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MC20051203.mp3 [19.6mb 00:42:34 64kbps]
A podcast about Macs done by a Mac geek for Mac geeks. Show 106. Apple releases iPod Shuffle update, highlights from Apple’s 10-K filing, AnandTech reviews next generation Intel Yonah chip, possible security flaw in QuickTime, FOX executive says they would be open to an iTunes deal, rumor Apple may offer “streaming” video downloads and Apples iTunes 100 millionth European download contest. MacCast One Minute Tip #8 – Messy Desktops. Correction on OS X installer optimization. Laptop Insurance vs. AppleCare. Expose and Drag and Drop are powerful allies. Sharing your GarageBand songs. How to set up a Mac home security system.
Send me Christmas and Holiday cards:
Adam Christianson
The MacCast
6965 El Camino Real
Suite 105-442
Carlsbad, CA 92009
New music, Joy To The World by Basic
Promo from Indigenous Peoples Music
I’d rather have an intelligent enemy than a stupid friend.
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For the drag+exposé trick, the best is to assign one hot corner to Exposé-all windows and another to Exposé-show desktop. That way, you don’t have to use the keyboard (F9 or F11) in a mouse drag operation. Just drag something from one window to the Exposé-all windows hot corner, then drag over the target window, hover to select it (or press spacebar to select it immediately), then drop. If you need to take it to the desktop, drag to the other hot corner. I quite often use this setup to do stuff with downloaded files on the desktop. I first run the mouse to the hot corner for Exposé-show desktop, grab the file, drag it to the other hot corner for Exposé-all windows, then drop on the window I want. I also have another hot corner to invoke Dashboard. For widgets that support it (even if they just have a text field), you can drag to that corner for Dashboard, then drop on the widget.
I don’t buy any of the thinksecret rumors about a Mac Mini DVR or streaming video downloads. The way those stories are written are so unprofessional, whenever he says something questionable he just tacks on “extremely reliable sources tell us”. I used to go to thinksecret for mac rumors, but it seemed to become less and less reliable. It’s probably better to take such grandoise rumors with a grain of salt. Here’s a link to Arstechnica talking (skeptically) about the mac mini video thing.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20051129-5643.html
Adam,
Can you put a countdown to the keynote speech up?
If any of your listeners are going maybe they could take pictures using their cell phones and upload them to your site?
Chris,
there’s always this Dashboard widget you can use to countdown the days:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/business/countdowncalendar.html
Loving the podcast’s adam a christmas card is on its way to you from England
You asked about experiences with Safeware.
My wife had a Safeware policy on her first iBook. They repaired the internal speaker when it failed out-of-warranty, about five years ago. They were easy to deal with, no hassles at all.
Is there an insurance that specifically complements AppleCare? For expenses not covered by Medicare, there are insurances called Medigap (to cover the gap, get it?) and I kind of think that is what AFLAC is (other than annoying).
For a major investment that has a lot of exposure to danger, like a PowerBook, I think AppleCare is essential, but I wouldn’t want to shell out a lot more to have an essentially redundant policy.
If there is not such insurance, someone ought to start one. Any actuaries out there?
I recently bought a 5th gen iPod but declined Apple Care. Can I obtain it now after the fact?
You were going to put a link to the disk optimization article in the show notes. Thanks.
It is in there, but here it is: http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/inside_wire_disk_optimization/
Adam,
you asked for input on the iPod shuffle update. So far, I’ve noticed that when I leave the shuffle in pause mode for longer than a minute, it just resumes when you press play, whereas before, the first press would wake it up, then it would take a few seconds to be ready, then you would press play to make it go. I would have to look at it to know when it was ready – now I can just press play whenever – nice. I also haven’t encountered the bug of it needing to be reset when pausing it for several minutes and then pressing play.
This probably isn’t new, but it also plays podcasts first when in non-shuffle mode. This was probably there before, and I didn’t know it – I was always manually moving them to the top of the shuffle playlist, and apparently I didn’t need to do this.
Another thing I’ve liked that’s always seemed to work is when I delete a podcast on the computer that was also on my shuffle, it gets deleted from my shuffle when I sync it next time so I don’t have to manually do that. I still have to manually put them on though.
Regarding using the Mac with cameras for security monitoring, I’ve used SecuirtySpy and it works pretty good. I’m not familiar with EvoCam so I’ll have to look into that.
Safeware & Applecare
Before I went to college, I got a Powerbook-TI, and both Applecare and Safeware. I am glad I had them both. I have used the tech support from applecare as well has having had both a hard drive and combo drive replaced with ease with applecare. I probably wold have spent about $200 on tech support because I got my comp during the migration from Classic to X and things were still very buggy until about 10.2.5 or so (especially sense my 10.2 CDs were the upgrade discs for being a new owner during a major OS upgrade, and 3rd parties were still dragging their feet.)
My laptop fell out of my improperly secured bag onto blacktop. Fortunately it still booted, and the screen worked, but there was extensive casing damage. About $1300 worth, which is a new screen, top case, and rib structure (everything but mobo/drives and bottom plate.) There was some confusion trying to get everything arranged do to the fact that they did not understand it was a MAC at first, which has to be shipped out to a different location, so to make good with us, we were authorized to take it to the local Apple Authorized Repair shop to have it fixed.
This was all under a policy that gives me full coverage of the PowerBook (purchase price), no deductible, and will cover my registered peripherals (up to the value of the comp per clame) for about $150 a year and no deductible.
I was so happy with the no fault coverage, that I have my iPod covered under a PDA agreement.
And as my comp has been abused like a desktop for over 3 years, it is making funny noises and the fans are dead or dyeing, I am now going to review my policy, and see if I can get them to fix it (or hope of all hopes, replace it with an aluminum one.)
Adam:
On MacCast 12.03.2005, you wrote:
“Send me Christmas and Holiday cards:
Adam Christianson
The MacCast
6965 El Camino Real
Suite 105-442
Carlsbad, CA 92009″…but I don’t recall ever seeing them posted on your website. Any chance they’ll ever be posted for all to see?
Erik