Posted by Clayton Lewis on February 13, 2008 under Blog Articles | 
JULIO OJEDA-ZAPATA over at TwinCities.com wrote an interesting article on the MacBook Air today…
Apple laptops are increasingly popular because they’re so versatile and easy to use. But the Macintosh portables have one big problem – they’re, well, big.
Weighty high-end MacBook Pro models aren’t meant to be lugged for lengthy stretches. Even the more compact consumer MacBook can be a burden, as I’ll attest after my recent trip to Macworld Expo with one of the machines in my backpack.
So, Apple has gone superlight and superthin with its MacBook Air. This gorgeous laptop is aimed at those who carry their computers everywhere and will pay a premium for portability in a stylish package.
Read the rest of his article here…
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Posted by Clayton Lewis on under Blog Articles, Mac Tips |
If you haven’t heard yet, Apple released 10.5.2 the other day and IMHO, this is a MUST have update. This update has my STRONG approval and recommendation. Daylite is working well for me as are all of my other programs.
The ability to modify “Stacks” back to Folder icons is awesome, other interface changes are welcome, it loads noticeably faster on my MacBook Pro, so far it seems to feel and be more stable.
4 of 4 stars from The MacTech.
Here is a list of the most prominent improvements
- Updates Stacks with a List view option, a Folder view option, and an updated background for Grid view.
- “Improvement of AirPort connection reliability and stability”
- 802.1X improvements
- Resolving kernel panics related to AirPort.
- Adding support for more third-party routers to “Back to My Mac”
- Improved performance of certain Apple Dashboard widgets.
- Addresses an issue in which Finder could unexpectedly quit when displaying folder contents in Column view.
- Addresses a hanging issue that may occur when connecting to an AFP network volume.
- Addresses issues with Safari reliably resolving certain domains.
- Adds a menu bar option for accessing Time Machine features (the menu extra can be enabled in Time Machine preferences).
- Improves backup reliability when computer name contains slash or non-ASCII characters.
- “Improves general stability when running third-party applications.”
- Adds RAW image support for several cameras, as detailed in this article.
A full list of enhancements can be found here.
The new release is available through Software Update or via the following links:
Now that doesn’t meant that people haven’t had their fair share of issues. Check this MacFixit Article for a rolling list of troubleshooting items. Just as a rule of thumb, I always repair permissions BEFORE and AFTER applying any Mac OS updates. Another quick troubleshooting tip is to trash all the Cache files found in both the /Library/Caches and ~/Library/Caches folders and restarting.
Posted by Clayton Lewis on under Blog Articles, Mac Tips |
This was written by Ed at Small Dog Electronics
OS 10.4’s Disk Utility makes it easy to make an exact copy of a CD or DVD that can be stored on a hard drive as a disk image, or burned to a CD or DVD for future use or create a backup copy.
First, insert the CD or DVD you want to backup into your Mac. Next, drag the icon of the CD or DVD to the Disc Utility application (which is usually stored in the Applications Folder > Utilities Folder.) In other words, drag and drop the CD or DVD icon on top of the Disk Utility icon. Disk Utility will launch, and then it will immediately open a window asking you to name the new disk image, and where to save it. Go ahead and save the image to your desktop.
In the Image Format drop-down menu, choose DVD/CD master. This is especially important if you want to burn a copy of the disk, and have it function as an exact clone of the original CD or DVD you hope to backup.Now click “Save.” A new disk image will be created on your Desktop, with the extension “.cdr,” It may take a few minutes to create this file.
If you click on the disk image, you’ll see it works just like a CD or DVD. You can store this new disk image on a hard drive. If you want to burn it to CD or DVD, you should again use Disk Utility. Otherwise, you’ll only be burning a copy of the disk image, and not an actual CD or DVD master.
To burn a CD or DVD master, open Disk Utility and look for the disk image of your CD or DVD, on the left side of the window. Usually it’s at the bottom of the list of drives. Now, simply select the image, and then click “Burn.” Follow the directions to burn the disk.
This is a great way to back up expensive software titles and game titles. Many games that require a disk to run will run off of the disk image — great for traveling.
~ Ed
Small Dog Electronics
Posted by Clayton Lewis on under Blog Articles, Mac Tips |
One tool that I love to use on a regular basis is Mactracker. As a Mac consultant/tech I need to know the default specs of any mac at a moment’s notice. Mactracker is a database of such information but it goes beyond that. Mactracker provides detailed information on every Apple Macintosh computer ever made, including items such as processor speed, memory, optical drives, graphic cards, supported Mac OS versions, and expansion options. Also included is information on Apple mice, keyboards, displays, printers, scanners, digital cameras, iPod, Apple TV, iPhone, AirPort Base Stations, Newton, and Mac OS versions.
In addition to listing technical specifications, Mactracker allows you to gauge the real-world performance with scores courtesy of Primate Labs Geekbench 2. The included results reflect an average of the user submitted benchmarks for models ranging from iBook (Dual USB) to Mac Pro (8-core).
Each of the info windows has a Notes tab that allows you to add your own comments as well as links to Internet addresses, files, and folders that relate to the selected model. With the “My Mac models” section in version 4.1 or later, you can add details about your own Mac models such as their serial number, purchase date, and warranty coverage end date.
The datbase can be downloaded and run on your Mac, iPod and there is even a Windows version.
But iPhone users sit up and take notice. There is an online version of Mactracker specifically for the iPhone. Check it out!!
Be sure to bookmark this on your iPhone and have access to every Mac ever made.
Posted by Clayton Lewis on February 9, 2008 under Blog Articles |
Ok… it’s been about a week since I last posted anything. But with good reason. I’ve just spent the last two days in the San Diego/Las Angeles area doing some Daylite training and support. While I was here in SD, I was invited to a night of entertainment that included an awesome 4-course meal, lively entertainment and a murder mystery. The Mystery Cafe on Kalmia Street in San Diego is the place to be if you’re into trying to figure out “who done it” while enjoying your dinner. You sit so close to the action that you might end up as part of the show yourself.
This mystery is set in a 20′ speakeasy with notorious gangster era characters, such as the Igancious “Sonny” Shoelone, a knock-out red-headed dame named Boom-Boom, a nun, a prudish prohibitionist, a half-witted mob-boss-to-be, the ambiguous duo of Frankie and Johnny and everyone’s favorite “mama”. This was my second visit to one of these shows and I was one of two in the crowd to guess the murderer’s identity and during the show I was also told that I make a great “shield”… don’t ask.
Anyway, I got my picture taken with the cast which capped the end of a great evening. If you’re ever in SD and looking for some night-time fun, be sure to visit the folks at the Mystery Cafe, in the Imperial House Restaurant at 505 Kalmia Street, between 5th and 6th Ave, not far from Mister A’s. When you get there, whisper in Ned Hill’s ear… “Clay sent me”.
Ok.. I promise… back to the Mac and Daylite tips and articles. 
