Just wanted to share a trick I’ve had to look up a couple of times in the past months. After last week’s update to 10.5.4, the .Mac syncing icon was back in my menubar. Since I don’t use .Mac, I’ve never wanted this item there.
After a search through system preferences, there didn’t seem to be a way to remove this. But some digging online turned up the trick for this—simple of course. Just command-click on the icon and drag it off the menubar.
Boom.
Normally blog posts about security threats for Mac users evoke one response from this particular Mac user—it’s much ado about nothing. But a recent article by Rich Mogull at Tidbits got me thinking a little more about security in OS X.
Why? With Apple gaining market share and starting to lead in certain areas (portables in the University crowd etc.), it only makes sense that miscreants will start paying more attention to this demographic. And the folks at Tidbits display their technical chops every day—they know their stuff. So while Rich states this is a low-risk threat, he also advocates that now is a good opportunity for Mac users to increase their awareness regarding security with OS X.
I plan to do just that. But I was also curious what other Mac users think on this subject. What percentage of us actually use antivirus software? How many of us have looked at or altered our firewall settings? Things of this nature. So I created a survey and would love it if TWR readers would take the time to answer six easy questions. Click on the link below to take the survey:
If any of you are Windows users, I don’t want to leave you out—we know you have concerns. Here is a link to catch up on the latest high profile viruses in your neighborhood.
David Pogue gives a short, fairly non-technical review of Time Capsule today at the Times.
He really focuses on the simplicity of an always-on, wireless backup device that the user never needs to think about. And it’s true. I’ve been on a Time Capsule for just about two months now. Other than a faulty first unit, using Time Machine with the Time Capsule has been a dream.
But as others have mentioned, it makes a lot of sense to go one step further, especially if you run your own business. I do this with weekly clones to another external drive using SuperDuper.
As an aside from my post on iTunes on Monday, I wanted to write about another iTunes related item - Nike+iPod. As the snow really starts to melt around these parts, more people get out for some running. I thought it would be a good time to look back on my first season of running with Nike+.
When Apple first announced this product in conjunction with Nike, my immediate feeling was that this is something that would never appeal to me. Like the Apple and Starbucks pairing, I felt like this was more about hype than solid design. A trial into a new market, like a testing of the waters. More Apple TV and less iPhone.
But then I came across this post by Cabel Sasser and my interest was piqued slightly. Early in 2007 I started running more. Suddenly the concept of this product started to make sense to me.
It has now been just under one year since I purchased my kit. Overall I’ve been impressed - like most Apple products, the Nike+iPod pairing is intuitive and just works. There were a few kinks, but after one year I’m happy to say I my initial reaction was wrong. This is another good product from Apple.
For those who haven’t read much about the kit, it includes a receiver that connects to your iPod Nano and a sensor that sits in your shoe and sends your running stats wirelessly to the receiver. The sensor is a piezoelectric accelerometer that is accurate to about 90-95% (that number was given to me by the salesperson at the running store I was at - my results have fit into that range).
As you begin your walk or run, you choose the type of workout and what music you are going to listen. Then the device starts keeping your statistics. The next time you sync your iPod to your computer, your workout data is transferred. In addition, you can have your workout data automatically transmitted to the Nike+ website. You can read more details on Wikipedia.
Unfortunately, Nike shoes do not fit my feet. At first I didn’t even think I could use this product since I didn’t want to cripple my arches running in shoes that were too narrow. The Nike+ sensor is designed to be inserted into a pocket built into the sole of a Nike+ shoe. No Nike+ shoe, no sensor-sized pocket.
But after some looking around the intertubes, I discovered plenty of shoe hacks. People all over were using the Nike+iPod kit with non-Nike shoes. Some purchased shoe ‘wallets’, others tucked the sensor in their socks and I even saw some photos of people cutting their own sensor-sized holes in the sole of their shoe.
I chose the wallet approach. This worked and I have been able to use the kit. But it’s also been the cause of any issues I have had with the device. The ideal setup is to have Nike shaped feet and purchase Nike+ shoes.
The issues I had were in fact not complicated - the fact is that the sensor simply needs to be really secured in whatever method you are using to hold it to your foot. If the sensor moves at all during a run then your stats can be severely skewed. The best example I can give is that after completing a 20 km run my Nano would say I had run around 13 km (editors note: 20 km is not the author’s average running distance). It took some playing around with the sensor in the wallet, but I finally stuffed in enough Kleenex to keep it secure. It has been great ever since.
The Apple components that are affected by your kit are your Nano and iTunes itself. The updates are simple - both interfaces now have some additional options. Here is a screen of iTunes (focused on the Nike + iPod tab):
The change here is simple. It basically shows a summary of your workout history. To get better information, you need to log on to the Nike+ web site. As well, the interface on your iPod is simple and easy to use - it consists of an extra menu option with various sub-options.
This is where I was really surprised about this product - the fun really starts at the Nike website. Setting goals and issuing challenges to others really helped me to keep running more. And made it more enjoyable.
Nike has done a great job in the design and configuration of the Nike+ website (or whoever they hired to design and build the site). It is also intuitive and easy to navigate. And if you are a graphical person, you have to love the way your historical data is displayed:
Runs
Challenges
The one complaint with the design is that is almost entirely flash based and can be slow at times. But it’s not enough of an issue that it makes me stop using the site.
Overall, issues with the product were minimal. As mentioned, correctly securing the device caused me some early problems. As well, I had a couple of instances where I had troubles powering the sensor back on. But these problems were fairly minor and easily solved with a little research.
As with any Apple product, I think this is an item that your average Joe consumer could purchase and use on the same day without any fuss.
The overall package succeeds because of the Nike+ website. I thought that if this product were to fail, it would be because of Nike, not Apple. Apple excels in product design - we should all be able to agree on that by now. But Nike has done a great job of making running fun, and the website is where that fun begins (running itself is only so much ‘fun’, yes?).
So as the sun comes out and the desire to get out increases, I’m looking forward to another year of running. And there is no doubt that the desire would not be as strong if I didn’t have Nike+.
If you’ve read some of the content on my site before, you’ll know how much I love the third party software available for OS X. They really enhance my enjoyment of using a Mac.
But it’s also important to remember how good Apple themselves are at making software. You only have to look at the operating system itself (OS X) to see that. But over the years they have produced great software applications like Keynote, Final Cut Studio or GarageBand. Or applications that came packaged with the operating system: Quicktime Player, Mail and iCal. But for me there is one application that stands above them all.
iTunes - it’s probably my favorite piece of software. It’s definitely the best application I have installed on my Windows machine. And I could probably say the same on my Mac. Whatever I’m doing, whether it’s writing, web design, surfing the web or just fiddling, iTunes is a part of the experience. It’s always there in the background, doing it’s thing. And doing it well.
So I wanted to share some tips that have improved my usage of iTunes. This will not be a full review, just a collection of practices I have picked up over the past few years to make the most of my music library.
This is the first step, the foundation to making your library useful. It is work, but you can get into some habits that will make things fairly easy. At the very simplest, every time I add music to my library I add a rating and check the genre. If the genre is missing, or if I disagree with the given genre, I change it.
With those two pieces of information in place for every song, you can now take advantage of smart playlists.
I have a fairly short list of these. It changes from time to time when I have a specific need and add a new list, but these here are the basics that are always around.
The majority of my listening is done in one of two ways - I either listen to an entire album or I use one of my smart playlists. The lists here are self explanatory for the most part. The My Favorites would be the list I use the most, and the one I listen to when I really want to be productive. It has a couple of important rules - plays only songs rated above 3 stars, and only plays songs not listened to in the last 10 days (to keep things fresh).
The first nine playlists are for listening to. The last two are actually tools to keep the library up to date. They are fairly simple - Songs Rated Too High includes any songs that have a skip count greater than 3 and a rating of more than 3 stars:
I use this to show me songs that I am tiring of. I periodically check the lists for new songs. If something shows up, I either reset the skip count or decrease the rating. Same goes for the Songs Rated Too Low, except reversed.
Utilizing the metadata associated to your media files to create and use these smart playlists displays the power of flexibility of iTunes. And there are no shortage of resources for good playlist ideas. It’s a great investment to take some time to find ones that work for you.
There are a few other items I would mention about iTunes:
Library Organization
I never mess with the default preferences for keeping my library organized. Now I don’t have a whole bushel of computers with which I need to keep a large library synced on, but my personal experience is that iTunes does a thoroughly adequate job of keeping the library organized. I’m not about to mess with something that is working fine.
Last.FM Integration
This is not really a feature of iTunes itself, but I mention it since it increases my enjoyment of my iTunes usage. If you use Last.FM, updating your profile from iTunes, even from multiple machines, is not problem at all.
There are a few different audioscrobbler plugins and utilities out there that can do the job. As I wrote recently, I checked out the official Last.FM player after a clean install of Leopard and was pleasantly surprised with the improvements in the newer version. Growl support and more control of the dock and menubar preferences sealed the deal for me. I’ve been using it ever since.
iTunes Resources
I wrote this piece without including details like how to edit the rating, genre or other metadata about any song. There is good documentation available to learn these types of items. The Apple support documents are quite good and have served me well when I’ve needed a little more detailed help (moving libraries between computers etc.).
iTunes is a great piece of software. I have not even mentioned the slickness with which the application handles podcasts, or interfaces with your iPod or iPhone. Or the simplicity of the iTunes Music (Media) Store. There is a ton of functionality within this application and for a lot folks, it has become the hub of their media experience.
And as really great software is wont to do - it’s intuitive enough that you can use it without dabbling or even knowing about any of the items I’ve mentioned above. But if you want to make the most of the experience, try out some of these tips.
Cory from TUAW posted an article on whether or not to purchase AppleCare when you buy a device from Apple. I didn’t when I picked up my Macbook, but from the details here I will be for all future purchases.
Nothing beats great customer support!
The apple blog mentioned a vulnerability in the IPV6 networking layer in OS X’s BSD foundation today. Bob Rudis makes a good point in the post:
…it provides a clear example of how coding errors in the operating system can – and will – be exploited, which is a strong enough reason to put up defenses in other areas.
Great post by Matt Ball on the overall work of Phill Ryu and gang. He focuses on a few issues that seem to have been missed with all the criticism discussion about Macheist.
My own feelings - I love Mac software and have paid for many $30 applications. Some I don’t even use, others only rarely. But I like supporting the community. I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but as a consumer, I can honestly say I prefer to buy my apps directly from the vendor. I just haven’t felt comfortable about promotions like Macheist and My Dream App.
I’m constantly signing up for and trying out the latest web applications. Most of the time I stop using them after the first login. Occasionally I’ll play with one for a couple of weeks. And once in a while a new web app becomes a regular tool. Instapaper is starting to look like one of the latter.
I purchased NetNewsWire (NNW) not long after purchasing my first Mac (a used PowerMac G4), mostly on the recommendation of chairman Gruber. Since then, nothing has made me want to leave NNW for another RSS reader. The only issue I’ve had is that my work machine is an HP so NNW is not an option when at work.
Keeping up with my feeds mostly happens at home. But there are days when I want to do some reading at work. I tried Google reader for a while (with the excellent greader theme from Jon Hicks). But having to keep up to date on all my feeds in two feed readers was a waste of my time.
I’ve also tried using NNW on my mac and using a synced list on NewsGator while at work. This did not last for long either - mostly due to poor performance. NewsGator is extremely slow for me and buggy to boot. I love NNW, but it seems a shame that Ranchero was bought out by a company that makes Windows software (I’ve done a comparison on this very thing before).
Suffice to say, I had a hard time finding a satisfactory solution keeping my reading in sync between work and home. That is where Instapaper has now filled in admirably.
How? First, it has allowed me to keep up with my reading when at work. I don’t always get a lot of time to read at work anyways, so going through my entire list of feeds was a waste. Now I simply have a list of items that I’m sure will be a good read. I simply choose one during my lunch that piques my interest at the time.
Secondly, it fits in with my weekend routine quite nicely as well.
So now with NNW and Instapaper, I can keep up with my reading wherever I am and whenever I have time. Here’s how I use them.
Most weekday evenings I get a chance to go through my feeds in NNW. But a lot of those evenings my time is limited so I really skim through the shorter content.
When I get to something longer that really interests me, if I have time, I read it. If not, I use Instapaper’s bookmarklet to save the item for later. Now when I have a free moment at work, I simply choose from my list of items on Instapaper.
I also mentioned above how it fits in on the weekends. It does so simply by giving me something to read. Most of my feeds have content published during the week, but slow to a trickle on Friday through Sunday. I used to get a bit stressed trying to keep on top of my feeds during the busyness of the week - then the weekend would come along and I’d have nothing left to read.
Now I have a list of the items that deserve a longer look available at the time when I can give them the attention they deserve. And I’m less stressed.
One last thing to mention is the feel of the application itself. It’s dead simple. It was clearly designed for use on the iPhone, but is comfortable on a regular browser. It does just what it needs and nothing more. It’s a clean tool and a joy to use.
It’s becoming an indispensable tool for this reader.
Since I’ve gotten the site up and running, I’ve finally been able to use MarsEdit regularly. I really enjoy this application. It’s simple and singly purposed - it makes writing for a blog more enjoyable.
But others have reviewed this in great length already, so that’s now what I’m doing here. But I was working on a post this morning and almost made the same mistake I’ve made a couple of times in the past few weeks. It’s caused simply by my penchant for fast clicking and the placement of the buttons in the toolbar:
I’ve almost posted a half written post four or five times by hitting the ‘Send to Weblog’ button which is right beside the ‘Save as Draft’ button. So in order to cover my butt, a change was necessary:
Another reason to enjoy OS X and applications written for it. Customization and personal preference are so easy to achieve.
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