Category Archives: technology

Apple’s Customer Installable Parts:
http://www.info.apple.com/usen/cip/
For the latest software versions:
http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx/
Networking 101 and access to Unix help:
http://www.aplawrence.com/Unixart/net101.html
For direct returns of Apple iPods, iSights and exchanges:
http://depot.info.apple.com/
Directions for repairing Apple Base Stations:
http://www.vonwentzel.net/ABS/index.html
For base stations that are well out of warranty:
http://basestationrescue.com/
Apple Software Updates, Manuals & More:
http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/
Guess what this site does?:
http://fixyourownprinter.com/
Step by step iMac Upgrade/Repair instructions:
http://www.theimac.com/drive_steps.shtml
Links to everything Mac:
http://www.ilenesmachine.com/macos/machardware.shtml
History and details of all the Macs since Apple I & Lisa:
http://www.apple-history.com
Complete list of error codes and troubleshooting:
http://appleerrorcodes.com/

It is Valentines Day today. Have you done your shopping for your loved one yet? I have a great girlfriend and I have gotten most of what I wanted to get her for our first Valentines Day together. I still have some shopping to do, but I am at work right now so I can’t. I can’t celebrate this glorious day by spending all day in bed with my sweetie showering her with gifts. Therefore, it is time to give Safari a little love instead.

We will start this off by downloading AcidSearch. AcidSearch, by Pozytron Software, is a free enhancement to the built in Google search field in your Safari toolbar. Install it and you can search a wide iety of sites, including Amazon, eBay, Versiontracker, Dictionary.com and more, right from your Safari toolbar search field. You can even customize it and add your own.

Next, let’s download and run Safari Debugger. This little utility reveals a hidden “Debug” menu in Safari that gives you a host of useful new options. For instance, have you ever been to a site that claims that “Your Browser is not supported”? This happens especially with Bank websites who’s web monkeys think they are smarter than you. With the debug menu you can now change the “User Agent” and make that site think you are on a Windows box using IE. Another cool feature is the ability to export your bookmarks. Therefore, if you ever want to switch to another browser you can take your bookmarks with you.

What was that? You are a Firefox user? Don’t worry, I have love for you too. Here is a way to give you a little more speed. And here is Sage, a fantastic RSS Sidebar Plugin

Without certain applications and utilities, life on my Mac would not be the same. Here are a few of my favorites:

Konfabulator is a little hard to describe. It bills itself as “anything you want it to be” and that description is not far from the truth. Konfabulator itself is simply a “shell” program into which you can download and install what are called widgets. There are hundreds to choose from. The widgets display on your desktop and each offers a different degree of functionality.

For instance, you can download a widget that gives you the weather. Another can search Google, Amazon or even eBay right from your desktop. Another still will give you a live update of your available system memory. There are clocks, picture frames, RSS news readers and much much more. Because these are developed by a large and active community of independent developers, the possibilities of what these widgets can do seem endless.

LaunchBar by Objective Development is, in my opinion, the fastest way to launch items on your Mac. The way it does this is amazingly simple. LaunchBar runs as an application is triggered by typing Command-Space.You simply type the name or abbreviation (MSW for Microsoft Word for example) for the application, document, file or website you want and, once found in LaunchBar’s super fast list, hit Return to open that item. What’s more is that LaunchBar learns from you so the item that matches what you typed always comes up first.

WindowShade X gives you back a long missed feature of the Classic Mac OS – The ability to reduce any window to just its title bar. The Windowshade feature is handy if you want to get a quick look at something underneath a window without having to move or resize it.

Windowshade X does even more than it’s predecessor though. It also offers a nifty “Minnimize-in-Place”; feature that shrinks windows down to icon size. It’s your choice. Windowshade, Minimize in place or both at the same time.