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| A gift from Apple | |
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4.10.2008
9:12 PM | Link |
 Every time I have to visit the Genius Bar at the Apple Store, I always leave as an even bigger Apple fan! Lately I had been experiencing some weird behavior with my MacBook battery - when the power was running low, it would shut down with no warning message! I tried a few possible solutions that I found on the web, but it still happened every now and then, so I figured the battery was definitely freaking out. I could almost live with it, since it was simple enough to just plug-in a little sooner than I normally would, but then I decided I should just give the Genius Bar a shot (especially since my last visit had gone so well). So, I explained my situation (including how my warranty ended two months ago), and I figured they would do a little diagnosis and finally sell me a new battery, and that would have been fine. To my total surprise, the guy just checked out their records on my MacBook, and said, "Well, it's not authorizing a replacement, but I'm going to give you a new battery anyway." Absolutely amazing! I was completely prepared to spend $130 for a new battery, and they gave me one for free - out of warranty! That's the kind of service that will keep me happily buying Apple products forever. Since Dad is going to inherit my MacBook someday, I'm glad he's going to get a fresh battery, too!
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| iPhone scrolling | |
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3.20.2008
6:36 AM | Link | Here's an awesome tip I heard about while watching Macworld coverage on GeekBrief (I can only take Cali in extremely small doses, but it's so easy to watch on my TiVo that I can't help it). Browsing websites on the iPhone is cool and easy, but if you scroll all the way to the bottom of a long page and need to get back to the top, it's sometimes a pain to flick the screen back up over and over again. But all you have to do is tap the title bar of the iPhone (the bar at the top with your signal strength and battery level), and it will instantly scroll back to the top of the page automatically! |
| Forgotten passwords in Keychain Access | |
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3.18.2008
6:57 AM | Link | The other day I completely forgot an old FTP password that I needed, and it wasn't something I could easily reset. I knew I had it saved in some web accounts, so I tried to find it in the HTML source, but they were too smart and had it encrypted and non-copyable. Then as a last straw I realized it would be in my Mac OS keychain, so I checked out the Keychain Access application (in the Applications/Utilities folder), and there it was! I found it in just a few seconds, protected by my Mac password (which I never forget!), and I suddenly became a Mac OS fan all over again. If you find yourself in the same situation, give this tip a try! |
| Instant MacBook repair | |
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2.15.2008
8:54 PM | Link |
 A few weeks ago my precious MacBook developed a crack in the right palm rest, just above the sleep light. It wasn't too bad, and a small piece of tape held it together nicely, but I thought I would check out the Apple support forums anyway. It turns out that lots of people had this same crack develop, and when I read that Apple would repair it under warranty, I decided to have it fixed (especially since my warranty is only good for another two weeks!). So, last night I got everything prepared (backing up, moving things to my iDisk and so on), and made an appointment at the Genius Bar of the Apple Store at the Domain. After work I showed up for my appointment, and as soon as the guy saw the crack he recognized it and started writing up the repair. I was sure they would need to ship it to a repair center, but surprisingly they said it could be fixed in-house, right away! They said it would be ready in a couple hours, so I figured I would pick it up tomorrow, and left to do my grocery shopping. Before I could even get to the checkout line, they called me and said it was done (in less than an hour!). So, I just went right back to the store to get it, and now I'm happily typing away on my "new" MacBook! I'm pretty sure they replaced the entire case/keyboard/trackpad assembly, because my keys and trackpad both feel fresh. The whole experience was incredible, and as always, I couldn't be more amazed at Apple service!
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| Cheek beep | |
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2.05.2008
6:03 PM | Link | It's no secret that I love my iPhone, but I do far more web surfing, video watching, and music listening than actual talking on the phone. But when I do actually use it to communicate, I've noticed that my face sometimes hits buttons on the phone while I'm talking! Sometimes I'll accidentally activate the speakerphone, or even bring up the keypad and start beeping random numbers, all by mistake. I guess I'm holding it too close to my face - either that, or my cheeks are too chubby! Actually, this is an extremely minor peeve that hasn't ever caused me any real trouble - I'll just work on holding it against my ear and not flat against my head. I'm still a complete iPhone fan, and I'm happy that Apple released a 16GB model today, because eventually I'll upgrade and truly replace my iPod for good. But for now, my 8GB of memory has been plenty to keep me occupied on trips - I couldn't be happier! |
| Enjoying Leopard's new features | |
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11.28.2007
8:05 PM | Link |
 Being the Mac fan that I am, of course I pre-ordered Mac OS X Leopard (and got a great deal from Amazon), but when it arrived I was in the middle of too much video editing to worry about installing it. But as soon as I got a chance, I upgraded my MacBook and Power Mac right away, and I've really been enjoying it (and I didn't have any problems with the installation!). There are lots of great visual changes that I love, but the new Dock is definitely a little space-age (I thought the reviews I read were just whining, but I kind of agree now). But I've always been kind of a Mac purist – I never use hacks or utilities to modify the behavior or look of the OS, so I'll stick with the true Apple design for now (I'm betting they will offer more visual preferences later). I'm getting used to Stacks in the Dock, too - I really like the concept, and it definitely seems helpful to me (especially the Downloads stack), but I hope there will be a way to pick a stack icon someday. I think my favorite improvements have to do with using my two Macs together. File Sharing is much easier since my other Mac shows up nicely in the Finder sidebar, but even better is Screen Sharing, which is a fantastic way to monitor my machine upstairs from my MacBook downstairs! It's great when I need to check on a bunch of videos I'm converting, or change the tunes I'm listening to. I'm also using Quick Look all the time! It's so nice to browse through a folder of documents, movies, or images and see them with a single press of the space bar. And I can't forget to mention the fantastic Print dialog with it's awesome built-in preview - I can't imagine a better way to do it. I'm definitely happy with Leopard, and there are still lots of features I haven't even touched yet!
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| iPhone love | |
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9.14.2007
7:55 AM | Link |
 It was sheer luck that the iPhone price drop happened just a couple days before my parents came to visit, and it was sheer generosity that prompted Mom & Dad to offer to buy me one as a super-early birthday present! I guess I had to turn a year older almost five months early, but it was completely worth it. I love the iPhone! The first night I got it I spent practically the entire evening trying out every single button and setting (and showing everything joyfully to Dad), and I'm still discovering and trying new stuff today (last night I noticed the Start button on Google Maps that zooms through each step of the route as you go, and giggled with geeky happiness!). I've been having fun looking through iPhone websites, trying out sites specially formatted for the iPhone (Leaflets is awesome!), and collecting iPhone wallpaper (I'm currently using a great Space Invaders shot). In many ways, it's like discovering the iPod itself all over again, because I have a new desire to gather together my favorite photos (such as scans of old family shots) and videos (I've been transferring some Disney shorts and Jpop videos) so I have them with me to enjoy. And of course, it's a great phone, too! I've been talking with my pal Ryan every day for work, and the connection sounds wonderful. Every time I play with the iPhone I smile - it's definitely the most beautiful and fun gadget I've ever owned. Thanks again, Mom & Dad!
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| My network is extreme | |
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8.03.2007
6:53 AM | Link |
 Way back when I first entered the world of wireless, I bought an SMC router, since at the time I read it was a good choice when using both PCs and Macs together. It's worked great for many years, but a few weeks ago I started noticing that my download speed was getting slower and slower, both wireless and even wired! I finally ran some tests, and realized that my router was freaking out somehow and causing my speed to be about a 10th of what it should be (I couldn't believe what I had been missing when I plugged the net directly into my Power Mac!). So, I just decided it was time to upgrade, and since I only have Macs now, I went for the amazing AirPort Extreme Base Station, Apple's own cool wireless router. I just hooked it up yesterday, and I'm back to full speed again! The design of the router is really nice (of course), since it's small, sleek, and white with no giant antennae, and I really like the configuration application, which is much more "Apple" than a browser-based solution. I'm also using the router to share my printer, which is really convenient for printing from my MacBook, since it's always available on my home network. And on top of that, my wireless connection is much faster with the new "n" specification. I'm definitely excited about it - it's like discovering broadband all over again!Labels: apple |
| Trying to wait | |
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7.01.2007
1:32 PM | Link |
 I guess I have to make a brief mention of the big iPhone launch that happened on Friday. So far the majority of the reviews and buying experiences have been amazingly good - I'm really impressed that so many iPhones were available that people could easily get them at Apple stores on Saturday. I made up my mind a while back to hold off on buying one right away, but I have to confess, the waiting is difficult! Both Austin Apple stores had them in stock yesterday, so I could have just walked right in and got one, and believe me, I thought about it! The more I read, the harder it gets - my past reservations about an all-in-one device are definitely gone now. I know for a fact that I will definitely have an iPhone by Christmas - maybe by then there will be a small drop in price, or more memory available or something. Anyway, I can barely wait. I really hope no one I know gets one, because the moment I see it in person, I'm going to break down!
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| iMovie 2: The Missing Manual / David Pogue : 4 of 5 | |
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1.05.2003
11:58 PM | Link |
 Now that I have my super cool digital camcorder (my Christmas gift to myself), I'm ready to explore video editing, which means using iMovie. I've already had fun experimenting with making a little stop-motion film with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer toys, but I've been hungry to learn about all the fun stuff iMovie can do. Another Christmas book from Mom and Dad, I gobbled this up in just a few days and learned so much! Not only are the "how-to" sections complete and easy to understand, but the book also provides a lot of coverage of basic film editing techniques, which will be so helpful to a novice like me. I'm looking forward to doing some "artistic" films this year, and I can't wait to burn my creations onto DVDs somewhere down the line.
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| Apple iBook | |
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4.30.2001
10:15 PM | Link |
 As you can see, I was raised on Macintosh, so to speak, but I haven't really used one in several years, until now. I must confessed I was lured by the iPod commercial - I simply had to have one of those sexy devices in my pocket! So, I actually bought an iBook just to be my MP3 warehouse for an iPod. I also hooked up a wireless router, so I can use my cute little iBook to surf the web while I kick back on the couch, plus I'm really enjoying using Mac OS X (which is so much fun). Guess I'm bi-sexual again when it comes to computers.
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| Apple Macintosh IIsi | |
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10:12 PM | Link |
 My development group at CITGO used Macs, so they actually bought me this wonder to use at home. During this time, I was a full-fledged Macintosh developer, going to conferences in San Jose, trading emails with Apple employees in Cupertino, and I even got to speak at some conferences. To be truthful, I used this machine mostly for moonlighting - Cheri and I started 1:05 Design on this one and made lots of logo design money.
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