appleJAC Users Group

See Hidden Info about your Files

Want more info on your files than the standard icon view provides (after all, it just gives you the file’s name in icon view)? Then turn on Show Item info. This adds an extra line of information below many files and folders that can be very useful. For example, now not only do you get a folder’s name, but just below the name (in unobtrusive light-blue, 9-point type), you’ll see how many items are in that folder.

If the file is an image, the Item Info shows you how big it is. MP3 files show how long the song is, etc. To turn on Item Info for your current Finder window, press Command-J to bring up its View Options. Then turn on the checkbox for Show Item Info. If you want to show the item info for every window (globally), then choose the All Windows button at the top of the dialog.

From Scott Kelby’s “Mac OS X Tiger Killer Tips,” packed with cool inside secrets, slick workarounds, undocumented shortcuts, and sneaky tricks to help you use Mac OS X.

Sorting Apple's AirPort Menu

This tip comes from Jeff Gamet at the Mac Observer

Apple's AirPort menu item gives you quick access to the available WiFi networks near your Mac, but it lists those networks alphabetically. I think viewing the network list by signal strength makes more sense, and someone at Apple must agree.

To view WiFi networks by signal strength instead of alphabetically, simply hold down the Option key while you click the AirPort menu item. The list of networks will rearrange itself so that the strongest signal is at the top of the list and the weakest is at the bottom.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way to make this the default view, but at least the Option-click feature is easy to remember.

Great On-Line Video Training

lynda.com is an award-winning provider of educational materials, including Hands-On Training™ instructional books, the Online Training Library™, CD- and DVD-based video training, and events for creative designers, instructors, students, and hobbyists.

The lynda.com Online Training Library™ and CD-ROM titles include such subjects as Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Office, digital photography, Web design, digital video, and many others. lynda.com's all-star team of trainers and teachers provides comprehensive and unbiased movie-based training to an international membership of tens of thousands of subscribers. Considering the speed at which technology evolves, the Online Training Library™ is a great solution for keeping your skills current. Library subscriptions begin as low as $25 a month, with no long-term commitment required.

I ran across this site from a free month Adobe provided as a n upgrader to Creative Suite CS3 and I am glad I did.

Sync your Bookmarks with BookIt

How many web browsers do you use? If you use more than one, then you have likely experienced the pains of bookmark juggling. To help relieve this suffering, Everyday Software brings us BookIt, a utility that can make managing multiple bookmark libraries a breeze. BookIt is an internet browser bookmark manager that helps you synchronize bookmark libraries among multiple browsers. By helping you generate and maintain a master bookmark list and then allowing you to distribute it to your browsers of choice, you can gain control of your bookmarks libraries and provide a consistent bookmark organization among the browsers that you use. BookIt also provides easy access to your bookmarks by providing a Menu Item and Dockling that directly accesses pages referenced by your bookmarks.

Read a full review or take a look at what it can do.

Want Firefox to be your default browser?

Apple has a new knowledgebase article on this:

Learn how to change the default Mac OS X email and Web browser applications with Mail and Safari, in Mac OS X 10.3 or later.

Note: If you are accustomed to using Internet preferences in earlier versions of Mac OS X, note that Internet preferences is not included with Mac OS X 10.3 or later. In Mac OS X 10.3 or later, use Mail and Safari to change your default applications.

Choosing an email application other than Mail

1. Open Mail (/Applications/Mail).
2. From the Mail menu, choose Preferences.
3. Click the General button.
4. Choose your desired default email application from the Default Email Reader pop-up menu.
5. Note: You may need to set up the email application with your email account information. This information is not automatically exported from Mail.

Choosing a default Web browser other than Safari

1. Open Safari (/Applications).
2. From the Safari menu, choose Preferences.
3. Click the General button.
4. Choose a different browser from the Default Web Browser pop-up menu.
5. Safari and Mail shouldn't be deleted

After changing your default application, you should not delete Safari or Mail, even if you do not plan to use them. You will need them if you wish to change your default settings in the future.

So, if you like Foxfire as a browser, make it your default.

Is Spotlight not finding things you know are there?

Spotlight: How to re-index folders or volumes

Want to re-index a folder—or even an entire volume—for Spotlight (part of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger)? Just do this:

• From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
• Click Spotlight.
• Click the Privacy tab.
• Drag a folder or even an entire volume (your hard drive) to the list.
• Remove the item or volume you just added.
• Spotlight will re-index the contents of the item you initially dragged to the list.

Note: You can only add folders or items to the Privacy tab that you have ownership permissions for. For more information about ownership and permissions, see this article and this one.

Ever wonder how many times you have charged your Laptop battery....

Determining Battery Cycle Count

This article describes how customers with portable computers running Mac OS X 10.4.x or later can determine the number of cycles on a battery.

• Open Apple System Profiler (Choose About this Mac from the Apple menu and then click on the More Info button).
• Click Power in the Contents list (under the Hardware section as seen below).
• Cycle Count is listed under the Battery Information section.
  

 

Notes
A properly maintained Apple notebook battery is designed to retain up to 80 percent of its original capacity after 300 full charge and discharge cycles.

A charge cycle means using all of the battery’s power, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a single charge. For instance, you could use your notebook for an hour or more one day, using half its power, and then recharge it fully. If you did the same thing the next day, it would count as one charge cycle, not two, so you may take several days to complete a cycle.

The TomTom ONE XL has everything you need to make your trip safer

You know I am really high on TomTom GPS units.  These are still the only units that truly support the Macintosh for management of the unit  (Hello Garmin... Did you forget about Mac Users) .  Well TomTom has just announced a wide screen version of their popular and smal TomTom One.  The TomTom ONE XL has everything you need to make your trip safer, more relaxed and more fun.

TomTom’s award-winning plug-and-go navigation software, new 4.3” touchscreen and access to real time traffic services make navigating even easier.

With a large choice of route options, complete maps of the US and Canada and millions of useful and fun points of interest pre-loaded for your journey, you're ready for worry-free navigation from A to B.

TomTom ONE XL makes getting there better than ever.  TomTom still sells the TomTom One at $100 less cost than before.

Troubleshooting printing issues in Mac OS X

Apple has a great article to assist you in learning how to troubleshoot printing issues in Mac OS X.

Here are some of the items they suggest.

Print a test page

If your printer has a test page feature, try to print one. If the test page does not print, turn the printer off and on then try again. Make sure the power cord is connected to a power source.

For more information on how to print a test page, review the documentation that came with your printer or look at the manufacturer's website. If printing a test page is unsuccessful, review the documentation that came with the printer for further troubleshooting steps specific to the printer.

Check cables and connections

Disconnect and reconnect every cable between the computer and the printer. Make sure all cables are firmly inserted.

• USB printers only: Switch the USB cable connection from the current USB port to another USB port.
• USB printers only: Open Apple System Profiler and click the Devices and Volumes tab. If the printer still does not appear, try a different cable.

Try to print again.

Did it work before?

If your printer previously worked with Mac OS X, continue to the next section. If not, go to "Update or reinstall printer software" below.

Delete old print jobs

Save the files you are trying to print, then delete old print jobs.

Print from another application

Try to print from another Mac OS X application, such as TextEdit. Can the issue be isolated to one application?

If the issue occurs when you try to print from a Classic application, try printing from other Classic applications, then from a Mac OS X-native application. Can the issue be isolated to one application? Does it only occur in the Classic environment?

Any time that an issue seems to be application-specific or environment-specific (Classic versus Mac OS X native), the issue could be related to either the application software or the printer drivers. Check the website of both the application developer and the printer manufacturer, and contact them if necessary.

If these don't work, take a look at the Apple article for more options.

Apple TV: About standby mode

To put Apple TV in standby mode, press and hold the Select/Play/Pause button for about 6 seconds.

What happens to Apple TV in "standby" mode:

• The hard drive spins down when not syncing content.
• Video will display black.
• Audio will not play.
• Apple TV will continue to appear in the iTunes Devices list allowing you to view synced content.
• Network connections will remain active and Apple TV will continue to appear in the iTunes devices list allowing you to sync content.
• The fan continues to operate.

Note: If the Apple TV is put in standby mode during a sync operation, content will continue to write to the hard drive.

To wake Apple TV, press any button on the remote.