1. Art and Diseño

MaUsE DoubleClick - January 2015
2014 MaUsE Executive
• President : Michael Shaw
[email protected]
•Vice President: Ian Winton
Secretary & Apple Liaison:
Marcel Dufresne
[email protected]
• Treasurer: Ken Jansen
• Director: Stan Wild
• Director: Stephen Wood
• Director: Brian Elston
MaUsE Contact Information:
The MaUsE
c/o Michael Shaw
237 Huntingwood Drive
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
L1J 7C6
w w w. m a u s e . c a
DoubleClick
Produced and Edited by
Michael Shaw
Photographs by
Irma Shaw and others
Don’t forget to
pay your MaUsE
Membership fee.
Still only
$45 per year.
From The Editor
What you are looking at is the January 2015
edition of the MaUsE DoubleClick, the online
publication of the Macintosh Users East,
(MaUsE), a motley collection of mostly harmless
cranks who reside in Southern Ontario with their
motley collection of old and new Macintosh,Hackentosh & MacClone computers.
The DoubleClick is published using a 2.8 GHz
iMac Extreme and QuarkXPress 10. An antique
Kodak DX7590 is STILL being used for all pictures. Everything not specifically attributed to
someone else can probably be blamed on the
Editor. Back issues can be downloaded from the
MaUsE website: < www.mause.ca >. Submissions from MaUsE Club members are almost always welcome. Maybe that last bit is an
exaggeration.
Send your submissions and articles to me at:
< [email protected] >, especially if there are
files or pictures attached. I have never refused a
submission yet. Because we care about the environment, the MaUsE DoubleClick is created
using only recycled electrons: matter was neither
created nor destroyed in the process of creating
this issue. There is always room for another piece
on any Mac-related topic and Iʼll make room if
there isnʼt. I would like your submissions. But I
won't beg.
About MaUsE
Macintosh Users East.
also known as MaUsE,
is the most active
Apple-authorised MUG
(Mac User Group)
in Southern Ontario.
MaUsE is here for users of
all Apple products,
including Apple computers,
iPods, iPhones,
and iPads.
Apple, Macintosh, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the
U.S. and other countries.
The MaUsE (Macintosh Users East) is an Appleauthorised Macintosh user group
Michael Shaw, Editor
MaUsE Meetings are held in Room 1 at the new Whitby Public Library on
the south-east corner of Henry and Dundas West in Whitby, Ontario on the
fourth Wednesday of each month except December, July and August. Meetings start at 7:00 PM but there is an early session from 6:30 for people who
wish to discuss hardware or software issues or problems. Macintosh virus
problem are discussion from 6:58 to 7:00 PM
On behalf of the President and
Executive of MaUsE:
Happy New
New Year
Year
Happy
NuGuard GripStand 3
From OWC
The GripStand functions as a protective
case, q display stand, and a hand grip for
the Apple iPad 2nd, 3rd & 4th Gen (Black).
I have reviewed many cases for the iPad over
the years. My absolute favourite iPad case is the
GripStand from OWC which I reviewed in the July
2012 DoubleClick. I have been happily using this
case for over two and a half years. This is what you
see me with at the meetings. There are quite a few
features about this unique case that sets it way above
any other. Read on to find out why I strongly recommend it.
The NuGuard GripStand 3 is made up of a protective
case and a handle which acts as the grip/stand. The
protective case has a 2.5 inch hole in the back that
allows the stand to be attached. The outside shell consists of a hard plastic with several parts sculpted out to permit
access to all the ports and buttons on your iPad as well as a spot
to connect your Apple Smart Cover, if you have one. I like that
there are large slots and spaces on the sides of the case to insert
any plugs. Some cases have too tight a fit and plugs like the Apple
iPad Camera Connection kit don't fit. This results in the iPad having to
be removed from the case before the plug can be used. The inside of
the shell is a rubberized material with symmetric holes. The instructions pertaining to inserting the iPad into the case are straight forward. First insert the iPad with the ports correctly oriented. Then push
the opposite corners of the iPad into the case and press down firmly
with your thumbs. This should create a good suction fit to hold the
iPad in place. Don't attach the handle until you have the iPad secured
in the case. I found that the insertion process worked better when the
large space at the back was open. It probably helped to create the
proper suction, allowing the air to be squeezed out from behind the
iPad. This also explains the purpose of all those holes on the rubberized interior of the case. It is advisable to check that the iPad is securely attached. This is my only concern with this case. Most cases
wrap around not only the back and sides but also a bit on the front so
that the iPad can't slip out of the case. There is no overlapping front
face grip. I can understand why it was built this way. This construction
allows the Smart Cover to lie flat over the face. To remove any doubts
I had about the suction hold of the case, I have held the iPad upside
down over a couch and tried to shake it free. The suction has held
every time I tried to get it to fall free. I guess if you are worried about
how secure it is, you can periodically test the grip.
Once the stand is clicked into place, you are done. The handle can be
swiveled 360° or positioned at virtually any angle for viewing and typing needs.
It kind of locks in the four main positions for landscape or portrait
viewing with the home button on the right or left. It is also a highly effective one hand grip so you can use your iPad while standing or
walking. I was surprised at how handy this was. It was a lot easier
carrying the iPad while holding on to the grip and it kept my oily
hands away from the screen. The handle can be rotated to use
as a hook to hang your iPad on a wall. The handle allows you
to carry the iPad like a briefcase. There is also a nylon strap
included to securely mount the iPad to a vehicle headrest.
One of the drawbacks of using the iPad as an eReader is
the weight of the device, especially for any length of
time. The stand makes reading with my iPad undemanding. Because it has that handle on the back, I
can use the iPad for reading anywhere, whether lying
in bed or on a couch or sitting on a bench. I simply
set the angle that best suits my position and I can
rest my hand on the handle. I don't have to grip
anything since the stand is supporting the iPad.
My hands and thumbs don't have to do much work at
all. I measured the weight of the various parts and found
the iPad 2 to be about 650 g, the case 350 g, and the handle 150 g. So, using the GripStand will increase the weight of
the iPad about the same as most of the other cases I reviewed.
I need to mention one other fact that I was thrilled with. The GripStand
handle is quite stiff when you attempt to change the viewing angle.
This means that whatever angle you decide on, the iPad stays right
there. So many other cases I have tried were either limited in the angles or tended to slip and change their angle as you touched and
tapped away at them. This is why it is a great aid for using and typing
on the iPad. And the stiffness has not decreased in the two and half
years I have been using it.
I keep the GripStand at about a 60° angle when not in use. This
makes it really easy to pick up. I found with other cases that the easiest way to pick them up was to slide the iPad over the edge of whatever it was lying on. I was always afraid I might slide it too far and, if I
was not paying enough attention, I would drop the iPad on the floor. I
don't have this fear with the GripStand since I am picking it straight
up. As far as protecting my iPad, I did once accidentally knock it off a
table onto a carpeted floor with absolutely no damage done. The plastic case did its job and cushioned the fall/l.
Another factor not apparent when you first buy a case is how well it
does with a year or more of use. All my other cases show their age.
They are frayed at the edges. Cracks and scratches appear in the
shell. They don't hold their position properly. None of these age factors have shown up on my GripStand. There are few scratches in the
plastic. The stiffness of the grip is the same as it has always been. It
does not look brand new but it has held up well to the continual abuse
I have put it through.
Whenever I have my iPad in use, someone is always commenting on
the GripStand case. My students see me with it in class and they are
impressed with it. They see how versatile it is and ask where they can
buy one. The answer is online at www.eshop.macsales.com. The best
part of this case is the cost, $34.99. This is by far the best case for the
money, especially when you factor in its versatility and durability. Because Apple kept the size of the iPad fairly consistent, this grip works
on quite a few generations of iPads. In any case, whatever iPad you
do have, OWC will have a Nuguard GripStand that will fit your gadget.
Have a look at this case and, while there, peruse the other items that
OWC has for your computer. Like many other OWC and NewerTech
brand products, the GripStand comes backed with a no risk, no hassle 30-day Money back guarantee. Should you need to contact them
for any questions or issues, I have always found them to be very
prompt in these matters. This case will continue to be a permanent
fixture at our monthly MaUsE meetings. Have a look for it there!
Submitted by Marcel Dufresne
2014
In Review
The 2014 G5 / iMac
Giveaway
2014 G5 / iMac Giveaway
Early in the year Our Bruce got a line on a load of obsolete Macintosh
computers that were “surplus to needs” at the office of the Globe and
Mail in Toronto. With a helping hand from Michael, a van-load of iMacs,
G5 towers, keyboards, mice and Apple Cinema Displays were brought
back to Oshawa and prepped
for their new homes.
Some appeared in MaUsE
Meeting raffles. Others went to
members who asked, and the
last of them went to strangers
who expressed a need. One of
them even wound up here in the
DoubleClick office and has become our official back-up server.
Interesting Old Tech
AirPort Express 802.11g and Griffin AirBase
As a general rule, there are not very many Apple products that are
simply poorly designed. The AirPort Express 802.11g, First Generation from 2004, unfortunately, was one of them. Basically, it looks like
an over-sized iBook power supply. (see pictures) and has all of that
devices failings, plus a few more. Firstly, something as heavy as a
ethernet repeater should not be held into a wall receptacle by the plug
prongs if it weighs enough to make it probable that it will simply fall off
the wall at the slightest provocation. Secondly, the device should have
a mobile base or anchor that is stable enough to make it possible to
set the repeater up on top of something solid where it can be easily
accessed.
The AirPort Express 802.11g, First Generation is designed to be connected into your DSL router via a standard RJ-45 ethernet cable. Besides an ethernet port it has a USB port so you can connect a printer
to it in order to wirelessly access a networked printer, and a headphone jack for accessing audio. This is a dual speed device capable
of a data transfer rate of up to 54 Mbps for AirPort Extreme-enabled
and other Wi-Fi Certified 802.11g and Up to 11 Mbps for AirPort -enabled and other Wi-Fi 802.11b-enabled computers. Range is up to 50foot from the base station in typical use at 54 Mbps data rate and
150-foot from the base station in typical use at 11 Mbps data rate.
In terms of utility and ease of use, the AirPort Express is a treat. It
comes with an excellent little manual: I was given it as a used item
with no proper provenance and, by using the instructions provided,
within ten minutes of plugging it into our DSL router I had located and
cleared the device of its previous owners account name and security
password, reset the device to factory settings, put in my own network
name, password and security prefs, and connected to the internet. I
did not even have to load software: The Airport Utility built into Mac
OSX 10.10 Yosemite recognised the AirPort Express as a new device
and joined it seamlessly into our existing networks.
Fortunately, when I got the AirPort Express base station I was given a
Griffin AirBase with it. In the picture, above right, the AirPort Express
is firmly bedded in the Griffin product. The Griffin Technology’s AirBase functions as a visually presentable stand for Apple’s AirPort Express 802.11g and is also actually quite useful at overcoming some of
the AirPort Express’s several faults. The bottom of the AirBase is a
weighted metal piece (the entire unit weighs a hefty 9 ounces) with a
3.25" x 2.75" grippy rubber “foot” to keep the unit from sliding around
a desk or shelf. The Airport Express weighs about 7 ounces on its
own so combined they weigh in at about one pound. The top of the
AirBase is made of white plastic and provides an AC connector that
takes the place of the AirPort Express’ removable plug—you slide
your AirPort Express onto the connector and to seat it snugly and securely in the AirBase. You then connect the AirBase to an AC outlet
using the included cable.
Benefits:
 By letting you place your AirPort
Express up high on a desk or shelf—
the AirBase helps improve reception.
 By placing the AirBase in an accessible location, it’s much easier to
quickly connect or disconnect Ethernet, USB, and audio cables
 Having the Express’ indicator light in a visible location is useful for
diagnosing connection problems.
 The rear of the AirBase has a metal “cable management” loop that
does exactly what it says: By threading Ethernet/USB/audio cables
through the loop before plugging them in, your cable clutter is reduced.
Submitted by Michael Shaw
Jewel 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive
from Silicon Power
I have reviewed a number of thumb drives and
external hard drives in the past. There is relatively little that I can add to why you should have
a couple of thumb drives handy. The main question, with so many choices available, is which
one to buy? There are a few properties I look for
in a thumb drive. Besides the size of the drive, I
want it to be fast, rugged, and look good. The
Jewel 06 series of thumb drives from Silicon
Power comes in four sizes: 8, 16, 32 and 64 GB.
It is up to you to determine the correct size for
your needs, but remember, you can partition the drive any number of
ways. The blue strip on the interior of the USB slot indicates that it is
USB 3.0 which is super fast. I have tested the speed of various ports
on my computer and hub with both USB 3.0 and 2.0. The speed of
transfer from my iMac to this drive was around 20-25 seconds per
GB. The speed difference is very noticeable. The J06 is backward
compatible with any USB 2.0 port so you can use it with your older
technology.
The Jewel (J06) from Silicon Power is definitely the smallest drive I
have tested. It is the size of a thumbnail. The J06 measures 24 x 16 x
8.5 mm and weighs in at 3.6 g. Most of the drive is composed of the
silver USB connector. The USB slot is covered with a black plastic
rubber cap. The cap pulls off to expose the slot. This cap provides
protection for the USB slot so that it does not get damaged while sitting in your pocket or elsewhere. Lastly, you will appreciate the look of
the drive. The J06 has a modern appearance with its stylish, streamlined shape design and dark blue colour. The plastic surface prevents
scratches, fingerprints and dirt from sticking to it.
The Jewel J06 is the perfect storage item for travelling. It takes up so
little space. And the use of the high-density plastic housing offers
complete waterproof, vibration-proof and dust proof protections. It
supports Windows 8 / 7 / Vista / XP / 2000, Mac OS 10.3.x and
higher, and Linux 2.6.x. It also comes with a lifetime warranty.
My only concern with this drive is its size. I am worried that I might
misplace it. There is a built-in strap slot so you can attach it to something else and I may want to take advantage of this. I am surprised
that it does not come with a suitable strap in the first place. Maybe the
change compartment of my wallet will be a safe place for now. The
durable design and cover should provide adequate protection wherever I decide to carry it.
And, it is also waterproof so I don't have to
worry about spills.
Go to www.silicon-power.com/ and read more about this minuscule
drive. If this small drive can hold 32GB of data then what is taking up
all the extra space on those other drives? Search online for this drive.
It is available at numerous places such as Newegg or Amazon for
about $16. The larger 64GB drive is around $30. With a lifetime warranty, you can't go wrong picking up this minuscule flash drive.
Submitted by Marcel Dufresne
Control + Command + D
What Does It Mean ?
Here is an interesting bit of MacTrivia for you Mac Book users: if
you hover your mouse over any word you can tap three fingers on
the track pad to see the definition, as well as Thesaurus and
Wikipedia entries for that word. You don’t have to select the word.
You just have to hover your I-beam cursor over it.
And you don't need a Macbook to do this. On a regular desktop
Mac, whenever you move your cursor over text that is potentially
copiable the pointer will turn into the I-beam that you would use
for selecting text to copy. Instead of selecting text, you can just
hover your cursor over the target word, and press Control+Command+D to get the same definition and other information. The
target word will be outlined in yellow to indicate and acknowledge
that it has been selected and a box will appear over top the text
on the page replete with dictionary definitions, alternative words,
and Wikipedia information.
Mark January 28th
on your calendar and
bring a friend.
There will be a
Special Presentation
and fun for all !
Next MaUsE
Meeting:
January 28th
2015
If you find yourself wanting to listen to more books, you can pay and
add book credits to your subscription as you go. The next book that
month can be had for an additional $10.00.
One of the lesser used advantages of iDevices is listening to books
and podcasts. Sure, music is stored on it from your own library and
radio stations can be accessed through the Internet but I prefer to listen to audio books and podcasts whenever I have my earplugs in use.
With the longer distances that we travel we find ourselves caught in
transit more and more and this time waiting can be put to better use
with audio books. Exercising while listening to music is a choice, but
again, I prefer a good book. I find that I am much more likely to go out
for a walk if I have the next chapter of a book that I want to listen to.
Wanting to know what happens next is a great incentive to improve
my exercise regime. Finding good books to listen to may be a chore
for some of us. Fortunately there are sources out there (besides your
city's library). Audiobooks.com is an audio book service that allows
members to stream and download audio books. Audiobooks.com delivers access to any Internet-enabled smartphone or computer, including Apple iPhones and iPads and Android smartphones or tablet
devices. The company uses its own technology that synchronizes the
users' last listened-to bookmark position across all devices. As long
as you have an Internet connection for your devices, it will sync your
last position. Read on to find out more about Audiobooks.com.
The first thing to do in order to get an audio book is to sign up for an
account from Audiobooks.com. The first book is on them. You can
sign up for a 30 day free trial and get one book credit. You could of
course listen to the audio book from
your laptop or computer, but it makes
more sense to use your iDevice. So the
next step is then to download the 'Audio
Books by Audiobooks' app (a mainly orange icon) from the iTunes store. At the
present time, this app is only available
for iPhone/iPad or Android devices.
Now you can listen to your book on
whatever device is handy, and, as long
as you are connected to the Internet,
your progress will be in sync over any
device. For computer use
Audiobooks.com supports the latest
versions of Chrome, Internet Explorer,
Firefox and Safari.
The basic cost of a membership is
$14.95 per month which entitles you to
one book credit (one audio book). One
book credit allows you to listen to any
audio book from their library.
Audio books are more expensive than ebooks because they are really
a performance. It is more like a movie than just a book. They often
have sound effects to improve the listening experience. Also, many
best sellers would cost the same and you can’t read a best seller
when stuck in traffic. The quality of an audio book lies totally in the
voice and the ability of the narrator. An accomplished narrator can
make the audio book come alive. To help you decide if you should get
that particular book from Audiobooks.com, you can listen to a preview
which is usually a three minute clip of the book. I am glad to have this
short preview to the audio book. It gives me a feel for the ability of the
narrator. Pushing the 'Continue' button will automatically purchase the
book.
When you stream an audio book, you're able to instantly listen to the
book over your internet connection. The great thing about streaming
is that you don't need to download the audio book first to listen to it,
and it doesn't take up space on your device. Downloading is a great
option when you have an Internet connection and want to keep the
book on your device for offline listening, especially if you're heading
somewhere with poor reception. You can always delete the book from
your device, but it stays in your library.
Audiobooks.com has been around for a number of years. As such
they have over 40,000 audio books available in their library. The
browsing set up lets you find what you want by quickly using advanced sorting techniques.
You can choose from a pre-determined booklist such as New
York Bestsellers or the National Book Award 2014 Finalists. I
prefer searching by genre of which they have 25 listed. Once
you have decided on a genre, this is then broken down into
sub-categories to again help you to pinpoint exactly what you
are looking for. The Science Fiction and Fantasy area has
seven sub-headings. Once there, you can sort the many
books through publication date or highest rated or other categories. If you know exactly what book or author you want
then just search for it from the search field provided and bypass all this other stuff. Some of these books are free, which
will not cost you a book credit. At other times, some books go
on sale, and can be purchased for $5 or $10. Whatever your
interests, you will find something to listen to every month.
The Audiobooks.com app is relatively easy to use. On the left
hand side you find a menu listing ‘Search’, ‘Featured’, ‘Your
Books’, ‘Browse’, ‘Settings’, ‘Messages’, and ‘Now Playing’.
Most of these need no explanation. It defaults to ‘Featured’
when you first open it. The currently playing audio book is
listed at the bottom of the window and is ready to play at the
tap of your finger. Going to 'Now Playing' is the best way to
control the audio book. It has a slidable button to quickly
move forward or back through the book along with a timer
showing the present progress of the book as well as the total
length of the book. Another couple of buttons let you jump
ahead or back in 30 s intervals. For those of use who like to
read (listen) to a book just before falling asleep there is a
timer option that will shut off the audio book after a certain
length of pre-determined time (5, 10, up to 90 minutes). You
can thus listen to a book as you are dozing and not worry
about the story playing away while you are asleep. Another
function is the narrator's reading speed. You can up this from
normal to four times faster. An audio book is also a great battery saver for your iDevice. Listening to a book takes very little battery life as the screen goes to black as you listen.
Reading an ebook uses up the battery a lot faster. The
"save" function allows you to add unpurchased books to a
saved list. This is separate from your library, and acts like a
wish list or "to-read" list. You can save any titles that you
don't want to purchase right now, but want to keep bookmarked for
later.
For now, the subscription service is only available to listeners in the
United States and Canada. International users can always listen to
the free books by downloading the app. No account is necessary for
the free books. If you're an Audiobook.com member and you'll be
traveling outside of the USA or Canada, make sure to claim a credit
on any book you want to listen to on your trip before you leave. Once
you've claimed the credits and the books are part of your library, you
can download, delete or stream them as required no matter where
you are.
The 'Audio Books by Audiobooks' requires iOS 6.1 or later. I have a
really old iPod Touch which unfortunately tops out at iOS 4 and cannot use the app to listen to audio books. However, if I have the Internet available, I can stream the audio book through my iPod’s browser.
Otherwise, I will simply load up my iPad and away I go, listening during walks or driving. Do yourself a healthy favour and get some audio
books for your device. If you want quality books then get a subscription from www.Audiobooks.com. Try it out with that first free book.
This is the perfect additional gift for yourself or for others once that
iPad has been purchased.
Submitted by Marcel Dufresne
Mio FUSE is a sleek all-in-one performance wristband that combines patented Mio continuous
optical heart rate monitoring technology with the features of a sports watch and activity tracker. Designed
for all-day use, Mio FUSE tracks heart rate, distance, pace, steps, calories, and goal progress to provide
athletes with a more comprehensive look at exertion, recovery, and overall fitness than any other product
on the market.













Bluetooth Smart (4.0) and ANT+ transmission
In-workout communication to Mio GO app, third-party fitness apps, or sport devices
Built-in accelerometer to capture steps, calories, distance, and pace
Optical heart rate measurement and display in ‘workout mode’
Multi-Color LED to indicate current heart rate zone
Automatic wireless syncing to Mio GO app
Offline storage of 2 weeks of daily activity data and 30 hours of workout data
Customizable display, activity goals, and heart rate zones (through Mio GO app)
Chronograph timer
Vibration and LED Color Alerts
Clock
Rechargeable LiPoly battery (charged by USB charger)
Water resistant to 30 meters (3ATM)
Available for Holiday Season 2014
Mio FUSE (Crimson)
59P-LRG
STRAP: LARGE
Mio FUSE (Aqua)
59P-REG
STRAP: SMALL / MEDIUM
Take Control:
Yosemite
DoubleClick features an ebook
from Take Control Books every
month. These ebooks have
been published in PDF format
and cover issues related to
Mac OS. Because they are in
PDF format, these ebooks have
a lot of advantages over the
traditional paper books. Electronic books are a new experience for many
people, but they provide you with a good deal
of flexibility that isn't available with printed
books. With your purchase of the ebook you
get expert advice on various topics but with
an Apple perspective. These are the same
expert authors of some best-selling print
books. The download is immediate and you
don't have to leave your house to get it. Because it is paperless it can be purchased for
much less than a paper edition. Also, if a new
edition of the book comes out, your original
purchase of the book allows you to easily update your current copy for free. There are
clickable links right in the text so that your
book immediately leads to other sources on
the same topic. It is readable onscreen which
means you can control the size of the print. If
you use Preview you can even highlight sections without messing up the book (use a
copy of the original if you are worried). You
can even print up a paper copy of the book if
you feel the need. The catalog is very extensive and can be accessed from
http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/catalog.
They offer free sample sections of all their
ebooks and a money-back guarantee, so try
one out anytime. As readers of the DoubleClick, you also now have access to this
coupon (CPN90219MUG) which entitles you
to a 30% discount on the purchase of a book.
The book featured this month is Yosemite: A
Take Control Crash Course by Scholle McFarland. Read this ebook to get more out of
your Mac as you go about your everyday activities. This book introduces Yosemite's new
interface and discusses new features like
iCloud Drive, Handoff, iPhone voice/SMS
relay, and Notification Center's Today view.
You'll learn about key changes in
core Apple apps with chapters about
Safari, Mail, Messages, and Calendar. You'll also find answers to questions brought on by recent additions
to OS X, such as how to control notifications, tips for using Finder tags,
and working with tabbed Finder windows. This 77 page ebook closes
with two under-the-hood topics: setting up a new user account (for a
child, guest, or troubleshooting) and
troubleshooting (with techniques including
Safe Boot and OS X Recovery).
The book kicks off with an overview of the
major changes in Yosemite, so you can come
to grips with what's new before you dip into
any of the longer topics:
 The look: Find out what's important about
Yosemite's new look, plus discover how to
toggle Translucency and Dark Mode. You'll
also learn tips for working with the new close,
minimize, and full-screen buttons on the windows.
 Spotlight: Spotlight can now do more than
ever before, so make sure you aren't missing
out, and make sure you've customized Spotlight to match your needs.
 iCloud Drive: Find out what it’s for, where it
works, how to turn it on, and more.
 Handoff: Discover how to use Handoff to
move from one device to another (say, from
your iPad to your laptop) and pick up where
you left off in.
 Use your Mac as a speakerphone: Learn
how to make and answer telephone calls
from your iPhone on your Mac (even if your
iPhone is in a bag on the other side of your
house).
 AirDrop: Get the latest on Apple's odd AirDrop feature, which now lets you transfer files
between an iOS devices and a Mac, instead
of just between iOS devices or just between
Macs.
 Notifications: Get more practical (or fun)
use from Notification Center by making use of
the new Today view, which you can customize
with third-party widgets. Also find directions
for getting rid of annoying or distracting notifications.
 Safari: You'll notice that Safari is new right
away because the toolbar and URL/address
field are so different, but it's really worth reading this chapter because quite a lot has
changed and you can surf more efficiently if
you know about the new capabilities.
 Mail: If you use Apple Mail, you should
know about Mail’s two major new features:
Mail Drop and Markup. Mail Drop makes it
possible to send large attachments easily.
Markup lets you annotate PDFs and images
inside of Mail by adding your signature, comments, arrows, and more.
 Chat and SMS: Messages in Yosemite is
far more useful now, due to its beefed up
group chats and capability to send and receive SMS messages relayed through your
iPhone. Read all about it so you don't miss
out on all that's now possible.
 Calendar: Learn about Calendar's new intelligent autocomplete, calendar overlays,
and updated Today view. Plus, discover key
tips for working effectively with recurring
events, alerts, and multiple calendars.
Finally, the book offers help with aspects of
using Yosemite that haven't changed much
since 10.9 Mavericks, but which many people
either haven't yet started or need help with:
 Finder tabs: De-clutter your Desktop by
using Finder tabs to bring multiple windows
into one.
 Finder tags: Flexibly organize and find
your files with tags rather than relying solely
on old-fashioned standard folders.
 Accounts: Avoid problems by setting up
user accounts for kids and guests, and for
troubleshooting unexpected problems.
 Problem solving: Make sure you have a
copy of this book on an iOS device or secondary Mac so you can pull it out if you need
to troubleshoot a serious problem, like an app
that won't launch, a login item that's gone
bad, or a Mac that won't boot.
Learn OS X 10.10 Yosemite's new features
quickly!! This ebook costs $10.00 normally
but using the coupon will make a difference.
Check this ebook out and a lot others at
www.takecontrolbooks.com.
Submitted by Marcel Dufresne
HooToo TripMate Nano
Wireless Wi-Fi Mini Router and Bridge
Last month I did a review of the HooToo TripMate Elite. HooToo actually makes four different TripMates. This month I would like to review
the Elite's little brother, the TripMate Nano. It has fewer functions than
the Elite but it might be a better fit for your pocketbook. The Nano can
act as either a Wi-Fi router that turns both an existing wired or wireless Internet connection into a local Wi-Fi hot spot that can be shared
by multiple devices. It can also be used as a Wi-Fi USB storage file
sharing device for your mobile phones, tablets, or laptops by turning
either an inserted memory stick, an SD card or a portable hard drive
into a Network Attached Storage device. Read on to find out about
these handy functions.
As a travel router, it will turn an existing network, such as at a hotel,
into a handy, secure, local hotspot that can be shared by the multiple
devices you might be using in your room. By connecting up to the
hotel network through the TripMate, you will be able to set your own
password and not have to use the generic password that the hotel
hands out to anyone staying there (if in fact they have a password).
The TripMate does have an Ethernet slot which could be used to turn
an existing wired network into a wireless one. The key word here is
that you will have increased security by using the TripMate. Because
the TripMate is now the source of the Internet for your room, you
should find an increase in the strength of the signal.
Secondly, there is my favourite use for this device. The TripMate creates its own wireless network that enables you to transfer and share
media for Wi-Fi enabled devices. I have been looking for a gadget
that would save me precious storage space on my iPad while still pro-
viding fairly clear video. We like to load up the iPad with either a TV
series or a couple of movies when we go travelling to a foreign country. The language on the local television is not always English and it is
convenient to have something to watch when we have idle time. The
TripMate allows you to stream videos directly from your USB external
storage without having to download them directly to the iPad. This
works anywhere because it is creating its own Wi-Fi signal. Now my
iPad is directly linked to an external USB drive enabling me to transfer
documents, photos or movies.
There are few buttons and slots on this device, making it very easy to
use. On one side there is a reset button and the USB 2.0 port. On another side, there is an Ethernet port, the micro USB charging cable
slot and a button to switch from wired to wireless input.
The Wi-Fi network is controlled through a special TripMate app which
can be downloaded for free from the iTunes store. Setting this up for
use is relatively simple. Plug in the TripMate Nano. This starts the WiFi signal. Next, go into the iPad settings and choose the TripMate
Nano as the source of your Wi-Fi network. Insert the USB stick into
the USB slot of the Nano. It will detect the USB device and create a
share folder on it which has 4 subfolders: Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos. Now, when you run the TripMate app, you will see a
folder that contains your external drive. The app will also detect similar data from your iDevice. This easy to use app lets you control the
transfer of files as well as the playing of music or videos with the tap
of your finger. You can now read, listen, and view those items stored
on the USB drive without them being stored on the iPad. In the future,
while travelling, I will be transferring some of my photos from my iPad
directly to that external USB stick. I know that the photos are also in
iCloud, but I prefer to have multiple storage areas for some special
pictures (just in case).
There are some limitations to the Nano. The biggest difference between the Nano and the Elite TripMate is the power source. The Nano
does not have one built in as does the Elite. This is also why it is so
light. It is very much suited for travel. To run it, you will need to plug
the Nano in using the iPad's charging plug and the micro USB cable
that comes with it. I have also used an external battery pack, one that
can charge up my iPad, as an energy source so that I can use the
Nano even if a wall plug is not handy. This will require you to travel
with an iPad charging plug. Lastly, and most important for our purposes, the TripMate will not support MAC formatted disks. It works
with NFTS / FAT 16 / FAT 32. When I first tried out the Nano I was
wondering why some of my thumb drives were not showing up in the
TripMate app. The reason was that I had reformatted the drives with a
MAC format.
The Nano is a light addition to your travel baggage. It is 56 X 51 X 17
mm (2.2 X 2 X 0.7 in) is size. With no battery component, it weighs in
at a paltry 80 g (2.8 oz). However, you will have to have an external
charging plug. It does come with a Micro USB cable that would let you
plug it into the charging plug. By combining the functions of a personal cloud and a travel router, the TripMate Nano is a welcome travel
companion.
Go to www.hootoo.com/ and have a look at this great device. Read
about it or watch a video showing it in action. With its small size and
weight, it is a great travel companion.
I don't need any additional items other than my charging cable and
plug. And the price for this great device? I found that Amazon.ca had
it listed at around $25 (cheaper at Amazon.com), which is about half
the price of the Elite. If the main purpose of getting a TripMate device
is to connect a USB thumb drive to your iPad, then this is the better
buy. Now I can easily transfer photos or watch movies without having
to use up my meager iPad's memory. This is exactly what I have been
hoping to have while travelling with my iPad. For my purposes, this is
the TripMate model that I will probably take when abroad.
Submitted by Marcel Dufresne
www.hootoo.com [] facebook.com/HooTooOfficial
Apple Hardware Test
Older Macs Only
If your Mac starts behaving badly, there are several possible causes,
but usually it is related to software, hardware, or environmental issues.
(By environmental, I mean hygiene or heat related. The performance of
your Mac can be adversely affected by inhaling
dust and cigarette smoke to the point where it
becomes unstable or noisy.)
For older Macs, the ones that shipped
with the operating system on one or
more CDs or DVDs, there is help at
hand for diagnosing possible hardware
problems if you can locate your original
system disks. Some models shipped with
a separate Hardware Test disk but for a
lot of models Apple simply created a 50 MB
partition on the first system software install
disk that contained a minimal operating system
and the Apple Hardware Test utility specific to that model. To see if you
have one of these, dig out your system disks and see if it has a little
notice on the Mac OSX Install Disk 1 that says, “To use Apple Hardware Test, hold down the Option key as the computer starts up.”
To use the Apple Hardware Test, insert your system software Install
Disk 1 into your computer and restart it while holding down the Option
key. When you start up your computer while holding down the Option
key you will get a gray Startup
screen that shows an icon for
every volume and every device
connected to your computer that
holds a possible valid system capable of running your computer.
Because there are two valid systems on your system install disk,
the system install disk will show
up twice, both as an installer and as the Apple Hardware Test. After a
short wait, about a minute or so, you will be able to select the Hardware Test icon and click on the Arrow button to continue the Startup.
The Apple Hardware Test has a singularly inelegant interface. It offers the user the barest information about the hardware in his or her Mac but is still a quick way to rule out serious
hardware faults. For instance, it has an information / profile chart that shows how many and
how fast your processors are, how much RAM you have installed, and indicates the presence of optional equipment like modems, Bluetooth and AirPort devices. If any of this information indicates a problem, like missing RAM, or your computer actually having two
processors but only one of them showing up, or the Test indicating the absence of a modem
when you know you have one, then this is valuable information. The Hardware Test can verify the integrity of your logic board and RAM modules. If it finds no problems, it will simply indicate a pass. If it finds errors it will give an error code and suggest solutions. Unfortunately,
I have never had a computer fail the Hardware Test, so I have no pictures of that.
If the tests determine there is an error with your system, they will display an error code. The codes may be a bit cryptic, but you can contact Apple Support to see what they mean. As a general reference,
here are some of the breakdowns for what the error codes mean, so if
you see an error that begins with one of these identifying sequences,
then it means the specified component listed at the end of the code is
not working properly:
4ETH: Ethernet controller
4IRP: Main Logic board
4MLB: Logic board controller
4PRC: Processor
4HDD: Hard disk
4MHD: External disk
4YDC: Video card
4SNS: System sensor
4MOT: Fan motor
4MEM: Memory module
4AIR: AirPort wireless card
n the case of a sensor error (4SNS), to determine what type of sensor
is being referenced, check its first letter, which should either be "I" for
current, "T" for temperature, or "V" for voltage. Then check the second letter against the following list to see what component it refers to:
A: Ambient air sensor
B: Battery
C: Central processors (CPU)
D: DC (direct current)
e: PCI-express slot
F: FireWire port
G: Graphics processor (GPU)
H: Hard disk
h: Heat pipe (heat sink)
L: LCD display
M: Memory or memory riser boards
m: Misc. (i.e., battery chargers)
N: North bridge (motherboard controller)
O: Optical drives
P: Power bus
p: Power supply
W: Airport Wi-Fi card
If you get an error that deals with an Ethernet controller, the main
logic board, a logic board controller, processors, or sensors, then try
rebooting the system and resetting the system PRAM to see if the
problem clears. The system's PRAM contains a number of variables
that are passed to the firmware when the system starts up, some of
which are acted upon by the firmware (such as the default boot volume) and others of which are passed to the kernel and system software (such as boot options like Safe Mode). It is possible that
corruption in these variables could result in the firmware being instructed to show the boot volume, so resetting the PRAM may help.
When it comes to addressing the error code situation,
unfortunately many times there's not much that you can
do. In most cases if a hardware component is not working then you will need to get it replaced; however, there
are some instances where you can try another step or
two before having your system serviced.
To reset the PRAM, restart the system and immediately hold the Option-Command-P-R keys. Hold the keys and let the system reboot a
couple of times, and then release the keys and allow the system to
boot normally. Resetting the PRAM will not harm anything on the system, and might only require some settings to be adjusted like mouse
speed or system volume. After you have reset your PRAM, go to the
"Startup Disk" system preferences and ensure your default boot drive
is chosen as the startup disk.
There are some good best practices to perform before running off and
resetting your Mac at the first sign of strange behavior. This isn’t a
step-by-step list; try each and all of the below separately when you’re
having trouble:
 Quit (Command+Q) or even Force Quit (Command+Option+Esc)
any and all running applications.
 Log off and then log back on to all logged on user accounts.
 Put the Mac to sleep and wake it up again.
 Restart the Mac.
 Shut down and unplug the Mac (and remove any battery if you
have access) for at least thirty seconds before powering back on.
If you are getting a problem with the fan speeds or any sensors then
you can also try resetting the system management controller , but in
addition to these resets do check the fans for physical obstructions
(dust and dirt) or for mechanical issues.
If you see a memory or AirPort card error code, then your best bet
would be to first try resetting them in their connections on the motherboard, but ultimately replace them if you cannot get the errors to go
away on subsequent tests. If you are unable to perform these tasks
yourself, then you should be able to have it done at an Apple Store.
Submitted by Michael Shaw
New From AKVIS:
Neon
In last month’s issue I wrote about AKVIS Sketch and the
month before that it was an article marking the debut of
AKVIS Chalk. For this month’s issue, I have another brand
new offering from AKVIS: Neon. The interface for Neon is
very similar to the interface for all of the other AKVIS programs and it functions in much the same way so you can
expect to be up and running with Neon in a very short time.
It has two modes - Express and Advanced. In Express
mode all you get is the 35 Presets - the ones shown here
at right and a simplified interface for modifying blur and intensity. In Advanced mode you get a lot more interaction
with the program - including extra controls for colour correction and additional parameter control sliders for the chosen Preset. You also get text overlay in the Advanced
mode, and a choice of background textures and canvases.
Neon, as the name implies, puts a glow and a sparkle into
your images. Like the other AKVIS programs, Neon will
dazzle the user with a wide range of possible treatments.
Each of the 35 Presets is, in its own way, a distinct filter
package that differs subtly or vividly from the rest. And, like
the other AKVIS programs, Neon is available for Mac and
Windows systems, available as either a stand-alone application or a plug-in to Adobe Photoshop (and other image
editing suites), and can be downloaded from AKVIS for
free and used for 10 days as a fully functional demo mode
before any commitment to purchase is required. Go to :
http://akvis.com/en/download-macintosh-software.php to
see everything AKVIS has for Mac users.
After 10 days the Neon demo expires but that time
period will give plenty of opportunities to explore the
capabilities of Neon to determine if it should become
a permanent part of your software library.
Some few of the Neon effects are
barely discernible and many others
create wildly fanciful abstract renderings but whether you are looking for
the surreal or the subtle, somewhere
in the Presets selection AKVIS Neon
has you covered.
As with the other AKVIS programs,
the better part is using the software,
not reading about it. The program
shows a floating pallet sample of your
image that responds instantly to Preset selections so you can preview effects with or without the Advanced
adjustments before rendering and applying them to your entire image.
Using the Tools pallet it is possible to
localize the effects to portions of the
foreground or the background. Anyone who knows how to click on a button already has the skills required to
start using Neon.
In order to use Neon as a stand-alone
application you will need an Intel Mac
with at least 4 Gigs of RAM. To use
the plugin you must also have a photo
editor supporting plugins installed on
your computer: many of the Corel programs and any version of Photoshop
or Photoshop Elements will be fine. For a full list of compatible image
editors check the AKVIS website.
If you decide that you want Neon, you can order directly from AKVIS
at: http://akvis.com/en/neon/price.php. You can pay for AKVIS Neon
online via the Cleverbridge store. It offers different payment methods:
credit card, PayPal, WebMoney, wire transfer, or purchase order.
When the payment is effected you will get a license key delivered to
your e-mail within minutes. To get a full version of Neon just register
the trial version using this number. The cost of AKVIS Neon is US $40
for either the plugin or stand-alone version, or US $50 if you want
both. Commercial licensing is slightly more.
Submitted by Michael Shaw
SpeakaLegend and SpeakOrTreat
Interactive Speaking Apps from ToyTalk
ToyTalk is a family entertainment company with the goal of
educating through cartoon
characters and conversation.
Their motto is imagination +
conversation. At the moment
they have four apps available
at the iTunes store. Two of
these are free, which will give
you a chance to try them out
and get a feel for what they
are trying to do. The company's aim is to have kids
speak and then respond to
what was said. ToyTalk's apps
intend to engage children in
conversational stories. This is
a large undertaking when you
consider how much more difficult it is to analyze and understand what kids are saying compared to adults. There are many
translation apps out there that have difficulty understanding the various accents of the people using them. Perfect translations are hard to
come by. As part of their toolkit, ToyTalk has created a method for
writing character dialogue that contains a considerable library of possible responses to the types of things kids might say or answers to
the questions they may ask. I found that it worked quite well with my
four year old grandson. Sometimes his answer was too short and did
not register in the data base. A couple of times he was asked the
same question over again in order to elicit a different, more understandable response. ToyTalk
was founded in 2011 by former Pixar employees. Their
products target 4-to-8-yearolds. My grandson got right
into the Halloween SpeakOrTreat app. The two year old
of course also wanted to get in
on the act and contributed to
some of the answers.
The games are playable in
touch-only mode, but enabling
speech recognition is recommended in order for kids to
gain the full experience. To
enable speech recognition,
the app needs to capture
audio recordings, for which
parental permission is required. This is done via email when the app
first launches. After granting permission, parents can access and control their child's recordings from the website at www.toytalk.com. The
ToyTalk's system collects the children's speech patterns to feed into a
continually updated database. The more they talk to the characters,
the better the app understanding what they are saying. A weekly
email is sent out notifying you that something has been recorded and
can be listened to by going to the web site and logging in. The storage space at the web site is unlimited and parents have as much as
is needed for their recordings. Parents are responsible as to what to
delete and when. There is an Editor's Picks section at the website that
is dedicated to the top audio recordings. Permission must be granted
to have your child's recording available for others to listen to and they
do remain completely anonymous. I only mention this spot
because it is a good way to
listen to some questions and
responses. It will give you a
brief look into what the app is
trying to accomplish.
In SpeakOrTreat, your child
gets to visit a scary neighbourhood as they go trick or treating from one house to the next
collecting candies. From the
Werewolf, who sounds very
much like Jimmy Stewart, to
the Vampire, Count Dracula,
they will talk with and entertain
some colourfully eerie characters. This app provides an
hour of dialogue as your child
goes to five different houses. Each house, with a different figure, will
attempt to engage them in some sort of conversation, or possibly
some singing. The recorded answers can be accessed from the
ToyTalk web site. This app is perfect for the Halloween season. There
is plenty of additional animation in the background. Singing Jack'o'Lanterns, a black cat, and skeletal hands are all part of the fun atmosphere which hides the intended educational nature of the game.
Each reasonable answer to a question provides the speaker with a
candy which gets placed at the top in a type of candy meter. When
this is full, they are ready to move to the next house in the block. Collecting the candies was a great incentive for my grandson to keep
playing the game. Unfortunately, other than deleting the app and reinstalling it, there is no way to reset the candy meter to zero once the
level is complete. I would like to see this added in an upgrade at
some time. There are no additional in-app purchases nor third-party
advertising. This is a great little app to have around near the end of
October.
Apple's First Ever
Automatic Security Update
Patches Critical Bug
SpeakaLegend is similar. In this case, they meet mythical creatures on a quest to find
the elusive Unicorn. From the Mermaid to BigFoot, they will talk with some fantastical
friends. There is the Loch Ness monster, a Mermaid that speaks in rhyme, a Fairy to
listen to their wishes, a Dragon with an overactive tummy, a Sphinx with some riddles, and more. There are a total of ten creatures to interact with, having about two
hours of dialogue to dispense. There is a Happiness Meter that indicates how far
they’ve gotten in their quest to find the Unicorn. In this game, they can visit the creatures in any order. It is not sequential. However, each one has to be visited before
they get to meet the Unicorn. There are plenty of additional touch activities going on
with all the characters. Tapping around will reveal some surprises.
If you would like to see what ToyTalk is all about then download SpeakaZoo or The
Winston Show which are both free at the iTunes store. SpeakOrTreat ($1.99) or
SpeakaLegend ($2.99) have more game play. Depending on when you intend to
have them played, SpeakOrTreat is great
around Halloween. SpeakaLegend is fun
anytime. Get those youngsters of yours
not only speaking but thinking and answering more in depth questions. It is
less embarrassing for them to speak to
an iPad than to have to answer to an
adult.
Submitted by Marcel Dufresne
Apple has issued its first ever automatic security update for Macs computers, fixing a security flaw that the
company felt was too dangerous to
wait for users to patch. The update is
seamless. It doesn’t even require a
restart.
The vulnerability that the update fixes
is found in a common software component known as NTP or network time
protocol. NTP is used for synchronizing clocks between computer systems
and across the global internet, and has
previously been exploited by hackers
to pull off substantial attacks on other
systems. The flaw was identified by
Carnegie Mellon University’s Software
Engineering Institute and was made
public in a security bulletin issued by
the Department of Homeland Security
in December. The vulnerability affects
dozens of technology tech companies’
products as well as Apple’s.
Although Apple has had the capability
to install software fixes automatically
for more than two years it has previously preferred to prompt users to authenticate the updates. (Microsoft has
been automatically updating vulnerabilities in its Windows software for
years.)
Check the App Store to see if this update is waiting for you.
To Speed Up Your Mac...
Add RAM
I wish I had a dollar for every time I
have heard or read that the best way
to speed up performance on your Mac
is to add RAM. This is especially true
if you have one of the older Macs that
came with barely enough RAM to run
the system that it came with and you
have updated your OS without increasing the RAM. Those of us with
antique 2007 Intel iMacs that are restricted to 4 gigs of RAM know the pain of waiting for
Yosemite to do anything. Most new computers come with
the bare minimum of memory (RAM) so you can perform
basic tasks like checking e-mail or watching videos online.
Trying to multitask or even run a typical application can
slow your sytem to a crawl. By upgrading your computer
with more RAM, you can quickly and easily speed up web
surfing, printing, transferring files, video editing, gaming,
downloading, multitasking, starting programs, and booting
up.
Right now the back-up Mac in the DoubleClick office is a
wonderful dual 2.3 GHz PowerPC G5 tower Mac. I recently
found an opportunity to get a pair of 2-gigabyte PC4200 RAM chips (4
gigabyte total) to upgrade the memory in this computer for what I considered to be very little money. There are lots of ways to buy PC4200
RAM and I explored a few of them to make sure I was getting the best
deal. Unfortunately, when it comes to shopping for memory for obsolete Mac computers, its is common to find that big box stores like Best
Byte and Future Shop do not stock what you need. Specialty shops
online (like Other World Computing) may have exactly what you need,
but unfortunately many of the American online stores ship via UPS
Ground. That works fine for shipments within the USA but UPS has a
license to assess duty charges on international shipments and they
charge heavily for the assessments. Even if there is no actual duty
payable, as is the case with computer parts, UPS may decide to put a
C.O.D charge of half the declared value, or more, just for checking off
the “No Duty” box. Anyway, I checked with OWC and they wanted US
54.99 for 4 gigs of PC4200 RAM guaranteed to be specific to this G5
tower plus a charge of from $3 to $30 for shipping via various methods (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL). Then I checked eBay, where to best
deal I could find for a pair of 2-gig PC4200 RAM chips was about US
$42 plus $10 shipping.
Two big problem with buying RAM are ignorance of the user and complexity of the product. There is no end of confusion about RAM that is
high vs low density, ECC vs non-ECC, buffered vs unbuffered, DDR2
vs DDR1 or 3, desktop RAM vs server RAM, number of pins, latency,
noise and compliance to JEDEC standards, whatever that means.
What this means in practical terms is that unless the seller assures
you that the memory actually came out of a Mac very much like yours,
it might work and it might not, which is too much of a gamble if you
have to pay up front and then hope the delicate RAM shows up in one
piece and is the right kind.
Then there’s the local Oshawa Kijiji and Craigslist. There was nothing
around here on CL but on Kijiji I found a local fellow Mac user selling
off pieces from his 2.3 GHz G5 tower that had died. Among the parts
he was selling were two 2-gigabyte and two 512-megabyte PC4200
RAM chips. He wanted $35 for all of it, with no tax, no shipping, and
no ridiculous UPS duty assessment fees, which beats the crap out of
US $52 on eBay. Getting his G5 tower going again was beyond him
but by selling it off in pieces he was creating an opportunity for me to
grab some RAM that came right out of a computer identical to mine.
In terms of RAM upgrades, the aluminum Apple G5 towers are ridiculously easy to upgrade. The side of the box folds down and detaches
and the plastic fan housings slide out like drawers. This exposes the
RAM slots. In my G5 tower, shown at right, there are 8 RAM slots in
two banks of 4 located behind the fan shroud and slot each can hold
a 256 MB, 512MB, 1-Gig or a 2-Gig module for a maximum total of 16
Gigs of RAM.
This type of computer can only accept RAM in matched pairs and
they must be arranged properly. The computer shipped from Apple
with 512 MB total RAM, configured as a pair of 256MB modules in the
middle slots (1). Starting at the middle the two slots closest to the
middle are addressed together and must have identical modules.
Then the next two outward slots from the next paired unit, then the
next pair and so on.
Since we started using iMacs and the MacBook Pro there have been
almost no articles in the DoubleClick about hardware upgrades.
When the DC office had the old Quadra 950 and the Daystar Genesis
800 MP clones, and then the G3 and G4 towers, there was no end of
opportunities to rotate processor upgrades, PCI add-ons, and video
cards and other neat pieces of hardware through here but lately there
has been nothing until now. I know there are lots of MaUsE Members
with older systems. If you have upgraded your Mac please feel free to
document the upgrade and share your experience. Even if we don’t
have the same same setup as you do, I sure we would like to hear
about your adventures.
Optical Drive
Fans
RAM
Submitted by Michael Shaw
Although I did not get the RAM for this upgrade from OWC, I
have no hesitation recommending OWC as a good place to look
for and buy upgrades for Mac computers. OWC knows Macs
and they have a wide selection of guaranteed high quality Mac
compatible hardware. They also have terrific support and a series of videos that show how to perform upgrades to all user-accessible components. For my own G5 tower OWC had these
little videos showing how to do the common major upgrades
that any Mac user can handle.
OWC Video: RAM Upgrade
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/powermac_g5_mem_h/
OWC Video: Hard Drive Install
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/powermac_g5_hd_h/
OWC Video: PCI Card Install
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/powermac_g5_pci_h/
OWC Video: Optical Drive Replacement
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/powermac_g5_opt_h/
Hard Drive
1
1
2
2
Processor
3
3
4
4
Lo-Fi : Flash From The Past:
I found this little program from Alien Skin while cleaning some stuff off
an old hard drive and thought I better share it. The program is called
Alien Skin Lo-Fi and what you see at above is the application window
full size on my 24-inch iMac. The window looks like the back of a
camera and it can be re-sized (and re-shaped) by dragging the lower
right corner.
Basically, Lo-Fi is a filter package designed to apply a variety of “low
fidelity” treatments to digital images. Under three headings, Film,
Mood and Frame the program provides the user with 35 filters
arranged in three classes of picture treatments that can only be used
as they are: there are no fine-tuning sliders or settings to manipulate
any any of the effects. You just bring in an image and pick from the
selection of Films, Moods, Frames to select any one of over 1,700
possible combinations. Whatever your choice, the end result will be
an image with a flaw or series of flaws that will create the illusion that
there was something off, cheap, or deficient in the image capture
process. That’s what “low fidelity” is all about: carefully creating the illusion of the results of careless or amateur photography.
Alien Skin Lo-Fi has:
12 Film treatments:
Bypass, Desaturated, Faded, Yellowed, Teal, Velvet, Oldachrome,
Flash Oldachrome, Ultra Contrast, Over Exposed, Flash Blue, Inflamed, Emerald, or Off.
11 Moods:
Crisp, Crunchy, Fine Grain, Gritty, Pushed , Glamour, Dreamy, Cheap
Lens, Plastic Lens, Light Leak, Enlargement, or Off
12 Frame styles:
Vignette, Coffee, Viewfinder, Dirty, Film Code, Grunge, Portrait, Negative, Peeled, Crumpled, Scallop , Burn or Off.
Check out Alien Skin Lo-Fi. Use the link below. It costs $15, less than
a medium pizza with two Cokes, and might be just what you want for
your next big photo-essay or travel blog.
Submitted by Michael Shaw
https://app.alienskin.com/store/product/?id=1388
New From Prosoft Engineering
Drive Genius 4 with Bootwell
In the November 2014 issue we looked at the latest
version of Prosoft’s Data Rescue 4 program, the version that comes optionally on a 16 Gig USB stick and
includes Bootwell and the option of creating a
bootable drive that you can use to rescue files off
your main hard drive. Now the people at Prosoft
have updated Drive Genius 4, their premium disk
and file repair program for Macintosh in the same
way. Drive Genius 4 now ships on a USB drive and
the program includes the same Bootwell utility for
turning the stick into a drive capable of booting your
computer so you can more easily use Drive Genius
to repair the system on your main drive. Although I
referred to Drive Genius as a program, it is really a
suite of discrete utilities that are designed to work either together or individually to either solve or prevent
problems you may run into on your Mac.
Like Apple’s Disk Utility, the Consistancy Check and
Repair components of Drive Genius can repair most
kinds of logical file and folder errors and corruption
on a drive to prevent future critical problems and potential data loss and repair your files. Find Duplicates and Find Large Files are designed to
reduce the number of large forgotten files that
may bog down your computer. The
Physical Check, Speed and Instant Drive
Pulse components measure and monitor the
health and performance of your hard drives.
The Speed component also provides a defragger utility. The Active Files component
alerts you to files that are in use in the
background that may prevent you from
shutting down your Mac or ejecting a drive.
Icon Genius allows you to set a custom
icon for a drive or folder: very handy now
that Copy & Paste no longer works for
changing icons. Fix Permissions looks
after Permission inconsistencies can result
from bad application installers and lead to
applications failing to open or randomly
crashing.Rebuild is handy in circumstances
where a file name is lost and the data is still
there but not accessible. Rebuild may be
able to list lost file names to the file data
again. Drive Genius's NEW BootWell™
Technology creates a special secondary
startup drive that can be used to maintain or repair your main startup drive.
Drive Genius 4 can be used for offline
maintenance and repair of drives that have
older, unsupported versions of OS X installed.
For maintenance purposes, most
Drive Genius 4 utilities work on the primary
startup drive “live” with no need for a secondary startup drive. However all repair and recovery utilities require starting your computer
from a secondary drive so they can have exclusive access to your primary drive.
More about BootWell: Drive Genius 4 is the first version of the program to include Bootwell. Previous versions of Drive Genius shipped
on bootable DVDs (dual bootable for use on both PowerPC and Intel
Macs) that had a specific version of Mac OSX on them. An advantage
of BootWell is that the operating system on the BootWell drive can be
updated to keep it current with your future Macs. As described in the
Prosoft Data Rescue 4 article in the November 2014 issue of the DoubleClick (q.v.) Bootwell technology is the component of Data Rescue
4 and Drive Genius 4 that allows the user to create a minimal Mac OS
on a secondary, or flash drive in order that it can then be used to boot
the computer so that the internal hard drive can be taken off line for
repairs. The Drive Genius utilities that require a secondary startup
drive are: The advanced Physical Check options, Repair, Rebuild, Defragment, and the whole drive Secure Erase option.
More needs to be said about using the BootWell drive for defragging
your hard drive, (something many of you have not done since the demise of Nortons Utilities for Macintosh). Drive Genius' Defrag tool is
the number one selling, most-used Defrag tool for the Mac OS. Apple
has been using it at the Genius Bar for over 7 years now. Drive Genius 4 Defrag operation will reorganize large files, compact them to be
saved without fragmentation and consolidate the file into one contiguous file. Defrag will also improve the overall performance, shorten
boot time, and speed up application launch and access to your large
files. Defragging your drive will also reduce wear on the drive because the read/write heads do not need to travel as much across the
drive when searching for a file. Drive Genius also compacts the larger
files to allow them to be saved without fragmentation. In order to defrag or repair your main hard drive, the OS requires that you boot
from a secondary source. Drive Genius' new BootWell tool makes it
easy and convenient. BootWell creates a special bootable secondary
drive, which can be used by Drive Genius 4 to speed up or repair your
main hard drive.
Submitted by Michael Shaw