Tips/How To: Use Terminal to keep your job
It’s happened to everyone who’s ever slacked off at work (and if you are reading this instead of doing something productive, I’ll assume you fall into that category): The boss asks you do do some simple little job (or maybe even a big one) and you totally space out and forget about it. A week later he walks in and says, “Hey Bonehead, where’s that... Read More
Creating a rich man’s “poor man’s” Apple TV
Faithful Macenstein reader Phil writes: Hi Doc, I tried finding info on this on Google and all known mac forums, but have not found anything so far. I am wondering whether I can use Dot.Tunes to stream video to my iPod touch (they say I can: http://www.dottunes.net/ipod_touch.html) and then use the Apple composite cable to connect the touch to my TV, creating a poor man’s... Read More
Tips/Howto: Refresh a Finder Window
One of the few non-viral things Windows users have that Mac OS X users don’t is an easy way to refresh a Finder (Explorer) window. Their “refresh” command (located under their VIEW menu) is a handy way to update the contents of the open window to see changes that do not (for whatever reason) display automatically. This non-updating of windows actually happens to... Read More
3 accessories that can squeeze some extra life from a “dead” iPod
Sadly, as with all electronic gadgets, there will come a day when your iPod will eventually die. I know, I know, we don’t like to think of such things, but death is an unavoidable side effect of life. However, much like cutting off your deceased grandfather’s head and freezing it, there ARE ways to extend the life of your “dead” iPod, and most cost far less... Read More
EyeTV 2.5 kicks ass – Now let’s give it a pair of steel-toed boots
This Monday Elgato released their EyeTV 2.5 update, and I must say it has changed the way I watch TV. Well, not so much the way I do, but where I do. The main feature of the update was the seemingly gimmicky ability to stream recorded shows wirelessly to your iPhone/iPod touch from your EyeTV computer. I wasn’t all that sure how useful this feature would be (and quite frankly,... Read More
Quick Mail Tip: Find out how much space your messages are taking up
Posted by Dr. Macenstein Here’s a quick little tip you may already know about, but I just discovered while screwing around in Mail. If in your main Mail window you select an account under your INBOX, then hit “CMND+i” (the usual “Get Info” shortcut), you are presented with the Account Info window. This window defaults to the MESSAGES ON SERVER tab,... Read More
How To: Normalize the audio on iPod videos without a recompression
Posted by Dr. Macenstein What is normalization, and why would you want to do it to your video iPod files? Well, normalization is the process of increasing (or in some cases, decreasing) the volume of an audio file by increasing the amplitude of the audio waveform to the maximum level possible without introducing any distortion into the recording. (see my illustration below). Above:... Read More
How To: Check your iPhone for dead/stuck pixels
Posted by Dr. Macenstein I was watching a certain Harry Potter movie last night on my iPhone, and since it is a particularly “dark” movie, I decided to turn my iPhone’s brightness all the way up. A couple minutes in, I noticed an annoying speck of “dust” on the screen, but try as I might, it would not come off. To my horror, I soon realized it was... Read More
iBook Server: For those times when speed, storage, and current software don’t matter
Posted by Dr. Macenstein It’s never easy when a Mac dies. On the one hand, you want to show your Mac the respect it deserves for serving you so well all those years. On the other, you REALLY want to cut it open and see if you can make its carcass do anything cool. Such was the dilemma which faced faithful Macenstein reader Jonas Krøyer over at c-h-a-o-s.com. He came into... Read More
The Magic iPhone help number
Posted by Dr. Macenstein If your iPhone is not working yet (join the club), and you want to call AT&T just to feel like you have some control over the situation, odds are if you call the standard iPhone help line (877-800-3701) you will be stuck on hold for about 30-45 minutes before getting a rep that will tell you all you can do is tough it out. Well, if you still want to... Read More
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