Mac

Controlling iTunes

• Macworld: Bowtie 1.3.1 Review

Why to Encrypt Your iOS Backups

• Personal information, such as email account passwords and contact information will be secured.
• The log of location data is encrypted with everything else.
• If you restore a new iOS device from a backup, usually passwords such as mail account passwords aren’t stored. But if your backup is encrypted, the passwords will be kept, making the transition to a new device much easier.

Links for iTunes

• Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes ♫
• How to Play Random Albums from iTunes (with Albert)

Apple: iTunes →

Alfred is a quick keyboard launcher for apps and more in the spirit of Quicksilver, Butler and LaunchBar. It's a productivity application, which saves you time in searching your local computer and the web.

How to Use Alfred

1. Invoke it using a global shortcut
2. then type whatever you want to find… type an app name to launch it
3. or type “google” and your search term to search Google.

One thing that impresses me most about Alfred is its speed.

Links for Alfred

• Anna's Alfred Hat Tips
• Alfred tips
• Alfred custom searches
• Alfred themes

[Alfred →]

“Fluid lets you create a Site Specific Browser (SSB) out of any website or web application, effectively turning your favorite web apps into desktop apps.”

How to Change the Name of a Fluid Application

1. Rename the Fluid application in Finder
2. Choose Show Package Contents command for the application in Finder
3. Open Contents/Info.plist file with Property List Editor
4. Edit Bundle identifier value from com.fluidapp.FluidInstance.[old name] to com.fluidapp.FluidInstance.[new name]
5. Edit Bundle name value
6. Save and close Info.plist and relaunch the application

How to Move a Fluid Application to Another Folder

1. Move the Fluid application to another folder

How to Change the Home Page of a Fluid Application

1. Choose Show Package Contents command for the Fluid application in Finder
2. Open Contents/Resources/Config.plist file with Property List Editor
3. Edit TODHomeURLString value
4. Save and close Config.plist
5. Open ~/Library/Preferences/com.fluidapp.FluidInstance.[name].plist file with Property List Editor
6. Edit TODHomeURLString value
7. Save and close .plist file and relaunch the application

Q: Is there a way to do Time Machine backup into a cloud?
A: Yes there is, meet Dolly Drive – Cloud Storage For Time Machine. Dolly Drive Backup Utility Review by Mac|Life.

Time Machine Tips

• How to access hidden files to restore in Time Machine

[Apple – Mac OS X: Time Machine]

Pixelmator Reviews

Ars Techincas has a comprehensive Pixelmator 1.6.4 review. Here are some of the topics:

• The Pixelmator Interface – “…Interface really sells it as the sleek package that it is.”
• Lightweight and fast
• Similar workflow to Photoshop, down to the last key
• UI criticisms
• The Tools and Adjustments – “…Tools and adjustments straddle the line between hardcore image editor and consumer app.”
• Brush handling
• Robust Layers
• Web Slicing and Output – “…simple but strong enough for serious work.”
• The Filters
• Type Handling
• The Consumer-specific Tools – “…number of consumer-oriented features like export options for various Web galleries (Flickr, Facebook and Picasa).”
• Camera support
• Compared to the Competition
• Pixelmator vs Photoshop Elements 9
• Pixelmator vs The GIMP 2.6.x
• Things Clearly Missing from Pixelmator
• Conclusion
• Pros: Very responsive with high-res images, well thought out interface, makes a great starter edition to learning Photoshop…
• Cons: Can't save to Photoshop documents as working file format, type editing is limited, zoomed-out image aliasing problems…
• Takeaway: The start of something great for Mac image editing.