Andy's Un-Official Unsolicited Mac Advice Thread

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  • BradfordBennBradfordBenn Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited September 25, 2008
    So still no idea on a media catalogger? I might just have to keep it in Windows
    -=Bradford

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  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited September 25, 2008
    So still no idea on a media catalogger? I might just have to keep it in Windows


    I used this before MS bought it. Should work. Lightroom should work, too.
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  • colourboxcolourbox Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited September 25, 2008
    So still no idea on a media catalogger? I might just have to keep it in Windows

    Only ideas I have are from this link. These are apps that will track removable media. My search terms were "catalog CD" but you might find more with a different search.

    I have used DiskTracker but I think it's getting a little out of date. CDFinder looks interesting but I haven't used it.

    These are apps that should track any file type on your discs. If you used an app like Lightroom you would be able to track only certain photo file types. Microsoft Expression Media should be able to track offline media. But they don't seem to handle it as well as the generic disc trackers, like doing that letter labeling system you talked about.
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited September 25, 2008
    colourbox wrote:
    Only ideas I have are from this link. These are apps that will track removable media. My search terms were "catalog CD" but you might find more with a different search.

    I have used DiskTracker but I think it's getting a little out of date. CDFinder looks interesting but I haven't used it.

    These are apps that should track any file type on your discs. If you used an app like Lightroom you would be able to track only certain photo file types. Microsoft Expression Media should be able to track offline media. But they don't seem to handle it as well as the generic disc trackers, like doing that letter labeling system you talked about.


    Yes. macupdate.com and versiontracker.com. Both are the first place to look if friends don't have an easy answer for you on software. thumb.gif
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  • BradfordBennBradfordBenn Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited September 25, 2008
    Thanks I will go browse. So far I have hit nothing perfect. It is not just for images, but for all media. So document back ups, audio files, websites... etc. It is that little step of not having to label the media, seems small but pretty cool.
    -=Bradford

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  • CatOneCatOne Registered Users Posts: 957 Major grins
    edited September 26, 2008
    Thanks I will go browse. So far I have hit nothing perfect. It is not just for images, but for all media. So document back ups, audio files, websites... etc. It is that little step of not having to label the media, seems small but pretty cool.

    Leap?

    Won't do audio files, but iTunes works great for that ;-)
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited September 26, 2008
    CatOne wrote:
    Leap?

    Won't do audio files, but iTunes works great for that ;-)


    iTunes works great for offline media? Really?
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  • CatOneCatOne Registered Users Posts: 957 Major grins
    edited September 26, 2008
    DavidTO wrote:
    iTunes works great for offline media? Really?

    No.

    :-P
  • BradfordBennBradfordBenn Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited September 27, 2008
    DavidTO wrote:
    iTunes works great for offline media? Really?

    Not so much, but a few people have tried http://lifehacker.com/software/pdf/geek-to-live--organize-your-pdf-library-with-itunes-240447.php

    I will do a video capture so you guys can see what I am trying to do. I do appreciate the help, but I think that I am not going to be able to find the feature set I want.
    -=Bradford

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  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited September 27, 2008
    1Password
    FWIW, all of Smuggy is using 1Password now :D

    http://twitter.com/DonMacAskill/statuses/935362987
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited September 27, 2008
    Andy wrote:
    FWIW, all of Smuggy is using 1Password now :D

    http://twitter.com/DonMacAskill/statuses/935362987


    I should get a commission on that one! :D
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  • BradfordBennBradfordBenn Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited September 28, 2008
    Video capture of WhereIsIt...
    Okay, I am probably beating a dead horse, but I am sitting in Chicago's O'Hare Airport on a layover. I actually had to use WhereIsIt to grab some stuff from the office so figured I would snag a video capture...

    I can't quite figure out how to embed the video, so here is a link

    http://BradfordBenn.smugmug.com/gallery/4168488_66o8K#382006119_36Pnq-A-LB

    <object width=425 height=318><param name="movie" value="http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008092306.swf&quot; /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="flashVars" value="s=aT0zODIwMDYxMTkmaz0zNlBucSZhPTQxNjg0ODhfNjZvOEsmdT1CcmFkZm9yZEJlbm4mZT0x" /><embed src="http://cdn.smugmug.com/ria/ShizVidz-2008092306.swf&quot; flashVars="s=aT0zODIwMDYxMTkmaz0zNlBucSZhPTQxNjg0ODhfNjZvOEsmdT1CcmFkZm9yZEJlbm4mZT0x" width=425 height=318 type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object>


    Notice how it tells me the media name and its number.

    Thanks for looking and thinking.
    -=Bradford

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  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited September 28, 2008
    Brad,

    This doesn't work for you?
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  • BradfordBennBradfordBenn Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited September 30, 2008
    DavidTO wrote:
    Brad,

    This doesn't work for you?

    Thanks. For fixing the embedded video and for the tip. I had not found that one yet. I am downloading it at the moment.thumb.gif
    -=Bradford

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  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited October 3, 2008
    So, my iMac has shut off twice in the last week, without warning or apparent cause. Just completely shut off. Should I worry? Is there some kind of repair process I should know about (like if I RTFM)?

    ann
  • RogersDARogersDA Registered Users Posts: 3,502 Major grins
    edited October 4, 2008
    Ann McRae wrote:
    So, my iMac has shut off twice in the last week, without warning or apparent cause. Just completely shut off. Should I worry? Is there some kind of repair process I should know about (like if I RTFM)?

    ann

    Not sure if this applies to you or not: http://www.apple.com/support/imac/powersupply/repairextension/
  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited October 4, 2008
    RogersDA wrote:

    Thanks, David. Mine isn't that old. No reported issues or fixes over at the apple site., so I guess I will contact my retailer. I am pushing the one year time line.

    ann
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited October 4, 2008
    Ann McRae wrote:
    Thanks, David. Mine isn't that old. No reported issues or fixes over at the apple site., so I guess I will contact my retailer. I am pushing the one year time line.

    ann


    Ann,

    It's still covered under warranty. You can call tech support. Much better than going to your retailer. MUCH.

    Also, try this first.
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  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited October 5, 2008
    DavidTO wrote:
    Ann,

    It's still covered under warranty. You can call tech support. Much better than going to your retailer. MUCH.

    Also, try this first.

    Thanks, David.

    ann
  • ChrisJChrisJ Registered Users Posts: 2,164 Major grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    Disappointed in MacBook Refresh...
    I was all set to order a new MacBook Pro at work, and then Apple dropped the ball for me.

    The killer for me is the mandated glossy screen. I can't stand glossy screens! Nothing will ever convince me to buy one; I don't watch movies on my computers at work (or at home for that matter).

    I'm hoping that by the time they release the new 17" MacBook Pros in "a few months" (says the rumor line), Apple will have come to their senses.

    Argh! Just had to vent...
    Chris
  • PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    I initially didn't think the glossy screen would be a big deal ecause I have the Air and love the screen. However - the new MacBook Pro screen is covered with glass.

    Check this gallery: http://www.engadget.com/photos/macbook-and-macbook-pro-comparison/1110933/
  • cmasoncmason Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited October 24, 2008
    Well, I have seen them in the stores, and plan on getting the MacBook for my wife, but honestly, I didn't notice the screen being distracting.

    I have an HP laptop with a glossy screen, and after a year of use, I must say it isn't an issue. I am often angling my screen on a non-glossy Thinkpad as much as I do on the glossy HP, and a simple adjustment eliminates any annoying glare. It really just isn't an issue.

    On the other hand, I purposefully bought an older model iMac, when the new ones shipped, as I didn't want a glossy screen. It isn't practical to move a 24" screen around, and I have windows at the back of the office, where it can get super annoying. In other words, glossy does not work where you can not adjust the screen easily.

    By the way, the new trackpad on the Macbook is the best trackpad I have ever used. For the record, I am a fan of the 'eraser' pointer found on many Thinkpads, and generally do not like trackpads. But the one on the new Macbook is really well done. The most useful thing is the whole trackpad is a button. Move your finger and click, just like a mouse. And the right side of the track pad is a right click too. For click and hold moves, you just do it: use your thumb to click and hold and do what you normally do with your finger. Honestly, I just did it and didnt notice that I wasnt actually clicking a button with my thumb.

    These are very sleak machines, they have the feel of a fatter Macbook air.
  • cmasoncmason Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2008
    Help, CS3 in the Applications Folder
    Question to the seasoned Mac hounds who have CS3....

    I am wondering if I installed CS3 incorrectly somehow. The problem is that my Applications folder is full of what I would otherwise think are support files. Is this the way it is supposed to be? I tried moving these files to another folder, but the Mac didnt like that.

    I would prefer to have Photoshop, Bridge, etc as icons in the Apps folder, but instead, they are a bunch of folders with all kinds of crap in them....

    Does your Applications folder look like this?:

    401928341_7jwmo-M.jpg
  • colourboxcolourbox Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2008
    cmason wrote:
    Does your Applications folder look like this?

    Yes, it does. That's normal. Microsoft Office does it too. Many larger apps install a folder with the application inside it. Smaller apps tend to be the "single icon" installations.

    In your Applications folder are some major app folders (Acrobat, Flash, Photoshop...) and some are support (Help, Device Central, Extension Manager). Yeah, they could be cleaner about their utilities.

    It doesn't bother me very much because I hardly ever go into the Applications folder. My frequently used apps are all in the Dock as shortcuts, and for occasionally used apps I'll just type the first few letters of the name into Spotlight and hit Return. At that point it doesn't matter to me where or how they're stored.
  • CatOneCatOne Registered Users Posts: 957 Major grins
    edited October 26, 2008
    cmason wrote:
    Question to the seasoned Mac hounds who have CS3....

    I am wondering if I installed CS3 incorrectly somehow. The problem is that my Applications folder is full of what I would otherwise think are support files. Is this the way it is supposed to be? I tried moving these files to another folder, but the Mac didnt like that.

    I would prefer to have Photoshop, Bridge, etc as icons in the Apps folder, but instead, they are a bunch of folders with all kinds of crap in them....

    Does your Applications folder look like this?:

    401928341_7jwmo-M.jpg

    Heh. No, that's perfectly normal. Honestly, Adobe sucks in many ways. I can really doubt the quality of software from a company who has incompatible HELP VIEWER applications (you can't read 1.1 help docs with Help Viewer 1.0, and vice versa), and who decides it's a good idea to put both of them at the ROOT LEVEL of the applications folder. Seriously... do you think a single one of their engineers has ever vacuumed his apartment?

    rolleyes1.gif

    And don't get me started on their installer. You should see people try and install that software in a corporate environment. There is really NO WAY to install it outside of going to each and every machine with the freaking DVD and sitting through a 1-hour install. For 500 machines, that's 500 hours of IT time.

    Okay I lie, There is one company (JAMF Software) who came out with an explicit installer which can help out here in a managed environment. The fact that, 8 years after OS X was released, that Adobe's installers still suck so much scrotum.... well as you can see, it cheeks me off.

    I haven't verified if CS4 is any better, but my guess is, that America's national debt (debt, not deficit) will be 0 before Adobe writes an installer which doesn't suck.
  • colourboxcolourbox Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited October 26, 2008
    CatOne wrote:
    ...and who decides it's a good idea to put both of them at the ROOT LEVEL of the applications folder. Seriously... do you think a single one of their engineers has ever vacuumed his apartment? rolleyes1.gif

    The reason I didn't criticize Adobe specifically is that Apple is not off the hook themselves. I have Apple Final Cut Pro and its installer does the exact same thing, with at least nine additional utilities and folders installed at the top level of the Applications folder and some uncountable number of additional files (several GB worth) strewn throughout Application Support and the other Library folders. It's the exact same mess, from Apple.

    So if we're looking for a role model from Apple, Adobe, Microsoft...there isn't a saint among 'em here.
  • colourboxcolourbox Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited October 28, 2008
    Today only (Oct 28) - CrossOver Mac is free to download
    (Scroll down to where it says "For Tuesday, October 28, 2008 only, we are putting up fully unlocked builds")

    It's WINE ported to OS X so that you can run some Windows apps without Windows. I haven't actually tried it.
  • cabbeycabbey Registered Users Posts: 1,053 Major grins
    edited October 30, 2008
    CatOne wrote:
    The fact that, 8 years after OS X was released, that Adobe's installers still suck so much scrotum.... well as you can see, it cheeks me off.

    But you missed the WORST part of the Adobe user experience... the UPDATER!

    The installer you run once, the updater runs every freaking time you login, at a minimum. The updater makes the installer look polished.
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  • SeamusSeamus Registered Users Posts: 1,573 Major grins
    edited October 31, 2008
    I've been using Yep for the last few months. It organises your pdf's into an iTunes type program where you can keyword and catalog them. It's a lot faster than using preview to look at a pdf, imho.

    Shay.
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited October 31, 2008
    Seamus wrote:
    I've been using Yep for the last few months. It organises your pdf's into an iTunes type program where you can keyword and catalog them. It's a lot faster than using preview to look at a pdf, imho.

    Shay.


    I saw that and was intrigued, but I don't store pdfs so much. I look once, and then toss 'em. Looks like a great app, though!
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