Podcast

Tidbits Managing Editor Josh Centers (#7) - BGM Interview

John Martellaro · · Add Comment

Josh Centers is the managing editor of TidBITS, as well as the author of many Take Control Books: Notes, Home Automation, Apple TV, co-author of Take Control of Preview. He also published Take Control of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13. And he’s recently joined The Prepared as an editor.

In his seventh appearance on the show, Josh explored the new faetures of iOS 14 and what he likes most—as he prepares for his forthcoming Take Control book. The App Libraries feature was at the top of his list. In segment two, Josh and I discussed a major, impressive research article he recently wrote about the often contentious relationship between developers and Apple and its handling of the App Store. We finished with thoughts on a next gen Apple TV 4K.

Podcast

Do Attachments Last Forever? — Mac Geek Gab 829

John F. Braun & Dave Hamilton · · Add Comment

What happens to Mail attachments in your archive? Have you ever done a three finger drag? How do you manage your trash can? We mean *really* manage it? All these questions — and a lot more — are answered for you this week as Dave and John pour through the mailbag and help you learn at least five new things. Press play and enjoy listening as your two favorite geeks help make it all happen!

Podcast

Physics Professor Dr. Brad Marston - BGM Interview

John Martellaro · · 1 Comment

Dr. Brad Marston is a professor of physics at Brown University and Associate Director of the Brown Theoretical Physics Center. A graduate of Caltech, he received his Ph.D. from Princeton University and did postdoctoral work at Cornell University. Brad is an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow and is also an Apple developer.

Brad and I chatted about his computational and theoretical physics career. At Caltech, he attended physics classes taught by two of his heroes, the legendary physicists Dr. Richard Feynman and Dr. Kip Thorne. There, he developed his interest in quantum physics and computational models. Later, when he left Sun workstations behind, he adopted the UNIX-based Mac and Xcode as his tools of choice. That’s what he used to build his visual climate model, GCM, already compiled for Apple Silicon. Tune in and geek out with me and this amazing physicist and Mac guru.

Podcast

Audio Tips, Cool Stuff Found, Rural Broadband, and More! — Mac Geek Gab 828

John F. Braun & Dave Hamilton · · 2 Comments

The summer heat hasn’t stopped your two favorite geeks — or you, with your questions — and this week’s episode shows all of that and more. You’ve had a ton of questions about audio devices and podcast management lately, so John and Dave dig into that first to re-open the doors on that conversation. Then it’s on to tips and Cool Stuff Found, with a couple of return entries in the latter, including the very, very first Cool Stuff Found to ever have been mentioned! Press play, and enjoy watching (or listening) as you learn five new things.

Podcast

H.S. Principal Dr. Amy Fast - BGM Interview

John Martellaro · · Add Comment

Amy Fast is a high school principal in the McMinnville School District in Oregon. She holds a Ed.D. degree. Previously, she’s been an elementary teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal. She is also an education commentator and author of the book, It’s the Mission, Not the Mandates.

After a brief overview of Amy’s career and a discussion of her book, we dug into the issues facing educators amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We covered planning for remote vs. in-person classes, the technology of remote classes, teacher concerns about in-person class safety, funding for cleaning, effectiveness of remote teaching, mental health issues, and long-term changes to education in the post-pandemic era. Parents with schoolchildren and educators will find this interview enormously helpful.

Podcast

Geek Challenges, Quick Tips, and Your Network Questions Answered — Mac Geek Gab 827

John F. Braun & Dave Hamilton · · Add Comment

John and Dave take a few deeper dives today to solve your peskier problems… Geek Challenges, we like to call them (though sometimes we call them “Stump the Geeks!”). Listen as your two favorite nerds talk through creatively increasing your broadband speeds, diagnosing those CPU spikes, managing battery life, Wi-Fi issues, and more. Of course, your favorite Quick Tips are here, and maybe even a few more surprises. Press play and watch while you learn five new things!

Podcast

IT Security Manager, NIST, Bob Gendler - BGM Interview

John Martellaro · · 1 Comment

Bob Gendler is an IT Specialist in the Apple world and a Jamf guru. He holds a B.S. degree in Information Technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is now part of the Mac Management team at NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in Washington, D.C.

From a very early age, Bob fell into the world of Apple starting with an Apple IIgs and, as a teenager, a Power Mac 6100. Quickly, as an undergraduate, his specialty became system administration, and, later, that served him well landing the job at NIST. Bob filled me in on his latest project, the “macOS Security Compliance Project,” and the security problem the community faced with macOS. Basically, the new GitHub project leverages a library of scriptable actions which are mapped to compliance requirements in existing security guides or used to develop customized guidance. Bob nicely explains this crucial tool, his team, and who would benefit.

Podcast

The Case for The Nuke and Pave — Mac Geek Gab 826

John F. Braun & Dave Hamilton · · Add Comment

We all love the convenience of a quick upgrade and Migration Assistant, but those bring along many needles inside the haystack that can linger and leave you with fun things to troubleshoot in the future. The reality is that sometimes the Nuke and Pave is worth it, and John and Dave talk this through. That’s not the only segment, though, FAR FROM IT! Cool Stuff Found, Quick Tips, and more and more of your questions are addressed, dissected, and yes, even answered! Press play to learn at least five new things.