52 Tech Tips » Mac

Automate with Snow Leopard

john — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:30:53 +0000

If you own a mac and have installed Snow Leopard, you need to take a look at Services. Snow Leopard has seriously upgraded automator and services with this latest release. Services will allow you to simplify tasks that typically take several, redundant steps and consolidate them down to a one click button or even an automatic scheduled event. This could be a very powerful tool in your bag of tricks as a developer of any kind. To learn more check out the automator site. You may also want to view or subscribe to MacBreak (video) episodes 235 – 238.

See some of what’s new with Snow Leopard OSX 10.6

john — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 02:51:36 +0000

Microsoft Updates Office 2008 for Mac

john — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:28:47 +0000

And WOW, it’s FAST! I applied the service pack 2 update last night and the speed improvement is dramatic. Don’t delay getting this update. More on the update can be found on Mac Rumors.

Update: After applying the recent follow-up patch to fix the compatibility issue with PC word documents, I noticed that the launch time was dramatically longer. Bummed.

Tune up your mac with these tips from LifeHacker

john — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:25:46 +0000

I’m a sucker for these kinds of helpful mac maintenance tips since I own a macbook pro and an apple fan boy.

Save a Ton on that Next Apple Mac Purchase

john — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:00:36 +0000

Sure there are plenty of deals on PCs all over the place, but what if you want champaign on a beer budget? Well, it still might be a little more than the cost of beer or a cheap PC, but you’ll get a heck of a nice Mac by going to the Apple refurbished site (look for the link in the lower left corner of the online Apple store). Check the site often as the deals constantly change based on their current inventory.

You might get a better deal on ebay or craigslist, but the refurbished site still gives you the luxury of the Apple warranty!

Another option is to go back to school and take advantage of their excellent student discount program.

Use Gimp instead of Photoshop to edit those Digital Photos

john — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:09:04 +0000

Photoshop from Adobe is a professional application and priced accordingly. There are plenty of other applications out there can help you get the job done. Some are free and others are very inexpensive.

Low Cost:
GraphicConverter (Mac Only)
Adobe Photoshop Elements (Windows, Mac)

Free:
The GIMP
Picasa Photo Gallery (Windows, Linux)
iPhoto (Mac – free on new mac or part of iLife for $79.00)

Microsoft Office Substitutes

john — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:01:22 +0000

There are plenty of ways to save on computer programs. Here are a few options specifically for MS Office substitutions:

Desktop Applications:
iWork (Mac only)
Open Office (Windows, Mac, Linux)
StarOffice (Window, Linux, Sun Solaris)
Zimbra (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Online Applications:
Google Apps
Zoho

Microsoft Office can cost up to $399.99 US depending on the flavor. Most of the time you find yourself just needing to write a letter or create a budget in a spreadsheet. The tools mentioned above have become quite powerful and can accomplish most peoples needs for FREE!

Free Desktop Wallpaper

john — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:31:54 +0000

I made this after seeing one of those “My other car is a…” license plate frames while driving to work. I thought it would be fun to make something for my laptop at work. Enjoy!

My other computer is a mac.

Interesting information about the Apple Time Capsule

john — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:27:58 +0000

While conducting my research on the Apple Time Capsule, I stumbled upon this great site full of information. I should say that I currently own the 1 TB version and have been very satisfied with the results so far. Time Machine works great and I love the regular backups.

GTD on the Mac

john — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:23:58 +0000

http://www.tuaw.com/2008/03/07/gtd-with-the-mac-and-a-cool-custom-setup/