scroll
Allow horizontal scrolling
Clicking
Dragging
Ignore accidental trackpad input

If you happen to have a pre-2005 machine, like an iBook or a PowerBook and would like to enable two-finger scrolling, check iScroll2 or SideTrack. Both applications provide replacement drivers that allow you to take full control over your trackpad configuration.

If you’re using a regular mouse or a Mighty Mouse, here’s what you need to do to enable the secondary mouse button. Again, you will need to open up the System Preferences application, go to Keyboard & Mouse and make the following changes under the Mouse tab:

Set the right mouse button mapping to: Secondary Button
Assign the Button 3 mapping to the mouse wheel. Alternatively you can choose Expose, Application Switcher or Spotlight.

If your tracking device does not have a secondary button you can always use Ctrl Key + Left Mouse Button Click to simulate a right click action.

Thanks for visiting Mac Dummy. Email us with comments at tips@macdummy.com. While a comments section is not available yet (see post below), I will try to add your comments myself as part of this post.

Comments?

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 13:59:21 -0400

I love tumblr.com because it’s so simple and basic. I love the default themes and the ability to create custom color schemes. My only gripe is that readers cannot comment on tumblr posts but that’s a feature that is currently in the works:

From Davidville (the official tumblr blog):

We absolutely understand the value of a web site being an interactive experience. That said, we, and many of our users, don’t believe “comments”, as they are currently being applied on blogs, will enhance the tumblelog experience. That’s not a cop-out though. We’re staging several experimental interfaces for user feedback. Lots of neat things to come. We promise!

Also on theme-ing, I’d love to see a feature that allows you to override the default font attributes of the theme in use.

Good job Tumblr, I’m looking forward to new features!

Welcome

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 19:15:27 -0400

Welcome to Mac Dummy, the one stop source for Mac advice and information for new Mac switchers. As a recent Mac switcher myself, I’m going to the process of adapting to this wonderful new experience and each day I’m finding new and fun ways to use my computer. Join me on this journey into this exciting new world of Mac! Share your favorite Mac applications and productivity tips with the rest of us Mac dummies.