You would probably expect to find the setting for the default web browser in the System Preferences but alas, it's not there. To change your default browser, open Safari and go to the Safari Menu (upper left of your screen -menu bar - see image 1 below) and click on Preferences (image 2 below).

Clicking on Preferences will bring up the preferences menu (image below). Finally, select the browser of your choice from the Default Browser Menu and click the close button. Now any time that you click on a URL in a email or on a disk, it will open in your newly set default browser.

Firefox Download [Mozilla.org]

Firefox 1.0 - The IE Killer [gBradhopkins.com]

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2005/01/change_your_default_browser_in.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2005/01/change_your_default_browser_in.html Mac Tutorials Thu, 27 Jan 2005 14:50:37 -0500 If you are a Firefox user then this tip is for you. If you don't know what Firefox is, then check out this review that I wrote back on November 11, 2004. Forever Geek has posted an excellent "power-user" trick for increasing the speed of Firefox. The tip is for broadband users (cable modem, DSL) and can be completed in under 1 minute. Definitely worth the time. Make Firefox Faster: Forevergeek.com

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2005/01/firefox_speed_tip_must_read.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2005/01/firefox_speed_tip_must_read.html Internet Tutorials Tue, 25 Jan 2005 04:48:27 -0500 Phisher Schemes are on the rise. Are you at risk? This is not a Windows problem or a Macintosh problem. This is an internet problem and anyone who spends time or money online needs to be aware of this growing trend. In this quick internet security tutorial, we'll take a look at one of the ways that we're all at risk and how we can avoid getting caught in the net.

]]> What is a Phisher Scheme? According to Webopedia.com, Phishing (fish´ing) is the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information. For example, 2003 saw the proliferation of a phishing scam in which users received e-mails supposedly from eBay claiming that the user’s account was about to be suspended unless he clicked on the provided link and updated the credit card information that the genuine eBay already had. Because it is relatively simple to make a Web site look like a legitimate organizations site by mimicking the HTML code, the scam counted on people being tricked into thinking they were actually being contacted by eBay and were subsequently going to eBay’s site to update their account information. By spamming large groups of people, the “phisher” counted on the e-mail being read by a percentage of people who actually had listed credit card numbers with eBay legitimately.

Phishing, also referred to as brand spoofing or carding, is a variation on “fishing,” the idea being that bait is thrown out with the hopes that while most will ignore the bait, some will be tempted into biting.

Below you will see the text of an email message that I received just the other day. It is one of many 'Phisher Schemes' that are starting to populate inboxes around the world.

From: Customer Support <support@citibank.com>
Date: November 12, 2004 12:01:57 AM EST
To: Info <info@firebrand-media.com>
Subject: Dear customer your details have been compromised


Dear Customer:

Recently there have been a large number of cyber attacks pointing our database servers. In order to safeguard your account, we require you to sign on immediately.

This personal check is requested of you as a precautionary measure and to ensure yourselves that everything is normal with your balance and personal information.

This process is mandatory, and if you did not sign on within the nearest time your account may be subject to temporary suspension.

Please make sure you have your Citibank(R) debit card number and your User ID and Password at hand.

Please use our secure counter server to indicate that you have signed on, please click the link bellow:

http://218.12.29.40/scripts/

!! Note that we have no particular indications that your details have been compromised in any way.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and thank you for using Citibank(R)

Regards,

Citibank(R) Card Department

(C)2004 Citibank. Citibank, N.A., Citibank, F.S.B.,
Citibank (West), FSB. Member FDIC.Citibank and Arc
Design is a registered service mark of Citicorp.

Ultimately you have to have your skeptics hat on when checking your email. Here are some tips that can help you determine real from fake:

• Look for spelling mistakes. This is a dead giveaway that the email is not legit.
• Look at the date. The date of the above email is 11/12/2004. That would be no problem, except for the fact that I got it on 11/11/2004.
• The email address in my message was also a give-away. While the address is legit, it a rarely used address that receives a lot of spam. It's not an address that I would give a financial institution.

For more information on how not to get caught in a Phishers net, visit the web site for the Federal Trade Commission.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/11/citibank_phisher_scheme.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/11/citibank_phisher_scheme.html Internet Tutorials Thu, 11 Nov 2004 19:34:58 -0500 On November 9, 2004, Mozilla released the 1.0 version of their lean and mean Firefox browser. There have been rumblings that Firefox and other browsers may be taking market share away from Internet Explorer (IE), albiet at a slow rate. The question is not whether the 1.0 release of Firefox has eclipsed IE, but by how much?

]]> What makes Firefox better? Do you have to ask? From my perspective, it's all about the feature set.

Here are some of the features that I'm starting to fall in love with:

• Search Toolbar: As a Mac user primarily, Safari is my number one choice when it comes to browsing, so I've gotten used to the built-in search toolbar. Firefox takes that up a notch by not only including a Google search by default, but by also adding the ability to search Amazon.com, Yahoo!, Dictionary.com, eBay, and the Creative Commons. Firefox also allows you to add other search engines such as A9 (an Amazon web and shopping search engine), AltaVista, AskJeeves, CDDB (to find album, artist and song information), LEO (an English to German Translator), IMDB (The Internet Movie Database), Merriam Webster (English Dictionary) and Wikipedia (a free encyclopedia). With all of these built into the toolbar, you'll be searching more efficiently, right away - without clogging you screen with a ton of extra toolbars!
• Live Bookmarks: This is a feature that I found recently. If you browse with your status bar off (the status bar is the bar that runs along the bottom of your browser window and tells you what is loading when you access a web page) then you could easily miss this feature. Live Bookmarks use the RSS feeds provided by web sites to keep you up to date on news stories, discussions, etc. that have been updated or added to a web page. Live bookmarks can be added to your bookmarks menu or to your bookmarks toolbar that runs below the address bar and they allow you to see what has been updated without actually visiting the site. Below you will find an example of what Live Bookmarks look like when added to your Bookmark toolbar. When you visit a site that has a feed that can be used by Live Bookmarks, you will see a small orange icon on the right side of the status bar.
• Pop-Up Blocking: This feature finally made it into the version 6 release of Internet Explorer that was included in the WindowsXP SP2 update. I am always shocked when I have to access the internet from a Windows computer that has an older version of IE without pop-up blocking. The number of pop-ups makes the internet almost unusable! Pop-up blocking whether provided by Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer or some third party software helps you reclaim your screen space.
• Tabbed Browsing: I've been using this since Safari (MacOS) was released and don't know how I would live without it now. If you are not familiar with tabbed browsing, it is the ability to view more than one web page in a single window. It places each page in a tab allowing you to click back and forth between sites without ever having to leave that window. Tabbed browsing in action.
• Themes: I must admit, I haven't used this feature. Primarily because I like the way Firefox looks right out of the box (download). Themes allow you to change the look and feel of the browser. There are a number of themes that have been developed by developers and users that are free to download.

In addition to the features that I've mentioned here, security and speed are other reasons that Firefox has been praised by the likes of Walt Mossberg, USAToday and Forbes. If you are looking for a free, fast, feature-rich, safe browser then you owe it to yourself and your computer to check out Firefox.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/11/firefox_10_the_internet_explor.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/11/firefox_10_the_internet_explor.html Internet Tutorials Thu, 11 Nov 2004 05:59:57 -0500 With the release of iTunes 4 and the integrated iTunes Music Store (iTMS) Apple has added the ability to view album artwork. Every song that you purchase comes with the album artwork for the album that it comes from. This is great for newly purchased music, but what about CD's that you've ripped? Or music that you've downloaded (legally, of course) off of the internet? I'll show you how to find the album art for all of your music.

]]> Initially, I solved this problem by searching google for the artist name or album title. This works, but can become tedious.

The solution to this problem presented itself as I was flipping through the latest issue of MacHome at the local Books-A-Million. The answer is - Clutter.

Clutter is an awesome freeeware app by Sprote Research. Clutter's intended use is to lookup the album art of any currently playing song in iTunes for use on the desktop. It quickly searches Amazon.com for the artist and album info and displays the artwork in a small window which you can then drag the image from, onto your desktop. That use, in and of itself didn't excite me...until I started thinking about the possibilities.

With a few mouse clicks (or keystrokes) you can use Clutter to add album art to all of your music.

The first step is to open iTunes 4 and Clutter. Once both are open, simply click on the song that you want to get album art for in iTunes. In the image below you can see that I have selected a song by Beck. That song is then displayed in Clutter, which looks up the artist / album information.

Once Clutter finds the album information, it downloads the artwork, which is displayed in both the Clutter application and in the Clutter Dock icon. If you would prefer to see the Clutter icon in the dock as opposed to the album art, you can that off in the preferences.

To use this artwork you must first copy the image. Make sure you are in the Clutter application and click on the edit menu. Next, select Copy. Or for those that prefer keyboard shortcuts simply hit apple-c. It would be simple if you could just drag the image from the Clutter window to the Artwork window, but alas, you cannot.

Now that you have the artwork copied, you will select the song or songs that you want to add the artwork to. Once you select the song(s) that you want to add the artwork to, control (right) click on the song(s) and select Get Info from the list.

Depending on whether you select a single song or multiple songs, the Get Info window that results will vary. In the example below, the first window represents the Get Info window for a single song while the second represents the Get Info window for multiple songs.

Get Info for a single song.

Get Info for a multiple songs.

If you are adding artwork to a single song, click on the Artwork tab in the Get Info window. Click inside the Artwork box (it will be highlighted in blue when selected and ready for pasting) and select paste from the edit menu (or apple-v).

To add artwork to multiple songs, click inside the small artwork box (it will be highlighted in blue when selected and ready for pasting) and then select paste from the edit menu (or apple-v). You will then be asked if you really want to change the artwork for multiple songs, select yes.

That's all there is to adding artwork to single or multiple songs.

What if Clutter does not find the artwork? If it doesn't find the artwork then you will see a blank CD case in the clutter window, instead of an album cover.

Just because it doesn't automatically find the song, don't be discouraged. There is still one more option, before you have to begin doing google searches.

The Clutter app also consists of an album lookup window. Here you can insert either the artist and album name or both, and search that way.

I would expect some kind of technology like this to be built into a future version of iTunes, but until then...happy hunting.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/11/adding_album_art_to_itunes_usi.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/11/adding_album_art_to_itunes_usi.html Mac Tutorials Tue, 02 Nov 2004 07:20:09 -0500 Using the mail rules tool in Microsoft Entourage (and other email applications) you can eliminate some of the more frequent spam that you receive.

]]> Using the mail rules tool in Microsoft Entourage (and other email applications) you can eliminate some of the more frequent spam that you receive.

Get Started : To get started, open Microsoft Entourage (the steps below are for Entourage but may work for other Email applications). Next, click on the Tools menu and then click on Rules (image 1 below).

Next, click the New Button (image 2 below). This will bring up the Edit Rule Dialog Box (image 3 below). This is where you will determine the criteria that Entourage will use to filter your email.

Edit Rule Dialog Box : When using the editing a rule, there are two steps that you have to take. First, set the Criteria. This is the IF section (3). In the IF section, you tell Entourage what to look for. Most likely you will be looking for messages From certain email addresses, or messages with certain words in the Subject Line. Second, add an action. This is found in the THEN section (4). If any (or all) criteria are met, then this section will determine what Entourage will do with the email message. Options include changing the status, setting the category, moving the message to a particular folder, deleting the message, etc.

Sample Rule :In my sample rule below, you can see that my IF section (5) is looking for messages with Get Rich in the subject. You can see in the THEN section (6) that if any messages are found with that subject then they are given a status of Junk Mail and then deleted.

Final Tip : When setting up my rules, I used a list of the most frequently used subjects as my criterion. They included sex, money, get rich, free, xxx, diploma, degree, mortgage, etc. To make your junk mail rules more reliable, I would suggest looking at some of the spam that you receive most often and then tailoring your filter around it.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/use_mail_rules_to_control_spam.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/use_mail_rules_to_control_spam.html Mac Tutorials Fri, 22 Oct 2004 08:27:28 -0500 I had a problem.

I have an Airport Network, with an iMac in my kitchen. My main computer, a PowerMac G5, is downstairs. I also have a PowerBook that roams around the house. The printer, a Hewlett Packard Officejet D135, is connected to the G5.

]]> The Problem : Any time that I wanted to print from the iMac or the PowerBook, I had to save the file and transfer it to the PowerMac and then print from there.

The Solution: MacOS 10.2 (and later) has a technology called Rendezvous that helps computers see each other over a network (overly simplified). This technology has helped my two computers see each other (prior to 10.2 I had problems with the two seeing each other on the Airport Network). And that is the first step to any good relationship, er... printer sharing.

In MacOS 10.2, Apple has added the ability to share a printer. In the system preferences, under Sharing, there is now a Services Tab. Here you can turn on things like File Sharing, Web Sharing, FTP access and most importantly, Printer Sharing.

Apple has really simplified the process. Simply 1) turn on Printer Sharing by checking the box next to it. 2) Make sure that your printer is connected. 3) Make sure both computers are on. That's it. Print away!]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/printer_sharing_with_rendezvou.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/printer_sharing_with_rendezvou.html Mac Tutorials Wed, 13 Oct 2004 23:00:33 -0500 Am I a sucker, or what? I was excited when I read on MacMinute [full story] that Virtual PC 7 was going to be immediately available. Then I called to check the status of my order…

]]> I ordered the Microsoft Office X Professional suite back in June, when Microsoft initiated their Tech Guarantee promotion. This would allow those that purchased the suite to receive a free upgrade, to Office 2004 Professional when the new product came out. As we all know, there was a slight (ahem) delay in the release of the product, and then a slight delay in the release of the Virtual PC. No biggie. I have Virtual PC 6 on my TiBook and only use it when teaching an intro to PC class that I teach at the local tech center. All in all, I wasn't losing sleep over it. I just wanted to be able to run it on my G5 with hopefully more speed than that of VPC 6 on my G4 TiBook.

Finally, yesteday I saw the words I was waiting for "Virtual PC now available." So, I decided to call Microsoft to check my order. When I called in, the first person I spoke with asked me if Microsoft could call me back to question me about my customer service experience. I said "No." Why do I want Microsoft calling me? What complaints could I possibly have? Besides, the less I have to deal with Microsoft, the better. But I digress.

Next, I was transferred to my Customer Service Representative, who told me that I would not get my order for 4 - 6 weeks! That's when the cheese fell out of my sandwich. He said it was on a first order, first serve basis.

This lead me to draw some conclusions, all or some of which may be true:

• Now available means "We've given up on this piece of junk so let's send it to the printer"
• Microsoft is at full capacity, copying them on their spanking new Dell desktop with DVD burner, and can only send out 5 per day (6 if they stay up late).
• I am a sucker, for expecting any Microsoft product to ship in a timely (same calendar year) fashion.
• Tech Guarantees are probably at the end of the line and will be shipped last

By the time it ships, it should have Longhorn installed. Oh wait, that's not "due" until 2006.

If you are expecting the Tech Guarantee Upgrade, call Microsoft (1-866-695-0778) and check your order status and then post it here in the comments section.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/virtual_pc_7_available_immedia.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/virtual_pc_7_available_immedia.html Mac Tutorials Tue, 05 Oct 2004 10:34:52 -0500 It's that time again. Renewal time for my .Mac account. Apple has upped the amount of storage space from 100 MB to 250 MB. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to reconfigure your .Mac account to provide more email or iDisk storage space.

]]> While this pales in comparison to Google's free GMail with 1GB of email storage, it does make the .Mac service a bit more attractive. By default, the 250 MB of space is configured with 125 MB dedicated to email and 125 MB to your iDisk.

To change the configuration of the 250 MB, log into your .Mac account. Next, log into your Account Settings by clicking on your username in the .Mac menu bar (see image 1). This will take you to your Account Status (Personal Info, Credit Card Info, and Password Settings) and Email and iDisk settings page.

Next, click on the Storage Settings button. There, you will see your current storage settings (total storage, email storage and iDisk storage). To change the amount of storage dedicated to your email and iDisk, click on the Manage Your Storage drop-down-menu. Your storage can be designated in 5 MB increments, totalling 250 MB (see image 2).

The minimum amount of space you can designate to your email account is 15 MB, and the largest amount is 174 MB.

In addition to increasing the amount of space your iDisk includes, Apple has aldo dropped the price of storage. You can now get 1 GB (1024 MB) of space for $49.95 per year (in addition to the $100.00 .Mac yearly fee).

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/reconfigure_your_250_mb_of_mac.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/reconfigure_your_250_mb_of_mac.html Mac Tutorials Mon, 04 Oct 2004 15:27:46 -0500 Atari. Nintendo. Super Nintendo. These were the gaming machines of my youth. These were also the forerunners of todays gaming machines like the Play Station 2, X-Box and GameCube. In this tutorial. I'll show you how to resurrect these old games on your Mac.

]]> I doubt very many people now have Atari game machines hooked up and running (although I have read about a guy that is taking old Atari game machines and reworking them to create hand held game machines). But, wouldn't it be nice to break out the old Frogger game and kill a couple hours trying to get that frog across the street. Or maybe Frogger is not your thing. How about Pac-Man? No? Ah, I see. The Atari system is too old for you to remember. Then how about Nintendo? Remember the Super Mario Brothers series of games. Jumping up and down, avoiding walking mushrooms and navigating through pipes to save the princess.

These games and all of your favorites live on in the world of Emulation. What is an emulator? An emulator is a program that imitates another program or device. A very popular Emulator that you may be familiar with is Virtual PC. Virtual PC is a program that emulates a windows computer on your Macintosh. Even though you don't have the appropriate hardware (Intel chips and such) it allows you to run Windows and Windows programs.

Emulators for all of the popular gaming systems have been created and are FREELY distributed on the internet. Some work better than others.

In this tutorial, we'll look at three emulators that I have found and use regularly. To find any of these emulators, do a search for the name the emulator on google.com or on most popular shareware sites. note-all of these emulators run on MacOS X

MacMame: This is my favorite of the three emulators that I will talk about. MacMame emulates most arcade games (do people still play games in arcades?). Some of the games that I regularly play on MacMame are Ms.Pac-Man, Frogger, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Paperboy, Q-bert and Rampage. It's all the mindless fun without the expense of the quarters.

MacMame Tips: Using the MacMame emulator is very simple. Here are some of the most frequently used key commands. 5 - Insert Coin. Every time you hit the 5 key it's like dropping in another quarter. 1 - One player start. Control - fire button. Left / Right arrows - Moves left and right. Those are the basics. To get more information and change some of the settings click on the Tab key.

RockNES - This program emulates the games of the Nintendo Entertainment System. When I was a kid (teen) I could never get my parent to buy me a Nintendo (In hind sight, thanks!) so I could never beat the Mario games. This emulators has given me another chance to beat it in my spare time! Hang on, Princess!!!

If you plan on using this game for a significant amount of time then I recommend that you download and register ($15.00) Blitter. Among other things, Blitter adds support for game pads to RockNES.

When playing RockNES, make sure that you hit the maximize button (the green button with the plus sign). This will enlarge the game screen.

SNES9X - SNES9X emulates the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. One of the great things about the SNES9X emulator is that it supports game pads without any additional downloads or cost. My favorite game for the SNES is MarioKart. My brother-n-law and I used to have epic MarioKart races (long before he was my brother-n-law).

ROMS - The life blood of the gaming system is not the system itself. It's the games. The ROMS are the games themselves. Instead of having a cartridge you have a small file that you download, called Roms.

This is the tricky part. These games are not freely distributed by the manufacturers so you may have to do some searching to find the games you want. Searching for Roms at google.com will usually turn up a number of sites that host these games. You may have to jump through some hoops to find them but they are out there.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/game_emulation_on_the_mac.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/game_emulation_on_the_mac.html Mac Tutorials Sun, 03 Oct 2004 15:49:33 -0500 When connecting two Macs with Firewire built in, most of us use Firewire Target Disk Mode. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to connect two Mac's via IP over Firewire.

]]> MacOS X Panther has added the ability to connect two Macs (or a Mac and a PC, I would assume, since IP over 1394 is supported by WindowsXP) over IP via Firewire.

To get started, open your System Preferences and click on the Network icon. Next, click on Network Port Configurations (in the Show: pull down menu - see above).

You will then click on the new button in the Port Configuration window. A port configuration dialog box will appear. In the Port: pull down menu select 'Built In Firewire' (see image below) and then give it a name (Firewire, etc.).

Next, in the network port configurations window, drag Firewire to the top of the list and click apply now (This ensures the port is assigned an IP address using DHCP). To finish, click Apply Now and close your system preferences.

Finally, connect your two Mac's via Firewire and click on the network icon in your finder. Your second Mac should now be available.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/network_two_macs_via_firewire.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/network_two_macs_via_firewire.html Mac Tutorials Sat, 02 Oct 2004 16:01:27 -0500 Most people, when transferring files from one Mac to another, will set up a network but in todays tutorial I will show you how to quickly and easily transfer files using fiirewire disk mode.

]]> What is Firewire Disk Mode? : When firewire disk mode is enabled, Computer A looks like a connected firewire hard drive to Computer B. (image right - TiBook in Firewire Disk Mode). When you have a computer in firwire disk mode you can no longer access it, except through Computer B. It is esentially an expensive, firewire, hard drive.

Requirements : (A) Two computers with firewire ports and (B) a firewire cable with 6-pin connectors on each end. Note - The standard size firewire cable is 6-pin, and the smaller size is, used by some devices and Windows machines is 4-pin.

How To : First, connect the two computers, via your 6-pin to 6-pin firewire cable. Next, start up the computer that you want to be able to read while holding down the T key on the keyboard of same computer.

Success : If you are successful, the screen of the computer in firewire disk mode will be blue with the yellow firewire logo as a screen saver. Now go to Computer B and click on the finder and you should see the firewire disk listed. Copying files from any folder to any folder is as easy as drag and drop.

Disconnect : When you are finished, make sure that you eject the firwire hard disk by clicking the eject button in the finder window or control clicking on the disk and the selecting eject. This will help you avoid the error message indicating that a disk was removed improperly...blah, blah, blah. Click the power button and the computer should start back up in normal operating mode.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/using_firewire_disk_mode_on_yo.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/10/using_firewire_disk_mode_on_yo.html Mac Tutorials Sat, 02 Oct 2004 15:55:32 -0500 The ease with which you can create professional looking DVD's using iDVD is one of the great advantages of using a Mac. In this tutorial. I'll show you how to duplicated DVD's that you have created using iDVD or DVD Studio Pro.

]]> The ease with which you can create professional looking DVD's using iDVD is one of the great advantages of using a Mac. The only downside is that your DVD's will look so good that members of your family are going to want their own copies. In this tutorial I will show you how to create a master copy of your DVD projects created in iDVD and DVD Studio Pro.

We'll start with a DVD that you have created. In this example I am going to be using a project called 'THE_ROCK'. This is a DVD that I created to chronicle my dads experience at the Buck Baker racing school in Rockingham, NC.First, insert your DVD. Once it mounts on the desktop, open up the Disk Utility [which can be found on your hard drive in Applications - Utilities - see icon right].Next, select your DVD from the list of drives in Disk Utility (see image right).Now, click on the Images menu and select new and then image from YOUR_PROJECT_HERE (see image below).The Convert Image dialog box will open (see image below). Here, you will name the image (I gave mine the same name) and select the location to save it in. VERY IMPORTANT: You must also select the Image Format type. Select DVD/CD master from this drop down menu.

You computer will then begin the process of converting (or duplicating) the image. The time it takes will vary depending on how much you have on the DVD.Once completed, you should now have a master DVD that can be used to burn multiple copies of any DVD that you have created.To burn a copy of your DVD, go back to Disk Utility and select the master copy that you created. It will be listed in the drive section (see image right).Finally, click on the burn icon in the Disk Utility tool bar, insert a blank DVD when prompted and burn away!

I'm sure the next question is, "Can I use it to copy a DVD that I bought?" Disk Utility will copy the DVD. The only problem seems to be that movies are ~ 8GB. Standard DVD-R that you would burn it on to are only ~ 4GB.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/09/duplicate_dvds_in_macos_x.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/09/duplicate_dvds_in_macos_x.html Mac Tutorials Wed, 29 Sep 2004 11:50:00 -0500 One of the many advantages of the MacOS, is the fact that you can burn a cd from the finder, no extra software needed. This works best with internal CDRW drives but will also work with supported external CDRW drives. I was using my Powerbook G4 with combo drive for this tutorial.

]]>

CDR or CDRW? : Most cd writers support either CDR or CDRW discs. CDR stands for CD recordable and is the cheaper of the two. CDR discs can only be written to once. CDRW discs on the other hand are more expensive but can be written to, erased and then written to again. In this eexample, I am using a CDRW, but the steps are the same for a CDR.

Select Format : First, insert the blank cd into the writer. The Mac will recognize that it is a blank cd and needs to be formatted (prepared). There are three formats that you can choose from.

• Standard (HFS+ / ISO 9660) : Used for your typical data CD. Burning an assortment of files? Use this format.
  
• MP3 CD (ISO 9660) : Used for making CD's full of MP3 files. To use this, you will need a player that can read / play mp3 files. Most standard CD players cannot.
  
• iTunes (Audio) : If you want to create a CD that can be played in a standard audio cd player, use this format.
  

Once you select the format, click prepare. This will format the cd according to your selection. Upon completion, you will see a CD icon on the desktop (or in your finder) that has CDR on it. This is your prepared, blank CD.

Drag and Drop : To add files to the CD, simply drag and drop them on the blank CD. The file will be copied directly to the cd (actually, it's not copied there until you select burn later so if you make a mistake you can take files off of the cd prior to burning). The amount of space that you have is limited by the size of the cd. A blank cd is typically 650 mb.

Burn Baby, Burn : Now that you have all of the files on the CD, you are ready to burn it. There are a couple of ways to do this.

• Drag the cd to the trash can (actually once you start draggin the CD, the trash will change to the burn icon).
  
• In the Finder, go to the file menu and select Burn Disc?
  
• Click the Burn button in the Finder Toolbar (if you have added it)
  
• Control (Right) Click on the CD and select Burn Disc from the menu.
  

Once you select to burn the disc, the computer will burn it and the icon will change from a CD with CDR on it, to a blank CD icon.

Erase a CDRW : If you are using a CDRW disc, then you probably will want to erase it eventually, so that you can put different data on it. To do this, you have to open the Disk Utility (found in the utilities folder, inside the applications folder). View a QuickTime demonstration of how to erase a CDRW.

Once you open the Disk Utility, select the CD from the list on the left and then click on the erase tab at the top. You will then click on the erase button. This will completely erase the disc and now it is ready to be burned again.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/09/burn_a_cd_from_the_finder.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/09/burn_a_cd_from_the_finder.html Mac Tutorials Wed, 29 Sep 2004 10:50:43 -0500 The 9/11 Commission Report has sold more than 350,000 copies in its first week on shelves in bookstores. The 9/11 Commission report is a 400-plus page document that chronicles the days and months leading up to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

]]>

The Executive Summary is now available as a free download from the iTunes Music Store. The summary, which is narrated by various speakers, is 1 hour and 1 minute long and is provided by Audible.com.

In addition to the Executive Summary being available for download, the actual 9/11 Commission Hearings are also available as a free download. There are a total of 35 Hearings available for download. Speakers include Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenant, and John Ashcroft among others. Each download ranges from 1 to 2 hours in length.

Finally, if you missed the Democratic National Convention (you didn't miss much) and you want to hear some of the rhetoric, er, speeches then iTunes has you covered there as well. Speeches from day one and day two are currently available as a free download.

Day one includes speeches from Terry McAuliffe, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and more. Day two includes speeches by Howard Dean, Ted Kennedy, Barack Obama, Ron Reagan and more.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/09/stay_informed_with_itunes.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/09/stay_informed_with_itunes.html Internet Tutorials Thu, 23 Sep 2004 13:46:18 -0500 Fonts, Fonts, every where and…boy are they out of control!

Ask any graphic designer, web master, or Photoshop guru and they will tell you. We are overrun with fonts. Apple knows it. Thus the release of FontBook with Jaguar. There are, at last check, nearly 100 font related (viewing, cataloging, etc) apps available at versiontracker.com.

]]> You Software (an oddly named company if ever I heard one) has added a font viewing utility to their line of You Control products called You Control: Fonts.

You Control: Fonts has two components, the application (which is more of a preference window than an actual application) and the application itself which resides in your toolbar.

The program has one function: Provide quick viewing of all of your fonts. The fonts are displayed (see image right) in the toolbar menu in their own typeface. This is a time saver, especially if you are accustomed to opening FontBook (or another Font Viewer) when you want to sample your fonts.

You Control: Fonts allows you to preview your fonts in four different sizes 9pt, 10pt, 12pt, 18pt and 24pt. It should be noted that you can customize the sizes displayed if the need should arise. Another standard feature of this font viewing utility is the ability to view the font with your own custom text.

The program has some very handy features:

Ability to view fonts in collections (see image below) that you have created in FontBook. If you don't want to view all of the fonts in one long menu, you can turn 'Show Fonts' off and leave the collections enabled allowing you to shorten the list while retaining the functionality of the app.
HotKey Enabled: The You Control: Fonts menu of fonts can be displayed anywhere on your screen by setting a HotKey. Nice time saver.
Recents & Favorites Menu: Recently selected fonts are added to a Recent menu and the program allows you to place 'Favorite' fonts in a favorite menu for quick access.

EyeCandy: You Control has added a palette full of icons (see image right) that you can use for your menu bar. You can also select your own image or use text.

You Control: Fonts works with all of your most-used apps:

Adobe Creative Suite
QuarkXpress
Microsoft Office
Keynote
Macromedia Flash

Now comes the bad news. The Price: $29.95. I like this program but I can't justify the $29.95 price tag. Maybe after using it for a week I'll be hooked on it and won't be able to live without it. Until then, no.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/09/youcontrol_fonts_review.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/09/youcontrol_fonts_review.html Mac Tutorials Tue, 21 Sep 2004 00:09:38 -0500 Apple posted a firmware update for the PowerMac G5 yesterday (9/13/04). This update is recommended and improves general system reliability and restores sleep functionality.

]]>
The installation is very straightforward.

1 - Download the firmware update from Apple.com.

2 - Save changes to all of your open files.

3 - Open the firmware updater that you downloaded.

4 - Double click on the updater and follow the steps provided by the installer.

Upon completion of updating, click on the Shut Down button.

Once the computer shuts down, push and hold the power button on the G5 until you hear a long tone or see the Power button light flashing.

Your computer will restart and you will see the following message, indicating that the process has completed successfully. Your computer's firmware is version 5.1.5f1 and is up to date with version 5.1.5 of the Power Mac G5 Firmware Updater.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/09/powermac_g5_firmware_update.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/09/powermac_g5_firmware_update.html Mac Tutorials Tue, 21 Sep 2004 00:03:28 -0500 In the past couple of years, products like IBM's ViaVoice have allowed Mac users to create text documents using the spoken word instead of the keyboard. These products often require more of an investment in time and money than they are worth (Ask my dad!).

]]> On the other hand, in the interest of making the computer more accessible, the MacOS has bundled speech recognition software for some time. I recently tried it out on my Powerbook G4 and was pleasantly surprised (I also used it on my iMac G3 450mhz) by the accuracy and ease of use when doing something simple, like surfing the internet.

Turn it On : To turn Apple's Speech Recognition on in MacOS X, go to the Speech Control Panel (pictured right), in the System Preferences. To get started, you must first turn Apple Speakable Items ON. This is done by selecting the On button (off by default).

You can also select whether or not you want speakable items turned on at Log In. There are some other settings that can be changed here that are not essential to the process (which sound will play when a command is recognized, speak text feedback, helpful tips).

Turning Speakable items on will open the Speech Feedback monitor. (Pictured Below, Right) This monitor indicates how well the computer is picking up your voice, and whether or not it is recognizing a command. You should shoot for green bars when speaking commands. Blue is probably too low and red is probably too high.

Set It Up : Now that you have Speakable Items On, you have to adjust the Listening Settings, which tell the computer when you want it to listen for your voice. To do this, click on the Listening Tab.

The first thing you will want to identify is the key that is selected as the Listening Key. This key will turn listening on and off, and can be changed by clicking on Change Key… button (It will be set to Esc by default).

Next, you will have to select the Listening Method that you would like to use. You can set it up so that the computer only listens for your commands while the Listening Key is pressed, or to listen all the time and use the Listening Key as a toggle to turn listening on and off. If you choose to use the listening key as a toggle, but do not want the computer reacting to every sound it hears, then you can set the name of the computer and make it required before each command. I would recommend this, especially in a noisy environment. You can also select whether you want to use the internal microphone, or an external microphone that you have attached to the computer. I have been using the internal Mic and have found that it works well in my office and kitchen. Now that all of your setting are set, you are ready to take it for a spin.

Commands : There are a number of commands that can be used with Speakable Items, but I am only going to cover those pertinent to Internet Explorer. To see a list of all of the commands, click on the down arrow in the Speech Feedback Monitor, and click on Open Speech Commands.

IE Commands : These are the most important commands that you will use with Internet Explorer.

• Open My Browser: Launches your web browser.
  
• Make This Page Speakable : This command is the most important command (when using IE). This allows you to go to any web page simply by saying its name (or any name that you give it).
  
• Go Back : Takes you back one page (the back button)
  
• Go Forward : Takes you forward one page (the forward button)
  
• Stop Loading : Stops a page that is loading (the stop button)
  
• Reload this page : Reloads a page (the reload button)
  
• Define a keyboard command : This is probably the most useful command in the entire Speakable Items Library. This command allows you to turn a keyboard command (like apple - p) into a speech command "Print".
  

Create your own Commands : Using the define keyboard command (pictured below), you can create all sorts of voice activated commands for navigating not only Internet Explorer (IE) but also your system. Below are few that I created (followed by their keyboard shortcut). Click to download the sites and commands that I have made speakable.

• Scroll Up (in IE - Up Arrow)
  
• Scroll Down (in IE - Down Arrow)
  
• Next Link (in IE - Tab - Tabs to all of the links on a page)
  
• Follow Link (in IE - Return - Follows the selected link)
  

There are many more that you could create. For a list of all the keyboard shortcuts in IE, go to the IE Help menu and search the index for Keyboard Shortcuts. Once you know the keyboard shortcut, it is as simple as saying 'Define Keyboard Command'!

Tips : Can't remember a command? Click on the Open Speech Commands Window. This will give you a list of all the commands available (and is updated when you add your own commands). Computer can't hear ya? Say it again. Try creating a phrase that is not so difficult to understand or that is unique. When creating commands use simple phrases that make sense and will be easy to remember.

Final Word : Is the future here? In Minority Report, Tom Cruise walks around his house talking to the lights, turning them on and off. Could this be the start of that technology? This software works pretty well. I have found that sometimes I have to toggle the Listening on and off to get it to recognize that I am speaking. I also found that it doesn't work as well on a 233mhz Bondi iMac.

I can definitely see myself walking into a room and saying, Music On, Play Most Popular Playlist…all through my Digital Hub, my Apple Computer.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/09/use_voice_commands_to_control.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/09/use_voice_commands_to_control.html Mac Tutorials Mon, 13 Sep 2004 23:04:32 -0500 I LOVE iPHOTO. But, let's face it. It becomes bloated. Slow. Sluggish. It can beach ball to the point where you think you are at the public pool.

]]> The cause of this sluggishness is generally a HUGE database of pictures that you have downloaded from your camera. iPhoto suffers from its ease of use. Think about it. How many pictures do PC successfully users get into their computers? A fraction of what you get with a Mac and iPhoto. So, this is actually a good problem to have, but it's still a problem.

Luckily, there is a FREE piece of software out there that will solve all of your problems (iPhoto at least - you are on your own as far as personal problems go!).

iPhoto Library Manager [download - 244KB] written by Brian Webster

iPhoto Library Manager allows you to split your photos up into any number of separate libraries, store them on any disk connected to your computer, and switch back and forth between them easily.

The iPhoto Library Manager interface [see image below] has been refined since earlier versions and is very easy to use.

iPhoto LM can create a library out of any folder (by selecting Add Library) or can help you make a new library folder. Most likely, you will start by adding your current iPhoto Library to the list of folders. This is done by clicking on Add Library, and then navigating to your current iPhoto Library. You can then name the library anything you want.

To select a library, simply check the one that you want to open and then hit the launch iPhoto button.

The problem with iPhoto Performance has been fixed with recent versions of iPhoto. You may still prefer to use a library manager to seperate your various iPhoto Libraries.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/08/manage_multiple_iphoto_librari.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/08/manage_multiple_iphoto_librari.html Mac Tutorials Fri, 13 Aug 2004 22:54:26 -0500 Quicktime 6 (Pro) can be used to do simple video editing such as cutting a video, splicing together video, applying a filter to the video and adding sound tracks.

]]> Selecting Video : To do any editing of your video, you must first select the video that you want to trim. This is done by moving the selection sliders (image 1) to the area that you want to trim (image 2).

Trimming Unwanted Video : Often times you will have video that you want to put on a web site but it may be too long or contain video that you don't want to include. To trim your video, you must first select the video that you want to trim using the instructions above. Once you have selected the area to be trimmed, click on the Edit menu and then click on Cut.

Copy Video : To copy a video selection, you first select the area to be copied using the sliders, and then click on Copy in the Edit menu.



Paste Video : Once you have copied video, you can then paste it into a new video player, or splice it into a current video file.



To paste video into a new video player window, click on New Player in the file menu and then click on Paste in the Edit menu. This creates an entirely new player that contains only the video that was copied.

Joining (or splicing video) is done the same way except, you need to open the video that you would like to join the new video with. To determine where the video will be pasted, let the video play until it gets to the point where you want the video to be inserted and then stop the video. Once you stop the video, you can then paste the copied video by going to the Edit menu and clicking on Paste.

Add a Soundtrack : The process for editing video and audio in Quicktime is the same. Being able to add audio allows you to add sound tracks to your video files, easily. Open your music file (mp3, AIFF, etc) in Quicktime and then copy the music the same way you would video. Next, open the video file that you would like to add the music to and click on Add in the Edit Menu. This will add a music track to your video file. If you use Paste instead of Add, the music will be placed in front of or behind the video file. You must use Add to have the audio play in the background of the video file.

Apply a Filter : You can also apply simple filters and special effects to your video using Quicktime. To apply a filter or special effect to your completed video, click on Export in the File Menu. In the Export window, select Movie To Quicktime Movie (image 3) and click on the Options button (obscured by the settings window in image 3). This will bring up the Settings window.

Next, click on the Filter button (image 4). This will allow you to apply various special effects and filters. Click on the arrows (image 5) to reveal the different filters and effects. A preview of the effect will be shown on the thumbnail in the lower left corner of the window.

Once you have made your adjustments, click on OK and then select Export. Your video will begin to export with the filter or special effect applied.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/07/videoaudio_editing_with_quickt.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/07/videoaudio_editing_with_quickt.html Mac Tutorials Thu, 15 Jul 2004 08:08:17 -0500 How do you find news on the internet? If you are like most people, then you probably have a few "Trusted" sites that you visit daily to keep up to date. This described me to a T. Here is an idea of what my browsing habits looked like, just one week ago.

]]> Launch Safari…MacMinute (home page)…Google News (browse headlines)…CNN.com (more headlines)…Wired…News.com (tech headlines)…ESPN.com (browse sports headlines)…MacOS Rumors (look for juicy Mac rumors, speculation)…Washington Post (Check out recent Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon stories)…BaltimoreSun.com (check to see how the Baltimore Orioles did)…Quit Safari.

Browsing time - 20 minutes (10 on a slow news day).

That's it. But there has to be more…right? I mean, it's the WORLD WIDE WEB for crying out loud. If you are using your web browser to get the bulk of your news then stay tuned. I'm about to show you how you can get more news, more efficiently. Oh, and did I mention for FREE!

In this review / tutorial I'm going to take a look at NetNewsWire Lite by Ranchero Software. NetNewsWire, according to the Ranchero web site, is 'an easy-to-use RSS Web news reader for Mac OS X. Its familiar three-paned interface —similar to Apple Mail and Outlook Express—can fetch and display news from thousands of different web sites and weblogs, making it quick and easy to keep up with the latest news'. NetNewsWire Lite is free while the full version offers additional features for $39.95 (USD). Click here for more information on NetNewsWire.

Background What is RSS? RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is an easy way for web sites to share headlines and stories so that other sites can integrate them into their pages. RSS is written in XML. Check out my tutorial on how to employ a simple RSS news feed for your own web site.

NetNewsWire is an easy to use application that allows you to quickly subscribe, download, and browse stories from thousands of web sites. The beauty of an RSS feed is that it is generally free of layout code, heavy graphics and advertising. This makes downloading very fast.

Using NetNewsWire is very simple. In the screenshot below, I have labeled the 5 main parts of NetNewsWire.

Subscriptions :: Each site or feed that you subscribe to is listed in the first pane in NetNewsWire. The program comes with a preselected set of subscriptions. Subscriptions are removed by control clicking on them and selecting 'Unsubscribe' from the menu.

NetNewsWire can be set to update at your preferred intervals. Any site with unread articles will be blue, with the number of unread articles in parentheses.

Site/Feed Headlines :: Each site will have a list of the recent articles that have been updated on their site. Unread articles are written in blue.

Article Summary :: To view the article summary simply click on the name of the article in the headlines pane. This will bring up a description of the article itself (if available). See image right. Clicking on the Title of the summary (pointed to with red arrow in image right) will open your web browser to that article.

Sites You Can Subscribe To :: There are two ways to subscribe to site feeds in NetNewsWire Lite. The first is to go to the Sites You Can Subscribe To pane and select sites from there.

The second way is to go to the subscription menu and select 'Subscribe'. This method is used to subscribe to sites that are not listed in the Subscription Pane. Once you select subscribe, you can then type in the address of the RSS feed. For example: I created a feed for this web site. To subscribe to it you would type the following into the subscription box.

http://gbradhopkins.com/index.rdf

Doing this will add gBradhopkins.com to your list of subscriptions.

You've Got News :: Like the MacOS X Mail application, NetNewsWire's dock icon gives instant feedback without bringing the application forward. The dock icon displays the number of unread, new articles in a red box, similar to the new mail indicator.

Wrap Up :: In my opinion, NetNewsWire Lite is a must have utility. Programs like this make the internet more user friendly in a time when it seems we are overwhelmed with obtrusive advertising and people trying to get our attention (and money).

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/07/netnewswire_lite_review.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/07/netnewswire_lite_review.html Mac Tutorials Sat, 10 Jul 2004 08:02:36 -0500 Sherlock was billed as a great way to find anything on your mac and the web. Then, a program called Watson was released that blew the doors off of Sherlock. In this tutorial we'll look at how you can make Sherlock more Watson Like.

]]> There is an amazing piece of software, called Watson (http://www.karelia.com/watson/), that has changed the way many people use the internet. Watson, is dubbed as a Swiss Army Knife for the web. Basically, Watson works with sites like Yahoo, Google, Amazon and others to help you gather information easily. Whether that information is in the form of a search using Google, Movie Listings or Weather reports, Watson allows you to bypass your browser and collect the information that you are looking for quickly and effortlessly.

Here is how Watson and in turn Sherlock works.

• Watson is essentially a Web Browser, much like Internet Explorer or OmniWeb. But instead of being generic -- capable of viewing any Web page, it's targetted to some of the most useful Web sites. Think of it as a Web Browser with a predefined set of bookmarks.
  
  
  
• A Web Browser, running on your desktop computer, contacts another computer over the Internet that has made information available to the public. It fetches the data, formatted using a coding called HTML, and then displays them on-screen. Watson's main difference is in how it formats the data on-screen quite differently than a generic Web Browser does. (Watson also connects to "Web Services" -- web sites where the data is coded in XML instead of HTML.) -from the Watson FAQ.
  

Watson was released in 2001 and then Sherlock was updated to Version 3 with the release of MacOS 10.2 (Jaguar). While these two programs do basically the same thing, Watson is the undisputed champion and has received much press and publicity because of it. This has left Sherlock in the background.

Why is Watson better? Speed. Watson is very fast. I don't know why, I just know that it is. Tools. When you download Watson, there are a number of installed tools (19 in all). Each of which perform very well.

Now that you know what Watson is you may be asking yourself "Why would you want use Sherlock? Especially if it is slower than Watson and has less tools?" $$$ Watson is $29.00 for a single user and $39.00 for a household. Sherlock is FREE (provided you have already shelled out for MacOS 10.2). So, for those who are on a budget but want some of the same functionality...read on.

Preinstalled Sherlock Channels : Sherlock comes with 10 preinstalled tools or channels, as Apple has called them. They are Internet, Stocks, Pictures, Yellow Pages, Flights, eBay, Dictionary, Apple Care, Translation and Movies. Using these channels, you can search the web (Internet), browse eBay listings, look up words (Dictionary), find addresses (Yellow Pages), check filght times and more.

Adding Channels p1 : In order to make Sherlock more Watson like, we have to add channels. How do we add channels to Sherlock? Elementary my dear Watson. (I couldn't resist!) Go to the DMOZ Sherlock Development category. There you will find a number of Sherlock channels that have been developed by individuals. Here are some of the tools that are available:

• Billboard
  
• Mapquest
  
• MacUpdate
  
• Shop (Amazon.com)
  
• Weather
  
• iCalshare
  
• dotmac.info
  

In all, there are 33 sherlock channels available in nine categories.

Adding Channels p2 : Adding a channel to Sherlock is quite easy. Go to the web site (sherlockers.com), find the channel that you want to add and then click on the 'Click here to add the channel to Sherlock' link.

Clicking this will open Sherlock and ask you if you want to add this channel to Sherlock. Click on the Add button and you will see then new channel installed in the Sherlock Toolbar. To add other channels, simply repeat the steps above. You can also view the channel prior to adding it (by clicking on the 'Click here to just view the channel' link).

To remove the channel, right click on it in the toolbar and select 'Remove Item' from the pop-up menu. (see image right)

Sherlockers.com is not the only site for finding sherlock channels. Do an internet search for "Sherlock Channels' and you are bound to find more great, free sherlock channels.

Click here to view an image gallery of Sherlock Channels in action.

]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/06/make_sherlock_more_watsonlike.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/06/make_sherlock_more_watsonlike.html Mac Tutorials Sat, 12 Jun 2004 07:26:45 -0500 In this tutorial we are going to look at how to open a file with a specific program. This is a quick little MacOS X (10.2) tip that may come in handy some day.

]]>

Sometimes I would edit a picture in Photoshop but would want to be able to view it quickly with the MacOS X Preview software. The Preview Application loads much quicker than Photoshop and is a lot less obtrusive (no floating tools, etc). This can be done in a few short steps.

1. Find the file that you are going to change (In my example, the file is called 'FinderScreenSnapz001.psd')
   
2. Control Click on the file and select Get Info.
   
3. When the Get Info box pops up, you will see a series of menus (below). You will click on the Open With arrow. This will bring up the Open With Menu.
   
4. Next, you will see the Open With drop down menu (image below). Here you will choose which application will open the file you are working with. In the image below, Preview is the default application for opening this document.
   
5. Now click on the down arrow and scroll through the list until you see the application that you are looking for. In my case it was Adobe Photoshop 7.
   
6. You can then choose whether to change all files like this one. By clicking on the Change All... button.
   ]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/05/change_the_program_that_opens.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/05/change_the_program_that_opens.html Mac Tutorials Wed, 12 May 2004 07:34:25 -0500 Ever have something happen on your computer that you wanted to remember without having to write it down? Take a screenshot.
   ]]> Screenshots are pictures of items on your computer screen. Most people who have used a Mac for some period of time are aware of the key command for a screenshot -shift - 3. This key combination takes a picture of your entire desktop and saves it as a .pdf file named Picture 1 on your desktop. (note - in OS 9 it was saved as a pict file)
   
   
   

   

   
   

   Desktop screenshot

   
   
   
   

   Advanced Screenshot Commands : While that is pretty cool, it would be nice to be able to isolate certain parts of the screen when you are taking a screenshot. Luckily, in MacOS X you can.

   
   

   -shift - 4 : Typing in this key combination displays a cross hair that allows you to highlight a specific part of the screen that you would like to capture.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Cross hairs that are displayed when using the -shift - 4 key combination.

   
   
   
   

   Once you see the cross hairs, move them to the area that you want to capture and then click, hold and drag with your mouse to select the entire area to be captured. You can tell what will be included in the capture because it will be shaded. Once you have selected the item you want to capture (take a screenshot of) simply realease your mouse button.

   
   

   -shift - 4 - Spacebar : To capture a specific object (dock items, menus, etc) use the same key combination as before, except this time hit the space bar after hitting the 4. This will display the icon for of a small camera (image 1). You will notice, items that the camera is placed over are highlighted in blue (see image 2 and 3). This blue highlight is an indicator of what will be captured.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   	Image 1 - When hitting the -shift - 4 - Spacebar key combination, a camera icon is displayed.
   	Image 2 - This allows you to capture screen objects like menus, dock items, etc.
   	image 3 - Dock item selected.

   
   
   
   

   Again, once you have selected the item you want to capture, click your mouse. You will hear what sounds like a camera taking a picture and then see the file on your desktop.

   
   

   Wrap Up : There are commercial screen capture products out there but unless you want to be able to capture video of your screen then these three key combinations are probably all you need.

   ]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/05/taking_screenshots_in_macos_x.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/05/taking_screenshots_in_macos_x.html Mac Tutorials Sat, 01 May 2004 07:45:43 -0500 How do you remove cookies in Internet Explorer in MacOS X? This is a tutorial that was posted to my old site in March of 2004.

   ]]> What are cookies? A cookie is a message given to a Web browser by a Web server. The browser stores the message in a text file. The message is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server. The main purpose of cookies is to identify users and possibly prepare customized Web pages for them. When you enter a Web site using cookies, you may be asked to fill out a form providing such information as your name and interests. This information is packaged into a cookie and sent to your Web browser which stores it for later use. The next time you go to the same Web site, your browser will send the cookie to the Web server. The server can use this information to present you with custom Web pages. So, for example, instead of seeing just a generic welcome page you might see a welcome page with your name on it. (webopedia.com | definitions: cookies)
   

   Are cookies bad? Cookies do not act maliciously on computer systems. They are merely text files that can be deleted at any time - they are not plug ins nor are they programs. Cookies cannot be used to spread viruses and they cannot access your hard drive. This does not mean that cookies are not relevant to a user's privacy and anonymity on the Internet. Cookies cannot read your hard drive to find out information about you; however, any personal information that you give to a Web site, including credit card information, will most likely be stored in a cookie unless you have turned off the cookie feature in your browser. In only this way are cookies a threat to privacy. The cookie will only contain information that you freely provide to a Web site. (webopedia.com | are cookies malicious?)

   
   

   How to view / delete cookies Viewing and deleting cookies in Internet Explorer is rather easy.

   
   

   
   
   1. Click on Preferences (found under the Explorer Menu in OS X).
      
   2. In the preference window, scroll down to the section called Receiving Files (you may need to expand the section by clicking on the down arrow).
      
   3. Click on Cookies
      
   4. To the right, you will see an alphabetical list of all the cookies. To view the properties of a particular cookie, click on it and then select View.
      
   5. To delete a cookie, click on it and then select Delete.
      
   6. If you want to be notified when a cookie is being set, click on the drop-down-menu next to When Receiving Cookies and select ask for each cookie (ask for each site or never accept).
      
   7. Not allowing your browser to accept cookies will inhibit you ability to customize web sites to your liking.
      

   
   
   
   
   
   

   Update 3/27/04 This method for deleting cookies in Internet Explorer seems to be broken. You can still view cookies using this method, but when you click 'Delete' the cookies seem to go away but once you restart Internet Explorer, they are back. An alternate method would be to delete the file com.apple.internetconfig.plist in the Home/Library folder. Thanks to Tim E. for the tip.

   ]]> http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/03/removing_cookies_in_ie.html http://www.gbradhopkins.com/archives/2004/03/removing_cookies_in_ie.html Mac Tutorials Mon, 15 Mar 2004 11:39:49 -0500