Mac

Episode #139   I’m a big fan of keyboard shortcuts. When I teach new Mac users, one of the first things I tell ‘em is to memorize the keyboard shortcuts for actions they perform regularly like Cut (Command + X), Copy (Command + C), Paste (Command + V), and Print (Command + P). And don’t…

I don't blame Google or Microsoft for this — this is pre-release software, after all, and I understand and accept the risk of things like this happening — but, as I searched for a temporary Chrome replacement, it got me thinking about just how much I dislike Google's browser. Chrome for OS X has of…

Black hole depiction. Image credit: Shutterstock Of course, there is the computational science that real scientists do on Macs. That could include scientific visualization tools, either commercial or developed in-house, typical computational languages, such as Fortran or Python or a host of other technical software tools. However, all that work is beyond the scope of this…

Episode #138 A reader recently asked me how long he could expect his Mac to last. To be precise, here’s exactly what he said: I have a 15 in. MacBook Pro that I purchased in 2009 and love it…I do consulting, and run some small business matters with this computer and depend on it heavily.…

Full support for Windows 10 and OS X El Capitan: As expected, Fusion 8 offers complete support for Windows 10 as a guest operating system, and for the upcoming OS X El Capitan as both a host and guest operating system, which will let Mac owners test Apple’s latest OS without having to upgrade their…

There is something magical about the story I'm going to reference below. I hope it will shake you out of your doldrums and inspire you. What's up here?  You'll see down below. Image credit: Shutterstock Having worked in astrophysics, then the aerospace industry and finally the computer industry, I am well aware of all the…

__________________________ I'll start by assuming you've launched Windows 7—which is what most people are using—as a virtual machine in, say, Parallels Desktop, VmMare Fusion or VirtualBox. (Of course, this how-to works for a straight-up Windows installation in Boot Camp on a Mac or any PC.) 1. Come back to this article in your Windows browser…

_______________________ This question and many more have been addressed in a brilliant essay by Adam Baker, previously with Google, Marketcircle, BlackBerry and Apple. The low-key title “The Post-Mac Interface” belies the amazing depth of thought and research that went into this brilliant work. The Macintosh GUI in 1984. (From the Baker article.) Exhibiting considerable insight,…

Thunderstrike could use Thunderbolt accessories to infect your Mac's firmware Where the original Thunderstrike proof of concept required physical access to victim's computers, Thunderstrike 2 can be distributed through maliciously crafted websites or phishing email scams. Both versions attach themselves to Thunderbolt accessories that use Option ROMS, like Apple's Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter, and then…

There have been vociferous complaints about Apple's new MacBook thanks to its single USB-C port. However, it turns out that having only one port helps the MacBook in a very important way. How's that? Allow me to explain. _____________________ When one is on the go, generally, the only thing that gets connected to a modern notebook…

There is now a dizzying array of power adapters, wattages, Magsafe connectors (original and version 2) and connector types (“L” and “T” shapes) that go with each MacBook Air and Pro model. John Martellaro helps sort it all out. ________________________ Apple has provided an impressive tech note, HT201700, that tells you how to match your…

Metal is coming to the Mac, but not all models Based on the driver software developers have found so far, it looks like support is there for graphics cards from Nvidia, Intel, and AMD. Here's the unofficial requirements based on netkas.org research: Nvidia GeForce GTX 400 series and newer Intel HD4000 and newer (Ivy Bridge…

Apple's new MacBook is a light, beautiful and capable notebook for general purpose work. However, compared to the other Apple MacBooks, its Retina display does have one quirk that you may notice right out of the box. ______________________ To explain the wrinkle, I need to backtrack a bit and review Retina technology. Retina Doubling There…

Skype for Mac 7.8.390 is available using Skype for Mac's built-in update function or as a manual download from Skype. Kudos to the Skype team for engineering a quick fix!

Skype released an update for their OS X app today, version 7.8.388, that includes a nasty bug: it now ignores whatever audio devices you have selected in Skype > Preferences > Audio/Video. It treats every one of those 3 drop-downs there as though you have selected “Same as System.” Skype 7.8.388 now ignores audio device…

Episode #123 I’ve been teaching people how to use their Macs more effectively for as long as I can remember and I’ve written more words about becoming more proficient on a Mac than just about anyone I can think of. So I was surprised to find myself at a loss for words the other day,…

Services are a way to work across applications, so if you are in one app, and select some text, you can go to the app menu and choose “Services” to see the set of options available for that selected text. You can see what services are already installed on your system by going to System…

_______________________ Don't worry, I don't know enough yet to make this how-to very complex. I'll be showing a very simple UNIX command, and then we're done. First, you may be wondering: “What is a kernel extension?” This is code that extends the capability of the base kernel of an operating system. The kernel typically manages…

Design language is … overarching scheme or style that guides the design of a complement of products … which can describe choices for design aspects such as materials, colour schemes, shapes, patterns, textures, or layouts. Mine is Space Gray. Image credit: Apple In the case of the new MacBook from Apple, the design language is…

So here’s what you’ll do now. If you edit a picture (by applying a filter, for example, or adjusting the color), you’ll hold down the M key while you’re still in edit mode to see the original; release that key, and you can view your edited version for comparison’s sake. So here’s a picture I…

My first reaction to the new Apple MacBook was that it's too small and underpowered. But if I did get one, I'd surely get a gold one. Now that I've handled a MacBook at my local Apple Store, everything I thought before has changed. Here's what I discovered. ______________________ Everything changed when I actually handled…

iTunes update improves Photos importing on the Mac Along with better Photos support, the 12.1.2 update includes stability improvements along with refinements to the iTunes Get Info window. Photos is the new replacement app for iPhoto. Like iPhoto, and Photos on the iPhone and iPad, the Mac version manages your photo library and includes basic…

There are many reasons why iTunes can be more of a hindrance than a help. Perhaps you don’t spend much time at your computer so syncing your iOS devices to iTunes isn’t a useful way to keep your device backed up, or maybe you don’t use iTunes much so having to spend time learning everything…

Twelve South has released the BaseLift, a small Smart Cover style device that attaches to the bottom of a laptop and elevates the back of your machine to improve the typing angle. It also adds additional protection for those who put laptops, well, in their laps. As with all Twelve South products, the packaging is…