Archive for the ‘apple’ Category

Post from my iphone

Jul 11th, 09 / Comments Off

Just testing out my WordPress app from my iPhone.

Mac Stuff

Feb 27th, 09 / 3 Comments

If you know me at all, you know I’m a mac guy. They’re simply great products, and people that tell you otherwise are probably also using rotary phones… or at least pulling out that long antenna on their wireless ones.

Either way, I thought I’d share a few Mac programs that I can’t live without… and why you should get them.
Caffeine. I’ve blogged about this one before, and I still use it daily. Caffeine keeps your screen ‘awake’. If you’ve ever watched a movie or TV show and had to hit the trackpad to keep the screen at full brightness, then caffeine is for you. You can simply turn it on or off, or just turn it on for a limited amount of time. Simple program, but great.
Quicksilver. This program is no longer under development, since Search has picked up a lot of the same functions – but I still prefer Quicksilver. A quick hit of ‘ctrl’ and the spacebar, and I can type any file, program, or even folder and it will pull it right up.
Delicious Library 2. I have just recently started using this program. It’s $40, but if you like having a digital copy of your book/dvd/software/music library, it is definitely worth it.
Cyberduck. If you ever work with FTP’s, this is my client of choice.
Handbrake and MacTheRipper. Mac the Ripper pulls everything off of a DVD and Handbrake will pull a primary video off of a DVD or ripped folder. Both great tools.
VLC. This media player will play almost any video file. It’s simple, and you don’t have to upgrade to Quicktime Pro to use it’s features.
iSquint. iSquint is a great file converter, especially those files that you’ve downloaded from your history via YouTube. :) You never know when you have to make a conversion, and it’s free, so I keep it closeby.
TweetDeck. If you use Twitter, this is the best client I’ve used yet. Twitter is addicting, and TweetDeck makes it even more-so.

Geekery

Jan 6th, 09 / Comments Off

Today has been a day that Mac fanboys look forward to each year.  It’s the keynote of the annual Macworld event in San Francisco.  I’m reminded every time I see a keynote like this that much of the world is MUCH more casual than we “church-folks” often are.  CEO’s and high level exec’s give keynote speeches in jeans… and not even designer jeans. :)

iLife ’09 is an amazing upgrade… and one that I will definitely be taking advantage of.  As soon as there is an iPhone update, I will probably pick it up.  It won’t be until summer anyhow, so I should be good to go.
They also released a new Macbook Pro 17″ with an 8 hour battery!  And I thought getting 3 hours out of my 15″ MBP from last February was great!
Probably the biggest announcement that affects me is the lack of DRM in all iTunes music now.  DRM (Digital Rights Management) is essentially a file that has certain restrictions.  It can be on 5 pc’s, 5 ipods (I think) and can be burned on 10 cd’s.  More than enough for most people, but it’s restrictions nonetheless.  An .mp3 file, for instance, is DRM-free and can be used anywhere. iTunes has had this available, but often for an additional price and there was a limited selection off music.  All iTunes songs are now the same price for DRM-free stuff.
The only downside is it costs $0.30 to upgrade per song to a DRM-free file.  You can see my screenshot below of how much that amounts to for me. (Apple has enough of my money already!)  I think I’ll stick to burning, then ripping CD’s. :)  In case the pic is too small, they want $205+ to upgrade my current songs.

It doesn’t take a fanboy…

Oct 14th, 08 / 2 Comments

It doesn’t take a fanboy to realize that the new Macbooks and Macbook Pro’s released today are looking pretty good!  It’s not as cool as the rumored touchpad that resembled the touchscreen on the iphone… but they’re looking great!  And the price point is good too!

Check them out here.

Want to prevent theft? Use PC’s..

Sep 18th, 08 / 3 Comments

On the news tonight I saw a story about a local technical school that had some computers stolen.  The part that made me smile through the tragedy of the theft was when the newscaster mentioned that the thieves passed by several PC’s in order to get to the Mac Pro’s.  :)

So, if you want to ensure you computer doesn’t get stolen, go buy a PC.

Have you switched yet?

Aug 8th, 08 / 2 Comments

For everyone that says they won’t switch to a Mac because of the price…

here’s a link for you…
Here they build a PC with the same specs as the Mac has and it comes out to about $5 in differences.
I switched Mac several years back, and am typing on our fourth mac we’ve owned.  It’s no secret to those who know me that I love it.  It is a perfect marriage of hardware and software.  In fact, the only time I’ve had my computer freeze up in the past few years is when I’m running Microsoft Software. :)  (of course, when you force quit on a mac, it ACTUALLY makes the program quit…)
I am convinced that I am different than the general population though.  I’d prefer to pay a ‘tad’ ($5?) more to get a quality machine that I know I can depend on.  The other day I was going to get gas and Kroger had lines 3 or 4 cars deep waiting for gas that was 2 cents cheaper a gallon than the place next door.  I went next door.  Seriously, I’ll burn off more gas waiting on a pump at Kroger than I’d save (which was close to 35 cents I would’ve saved by going to Kroger!).  I preferred the convenience.
Maybe you’re like me.  Get a mac and save yourself tons of time and trouble.  I should get paid for this.

:(

Apr 19th, 08 / 1 Comment

Sad story over at Nic’s blog.  Hey, it happens.  For the record, I think this is his 2(?)-year-old iMac.

Mac tip of the…. well, it’s the first ever.

Apr 14th, 08 / Comments Off

I came across a great program that I love for my Mac. It’s called Caffeine, and it does what you might thing – it keeps your Mac awake. I have different settings for the battery life of my mac, but regardless of them it naturally will dim the screen to save its life. When you’re watching a movie on the web via Netflix (or something on hulu.com!) this can get a little frustrating, because you are constantly touching the trackpad to bring the screen back up to full capacity. That’s where caffeine comes in. It stays in your menu bar rather unsuspectingly, and when you want your screen to not fade, just click the coffee cup! That’s it! And a Command + Click reveals that you can set it to only be active for a temporary amount of time. Perfect for watching those shows on the web. :) Oh, and it’s FREE! If you have a Mac and have experienced this problem… get your fix of caffeine today. (It sounds like I’m getting paid for this!)

Visit Lighthead’s website here to download Caffeine.

I Feel So Dirty…

Mar 27th, 08 / 2 Comments


I feel so dirty.  Tonight I finally installed Parallels and installed Windows XP.  I have a Vista version, but I’m hesitant to install it… it is possibly one of the worst made operating systems yet.  Several months ago the church bought the Adobe Creative Suite for windows.  I knew if/when I upgraded I could run both Windows and Mac OS, so I figured I’d get one I know I could use on any computer.  Tonight I installed Parallels and Photoshop (In Design wton’t install for some reason) and I’ve got to see I’m instantly regretting not just buying the Mac versions.  Parallels is actually a great program, and I enjoy Coherence mode.  I have just simply lost too much ‘pizazz’ by getting the Windows version.  It will be great to run MediaShout on (got to get working on that now) as a backup – but other than that, I might not play around too much in the Windows section.  Leopard is too great to do that.

Disappointed to say the least…

Oct 27th, 07 / 1 Comment

I was looking forward to the rumors coming true… I love Macbook Pro’s, but I just can’t get away from the ultra-portable size of my 12″ powerbook.  I know the Macbook exists, but I have my reasons for not going that direction.  

The rumor was that Apple was releasing a 13″ Macbook Pro to fill the much needed void for its ultra-portable line.  I was ready to upgrade, but I just don’t want to settle… so it looks like I might be holding on for a little while longer.
Bummer.