As we've seen before, sometimes it's not the Mac that's slow. Sometimes it's the user. Even if you're fast you can get a little faster still. Here's another hint that will save you time, day after day after day. It's all about checking boxes. Read on.The typical Print... dialog box looks something like this:See those... Continue Reading →
Free Fireworks App
In case you didn't get enough fireworks tonight here's an iPhone app that lets you make fireworks anytime you want. It's called "iLoveFireworks Lite" and it's free.I can't find any written directions but through trial and error I've discovered a few things. First, tap on the screen to make a small firework. Second, drag your... Continue Reading →
Mail Tip: Photo Browser
Apple's Mail program gives you several ways to send digital photos via email. There's the hard way (make a new email message, then click the paperclip icon, then hunt around for your picture, then give up); the less-hard way (switch to iPhoto, find your picture, select it, and click the Mail icon), the easy way... Continue Reading →
Apple, Adobe, and Flash
You may have heard that Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch do not run Flash. Flash is Adobe's plug-in software, used by web designers for animations and video. Apple doesn't like Flash because it's buggy and slow, and-- I suspect-- because it leads to sloppy, cheesy websites with gratuitous rollover action. Adobe gives away the... Continue Reading →
FaceTime to the Rescue
No doubt you've heard about FaceTime, Apple's groovy new video-chat feature built into the iPhone 4. It's pretty cool the first time around-- in fact, it's better than that. It's incredible. Mind-blowing. Astounding. That's how it was for me. But then it wore off, becoming sort of a novelty instead of a game-changer.Until tonight.Tonight, one... Continue Reading →
Quick Way to Enlarge iPhone’s Emails
Someone (Dave) asked me how to make the text bigger on his iPhone, specifically for emails. I told him how to do it: Settings, then Mail, Contacts, Calendars, then scroll way do to the Mail section, then change the Minimum Font Size. That works, and Dave's happy, so that is that. Except that I found... Continue Reading →
Steve Jobs Can’t Read Your Mind, but He Doesn’t Have To
Steve Jobs is a lot of things, but he's not a mind-reader. I mention this because article after article tells us: • "For years, and across a career, knowing what consumers want has been the self-appointed task of Mr. Jobs" (New York Times) • "Jobs' greatest gift hasn't been for invention as much his uncanny... Continue Reading →
A Little Google Tip
When you search with Google you sometimes get MORE than what you want, and it clutters up the results. For example, suppose you're looking for Mac help in Austin, Texas. You type in...Mac help Austin Texas... and you get a pretty good list. But, there are a lot of repair places listed, and you don't... Continue Reading →
How to Get an iPad 2
A friend sent me a link to a New York Times article called "How to Procure an iPad 2." The article was very interesting and made it sound like you could get one at Best Buy with minimal effort. Unfortunately, the article is wrong. So, read it if you want, but with a grain of... Continue Reading →
Quick Fix for a Facebook Security Issue
Facebook has a nice little security hole, and someone has already done a "proof of concept" hack to show that it's easy to get into someone's account. The hack involves "listening" as people log into Facebook using an open network (such as what you'd find at Starbucks) and capturing names and passwords. Once that happens,... Continue Reading →