Mac Must Knows

How To Port Forward: Time Capsule

2008-07-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

If you don't know what that means, here's a definition:

"Port forwarding (sometimes referred to as tunneling) is the act of forwarding a network port from one network node to another. This technique can allow an external user to reach a port on a private IP address (inside a LAN) from the outside via a NAT-enabled router."

I'm sure port forwarding has many uses, but the main one I know is for BitTorrent. Configuring your router for Bittorent will make your downloads go much faster. I've seen guides on how to do this for every router imaginable at http://portforward.com/ but it doesn't say how to configure an Apple Time Capsule.

So here it is:

How To Port Forward: Time Capsule

Before doing anything, make sure you are connected to your Time Capsule's network.

Step #1: Find out your IP

Open: System Preferences > Network

There you will see how you are connected to the internet. Under "Status" it will say the network and the IP address. Write down the IP.

Step #2: Choose a port to forward and enter it in

The best ones are 49152–65534 but any will work. Once you've got one open up your Bittorent client and enter it in. I'm using Azureus and Transmission.

In Azureus it's done by clicking: Vuze > Preferences > Connection. Enter it in where it says "Incoming TCP / UDP listen port".

In Transmission it's done by clicking: Transmission > Preferences > Network. Enter it in where it says "Incoming TCP port".

Step #3: Open AirPort Utility

It's in Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility

Step #4: Enable NAT Port Mapping Protocol

When you open AirPort Utility you get a window that shows all the different things your connected to. Double-Click the Time Capsule one you want to configure.

This will open a window that gives you access to all the Time Capsule's settings.

Click the "Internet" tab and make sure the checkbox "Enable NAT Port Mapping Protocol" is selected.

Step #5: Configure Port Mappings

Click the button right under "Enable NAT Port Mapping Protocol" that says "Configure Port Mappings".

This will take you to a screen that is accessible under: Advanced > Port Mapping.

Here it shows an "Allowed" list. We want to add the port you chose to it. Click the + sign under the list.

Ignore the part that says "Service". The 4 private and public port boxes enter the port you chose. In the "Private IP Address" box put the IP you wrote down earlier.

When your done click continue.

The next part isn't too important. Name it whatever you want in the Description box (I did the name of the bittorent client) and click "Done".

Step #6: Update Time Capsule

Once you click done you may be asked if you want to update the changes. Click yes. Your Time Capsule will restart and save the changes.

Step #7: Enjoy!

Now that your time capsule is configured properly you should notice faster download speeds. Enjoy!

Hotmail Fix For MacFreePops Users

2008-07-09T11:39:00.001-07:00

Starting late June, I noticed that my Hotmail messages had stopped downloading. I searched and found other MacFreePops users had been experiencing the same problems.

If you are one of them, don't worry any more. There has been a patch made (credit to CDMackie). It doesn't only fix the problem but some other things too.

Unzip the file and stick it in MacFreePops plugin folder.

The file can be found here: http://www.diludovico.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7267&page=10

It's the 5th post by CDMackie.

Check it out.

Sign The Petition Against Rogers

2008-07-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

With Apple announcing that the iPhone would be coming to Canada I got very excited.

Finally the coolest phone of the market would make its debut here. Thousands of people were excited to get their hands on the phone that had been acclaimed one of the greatest inventions of 2007.

But the excitement would only last so long.

Rogers will be the carrier for the iPhone in Canada... the only carrier.

They have decided to obviously take advantage of the fact they will be the only providers by jacking up the price, way beyond what it has been set in other countries. People here have been astonished and quite pissed off to say the least.

In a step to fight back against unfair prices to Canadians, a petition has been created that will be delivered to Rogers on the day of the launch.

At this moment the number of people who have signed is 47,344! Do your part too by signing the petition.

You can sign it here or at: http://www.ruinediphone.com/

Get your friends and family to sign as well, the more the better!

Its time to fight back.

Alternating Background Images

2008-07-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

Having the same picture for your background gets boring. I prefer a new one each time I log in, something cool I found out you can do on your mac.

To start, make a folder with all your desired background images. Call it something like "Backgrounds" and put it in your picture folder. This is going to be where you can put pictures you want to have as a background.

Now we can set up the background settings.

Open up "System Preferences" > Desktop & Screen Saver.
Make sure your in the "Desktop" section.
Add your "Backgrounds" folder by clicking the + button.
Click the "Change Picture" checkbox and choose how often you want your background to alternate.

And your done!

You can also select "Random Order" if you want as well as change how the picture is shown (such as "Fill Screen", "Tile", "Center", etc.).

Enjoy giving your computer a new look each time you login.

5 Of The Best Free Mac Games

2008-06-28T21:57:00.001-07:00

Games are a great for when you get bored. I like to have a few on my computer for whenever I need to kill some time. Here are my 5 favorites that are fun...and free!

Sauerbraten:
Proof that not all free games are simple and boring. Sauerbraten is a great 1st Person shooter game. Your can play it by yourself but when you get bored of that you can also play online. With tons of different levels and the ability to make your own, Sauerbraten is definitely one of my most favorite free games.
Click Here for more information.
Quinn:
Want something more classic and simple? Try Quinn!
I would have to say it's the nicest free Tetris I've ever played. You can play on the same computer with your friend, or over the internet as well. The entire game graphics are customizable so you can even make it look just how you like. Fans of Tetris definitely need to check this game out.
Click Here for more information.
Stepmania:
Dance Dance Revolution is definitely one of the coolest games I know. It's not as good on a computer, but it's still a party to play. Stepmania is a free DDR type game for mac. Great fun!
Click Here for more information.
Pac The Man X:
Once again another classic game for the mac. Pac Man. Pac the Man X has the classic feel and at the same time a newer sort of look. You can play with 1 or 2 players at a time, on over 130 levels. Not enough? You can even make your own. Another really nice classic game.
Click Here for more information.
SuperTuxKart:
I think I've covered everything except one other type of game. Racing!
This game reminds me a lot of mario kart. You can play as a wide range of characters in different game modes. Your friends can also join in because it allows you to play against up to 4 people.
Click Here for more information.

Who ever said you need money to have fun? Try these games, I'm sure you'll be impressed at the quality.

Happy Gaming!

How-To Set Up A Hotmail Account On Mac Mail - Complete Guide

2008-06-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hotmail is one of the most popular email services out there. Millions of people use it (including me) and its great. But that said I do have one big problem with it...

Hotmail doesn't work with any mail client unless you buy a premium membership!

This means it doesn't work with Mac Mail or any other email applications for mac. But, luckily there's ways to work around this. If you've ever wanted to use your Hotmail, Windows Live or MSN email with Mac Mail this is how to do it.

Solution #1 - Switch Your Email

The best solution is to switch to a service that does work with Mac Mail (I'd suggest Gmail).

You may not want to do this but it's the best in the long run. I'm sure many people won't want to do this if everyone they know sends them info through their Hotmail address. I too didn't feel like telling everyone to switch.

So if that's the case then here it is.

Solution #2 - Download "MacFreePops"

This is best way I know for getting your mail out of hotmail. You may have heard of "httpmail". I've tried it and it failed, so I'll show you how I got it to work with MacFreePops.

Download and Install MacFreePops
Click here to get MacFreePops. Once it's downloaded move it to your application folder.
Open Mac Free Pops
When you first open it up the window will look something like this.

Before you start, make sure Mac Free Pops is updated. Click where it says "Updates Available" to download all the updates. Do this twice to get everything, after the second time don't worry if it says there are updates.
Next check all the options you want. I've circled all the ones I have but you can do whatever you like.
Check You Have The Right Settings and Start MacFreePops
Click "freepopsd service". Make sure that window looks like this. Check that the circled things are set right too. When your all done click "Start freepopsd service".
Make a New Mail Account
Open up Mail. Click "File > Add Account...".

Start setting up your new account by entering your Name, Complete email and Email password. Click "Continue" when your done.

Next you're asked to setup your Incoming Mail Server. To do this:
1. Set the account type to POP.
2. Enter any description you like.
3. Set "127.0.0.1" as your Incoming Mail Server.
4. Make sure the user name is your FULL email (includes the @hotmail.com, @live.com, @msn.com, etc.).
5. Click Continue.
If you get an error message ignore it and keep going.

Ignore "Incoming Mail Security" and keep going to "Outgoing Mail Server". For this:
1. Put in any description you like.
2. For my outgoing mail server I use "smtp.gmail.com".
  I believe it works without authentication. If not you can set up a gmail account for free and use put in your user name and password for authentication. Try without authentication first and see how it goes. You can keep "Use only this server" checked.
3. Click Continue.
Mail will then take you to a summary of all your settings. Make sure everything looks right and click "Create".
Modify Your New Account's Settings

The last thing you need to do is change a few account settings. Open Mail again and click "Mail > Preferences".

To finish setting up your account:
1. Go to the "Accounts" section.
2. Choose the account you just created from the left-hand menu.
3. Go to the "Advanced" section.
4. Make sure "Enable this account" is checked.
5. Make sure "Include when automatically checking for new mail" is checked.
6. I would suggest unchecking "Remove copy from server after retrieving a message:". If you ever need to switch back to using Hotmail the old way, all your e-mails will be gone. Better to just leave them.
7. Change the port to "2000".
Congratulations, your done!

Now whenever you click "Get Mail", Mac Mail will check your hotmail account for e-mails.
If it doesn't work, you probably have quit MacFreePops. Make sure it is open and that the service is running.
Now checking your email can be a lot quicker. Good Luck!

ScreenShade - Save Your Eyes and Battery

2008-06-13T22:39:00.001-07:00

Have you ever notice how bright your Macs screen is?

Pretty bright. It's set like this mainly because a bright screen is a beautiful screen.

Sure, you want it to have a certain level of brightness, too dark and you can't see what your doing. But do you realize how bright your screen really is? Turn off the lights and i'd not be surprised if the screen lit up the whole room.

If your on a Macbook or Macbook Pro, the screen is a big battery drainer. You can make your computer stay alive longer by dimming the screen to a different level.

Bright screens are also not good for your eyes. Sitting all day, looking at a screen is bad enough, let alone having the screen be as bright as a lightbulb.

Solution?

1. Go to System Preferences > Displays and check "Automatically adjust brightness as ambient light changes".
This will make the screen automatically adjust to the correct brightness level.

2. Download ScreenShade. It's a free application that let's you further adjust your screen brightness. Even the lowest brightness level is too bright in some places, screen shade let's you go even lower to get the perfect setting.

Your eyes will thank you and your computer will run longer.

StumbleUpon: Find Things That Interest You

2008-06-12T21:44:00.001-07:00

If you like browsing the web for cool stuff, this thing is for you.

StumbleUpon is an add-on that works with Firefox and (just recently) Safari. It allows you to find webpages that might interest you based on what you like. People who use StumbleUpon can also submit sites they find so that they are shared with other users.

I've played around with lots of add-ons. Most of them are cool for a bit but are then soon forgotten and left alone. StumbleUpon is the one add-on I actually like to use.

To get started, download StumbleUpon:

Safari Version: http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/internet_utilities/stumbi.html (Shareware)

Firefox Version: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/138 (Freeware)

Once you have the plugin you need to register an account with http://www.stumbleupon.com/. On the site you are asked to enter all your interests. You can also edit your profile along with other things.

Once your accounts the way you like it, login into it using the toolbar (Tools > Sign In). Now your all set.

Now whenever you want to find a new cool site click "Stumble" and you'll get sent to something related to your interests. Also, if you are ever browsing and find something cool, click "I Like". If it has never been found before you get to submit it to StumbleUpon.

Enjoy, it's a fun way to kill time!

Add More Photo Booth Effects

2008-06-12T15:04:00.001-07:00

Ever since Apple started building in the iSight camera into all the Macs, they also added an application called Photo Booth.

For those that don't know, Photo Booth let's you take pictures with the iSight camera and add tons of cool effects while your at it.

Photo Booth now comes with 24 different photo and video effects. There fun, but why not add more?! Here are a couple Photo Booth add-ons that let you do just that.

CatEye : 8 Cool Retro Effects For Photo Booth.
iGlasses : iGlasses lets you change the video settings. Change the brightness, contrast, rotate the image and more!
More iChat Effects : A free pack of 48 effects that work in both iChat and Photo Booth.

These should keep you entertained for a few months.

Have fun!

Trick Your Mac Into Thinking There's a CD

2008-06-12T11:35:00.001-07:00

Ever tried to run a game or application only to have the computer tell you "Please insert CD".

Well what if you lost it, can't find it or lent it to a friend. Well I have a solution.

As long as you have a Disk Image file (.dmg) you can mount it so the computer thinks there's a CD. Click here to see how to make a .dmg file for your CD.

What you use is something called "Toast Titanium".

You may have heard of it before, it's fairly popular. I thought it was stupid till I tried it. Toast Titanium can do tons of cool stuff but that's a different topic.

Right-Click the .Dmg > Open With > Toast Titanium.

This opens toast. In the window that this opens, somewhere it says "Mount". Click it.

This mounts the .DMG file so that the computer actually thinks you've inserted a CD.

I find this really helpful for games because it says me having to look for the disk.

Enjoy!

Making your CD a .DMG

2008-06-07T17:58:00.001-07:00

Having a stack of CDs for different programs and games is fine, but what if you could put them all on your computer...

Wouldn't you rather just double-click a file instead of looking for a CD then putting it in?

It's actually quite easy to put all your CDs onto your computer. The information is saved in a .DMG (Disk Image) file which is like a virtual CD.

To do this all you have to do is:

Put the CD into the disk drive.
Open up Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility).
Select the CD you inserted in the right-hand menu.
Click New Image.

And your done. The CD is converted to a .DMG file and saved on your computer.

Now whenever you want to run that CD you just click on the file.

Easy!

#10 - Run Onyx

2008-06-06T15:16:00.001-07:00

There are many tools out there for optimizing your Mac.

If you look you'll find ones like Cocktail, Mac Janitor and TinkerTools. They are all very popular and great but my favorite is Onyx.

Onyx lets you do a variety of "Cleaning" and "Repair" tasks that will clear your Mac of all it's crap. It has been debated how effective this is, but I find it does the trick.

In Onyx there is a long list of things you can clean. You get to choose what options to run. When choosing make sure you know what your doing so you don't have any problems.

#9 - Clean Your Hardrive

2008-06-06T11:35:00.001-07:00

Something about Mac OSX is that, the more free space you have on your hard drive, the faster your computer runs.

Cleaning out your hard drive is a great way to speed things up.

Go through your folders and look for things to delete. Stuff like...

Movies you don't watch.
Music you don't listen to.
Files you no longer need.
Pictures you don't really need (Things off the internet).
Applications you no longer use.
Duplicate Files.

And so on...

There are a few programs that can help you do this. They can tell you where the most space is being taken, what duplicate files you have and other things to help you clean things up.

I'll go over them in a different post.

The more free space you have the better.

#8 - Check Activity Monitor

2008-06-05T17:28:00.001-07:00

Programs can also be guilty of sucking up the power.

How can you find out which ones?

With Activity Monitor. It comes with Mac and can tell you everything you need to know about the applications running.

Activity Monitor says how much CPU, RAM and Virtual Memory your applications are using and more. You can use it to see which programs are slowing things down.

Checking activity monitor every once and a while can give you insight into which applications are holding back your computer.

#7 - Remove Power Power Hogging Widgets

2008-05-30T17:32:00.001-07:00

Dashboard is great. Tons of cool widgets that let you do almost anything.

But having all these widgets does affect your computer.

Each widget needs a bit of memory to run. Some more then others.

Certain widgets need so much space they will slow down your computer. The ones that keep updating to show new info are probably the worst.

Don't feel like you can't have these widgets. I use them, they're great.

But if you want to give your computer a little boost just open dashboard and remove the widgets you don't need/use. Doing this will help take some strain off your computer.

If you don't use dashboard, why not disable it? This too will save you some energy.

The easiest way to disable dashboard is with Onyx. It's under: Parameters ---> Expose and Dashboard.

If you don't want to download Onyx you can turn it off with Terminal... it's more technical but you can do it.

This guide will tell you how to do it: http://www.macworld.com/article/46236/2005/08/disabledashboard.html

Good Luck!

#6 - Remove Unused Languages and Translations

2008-05-25T16:25:00.001-07:00

Did you know that you can run Leopard in tons of different languages? And not only leopard, most of your applications probably have a few language translations.

All this language support takes up space though. And more then a few megabytes. Getting rid of the language files you don't need could easily scrape 5gb off your hard drive.

So how do you choose the ones you want and get rid of the ones you need?

It can be done with a program called "Monolingual". It let's you choose the language files you want to use and get rid of the ones you don't.

Start by opening it up.

In the languages section check all the languages you aren't going to use and uncheck the ones you will.

Next simply click remove and your done!

You'll be amazed at how much space this saves.

#5 - Remove Unnecessary Code From Your Applications

2008-05-24T21:32:00.001-07:00

Removing unnecessary code saves disk space and speeds up your computer.

Most applications are made to run on Intel and PPC computers. This means there programmed to run for 2 different configurations. But nobody has both, they either have one or the other.

So why keep configurations for something you don't have?

Well now you don't need to. Programs like Xslimmer remove the unnecessary code, leaving you with only what you need.

This makes the application run faster and also saves you disk space.

Unfortunately removing unnecessary code is the one thing that you need to pay a bit of money for.

Xslimmer is not free. It costs 12.95.

I'd say it's worth it because it does more then just remove unused code. It will also get rid of language packs you don't use (another thing to save space).

You can learn more about Xslimmer here.

#4 - Update Your Software

2008-05-24T17:11:00.001-07:00

Keeping your software up to date is a great way to make sure things are running their fastest.

Developers are continually updating their software. They fix code errors and optimize the current code. This makes the software run faster, less likely to crash and so on.

Just make a point of setting your software to check for updates or do it yourself.

Some applications don't have anything that let's you check for updates though. In this case you can go to the site where you downloaded it and check that you have the newest version.

But let's face it. Do you really want to do this with ALL your applications? I don't think so.

Luckily I know a good solution.

Download the AppUpdate widget. It's a widget that checks that all your software is up to date. It makes all this much easier and quicker.

#3 - Removed "Other" Unused Preferences

2008-05-23T21:50:00.001-07:00

System Preferences does not only help modify programs that came with your computer, it also works with programs you've installed.

If an application has it's own spot in system preferences it most likely runs on startup and is using up power.

It is a good idea to keep an eye on what you have installed. Check the "Other" section for things you don't use very much.

Whatever you don't use, get rid of. These types of Apps usually come with Uninstallers that will do the job. Run the Uninstaller to remove the program.

Now in the unfortunate event where the Uninstaller is lost you can do 1 of 3 things:

Download the program again and see if it comes with an Uninstaller.
Invest a bit of money in a program like AppZapper. It allows you to properly remove any plugins, programs or special settings you have on your computer.
Leave it alone.

This may not sound like much, but doing this can really lessen the load on your computer.

#2 - Turn Off Services You Don't Use

2008-05-23T19:21:00.001-07:00

Mac is prepared to fit all possible needs. It has settings to help people with problems hearing and seeing, settings to share internet, settings to share files.

This is all great, but not everyone needs it and it slows your computer down.

To see what's turned on open your system preferences.

What we will be checking is:

Universal Access

Speech Recognition

Bluetooth

Internet Sharing

Universal Access is for people who have impaired vision and/or hearing. So naturally if your hearing and sight is fine, you don't need it. To turn it off open system preferences and click "Universal Access". Just quickly go through and check it's all set to off.

Speech Recognition let's you tell the computer to preform certain tasks using the mic. I personally never use it because a mouse and keyboard do the job. If you don't want it on click "Speech" in the preferences and turn it off.

Bluetooth can be used to connect things wirelessly that are close by. This could be a mouse, a keyboard or even your cell. If you use anything that requires bluetooth, leave it on. If not you can turn it off. This can be done as always through the system preferences under "Bluetooth".

Internet Sharing is very handy for expanding your wireless network. It let's other people near your computer connect to the internet wirelessly. In some situations this may be very useful, but if your not using it your just slowing down your computer. To turn it off go to the preferences and uncheck it in the sharing section.

So there you have it, four services you can turn off to make your computer run a little bit faster.

#1 - Clean Useless Startup Items

2008-05-21T17:18:00.001-07:00

"10 Ways To Speed Up Your Mac": Clean Useless Startup Items

When you log on to your computer, it has a few programs that it loads as soon as it starts.

The more it has to load, the longer it will take to load. You can cut down the load time by removing some of these startup items.

To do this go to:

System Preferences --> Accounts --> (Click the account you want to clean) --> Login Items

There you can find a list of Applications that launch at the start.

Look through them to see which ones you don't need.

When you find one you want to remove click it to highlight it and click the minus button.

Do this with all the accounts you want. This will make your computer start and run faster!

10 Ways To Speed Up Your Mac!

2008-05-21T15:23:00.001-07:00

Ever been using your computer and noticed it getting a bit slow?

Sometimes it's because your running tons of applications, or you haven't restarted your computer in ages. So you close a few things, reboot it up and problem solved.

Other times it's something else. Well there are things you can do to speed up your mac other then just running less apps.

I have made a list of "10 Ways To Speed Up Your Mac". Most of these ways are free so don't worry about pulling out your wallet. They're also fast so you can do them whenever you have some free time.

Here are "10 Ways To Speed Up Your Mac":

Clean out useless startup items.
Turn off unnecessary services.
Remove "Other" unused preferences.
Update Your Software
Remove unnecessary code from your applications.
Remove unused languages and translations.
Get rid of power hogging widgets.
Check "Activity Monitor".
Clean up your hard drive.
Run Onyx.

Don't worry, that's not all I'm leaving you with. This is a big subject though... to big for one post. I'll post a more detailed explanation for each tip in a separate post (like with the "Top 10 Favorite Mac Applications").

I keep up-dating, you keep checking back!

I'll start posting soon.

Widgets To Keep You Up To Date

2008-05-20T18:22:00.001-07:00

Anyone with tons of applications will know how hard it is to keep things up to date.

Some applications will check for updates when you run them, but others don't. This means to know when updates come out you have to keep checking back to their website.

Doing this means you'll always have the latest updates... but it's also a waste of time.

So how can we check ALL our apps for the latest updates... all at once.

Well recently I stumbled across a widget that does this for you.

It's called "App Update". It finds all the latest updates for your apps with a click. App Update does this by checking for the latest version on different sites. These sites keep track of the application releases and let you know if you have the newest releases.

You can set it to check for you whenever you want and however often you want. You can customize it down to how it looks for each app.

It's a great little widget that makes updating applications quick and easy.

If you like that you will also want to give Widget Update a try. Exact same thing... but for widgets.

Both great little widgets definitely worth taking a look at.

Here are the websites.

App Update: http://retiredblog.gkaindl.com/downloads/app-update/

Widget Update: http://retiredblog.gkaindl.com/downloads/widget-update/

Enjoy!

Adium and aMsn - Instant Messaging For Mac

2008-05-20T17:56:00.001-07:00

If you've used a computer you probably have used instant messaging.

Instant messaging is great for chatting with all your friends online.

When it comes to clients for instant messaging there are tons for Windows but few for Mac.

The big one many people used is "Windows Live Messenger". On Windows it's great... on Mac, not so much.

If you are used to "Windows Live Messenger" and like it's features then you may want to try aMsn.

The way it is set up is much more similar to Windows Live Messenger. It also has most of the features of Live Messenger like video and audio chat.

Perfect, so what's the downside?

Well aMsn does not perform as well as Adium. There is yet to be a stable release of it to come out. Updates for aMsn are also much less frequent so if you have a problem you need to switch or wait a while.

The next option is the one I use. It's called Adium.

Adium is truly a Mac instant messenger. It is very similar to iChat without the Video and Audio chat.

This sucks because you can't use the lovely iSight camera that comes with all (other then the mini and pro) Macs.

On the bright side though, Adium is much more stable, gets more updates, and is the MOST customizable instant messenger client out there for Mac.

You can change almost everything about it. The colors, the emoticons, the message styles, the window styles, the icons... almost everything.

Their site has plugins, emoticons, sound sets, service icons, status icons, apple scripts, message styles, window styles, dock icons and other things.

You can download hundreds of things to customize Adium and make it however you want.

The only edge aMsn has on Adium is the Video and Audio chat. Although these are really cool features to have I would say, survive without them for now. Adium is currently working on bringing Audio and Video chat to Adium. It shouldn't be long so keep your ears open.

So there you have it, aMsn and Adium. Both great, I'll leave it up to you to decide.

Adiums Website: http://adiumx.com/

aMsn Website: http://www.amsn-project.net/index.php

Enjoy!

PC vs Mac - The Ads... UK Style

2008-05-16T21:19:00.001-07:00

If you are a big mac fan, you've most likely seen the Ads.

Mac vs PC.

If you haven't you can find them on Youtube, they're pretty good.

I was just looking around though and found that there's UK ads that are different from the ones played in the U.S and Canada.

I thought this was kind of cool.

If your interested you can see them here:

Enjoy!

#1 - Quicksilver: Application Quicklauncher

2008-05-16T20:48:00.001-07:00

#1 On my list of "Top 10 Mac Applications" is Quicksilver.

Finally we have Quicksilver. I put it as #1 on the list... not necessarily because I ranked everything from best to worst... but this is definitely my favorite.

I call Quicksilver a application quick launcher... but it's soo much more!

I'll try describing it to you but I'll most likely fail so excuse me if that happens. The best way to understand it is download it and try it yourself.

Quicksilver allows you to do tasks like open applications, manipulate files, run scripts send e-mails and more... only using your keyboard.

This application will make everything you do go 10 times faster... literally.

Say you want to open an application... say iTunes.

Now I could go to the application folder and do this but that takes a lot more time then using Quicksilver. I would open it by:

Opening quicksilver using my chosen "trigger" (a combination of keys you press to start Quicksilver. I use Option + Space.)
Type "i" (Quicksilver indexes everything on your computer, typing "i" makes it search for things with/relating to "i")
If you use iTunes all the time, Quicksilver will figure this out and iTunes will be at the top of the list for things to open.
Hit enter and iTunes opens.

This takes all of 2 seconds.

Quicksilver doesn't only let you open apps, you can open bookmarks with it, find and open files and so much more.

Check it out because me explaining it will take up too much space.

Quicksilver Website: http://docs.blacktree.com/quicksilver/what_is_quicksilver

You can download and find out more about it there.

Enjoy!

#2 - AppZapper: Application Removal

2008-05-13T19:58:00.001-07:00

#2 On the list of "Top 10 Mac Applications" is AppZapper.

With a Mac, installing and uninstalling is as easy as moving a package to or from the "Application" folder.

Or is it?

Adding an application is very straight forward. Drag the app to the "Application" Folder. But how about removing applications?

Well, when you move the file and run the app, other program files get moved to different areas in your computer.

Then down the road you don't want that anymore. So what do you do? Drag the file to the garbage. Fine, but one small problem with this though.

The other files that were installed are left behind.

AppZapper is an application that removes the ENTIRE application, leaving no trace behind.

Now this isn't much for something you have to buy, so it does other things.

AppZapper also makes it easy to install plugins, widgets and preference pane items you may have installed. It's kind of like the ultimate Mac uninstaller.

You only buy it once (for the small price of 12.95$) and you get free updates for life, give it a try at:

AppZapper website: http://www.appzapper.com/

#3 - ClamXav: Anti-Virus Scanner

2008-05-13T19:35:00.001-07:00

#3 On my list of "Top 10 Mac Applications" is ClamXav.

One of the reasons you bought your Mac was most likely the thought of "No Viruses". And good for you because it's true, Mac hardly has any viruses for it.

But even though there's not many doesn't mean you can't get them.

Your computer has all your pictures, music, videos, documents, files... why take the chance losing that all?

Even if it's a low chance, it's a chance so be cautious. This is why I will recommend ClamXav.

It's a free Virus Scanner that works just as well as the few other virus scanners you can buy.

You don't need to scan everyday or every week (not that you would want to, ClamXav is quite slow) but every 1 or 2 months would be nice.

This way you can always be sure your stuff is safe and nothing has found it's way on your computer.

Definitely try it out, it's not a big thing to have and it may save you a lot of stress in the future. Here's the website.

ClamXav Website: http://www.clamxav.com/

#4 - Firefox: Better Web Browser

2008-05-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

#4 On the list of "Top 10 Mac Applications" is Firefox.

Today on mac there are 2 main browsers, Safari and Firefox.

Safari boasts extremely fast load times while Firefox has it's endless amounts of add-ons and plugins. So which to choose?

Well both are great browsers. Before I tried the new Firefox (Firefox3) I would have said Safari. It's fast, blends in with the OS X interface, perfect.

The current stable Firefox (Firefox 2.0.0.14) seems to be a bit slow on mac and also doesn't look too great (in my opinion).

Firefox3 is tottaly different though. They've changed the look to match the rest of the OS, it's faster and works much better. And it's still it Beta.

Safari is great but cannot stand up to the amount of features and add-ons you can get for Firefox.

For the moment feel free to stay with Safari, but when Firefox3 comes out your gonna want to give it a try.

You won't be disappointed.

Firefox Website: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Current Firefox3 (Beta 5) Download Site: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-beta.html

#5 - Onyx: Multifunction Utility

2008-05-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

#5 On the list of "Top 10 Mac Applications" is "Onyx".

After using your mac for a while it is going to accumulate junk type files, permissions get changed and so on.

This can cause your computer to slow down and so on.

For this reason it is good to have a application to clean out the crap and check that everything is working alright. There are a few applications that do this but my favorite is Onyx.

Why?

Well all these applications do pretty much the same thing... Onyx just does it for free.

You can get a variety of different apps but they cost money and do the EXACT same thing. Why pay?

Onyx also lets you get at some of your Mac's hidden features allowing you to customize things like your Dock, Finder, Dashboard, Login, Safari and other things.

Onyx is a great application to have to do regular cleaning and change hidden preferences.

Definitely worth looking at.

The Onyx Website: http://www.titanium.free.fr/pgs/english.html

#6 - The Unarchiver: File Extractor

2008-05-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

#6 On the list of "Top 10 Mac Applications" is "The Unarchiver"

Everyone who's used a computer has surely come across compressed file. Stuff like ".zip" or ".rar".

These types of files/folders require the files to be extracted. This means a special program.

My last mac came with "Stuffit Expander" which did all this. I used that and it did the job.

Recently though I got a new mac and it didn't come with this. Instead of just going for the "Stuffit" again I decided to see what else was out there. After some research I found "The Unarchiver".

The Unarchiver is a fast and simple file extractor that works better then the one built into Mac OS X.

Why is it better then Stuffit? Cause it's free!!

Every computer needs a file extractor and the Unarchiver is as good as it gets.

Check it out here:

The Unarchiver Website: http://wakaba.c3.cx/s/apps/unarchiver.html

#7 - Xslimmer: Application Slimmer

2008-05-12T14:46:00.001-07:00

#7 On the list of "Top 10 Mac Applications" is Xslimmer.

Xslimmer is a great app that "slims" your applications. It can take your 500mb Applications and shave them down to 200mb.

How?

Applications are full of other stuff you don't really need.

Language support files are the big one. These are used if you want to use whatever app in a different language.

It's great that you can use iTunes in everything from Chinese to Spanish but nobody does. Most people use only 1, maybe 2 and barely ever 3.

Xslimmer let's you choose the languages you want to keep and deletes the rest. Doing this to all your applications will save you tons of space.

This application is great. It frees space, speeds up your computer and makes your applications load faster.

Unlike most of the other applications which are free, Xslimmer costs 12.95 but's worth every penny.

Check it out.

Xslimmer Website: http://www.xslimmer.com/

#8 - Perian: Expand Quicktime's Video Support

2008-05-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

#8 On the list of "Top 10 Mac Applications" is Perian.

Have you ever tried playing a video file only to have Quicktime tell you that for it to be played you need a special codec or plugin.

I used to have that problem all the time and it made me go mad! Most people will either download tons of things, trying to find the one that they need OR just use a different media player all together.

Well I'm here to tell you there's a much easier third option. Download Perian.

It allows quicktime to play all types of video files it couldn't play before.

It doesn't make Quicktime as good as say VLC (great media player) but it will make most files work. This also saves you the time of having to say Open With... --> VLC for every video file you want to play.

It you use Quicktime or couldn't before because of lacking the right software, check out Perian.

Perian makes Quicktime just that much better.

Perian Website: http://perian.org/

#9 - Growl: Event Notifier

2008-05-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

#9 On the list of "Top 10 Mac Applications" is Growl.

When I first heard of this I thought "What's an event notifier". Well it's exactly what it says it is.

Growl is an app that displays notifications for other applications.

Say I receive an e-mail in Mail. Growl will pop up a message telling me. If I'm using Adium (MSN Messenger type app) it notifies me when people log on, when I receive messages and so on.

You may think "I don't need that" but it's actually quite handy. You'd be amazed at how many apps work with it.

Download it and try it out.

Growl Website: http://growl.info/

#10 - Transmission: Best Bittorent Client

2008-05-10T23:55:00.001-07:00

#10 On the list of "Top 10 Mac Applications" is Transmission.

Transmission is definitely my favorite of all the bittorent clients. If you want to know the runner up though it would have to be Azureus, so that's what I'll compare it to

Azureus does have a ton of features, way more then Transmission, and that's great... but do you really need them all? Not me! Most people change one thing and leave it at that.

There are other things (like RSS) that Azureus does that Transmission doesn't but I don't need them that much.

I have chosen Transmission over Azureus because it just flat out works better on Mac. That and it also looks MUCH nicer and cleaner then Azureus.

You'll also find it's much more easier to set up then Azureus. You can go into preferences and it has tabs that even a beginner could understand.I've used both.

Azureus and it's many features were great for really customizing the client. However on the other hand it was slow and just doesn't look like a mac app. Transmission on the other hand just works. It's small, simple, fast and just gets the job done.

Check out Azureus too, but for something quick to get the job done, Transmission is the way to go.

Transmission Website: http://www.transmissionbt.com/

10 Must Have Mac Applications

2008-05-10T23:27:00.000-07:00

When I first got my mac I wanted to juice it up with all the coolest apps. There are tons of cool apps out there, but they all do different things and not everyone needs ALL of them.

So I've made a list of all the Apps I've ever used and came up with a list of 10 that I think are the most useful. I don't care who you are, these are good to have... and most of them are free! :)

My list of 10 have apps is:

Quicksilver - Quick Launcher (Free)
AppZapper - Application Remover (Shareware)
ClamXav - Anti-Virus software (Free)
Firefox - Web Browser (Free)
Onyx - Multifunction Utility (Free)
The Unarchiver - File Extractor (Free)
Xslimmer - Application Slimmer (Shareware)
Perian - Video Support For QuickTime (Free)
Growl - Notifier (Free)
Transmission - Torrent Downloader (Free)

These Apps are sick! Google them right now! I'll leave it at that. I'll post much more detailed info on all of these next.

Till then, go, find these!

What's This Blog All About?!

2008-05-08T18:28:00.001-07:00

Alright, my first post!

So what's this thing and what's it all about?

This blog is all about my computer of choice, my operating system of choice: Mac!

I love my Mac and obviously so does everyone else, it's popularity has been growing over the years. It's more secure, more user friendly and in my opinion... nicer looking :).

So I love my mac, good for me, you still haven't explained what all this is about!

Well with Mac I have found problem. Finding good help for it, finding good software for it... it's a bit harder then with a PC. I look for hours for the best software, the coolest widgets, the best tips. And no complaining, I enjoy this and learn a lot... but wouldn't it be nice if that was all in one place?

Well if I'm doing all the research why not make it?!

This blog is to take everything and put it in one spot. The best widgets, the best applications, the best tips... and hey why not... The lastest Apple news.

If you like to know about the latest and greatest stuff when it comes to your Mac, bookmark now! It's all I intend to give.

Let's do it! :D