November 2010 MaUsE DoubleClick

November 2010
MaUsE DoubleClick
2010 MaUsE Executive
• President: Michael Shaw
[email protected]
• Vice President: Aaron Vegh
[email protected]
• Apple Liaison: Marcel Dufresne
[email protected]
• Treasurer: Stan Wild
[email protected]
• Publicity Director: Jim Danabie
• Photographer: Irma Shaw
• DoubleClick Editor:
Michael Shaw
[email protected]
• Secretary: Jeff Hurd
• Director: Guy Lafontaine
[email protected]
• Director: Ian Winton
• Director: Marcel Dufresne
MaUsE Contact Information:
The MaUsE
c/o Stan Wild
58 Rothean Drive
Whitby, Ontario, Canada
L1P 1L5
w w w. m a u s e . c a
November 24th MaUsE
Meeting
Watch your email for the notice
about the November 24th MaUsE
Meeting. It will be the last meeting of 2010. No meeting in December because of Christmas.
From The Editor
What you are looking at is the November 2010
edition of the MaUsE DoubleClick, the online publication of the Macintosh Users East, (MaUsE), a
motley collection of mostly harmless cranks who
reside in Southern Ontario with their motley collection of old and new Macintosh, Hackentosh &
MacClone computers.
The DoubleClick is published using a 2.8 GHz Aluminum iMac and QuarkXPress 8. An antique
Kodak DX7590 is used for all pictures. Everything
not specifically attributed to someone else can
probably be blamed on the Editor. Back issues
can be downloaded from the MaUsE website:
< www.mause.ca >. Submissions from MaUsE
Club members are almost always welcome.
Another of Irma’s interesting
pictures. As you can see from this
picture of Iguazu Falls, we didn’t
spend all of our Argentine sojourn
in the high desert or in the mountains of Patagonia. For a while we
were in the jungle.
If you would like to submit a photo
for next month’s cover please
send it to Michael at
< [email protected] >.
Send your submissions and articles to me at:
< [email protected] >, especially if there are
files or pictures attached. I have never refused a
submission yet. Because we care about the environment, the MaUsE DoubleClick is created using
only recycled electrons: matter was neither created nor destroyed in the process of creating this
issue. There are no infractions of the law of matter conservation. There is always room for another
piece on any Mac-related topic and Iʼll make room
if there isnʼt. I would like your submissions. But I
wonʼt beg.
Apple, Macintosh, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the
U.S. and other countries. The MaUsE (Macintosh
Users East) is an independent Mac user group
and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved of by Apple Computer, Inc. Its very
much like they don’t even know we exist.
Michael Shaw, Editor
MaUsE Meetings are held in Room 1 at the new Whitby Public Library
on the south-east corner of Henry and Dundas West in Whitby, Ontario on
the fourth Wednesday of each month except December, July and August.
Meetings start at 7:00 PM but there is an early session from 6:30 for people who wish to discuss hardware or software issues or problems. Macintosh virus problem are discussion from 6:58 to 7:00 PM
The October 27th 2010 General MaUsE Meeting was our second
event of the month and another successful venture. We had so
many people show up that it was “standing room only” at the back
of the hall. Stan gave his Treasurer’s Report and then closed the
election nominations. I spoke briefly about buying refurbished
Macs. Aaron told us the big news from Apple. After the break Marcel talked about how to setup and use 1Password and then Aaron
talked about the various ways of running Windoze on a Mac. At the
end of the meeting we had a members’ raffle with prizes donated
by some of the companies that support our organisation. We increased our membership numbers and a good time was had by all.
Skype Videophone
Touch AiGuru SV1T from ASUS
Skype allows you to make free voice and video calls to
other people who are also using Skype. iChat and
MSN perform the same task, but not nearly as well.
For iChat to be used, both computers must be using
Mac OS. While MSN does work on both Windows
and Mac OS Systems, the upgrades and the technology greatly favour the Windows user. Only
Skype provides smooth calling on whatever computer you are using from anywhere in the world.
And as a bonus, for a reasonable charge, you can
even use your computer to call a land line phone.
With Skype, I have been able to talk to my parents
from Hawaii, Iceland and Peru during our world
wide adventures. The ASUS AiGuru SV1T gives
you the best of calling functionality while using
Skype — without needing a computer. Since using
Skype only requires two computers with it installed,
why bother with a dedicated Skype device. I will make
this point clear at the end of the review.
The ASUS Skype phone is a top of the
line machine. There are other Skype phones out there but none provide the first class experience that you get from the ASUS Skype
phone. The other phones are more portable but they offer only audio
signals. Only the ASUS Videophone offers both video and audio and
portability. What you pay is what you get. With the ASUS phone you
have a top of the line camera, speaker and microphone.
When last visiting my parents, who do not have the Internet nor a
computer, I brought along the ASUS phone. I was able to tap into the
neighbour's wireless network and quickly connect up the phone. It has a range of about 50
m. They were able to see their great grandson
eat a couple of meals. They were able to converse with a grand daughter in Seattle. Distance made no difference. We also were able
to video chat with my sister in Mississauga, my
brother in North Bay and my daughter in Oshawa. Using this Skype phone was the cause
for the last three users, who knew about
Skype, to start up an account. When they knew
my parents were available to video chat for the
weekend, they made sure they had an account
and used it. All were thoroughly pleased.
Getting connected is quite simple. You do not
even have to have a prior Skype account as
you can use the phone to set one up.
Just connect the power cable and turn on
the phone. The manual is very thin, which
implies a very short learning curve. By
following the given instructions, you will
be calling one of your Skype contacts in
no time at all. The touch screen controls
make zipping from one menu to another
easy. Push the Add Contact or the Search
button and link up to others who have
Skype on their computers. Your Skype contact list is displayed on the SV1T screen.
Choose who you want to talk to from the list,
press the Call key, and get ready to talk.
SV1T also supports calling landlines and mobiles. It rings when you have an incoming
call, and shows the caller’s ID on the screen.
Settings allow you to customize some of the
displays. The brightness and contrast and
other settings allow you to tweak what you
see. The time and date that is shown by the
phone should be set. I like that I can choose
from different ring tones to alert me of incoming
calls. The phone will go into sleep mode in order
to save energy. First, it will display the time in different spots as a sort
of screen saver, then it goes to sleep.
The dimensions of the machine are 202 (L) x 123 (W) x 253 (H) mm
and it weighs 1.6 kg. The screen is a 800 x 480 Pixel 7” TFT-LCD
touch screen. The battery has a talking time life of about 20 mins
when new and it lasts on standby time for up to 30 mins. Recharging
takes about 2 hours.
The Skype video experience is limited by two factors, the quality of the camera used by the parties
calling each other and the amount of light present.
The ASUS phone produced a much clearer picture
than a laptop with a built in camera and the one
with a web cam attached. In other words, they
were better able to see us than we were to see
them because we were using the ASUS phone.
You can use the video to take a snapshot of yourself to use as your Skype contact picture. The
screen can also tilt forward or back so that you
can adjust the camera's viewing angle.
I was most impressed with the audio capabilities
of the phone. It is defaulted to act as a speaker
phone with no microphone or speaker attached.
My mother, who shies away from using most conventional phones because of hearing difficulties,
had no problem at all hearing her grand daughter. Not all of us were
sitting in front of the phone. That made no difference to the microphone. It was able to pick up anyone in the room, without us having to
raise our voice. It was like carrying on a conversation with the person
right there with us.
You can't send text messages to others as you can from the computer
version of Skype, but you can send voicemail if they have that option
with their Skype account (small fee). You can record a message and
send it along for them to see/listen to later. If you need privacy, there
is a spot on the back of the machine to plug in a set of head phones
and also one for a microphone. If your wireless Internet is a problem,
there is an Ethernet slot that you can use for linking up to the router.
The ASUS phone does not have all the functions that you find in the
menu bar of the Skype application on the computer. The main screen
shows five sub-headings at a time which you can scroll through (right
and left). They include Settings, Search, Add
Contact, Call Phones, Contacts, History, Status,
See Myself, and Account. Each of these headings, when double tapped, open up a drop
down menu that contains all that you might
need to set up your calls and contacts.
Contacts contains both the land line and Skype contacts you have
listed. This being a column list on my computer, I did have trouble getting used to the rows. The ASUS phone lists all the contacts in a long
row, with only five showing at a time. There are alphabet style tab buttons that allow for faster manoeuvring through these contacts. The
column list of the computer also allows you to quickly see the status
of all your contacts, but the ASUS phone only shows five at a time.
And the column view separates the Skype contacts from the phone
contacts which is not the case with the ASUS phone. Only those of us
well versed with Skype on their own computers would notice this inconvenience.
In conclusion, I have found that a dedicated Skype phone has a number of advantages. First, you don't need a computer as long as you
have a wireless connection. This would make for an ideal travel companion if you did not own a lap top. Also, this would be perfect for
those who don't know how to use a computer and don't want to learn.
Secondly, there is the quality of the equipment. You
do not need to go out and buy an expensive web
cam nor a microphone to attach to your computer.
These are built-in. Thirdly, there is the portability of
the phone. You can pick it up and move about, albeit for a limited time. A desktop computer might
have excellent audio and video but is certainly not
portable. Fourthly, it takes very little time to get the
phone online. Push the power button and in about
30 seconds you are connected and ready to talk.
Computers take a lot longer to start up. All these
factors add up to a desirable peripheral device that
anyone can use.
Submitted by Marcel Dufresne
Read about the ASUS AiGuru SV1T Skype video phone at:
http://ca.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=8NtigJONrWERsavj&templete=2.
You can watch a YouTube video showing how easy it is to use by going to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=596RlVaJV9E.
The phone is a bit pricey since it is top of the line. You can find a few places in
Canada that sell the phone with Skype offering one for about $250 (see:
http://shop.skype.com/intl/en-ca/phones/).
This machine makes for a great communication addition to your home technology hardware. Check it out!!!
Photoshop Elements Tips and Tricks
From the October Evening With Mac Night
As promised here is a summery of the Tips and Tricks that were
demonstrated at the Mac Club meeting and the bi-annual Evening
With Mac Night. I will put the keyboard shortcuts in brackets for all
you keyboard junkies, as they make the process a lot quicker.
At the Club meeting I demonstrated how to remove the shadows from
the background of a photo. If you look at the screen shot of the Bride
and Groom below you see a nasty shadow on the Left photo, and the
shot they got on the Right. To accomplish this I went to Photoshop Elements, and did the following.
1. Duplicate your original photo, by selecting File, Duplicate. Then
close your Original. Now you are working on a copy, so if something
goes wrong, no worries.
2. Select a selection tool, either the Magic wand (W) or the Quick
selection tool (A) or the Lasso tool (L).
Note: there are three Lasso tools, and by selecting (L) each time you
change from one to the next. A lot of the tools are like this, and have
more then one shape. Using the tool of your choice, select the area of
the photo you want to save. In this case it is the head and shoulder of
the Bride and Groom. Once outlined you have a dashed line around
your subject, which I will call marching ants. It can take some practice
to get the "marching ants" just right. If you go past your desired spot
you can press and hold the "Option" key to change the + to a - for
your selection tool and remove the marching ants from an area you
don't want them. Once you have your marching ants positioned properly, select the "Refine Edge" button at the top header. This will show
you what is and isn't selected by covering it red. If red doesn't show
up you may have to select it in the pop up
window. With everything selected to your
satisfaction you now need to make this selection a new Layer. To do that press the
Command + J keys. This will give you a new
layer, which has become your active layer.
This is not the layer you want to work on so
you need to get back to the Background
layer. You will need to open your Layers
panel which is over on your right side of the
work space. Select the Background layer,
which is the one with a gray lock at the right
side. Now that you are back on the Background layer Zoom in (Z) on your photo then
select the Rectangular Marquee tool, (M).
With the Rectangular Marquee not the Oval,
(remember I said that most tools have more
then one shape), select an area of the background that does not have any shadow in it.
This is what you will use to hide the hideous
shadow.
3. Once you have your area selected with the Rectangular Marquee, go up to Select in the Menu bar and scroll down to "Feather"
(Option + Command + D) and feather your edges by two or three pixels. This helps blend your edges.
4. Now you will want to move (V) your Rectangular Marquee to the
area where the shadow is. When you selected the Move tool you got
a box around the Rectangular Marquee. Hold the Option key and drag
your Rectangular Marquee to the area you want it. Drop it in place to
cover over the shadow. Repeat as many times as is necessary to get
rid of the shadows. If you don't hold down the Option Key you will cut
the area out of your background and have a big hole where it was. If
this happens just undo your step by selecting (Command + Z).
You may notice a difference between the brightness and colour of the
Rectangular Marquee selection and the background. If so select Levels (Command + L) and adjust the brightness of your Rectangular
Marquee to match your background.
5. Once you have finished getting all your shadows removed, you
want to go back to your Layers panel and select the layer of the head
and shoulder of the Bride and Groom. You want to merge this back on
to the background layer. To do that you select the layer and press
(Command + E). That puts everything back together and the only
thing left to do is to save your new photo.
I hope you can now enjoy removing shadows from your photos .I
showed other tips and tricks at the Mac Night and I will try and write
up another one for next month’s DoubleClick. If you have questions,
you can ask me at the next MaUsE meeting or send them to me at:
[email protected] and I will try to answer them for you.
Submitted by Kevin Livesey <><
Buying Refurbished
Part 2
This is a continuation of an article I wrote (about the many
ways to get a new Mac) for last
month’s issue of the DoubleClick and the fulfilment of a
promise I made at the October
MaUsE meeting to include a bit more information about this topic
when I published the November issue.
Buying a refurbished Mac is actually a great idea but it often is
passed over because these refurbs don’t appear on the first page of
the Apple Store website or get displayed in Mac stores. So what exactly are these refurbished Macs? They are relatively new Macs that
could have been returned to Apple for any number of reasons, including real or imagined defects. Once sold and returned, they cannot be
sold again as new merchandise. By law they must be discounted, rebranded as “refurbished” and the purchasing public must be advised
of this altered status. When these unwanted Macs go back to Apple,
they get checked over thoroughly, re-polished and stamped with a
brand new warranty so you don’t have to worry about second-hand
wear and tear. And yes, they are always cheaper, usually 10 to 30%
cheaper than the new ones but sometimes significantly more. But
they are brand new too, with the full one-year AppleCare warranty
and the option of two more years of coverage under Apple’s extended
AppleCare program. Reading reports about them on the internet from
people who buy refurbished Macs definitely gives the impression that
a refurbished model gets a more thorough quality control inspection
and verification by Apple-trained technicians that the brand new ones
that come directly from the factory in China.
Where to buy refurbished Macs
The online Apple Store. Under the Store tab, inside ‘Special Deal’
panel, look for Refurbished Macs. Check with Canada’s online Mac
store because some product don’t ship internationally. Refurbished
Mac product in each country store varies, and they come and go very
fast, especially the good deals. So if you are really into getting one,
make sure you stay alert.
Tips to grab fast on Mac refurbished page
When a good deal (especially the Macbook series) hits the refurbish
page, it only stays for couple of days at the most. To catch the good
deals, you need to stay alert. The page has got no RSS feeds, but still
there’s way to get around it so you get the first hand information on
product releases. Here’s what you can do to snatch one of the good
refurbished Mac deals.
1.
.Mac account ready – Make sure you have a .Mac account,
with your credit card information, shipping addresses properly filled in.
2.
Use Firefox browser – Install Update scanner in your Firefox
browser. I talked about this at the October 27th MaUsE Meeting.
Get it at: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3362/
3.
Use it to monitor any content changes on the refurbished page
so you get first hand alert whenever there’s updates to the page.
Article submitted by Michael Shaw
TuneUp - Blank Remover for iTunes
And much much more…
12. I found this the most common missing metatag. The artist comes
next. This category has the greatest variety due to spelling. For instance I have found "The Beatles", "Beatles", "Beetles" and other
I like perfection in the programs I am running. If some
worse tags for this very famous group. TuneUp makes sure that all
little thing is acting up, I will work on trying to fix that bug.
the artist tags are spelled the correct way. No more variety. The
For instance, when I choose a file in iTunes, it bothers me
album, year and album cover are next on the list. Other data is added
when there is an empty spot in the bottom left corner where the album but it may not appear in your iTunes library. This really depends on
cover should be. Fortunately, there are some ways to fix this bug.
which headings you have decided to use. I have implied that TuneUp
iTunes has a lot of functions that most of us are not aware of. For indoes one category at a time but it does all of this clean up practically
stance, there is the 'get info' for any file stored in it. When you choose simultaneously. All you will see are the blanks being filled up in a sort
this, a window pops up that has the following headings: summary,
of random pattern. I dragged my main iTunes music folder, that
info, video, sorting, options, lyrics, artwork. The 'summary' contains a
had over 1200 items, into the TuneUp side bar and in less than
lot of data on the file chosen, including the artwork if
two hours, 95% of my blanks were gone. The only left were from
available. The 'info' menu item allows you to change the
some audiobooks.
name of the file and add other bits. I like to add the genre
to my files. Any info you put in here will help to find a selecThis blank removal is the major reason for getting
tion faster. You can control how all your files are sorted quickly
TuneUp but it is far from the only one. The are five headby clicking on the column heading when you are in the norings that appear at the top of the TuneUp side bar. The first
mal iTunes window. If you happen to have a file with
is "clean" which I have explained above. The next is
very little info on it you can go online or to the apple
"cover" which allows you to limit your search to find
store and search for the file. If found, you can then
only missing album covers. This takes a couple of
manually add the missing bits such as the year, the artist or the
minutes, much less time than the previous item. When run, a
album name.
list of songs will appear in the side bar, split into two areas:
those missing an album cover with some suggestions as
There are widgets that will search for the album art covers of
to what they should be, and a list of songs with no album
any artist. The problem with this is it will not necessarily
cover found in the database. Simply click on the album
match up the song title with the correct cover. It simply
cover you would like to appear with that song and it is
shows all the covers that artist has ever made and you need
done. Most of my missing album covers were again, not
to search to get the right one. There are also other widgets
for songs, but for audiobooks.
that will find the lyrics, if possible, for the file playing in
iTunes. This is not copied to iTunes. Also you must be
The next heading is called "tuniverse". This is the most origiusing the widget to see the lyrics. This is very cumbersome.
nal part of TuneUp. When a song is playing, Tuniverse will
display, depending on availability, two or three YouTube video
If you have songs with missing meta data, some labelled as only
suggestions for the group performing the song, a short bio of the per"Track 01", or misspelled artists and lets face it, we all have these
former, concert notification for your city, album recommendations, any
problems, then TuneUp is for you. TuneUp is a heavy duty application news item for that performer, and some merchandise that eBay has
that runs as if it is an iTunes plug-in. It shows up in a sidebar just like
for them. This type of information may or may not appeal to you. It is
Genius or Ping. You do not have to have it there but as you read on,
novel for me and I will keep TuneUp in my sidebar for a while allowing
you will see why I have it appear in conjunction with iTunes every time it to display this info. If I grow tired of it, I can use the TuneUp preferI start up that application.
ence and uncheck the "Launch TuneUp with your media player" box.
Many of us would consider this information as subtle advertising, tryDragging a song with missing data to the sidebar with TuneUp runing to get us to buy more of this performer's work. If you stick to the
ning starts the process. Just like the old game show "Name ThatYouTube and bio sections only, then you avoid the advertising part.
Tune", TuneUp takes the equivalent of an acoustic fingerprint of the
song. It relays a few seconds of the song to what must be a very imThe last two headings are "concert" and "share". Concert is the same
pressive database (it was able to identify some old and obscure
info as appeared in the Tuniverse section, alerting us as to if and
songs as well as many of my audiobooks). Once it has been identiwhen that performer might appear in concert in the Toronto area. You
fied, the application then determines the song's album(s). If the song
are able to change the location of the concert search so that if you
appears in more than one album, you are given the choice of which
know Carrie Underwood is performing in Vancouver, you can check
one to use. Now TuneUp starts to eliminate those blanks. First, it will
out the dates. Concert will even enable you to purchase tickets online.
determine the track number of that song in the album, such as #3 of
The "share" button is similar to the "ping" function found on iTunes 10.
It allows you to share the last five songs you played, or your most
played songs with those you wish to share the info with. More social
networking.
Overall, there is little to dislike about
TuneUp. I threw a lot of songs at it;
it recognized the majority of them
and then gave me the data I
wanted. This meant that I not only
regained lost tracks but now I have
enough metadata to use advanced
sorting features and make the most
of my music collection. This software would be the ultimate iTunes
companion if it was also able to find
lyrics for the songs. This is really
the only data that is now missing
with my collection. I use Cover Version as the visualizer for iTunes. This displays
the album cover in full screen mode with the song's lyrics superimposed over it.
Too many of my songs are still missing the lyrics.
You can try a demo version of TuneUp. This will allow you to clean up 100 songs
and save 50 Album covers, as well as have unlimited use of Tuniverse. TuneUp
Annual gives you one year of album and song clean ups and unlimited Tuniverse
use. This costs $19.95. For an additional $10.00, you can get TuneUp Gold which
gives you lifetime use with no limitations for a single computer. Go to
http://www.tuneupmedia.com/home/index_f.php and watch a video of what
TuneUp can do for you. Download the demo and clean up some of your iTune
songs. This is the best way to see if you need to spend some money and clean up
all your iTune files.
Submitted by Marcel Dufresne
Advertise for Free
In the DoubleClick
Wanted:
Articles for the DoubleClick
MaUsE Members can place Wanted and For Sale
advertisements and announcements in the DoubleClick by
submitting them to the Editor at: < [email protected] >
All members of the MaUsE are welcome to submit
written articles or photos to the DoubleClick.
Reviews of any pieces of software you have aquired or
any hardware or upgrades performed are acceptable.
Articles about any problems you have with your Mac
and how you solved them will also be welcome.
Send articles to the DoubleClick Editor at :
[email protected]
Wanted
For Sale:
iWork ‘08: Pages, Keynote, Numbers
New: Never Used - Still Shrink Wrapped.
Requirements: Intel Mac, Power PC G% or Power PC (500
MHz or better), 512 MB RAM, 1 GB recommended, 32 MB
video RAM, OS10.4.30 or later, QuickTime 7.2 or later, 1
GB disk space, CD drive for installation, iLife recommended.
$40 email Guy at [email protected] (MaUsE member)
Any bicycles to suit an adult rider.
If you are moving, downsizing, or clearing out
some of the clutter in your basement, garage or
shed, and have a bicycle (or two) that is no
longer being used...
Phone Irma at 905-576-2097
Email: [email protected]
It doesn’t matter if it is old, rusty or
has flat tires. We fix !
Bicycle parts also wanted.
Take Control eBooks
iTunes 10: The FAQ
DoubleClick features an ebook from Take Control Books every month.
These ebooks have been published in PDF format and cover issues
related to Mac OS. Because they are in PDF format, these ebooks
have a lot of advantages over the traditional paper books. Electronic
books are a new experience for many people, but they provide you
with a good deal of flexibility that isn't available with printed books.
With your purchase of the ebook you get expert advice on various
topics but with an Apple perspective. These are the same expert authors of some best-selling print books. The download is immediate
and you don't have to leave your house to get it. Because it is paperless it can be purchased for much less than a paper edition. Also, if a
new edition of the book comes out, your original purchase of the book
allows you to easily update your current copy for free. There are clickable links right in the text so that your book immediately leads to other
sources on the same topic. It is readable onscreen which means you
can control the size of the print. If you use Preview you can even
highlight sections without messing up the book (use a copy of the
original if you are worried). You can even print up a paper copy of the
book if you feel the need. The catalog is very extensive and can be
accessed from http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/catalog. They offer
free sample sections of all their ebooks and a money-back guarantee,
so try one out anytime. As readers of the DoubleClick, you also now
have access to this coupon (CPN90219MUG) which entitles you to a
30% discount on the purchase of a book.
The book featured this month is Take Control of iTunes 10: The FAQ
by Kirk McElhearn. Learn to think like an iTunes power user so you
can get the most out of your audio, video, and book collections in
iTunes 10. You'll also learn the best ways to transfer media to your
iPad, iPhone, or iPod.
 How do I turn on Genius?
 Where are good places to shop for music besides the iTunes
This 146-page ebook, first published in Sep 10, will help you appreci- Store?
ate and understand the process of bringing media into iTunes, tagging  How can I locate music that I haven't listened to in a while?
it, adding album artwork, and organizing it into playlists. With that
 What special things can I do with smart playlists?
setup completed, you can enjoy your music, movies, audiobooks,
 What AppleScripts can I use to extend iTunes' functionality?
ebooks, and more without hassles when it's time to find a particular
 How do I share my iTunes library over a network?
item or you want to do something special like sync a select subset of
 What can I print with iTunes?
music to your iPod, create a party playlist, identify music you haven't
 What's the best way to deal with my huge music library?
heard in a while, or listen to the chapters in an audiobook in the
proper order.
Find answers to all your questions about iTunes 10! Go to
http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/itunes and have a look at some
Questions answered include:
sample pages. This ebook costs $10.00 normally but using the
 How do I use the new Album List View in iTunes 10?
coupon will make a difference. Check this ebook out and a lot others
 What can I do with Ping, the musical social network in iTunes 10?
at www.takecontrolbooks.com.
 Which tags should I consider adding?
 How do I add lyrics to my tracks?
Submitted by Marcel Dufresne
 How do I control the sound quality when I import (rip) a music CD?
 What should I consider before I rip an audiobook CD?
Bentō 3
From FileMake Inc.
Many of you may know the term
BENTO as it refers to a Japanese style of serving food. What
do you observe about the sample picture at the right? The
foods have specific places to
reside in the bento box. These
spaces are of specific sizes and
relationships. There is an
order. Items can be placed in
and retrieved from specific
places. There are categories. It is a very basic and simple food
metaphor of an information organizer - a database.
One early database was FileMaker. At first it was only on Apple
computers. It was and still is powerful and flexible in the ways
suggested above. And today it is a far cry from version 2 that I
started using back in the mid-eighties. FileMaker is now in its
11th version and has grown into a professional tool. Now again
home users need something powerful and flexible but also easy
and fun to use. What is that?, Filemaker Inc. has come to the rescue with Bentō which already has quickly grown to Version 3. It is
designed for personal productivity with a gentle learning curve.
When you have wanted to organize information you have probably
first created multi-column lists. Probably before you even filled a
page you became frustrated with how rigid that strategy was to use:
alphabetize, reorder columns, etc. The common computer tool to
manage lists is a spreadsheet, such as iWorks’ Numbers, Microsoft’s
Excel and there are many
others. But again there is a
drawback you are always
looking at all the data in the
same way, columns. Some
times we wish only to certain
data. Some times we wish to
see the information chunked
in different ways. This is
where a flexible DATABASE
is needed.
Designing a database with Bentō from scratch is easy because the
process is concrete. WYSIWYG design allows you to construct layouts the way you see the relationships of your information. Post-design changes are easy, so that if the scope of your data changes you
can readily accommodate those changes. In addition to Table view,
Form view and Split view, you can now see your images and forms in
Grid view for a more visual approach to your information. Add a
freeform table to your forms. Display thumbnail images of related
data instead of just text. Share your Bentō libraries with up to 5 other
Bentō users on your wired or wireless local area network. Send one
email to multiple recipients through Apple Mail with a few clicks.
Integration with many of your Mac applications and your Mac portable
iP devices (Pod, Phone, Pad) is what gives Bentō its value and
power. By ‘syncing’ your data, all your devices will have the most up
to date information.
Do it better with Bentō: Pre-designed customizable templates are included(35), downloads from Bentō’s website provides more, or create
your own customized database and layouts. Complement Excel and
Numbers: View information in beautiful forms, get easy data entry,
and quick searching, sorting, and
stats. Your contacts and calendars
like new: View and interact with
your contacts and calendars like
never before. Organize more on
your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch Get your Bentō to go: Your Bentō
managed information can always be at your fingertips
when you use it with Bentō for
iPad, Bentō for iPhone or Bentō for iPod Touch(all sold separately). You can create a database on your device or sync
with Bentō for Mac.
And lastly, if you have information which you want to be EASILY organized, augmented, changed, mobile, retrieved, displayed then I
highly recommend BENTŌ 3 from Filemaker Inc., only for the Mac
OS.
Requirements:
A Mac computer with an Intel, Power PC G5, orG4 (867 MHz
or faster) processor, Mac OS 10.5.7, and a minimum512 MB
of RAM ( 1GB recommended). $59.95 CDN - Apple Store Online - Free shipping. (as of 2010-10-28)
Article submitted by Guy Lafontaine
Puzzle Agent
From Telltale Games
Puzzle Agent is a casual puzzle adventure game. In it you will assume the persona of Nelson Tethers, the puzzle expert from the FBI's
puzzle research team. You are sent to Scoggins, Minnesota to discover why the eraser factory has been shut down. You will need to
search around talking to the residents and getting clues that will help
you solve the problem. The residents are somewhat reluctant to talk
with an outsider but as you help them with their individual puzzles,
they slowly reveal the mystery of the factory closure. Puzzle Agent is
not as involved as say Myst but starting this game will give you hours
of play. It does not rely on spectacular costly graphics to keep your attention. In fact, it uses well drawn cartoon characters and settings and
a very humorous story line, albeit with some fairly corny jokes.
When you start, there are three new game slots. You do not get to put
your name in. You are either game one, two or three. If a fourth different player wishes to start a game, one of the other games has to be
deleted. When playing, the game automatically saves from the spot at
which you quit. When you want to resume the game, just pick your
game number and away you go.
You will start off the game in Nelson's office. It does not take long before the first puzzle is made known to you. Unlike most of the adventure games I have played, you are not in search of hidden items to be
picked up. In those games, the items are used to solve simple puzzles. The difficulty of these games lies in finding the items and determining how best to use them. In Puzzle Agent, there are no items to
pick up, unless you count the used
pieces of gum lying around. Nelson
chews on these used pieces to help
him concentrate. In actual fact, each
piece of gum found rewards you with a
hint that can be used later, if needed, to
solve an upcoming puzzle.
Your main task, as you go around interviewing the residents of Scoggins, is to
listen to the answers to your questions
and help them solve some individual
puzzles. They answer out loud with
some very interesting accents. It makes
you feel as though you are visiting an
old Minnesota logging town. And they
do like to give Nelson, the city slicker,
the run around. You get to move from
scene to scene with a snowmobile, visiting the main street, a spooky forest,
the eraser factory, the lodge, and an ice
fishing hut.
As you go from scene to scene, your actual plan of action is obvious.
Moving the mouse around will cause the icon to change shape into
one of a cartoon bubble (talk to that person), a magnifying glass (take
a closer look) or an arrow (move to the adjacent scene). If you scroll
over a small piece of gum, a cartoon bubble pops up letting you know
that you indeed have found a piece of gum and should click to pick it
up. There are no penalties for random clicking as all points in the
game are awarded only during the puzzle solving games. You do not
need to determine what is in the devious mind of the developers of
the game. Just pick up the gum pieces for hints, look at the clues
under the magnifying glass, and talk to the residents. They will tell you
where to go next.
The difficulty of this game lies in, as the name implies, the puzzles
that need to be solved. The other casual adventure games I have
played have some puzzles in them but none have the variety nor the
level of problem solving that is required with Puzzle Agent. There are
37 puzzles to work your way through. And don't let the cartoonish
graphics mislead you. These puzzles can be very tricky. They range
from jigsaws, turning pipes, matching photos, correctly placing deflectors, perception, sequencing and plain old logic. They are for all ages.
Solving the puzzle without any hints results in a ten star rating for that
puzzle and about $70,000 in tax payers money. Each hint used, lowers your star rating for that puzzle. It helps to have a lot of gum pieces
(hints) available as these puzzles can be quite challenging. Each incorrect solution results in more money being spent by you. This is the
way to keep track of your proficiency. There is more than one hint for
each puzzle. Each hint is more detailed, with more and more of the
correct answer shown. You never get
the final answer. We had to guess at a
couple even after the last hint was
given in order to move on. After you
have completed the game, you can
replay any of the puzzles and try to
better your star rating and your money
spent.
There are a few time waster problems
that I did not like. When you eventually win, you must suffer through two
minutes of credits before the game
saves your win. If you try to quit in the
middle of the credits, resuming the
game takes you back to where you
last saved the game and you have to
work your way through to the end
again, and wait for the credits to finish. The beginning of the game presents a somewhat similar saving
problem. The game cannot be saved
until you get to Scoggins. The initial cartoon scene in Nelson's office
takes a few minutes to run. There is no way to speed it up. Make sure
you get through to the town before you quit. There is a folder icon that
appears in the top left of the scenes. It is from this that a game can be
saved, resumed, or quit.
A demo version of the game can be downloaded from http://www.telltalegames.com/puzzleagent. The demo allows you to play the first
few puzzles to get a feel for the game. It does not allow you to save.
You have to restart right from the beginning each time until you buy
the registration code. The full version costs $9.95. I had hours of fun
and quite a few laughs playing this casual adventure game. I am sure
you will too.
Article submitted by Marcel Dufresne
Avernum VI from Spiderware Software
The Poor Man's Adventure Game
The second type of game I really like to play is the role playing game
(RPG) or as my wife likes to call it 'conquering the world'. In this
game, you lead heroes across a variety of environments, exploring
the land around you, building up your experience, battling it out with
your enemies. Sometimes you are allowed to choose companions
that will aid you along the way. Of course, the object of the game is to
work your way up the levels until you finally meet, and hopefully destroy, the evil being that has been laying the land to waste. You must
pick up better and better weapons as well as spells along the way or
you will never be able to beat this nemesis of mankind. Old games of
this type that I have played are Realmz and Diablo.
Avernum is a world underground. It is a nation of people living in an
enormous warren of tunnels and caverns, far below the surface of the
world. Once a prison colony for rebels and thugs, it is now a wild frontier, full of adventurous souls looking for wealth, fame, and magical
power. It is full of dungeons, labyrinths, and constant warfare. In Avernum VI, the land has been struck by several disasters. The mushrooms which provide most of
Avernum's food have been infected with a disease causing
them to become poisonous and
die, and the Slithzerikai horde
has attacked. You control a group
of four Avernite soldiers whose
job is to save Avernum. Only you
can help your people get to
safety before everything falls
apart.
Even though this is now the sixth
adventure in Avernum, you need
not have played any of the others
before starting this one. It is a
game unto itself. To start the
game, you will need to pick your
four characters. The game features several races of which the
humans are the dominant one.
Each of the three races and ten
character types has their own set
of special characteristics. A varied
group will produce the optimum
result. It is advantageous to read
about party creation from the
short manual that comes with Avernum. If you have not played
RPG games before this is a must.
The players can also be edited so that you can enhance certain of
their traits before you start your quests. This variety of characters ensures that you will have a different adventure each time you play Avernum even though it is in the same cavernous world. You can also
play the game at four difficulty settings.
The best part of Avernum is the size of the gameplay. It is an enormous world. There is only one map but it really exists in two tiers as
you must often travel below ground in your quests. There are 14X12
windows to travel through with over 4000 steps needed to walk all
over just one window. This means 168 sections, each of which has
people to talk to, creatures that you might have to fight, and hidden
treasures to look for. And a lot of buildings also have an upstairs to
them. There are hundreds of these buildings strewn all across the
land, some empty, others occupied, some friendly, some not. A few inhabitants will try to enlist your aid. This is where the great storyline fits
in. There are many unique encounters in which decisions have to be
made. It is not just mindless killing of all that you meet. The unusual
enemies that you encounter will require clever tactics to defeat.
Sometimes walking away is the best course. There is a portal system
to help move around this vast space. You can teleport from certain
spots to others. However to open a portal one must travel by foot to
the location of a portal. This means that you will traverse the whole of
the land, even if not all the above and below sites, by the time you are
finished. There is just so much to check out. Even the walls, and they
are plentiful, hold some mystery as there are hidden passages to be
found if the right spot is activated. It is obvious that a lot of thought
has been given to the environment and the background story by the
developers.
There are five major quests that you will need to complete, each of
these being revealed to you only once the previous one has been
dealt with. A job postings board is found outside most of the cities and
offers you a lot of additional work and rewards. Then there those who
have managed to persuade you to help them after you have had a
talk with them. There are literally over a hundred quests that you can
work through. This means that one game will take what seems like
forever to finish. You can shorten the time by choosing to complete
only the five major tasks but the side quests are so inviting and the rewards in terms of coin and weapons are irresistible. If you forget what
quests you have taken on, you can always look at the log book which
will contain a short description of what you need to do.
You fight opponents with three
major types of weapons. There
are swords and daggers and
spears for in-close melee attacks. You can also use missile
weapons likes javelins and bows
to fight from a distance. Lastly
you can use spells or potions.
The game system has over 50
spells and battle disciplines to
improve your chances of winning.
Potions and weapons can be
purchased from many sites. Selling your discovered items help in
these purchases. There is a lot of
stuff lying all over the place, before and after battles. More than
half of these have no monetary
value. No one is about to buy a
shovel or some clay blocks from
you. You are limited in the
amount of booty you can carry
(although it is a lot) so you need
to be a bit choosy in what you
pick up. The more you play, the
easier it is to spot the valuable
items. They are shown on the
ground with tiny graphics that depict quite well what is there. I got
pretty good at telling a plate from a crystal. You can also commission
certain craftsmen to take some of your raw materials and make some
useful artifacts that you can use later. Training in all three weapon
areas can also be found if you visit the right building and ask the right
question.
This game is extremely text based. Everyone you encounter in the
game can be talked with. Many will not have more than a simple text
box which has "1. OK" as the choice. You still have to talk with practically everyone you meet because you do not know if the one you ignore has pertinent information or not. If they do, then the text box will
have a set of numbered questions that you can ask. Each answer
leads to another set of numbered questions, until "1. The Conversation Ends." pops up. It is the text that drives this game along as well
as what you do with the information provided.
As with all RPG games, saving is essential. You never know when an
unsuspecting opponent will get the best of you and kill all your adventurers. Avernum has three save techniques. There is an Autosave,
where the game periodically backs itself up, in case you forget to.
There is a Quicksave which you can do using the "F3" button. I try to
use this every time I start a battle. You can also save through the
main menu, giving the spot a specific name. This is different from the
other two as they overwrite whatever was there before. The main
save has a number of slots that you can use to save to. Another convenient feature of Avernum is how it handles the death of one of your
characters. If one perishes during a combat, you can use one of your
potions to revive them after the battle or you can simply travel to the
nearest city. Once you cross the city wall, your character revives. In
fact all your characters revive once in a city. So as long as one of you
can get back alive, the game continues. If all four perish, then you
need to resort to a previously saved game.
There is a small manual that comes with the game that will get you
started with Avernum. You can also purchase a much more comprehensive manual for $7 (electronic download). It will walk you through
all the major quests, and details how you can succeed at the numerous smaller tasks. It also has a fairly comprehensive amount of maps
to help you navigate through this
underground world. If you are
new to RPG or you are having
difficulty with some of the quests,
you may want to invest in this
book. It will help with some of the
frustration that could occur with
failed attempts.
I called Avernum the poor man's
adventure game because you
get all the game play of a big expensive RPG game but for half
the cost. It will take you as long,
if not longer, to complete your
quests. Sure, the graphics are
not as spectacular as you might
want, but are you playing the
game because of the graphics or
because of the adventure? I get
tired of the mini videos that interrupt my game play in the expensive games. Avernum has limited
the graphics to what is essential
and given you an outstanding
story line instead. You will not be
short changed by playing this
great RPG. Because of the lack
of useless graphics, Avernum is
super fast to get going. Once I
choose to start the game, I am
playing in less than five seconds.
Because of this, I have found myself starting up Avernum even
though I only have a few minutes to play, whereas I would never
dream of doing the same with some of my other slow loading games.
Avernum VI is designed to be easy for someone new to RPG games.
You can download a demo version of the game from http://www.avernum.com/avernum6/index.html. This is good for at least four hours of
game play. You are actually completing about 15% of the total game.
The system requirements are a Macintosh running System 10.3.9 or
later, with 200 MB hard disk space. Avernum VI will run natively on
Intel Macintoshes. The full game costs $28. Get the demo and try it
out. Even if you don't want to pay for the full game, you will get hours
of fun game play anyway.
Article submitted by Marcel Dufresne
Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Episode 1Now Out on iPhone and
iPod touch
I've been really busy outside finishing up the yard work and
enjoying the last of the warm weather this week, so I almost missed
it, but for all of you gamers with iPhones out there, October 2010
will be known for a big event: after a hiatus of sixteen years Sonic
the Hedgehog is back. A brand new Sonic the Hedgehog game
(that Sega is calling part 4, Episode 1) is out now for the iPhone. It
requires an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 3.0 or later.
Featuring two unique levels exclusively built for the iPhone and iPod
touch, immersive tilt controls, classic game play elements like the
Spin Dash, and the newly incorporated Homing Attack, Sonic the
Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 picks up right where Sonic and Knuckles left
off. Dr. Eggman is back, and in an effort to finally rid himself of
Sonic, he revisits and improves the very best of his evil creations.
Only the blue blur is capable of beating down these bag guys from
the past, so step into his shoes and put a stop to Eggman’s nefarious plot!
Not only is this a brand new title in the Sonic series, but it's also not
coming out for other consoles until after the iPhone & iPod release,
so Sega has actually premiered this game on Apple's iOS platform.
Early reviews on the game are terrific. It's a 3D title that plays from
a 2D angle, so this is old-school Sonic platforming with brand new
levels, graphics, sounds, and music. Apple is really getting some
love from Sega with this release.
Of course, this is being labeled as a premium title, so the price of
US$9.99 on the iPhone-only version might provide a little sticker
shock for players who have become accustomed to cheaper
games. Still, the title is selling for five dollars
more on other platforms, so when you consider that you're getting this game early, as a
native title, with exclusive content, the $10
price is about as justified as it's going to get.
But even if you don't go for the purchase,
this will definitely be one to watch. A huge
success with Sonic the Hedgehog will mean
a lot for both Sega's and other large publishers' strategies on the App Store going forward.
For more information about the return of
Sonic, visit the official website at:
www.sonicthehedgehog4.com.
An Evening With Mac...
Mainly Mac
At the Evening With Mac event I had the joy of displaying more howto tips and tricks using Photoshop Elements. I answered many questions and even managed to allow some hands-on training on how to
create a new layer, by using the keyboard commands.
After the meeting we all packed up and headed home. As I was using
my iMac instead of the Laptop, I needed some assistance carrying all
my equipment. Fortunately there were people available and they lent
a much needed helping hand. Everything was going well, until I
reached the top step outside the Library. That's when Sir Isaac Newton decided to reacquaint me with his first law of physics, which if you
don't remember states that an object in motion will stay in motion until
it encounters an equal and opposite force. The equal and opposite
force was of course the sidewalk three steps away. The end result of
this physics experiment was that it demonstrated that given enough
force, glass breaks,and aluminum frames dent and twist. Even though
I tried to put myself between the sidewalk and the iMac. After all the
gasp's at the sight of an iMac going CRASH, tinkle tinkle, the wonderful members of the club dashed to my assistance, and I wish to thank
everyone right now for all their help. I appreciated it very much. I
made it home and then received a call from our MaUsE President to
make sure I was OK. This kindness was more then I expected, and
will always be remembered by me every time I look at my computer.
On Thursday morning, with the damaged iMac in the van, I headed off
to Mainly Mac in Markham. They are the place to go for Apple Service, or upgrades. If you need work on your
computer, they have the skill and technicians to
do the job right the first time.They took a look
at this poor iMac and asked what happened.
Even they were concerned about my physical
well being. I was not just an order number
6222, to them. They give personalized service
and take the time to listen to you. Like the lady
who came in complaining her printer didn't
work. Instead of selling her a new printer, they
asked questions about what was wrong, the
kind of printing she did, weather she need a
colour machine or just one that does black and
white. They determined that it was probably a
driver problem, and she could download new
drivers from the internet for free. Then they
said if that didn't fix her up right, to come back
and buy a laser printer as this would be better
for her needs then a colour one.
They plugged in my iMac and tested it then
gave me the news. The computer was fine but
the frame and glass needed to be replaced. The frame was twisted,
and dented, and as I stated earlier the glass was none existent. They
said that just like the quote from the TV show Six Million Dollar Man,
"We can Rebuild Him", that they too could rebuild my iMac. Fortunately it didn't cost Six Million Dollars to do it. As a matter of fact it
cost 1/10 of having to replace my iMac. A big relief.
They ordered the parts before eleven Thursday morning, and had the
glass in by Friday. Unfortunately the aluminum Bezel was on backorder. This would mean that I did not have my Mac for the long weekend. I started to go through withdrawal pains having to use Karens
little Mac Book just to check my e-mail. Fortunately Wednesday afternoon at 2 pm I got a call from Mainly Mac in Markham, to say that my
iMac was ready. Faster then a speeding bullet, Karen and I were off to
Markham. My iMac was repaired, and looked like brand new. I can not
say enough about the wonderful people at Mainly Mac. They took a
disaster and changed it into a joyous event. I even met a fellow club
member there, John Kettle, who just upgraded his computer's ram
memory. As for my New Mac, it is working better then ever, and I am
now able to write up these articles for the Double Click. I don't expect
that the iMac will ever leave the house again, but I will still continue to
be available at the Mac Nights with a Mac Book, to demonstrate some
tips and tricks for those who are interested.
You might ask what became of my old Bezel, well as the photo below
shows I turned it into apples latest Laptop. It is a one of a kind.
Submitted by Kevin Livesey <><
iFM from Griffin Technology
FM radio at your fingertips
There seems to be no end to what the
iPod/iPhones can do. How about turning them
into an FM radio receiver? This is now possible with the iFM from Griffin Technology. This
attachment acts as an antenna to pick up local
FM radio stations and through the iFM app
you can listen to the radio. This is not the
same as listening to an Internet radio station.
That would require access to a wireless network. iFM works without the Internet.
To use the iFM you will need to download
the free app called iFM Radio Controller
from the iTunes store and add it to your
iPod/iPhone. It is from this app that all the
radio functions are managed. Next connect the iFM through the charging slot
on the iPod. Lastly, attach your ear
phones or external speaker directly to
the other end of the iFM. The first time
you start the app, you will be asked to
choose the correct audio region.
There are three of these: USA, Europe and Japan. This can be easily
changed if you are travelling to a different region. Now you are presented with a screen that allows you
to pick an FM station by rotating the
dial using touch control. There is
also a seek button that automatically finds the next available station. You can add any station to a
favorites list which is found on the
front most screen of the iFM app.
That is all there is. It could not be
any easier.
The main screen of the app has
the list of your favorite stations
and the volume control as well as
a window displaying the station
and any pertinent information
that might be streamed through,
such as the group playing and
the song name. The bottom
right button brings up a screen
that has the region selector, the
stay awake button and a ques-
tion mark that brings up some FAQ. The stay
awake function keeps the screen on so that
you can read what song is being played without having to wake the iPod/iPhone every
time. Pushing the icon at the top middle of the
main screen brings up the radio dial screen.
From here you can use the touch screen to
dial in some stations or use the seek forward
and back buttons to have the iFM find available stations. The station window is also present. There is a button in the bottom left that
will allow you to add the active station to your
favorites list. To remove a station from your favorites simply call up the radio dial screen
when that station is selected and uncheck to
favorites button in the
bottom left.
The major limitation of the iFM is
the number of FM stations that you
can find. The iFM cable attachment
acts as the antenna and I found it
to be lacking. You can pick up a lot
more stations using a radio with a
good antenna. A second concern
I have is with the volume control.
The app controls this and it bypasses the iPod’s volume control. It would be nice if you could
also adjust the volume with the
side buttons. Lastly, if you start
up another app, the iFM stops
playing. This means that you
cannot play a game simultaneously with the iFM.
You can answer phone calls
with the iPhone and iFM connected since the iFM is connected through the charging
slot. Depending on how loud
you have the volume set, you
may or may not hear the ring
tone of the iPhone. Setting it
to vibrate may be better.
The iFM works with all generations of iPhone and iPod
Touch, the 3G and 4G iPod nano, and also the iPod classic. With the iFM you always have an FM radio with you.
Wi-Fi is not used. Get this addition to your peripherals for
$40 from Griffin Technology. Have a look at this product
at http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/ifm. You
cannot beat the portability of the iFM. Here is a small six
inch cable that is perfect for travel. Rather than lugging a
radio along with you, you can easily attach the iFM to the
iPod/iPhone that is already in your travel bag.
I want to thank Griffin for their generosity in supplying our User Group
with this free iPod attachment. You
can have a look at their review policy at http://bit.ly/griffinreview.
Visit that site also if you are interested in their products
and think you would like to review one of them.
Submitted by Marcel Dufresne
October 6th Evening With Mac
Another Smashing Success !!
This was our first MaUsE event of the month. Organised by Stan, as
usual. We had a good turnout and lots of interesting activities. Kevin,
Guy, Aaron, Chris and Mike set up at various tables around the room
and Stan kept his eye on everyone. Some people spent the entire time
concentrating on the display and demonstration that interested them
while others wandered freely trying to absorb a little from everyone who
had a table set up. We are fortunate to have so many competent and
capable MaUsE members who are willing to give their time and expertise to make these events a success.
Kernal Panics
Causes & Cures
The Mac under various versions of Mac OSX is not prone to showing
the blue screen of death the way that Windows computers do but it
does have something comparable. UNIX-style operating systems
(such as Mac OS X, Mac OS X Server, AIX, and A/UX) may experience a type of issue called a "kernel panic," which may provide information useful for software developers or troubleshooting. In Mac OS
X v10.2 or later, the message that appears states "You need to restart
your computer. Hold the Power button for several seconds or press
the Restart button.” Mac OS X v10.2 and later include automatic kernel panic logging, so you may not see any visual indication of a kernel
panic. You can check kernel panic logs (in Mac OS X v10.6 they are
located in /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports; in Mac OS X v10.2 - 10.5
they are located in /Library/Logs/PanicReporter) any time that you
must force restart your computer, using either the power button or the
Control-Command-Power key combination. The kernel panic text is
added to the log the next time you restart the computer, assuming
that you have not reset PRAM at the same time (the kernel panic text
is stored in PRAM until you restart).
Kernel panics are often caused by one or more of the following issues.
 Defective or incompatible RAM are the most frequent
causes of kernel panics. Despite being a highly-reliable
product, RAM can fail. Modern operating systems, like
Mac OS X, are sensitive to RAM. Purchase additional
RAM from either Apple or third parties who guarantee
their RAM is compatible with Mac OS X, offer a liberal
exchange policy, and provide a lifetime warranty should
the RAM become defective or a later version of Mac OS
X introduce incompatibilities.
 Incompatible, obsolete, or corrupted kernel extensions. If a third-party kernel extension or one of its dependencies is incompatible or obsolete with respect to the version of
Mac OS X you are using, kernel panics may occur when the kernel
executes such extensions. Likewise, if a kernel extension or one of its
dependencies is corrupted, such as the result of hard disk corruption,
kernel panics are likely to occur when the kernel attempts to load or
execute such.
 Incompatible, obsolete, or corrupted drivers. Similar to kernel extensions, drivers for third-party hardware which are incompatible with the version of Mac OS X you are using, or which have
become corrupted, will cause in kernel panics.
 Hard disk corruption, including bad sectors, directory corruption, and other hard-disk ills.
 Incorrect permissions on System-related files or folders.
 Insufficient RAM and available hard disk space.
 Improperly installed hardware or software.
 Defective hardware or software. Hardware failures, includ-
ing a defective CPU, or programming errors can result in kernel panics.
Incompatible hardware. While rare, this is generally the result of a
third-party hardware vendor’s product failing to properly respond to
the kernel or a kernel extension in an expected way.
To solve this problem:
 Reinstall Mac OS X if you’ve recently changed a system file
 If you know that you have moved or renamed a Mac OS X system
file or folder, then you must reinstall Mac OS X. It won’t work to just
replace the specific item.
 If you have not changed any Mac OS
X system files or folders, try the following
procedures.
 Restart your computer
Choose Apple menu > Restart. Most of the
time the kernel panic is an isolated event
that requires no further action.
 Restart with the X key: Hold down the
X key and choose Apple menu > Restart.
This may force the computer to start up
using your Mac OS X system. If the computer starts up, release the X
key. Choose Apple menu> System Preferences, and then click
Startup Disk. Make sure that the disk containing Mac OS X is selected.
 Restart with the Option key: If you are unable to start up using the
X key, choose Apple menu > Restart and immediately hold down the
Option key. When icons start to appear in the center of the screen, re-
lease the Option key. Select the disk that
contains Mac OS X, and then click the
forward arrow to continue starting up.
 Reset PRAM: If the above attempts
are unsuccessful, shut down your computer; then turn it on again and immediately hold down the
Command-Option-P-R keys. When
you hear the startup sound for the
second time, release the keys.
Choose Apple menu > System
Preferences, and then click
Startup Disk. Make sure that the
disk containing Mac OS X is selected.
Important: Resetting parameter
random-access memory (PRAM)
may change some system settings and preferences. Use System Preferences to restore your settings.
Topaz Labs
Plug-in Bundle for Photoshop
This will be the first of several articles about
Topaz software. This set of plug-ins for Photoshop
(and PS Elements) came highly recommended
and I must say that I am delighted with it. Several
things to mention right off the top - the first being
about the price. Although the installer windows
shows the bundle as being comprised of five separate software titles, in fact there are seven titles
in the Topaz bundle and the whole set of seven
software packages sells for only $179.99, less than the cost of
just one plug-in from many other Photoshop plug-in creators.
at that price, this is a steal. Another couple of things that deserve mention right at the start of this review are that using this
software is fun and that once you start using Topaz plug-ins
you will quickly find out that unless you are a photographer as
talented as Ansel Adams, virtually every photo you take can be
improved by at least one of the plug-ins found in this bundle.
The seven software titles in the bundle are available both as a
bundle and separately as downloads from the Topaz Labs
website: < http://www.topazlabs.com/ > but the cost of the
plug-in bundle is half of the cost of all of the included titles if they were
to be bought separately. For people who like to try before they buy
there are free downloadable copies of all of the plug-ins included in
the Topaz bundle. These downloads may be installed immediately, but
a license key is required to access full plug-in functionality and save
your results. You can get a 30-day fully functional trial key immediately by entering your information on the Topaz download site. The
trial key, which expires after 30 days, will be sent to you by email.
Topaz software is only compatible with Intel-based Macs. If your computer is not Intel-based then unfortunately you will not be able to use
Topaz. The plug-ins require Adobe Photoshop CS3-CS5 (32-bit and
64-bit), or Adobe Photoshop Elements 6-9. Apple Aperture 2 and 3,
Lightroom 2 and 3, and iPhoto are now supported via Topaz Fusion
Express on OS 10.5 or higher.
 Create a variety of stunning painterly art effects with Topaz Simplify
 Make your exposure, detail, and color pop with Topaz Adjust
 Get halo- and artifact-free detail and sharpening with Topaz Detail
 Eliminate noise while preserving detail with Topaz DeNoise
 Quickly and efficiently mask and extract photos with Topaz ReMask
 Control portrait smoothing and stylized edges with Topaz Clean
 Fix JPEG artifacts and optimize web photos with Topaz DeJPEG
There are two installers in this bundle: topazpsbundle_install and
topazFusionExp2_install. topazpsbundle_install installs Topaz Photoshop plug-ins. topazFusionExp2_install installs the Topaz Fusion Express 2 application. Topaz Fusion Express 2 is an application that lets
you use Topaz PS plug-ins in Lightroom, Aperture, and iPhoto. You
must install Topaz Fusion Express 2 in order to use Topaz PS plug-ins
from within Lightroom, Aperture or iPhoto. If you only plan to use
Topaz PS Plug-ins from within Photoshop (including Photoshop Elements), there is no need to install Topaz Fusion Express 2.
MacSpeech Dictate 1.5, as reviewed in past issues of the
DoubleClick and demonstrated by Ian at our MaUsE Meetings, is no more. If you remember how much fun we had with
Ian’s demonstration you might be inclined to lament the
passing of MacSpeech 1.5 but as wonderful as MacSpeech
Dictate was, it will not be missed. That is because MacSpeech Dictate 1.5 has evolved into Dragon Dictate 2.0 and
the update is being heralded as a big improvement. So, to
prevent any possible confusion, Dragon Dictate for Mac 2.0
is actually an upgrade for MacSpeech 1.5. that works only on
Apple computers running MacOSX 10.6 or later. The good
news is that the user interface, user profiles, voice training methods
and the dictation technique required to use the program have not
changed. The better news is that DD2.0 does everything that MacSpeech Dictate 1.5 did and it does it better with a greater degree of
accuracy. The new Dragon Dictate 2.0 sells for
$200 but registered owners of MacSpeech can
upgrade to Dragon for just $50.
For a number of years, MacSpeech leveraged
the Dragon speech recognition engine to power
the popular MacSpeech Dictate application. Earlier this year, Nuance acquired MacSpeech and
welcomed Dictate as an official member of the Dragon family. Since
that time, Nuance has been working hard to bring their PC and Mac
speech recognition products closer together, so that the Mac version
will have the same high accuracy and feature set that Dragon NaturallySpeaking customers have come to rely on for the PC - and still
maintain the Mac elements of Dictate that Mac users expect.
Dragon Dictate for Mac is the first major Mac product release from the
new Dragon family. With this update Dragon Dictate for Mac offers a
more streamlined set-up, revamped Mac user interface, and dynamic
new voice commands for dictation, editing, navigation and proofreading. Dragon Dictate for Mac also “learns” better than MacSpeech Dictate did, responds faster to spoken commands and supports Dragon
Voice Shortcuts for searching the web, email and Mac desktop by
voice.
In order to get this software to work, first you have to buy it. Unlike
many other (smaller) programs that can be downloaded off the internet, you will probably want a physical copy of this program. The
download is well over 1 gigabyte. You will also need an approved microphone (comes in the box if you purchase the physical copy), and
an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS10.6 or better and a couple of
gigs of RAM. What comes in the green & black box is a Dragon Dic-
tate QuickStart Guide, the Dragon Dictate 2.0 application on a CD, a
data DVD to use as a resource during the installation, and the approved headset with earphone(s) and microphone. Installation involves simply inserting the CD and dragging the Dragon Dictate onto
the alias of your Applications Folder. Once the application is installed
and launched it will ask for the data disk and copy huge amounts of
data to your hard drive to complete the installation. If you are upgrading from the previous version voice training will need to be repeated.
In order to use this software accurately it is necessary that you use
the microphone to train the program to recognise the way you pronounce your words. In this way the program builds a profile for each
user on your computer and loads it for each instance that the program
is used. In order to do this the installation process offers a passage of
text for the user to read aloud while Dictate makes a record of pronunciation. An example of the Voice Training window is shown below.
to use Dictate is to set the preferences to open a new blank Note Pad
page every time the Dictate application is launched so the user can
simply dictate into it. Then the user can copy-paste from the Notogea
into any program that will accept text. Another way to use the program
is to ignore the Notogea and simply click in the open document window of whatever program happens to be open and the user can dictate right into it. From my own experience with Dictate 2.0, both
methods work equally well. I tried the Notogea and also dictated directly into Apple Mail, Gmail, MS Word, QuarkXPress and TextEdit
without and discernable change in the accuracy of the dictation. English is a very peculiar language. See below: I recited this little Bob
Dylan poem into QuarkXPress, Note Pad and Word. Except where I
accidentally forgot to say “Open quote” Dragon Dictate got the exercise perfect, even learning to spell Tom Payne’s name correctly.
As you can see, the voice training text turns green as you read it - indicating that the text has been accepted as read and is being incorporated into the profile library of recognizable sounds. Since the
software does not use context to distinguish and implete words it is
necessary for it to have a template of what you actually sound like. In
order for this to work it is imperative that the user speak in a normal
voice and use the same intonation consistently when dictating. The
more accurately the voice training is done the better. As you can see
from the sample above the program must be verbally told to insert
punctuation where necessary. If the user mumbles or slurs his words
during the voice training process the voice training module will stop
accepting the spoken text and reject it (indicated by marking it in red,
as shown above). Several repetitions of the process might be required. The entire voice training process only takes a few minutes
for each user and then the profile shows up in the list of user profiles each time the Dragon Dictate application is launched.
The application comes with a simple Note Pad program (shown
below) that is notoriously compatible with Dragon Dictate. One way
As I went out one morning, to breathe the air around Tom Payne’s,
I spied the fairest damsel that ever did walking chains.
I offered her my hand–she took me by the arm.
I knew that very moment that she meant to do me harm.
“Depart from me this instant,” I told her with my voice.
Said she, “I do not wish to.”
Said I, “but you have no choice.”
“I beg you sir,” she pleaded from the corners of her mouth,
“I will secretly accept you, sir, and together we’ll fly south.
Right just then Tom Payne himself came running from across the field
shouting at this lovely girl and commanding her to yield.
Just as she was letting go her grip up Tom Payne did run.
“I am sorry, sir,” he said to me, “I am sorry for what she has done.”
Each person who wants to use DragonDictate on the
same computer must create his or her own new User Profile by going through the voice training process. When the
application launches a window appears listing all of the
profiles that are on the computer. Each user must select
his or her own profile in order and load it for the program to work properly. The user profiles are stored in
the Home folder for each user. While the program is
active a little mode control window floats in front of
the document with buttons that shows the status of
the program (red for microphone off and green for microphone on) and allows the user to change instantly
between dictation and command modes. Simply clicking on the green ball to stop dictation and the red stop
sign to start dictation gives instant and easy access to the
program controls. By using the DragonDictate preferences other windows, like the Recognition window, can be set open
or closed that will give more information and greater control over correcting the text as it is dictated. For instance, if the text as heard is
ambiguous the program may be set to display several many possible
and likely variations on what you might have said and allows you to
select from among them.
The ability to accurately render speech into text will be, especially for
those of us who are not fluid & fast on the qwerty-board, the best feature of Dragon Dictate. And Dragon Dictate will also perform a reverse
process, processing text into speech: Selected text will be read out
loud to you so you can listen to proof-read your own dictation for awkward constructions and missing words.
The new Dragon Voice Shortcuts for Search feature lets you perform
a search on the Web or on your Mac from any application. For example, if you are writing a letter in Pages, and you need to quickly check
the scientific name for the fossa, you can say “Search Google for
fossa” and then a Google search for “fossa” will be performed in your
Web browser, while you are still working in Pages. Searches can be
performed using Bing, Google, Yahoo, and Spotlight. Shortcuts for
Search also works for Mail.app, but they do not work in other mail applications, like Entourage, Postbox, and others. A new audio sources
setting allows for multiple microphone configurations. For example,
you can have one configuration for a wired mic, and another for a
Bluetooth mic, and switching between the two takes a few simple
clicks.
If you are using MacSpeech Dictate, this is a worthy upgrade. Boxed
versions of Dragon Dictate 2.0 are available now for $200 and include
a headset. For a limited time, MacSpeech Dictate customers can upgrade to Dragon Dictate 2.0 for $50, and PC users who own Dragon
NaturallySpeaking can upgrade to Dragon Dictate 2.0 for Mac for
$100. Nuance also offers an education version for $170. Dragon Dictate 2.0 requires Mac OS X 10.6 and an Intel-based Mac.
Article submitted by Michael Shaw
But wait - there’s more! The ability to do the text to speech & vice
versa is just part of the program. The other part
is that you can give commands to your computer This article barely scratches the surface of what Dragon Dictate 2.0 can do.
You’ll find more information about Dragon Dictate for Mac, including promoand it will respond with appropriate actions. You
can tell your computer to open and close docutional pricing, at: www.nuance.com/dragon/mac.
ments and applications by name, and navigate
through websites. This ability was present in
The full press release announcing Dragon Dictate 2.0 is right here:
previous versions of MacSpeech Dictate but it
http://www.nuance.com/company/news-room/press-releases/NC_007231.
has been expanded and improved upon.
Topaz Labs
Simplify
I will not show you all of the plug-ins in the Topaz bundle but I will take
a deeper look at two of them, Topaz Simplify in this issue and Topaz
Adjust in next month’s December 2010 DoubleClick. There are plentiful examples of all of the Topaz plug-ins on the Topaz website, pictures taken by much better photographers than me.
After you run the installer you simply open up a picture in your image
editor (I am using Adobe Photoshop Elements 8) and look for the
Topaz Labs plug-ins under your Filters menu. There they are.
Topaz Simplify is an excellent place to start looking at this type of software. The interface for all of the plug-ins is very similar. As you can
see below, the plug-in opens showing the image to be filtered in a really big window. On the left there is a low-res preview image (that updates instantly as you select the treatment) and under that a list of
global artistic treatment presets. The menu button (bottom left corner)
gives direct access to tutorials, tech support, the Simplify User Guide,
and galleries of images that have undergone various Topaz Simplify
presets. The included artistic paint and sketch presets give a wide
choice of possibilities but these are just the starting points for each
type of transition. As you can see there is a set of sliders on the right
side of the window that allow further tweaking of every aspect of the
image after the general preset is applied.
Depending on the subject matter of the original image different photos
will lend themselves to different treatments with more or less effect. It
only takes a few seconds to switch between presets and multiple undoing and redoing are available when using the tweaking sliders.
On the next pages I will show the original image that was used to create the picture below and also a few of the alternative versions of it
that Topaz Simplify made possible with other one-click treatments.
The original is a picture of a mountain that Irma took in Argentina earlier this year.
l
a
n
i
Orig
Topaz Simplify can give you enough control over how a picture renders to imitate all these and many more artistic styles and mediums.
The magic of Simplify lies in the speed with which it renders effects
and the huge set of numerical slider controls that enable the photographer to tweak an image to introduce subtle texture and light
changes that are simply impossible with realistic photography. With a
little practice with the fine tuning panels it will be possible to make
your photo look as if it were created by hand with crayons, pastels, oil
paints, water colours, pencil, or charcoal instead of with your camera.
Different types of pictures (landscapes, portraits, children, glamour
shots, still life, action shots, wedding photography, etc.) lend themselves to different artistic treatments.
Article submitted by Michael Shaw