Vol. 2                      Issue 18            Jan. 2006

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My favorite sites..   

HIDACC  Hi-Desert Apple Computer Club
 This site give you so much information .. I'd like to suggest you put it in your bookmarks..

http://www.hidacc.av.org/ 

 OWC
 Other World Computing

 Chris      1-800-275-4576 Ext. 116   Hours: 11:00 A.M. -8:00 P.M.
 Eastern time.   If you need anything for your computer or a new one, talk to Chris.
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Bobbie's Comments:

Wishing all of you a very Happy New Year

 Traditional New Year foods are thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.

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OS X Tips

  Save Those Serial Numbers

 I recently had to do a complete restore of my laptop hard drive and thank goodness, all of my data files were backed up to DVD. However, trying to go back and reinstall all of the little applications that I had installed over the years proved to be a major chore. Some of the programs were ones that I had purchased and others were freebies. Normally I'm quite good at keeping track of all of my serial numbers and such but I've found that if the program and the serial number are not kept in the same place, odds are they will never get back together again.

 There is a very simple way to keep them together under OS X. Cut and paste the serial number into the spotlight comment. But what if the file gets deleted you say? Well, here's what I do. When I buy a program online I'll download it and it's packed into a single dmg or sitx file. I'll click on it to select it and then press the Command/I to get the properties window to open up and then just type in the serial number into the comment field and close the window. Now back that file up to a CDR. There you have it, an archived program with the serial number ready to be restored whenever you need it.

 Bob Hastings
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  Terminal Repair

Q: How do I repair disk permissions using the Terminal?

A: Open the Terminal, and type:
 sudo (space) diskutilrepairPermissions /

 Press "Return," type your password, and press "Return" again. It will look like nothing is happening, but you'll know it's done when you see your name prompt again (this can take a longtime).

 MacAddict Magazine
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 Banish Capital Punishment

Q: How do I disable the Caps Lock key in Mac OS X?

A: We hate it when we accidentally engage the Caps Lock key AND START TYPING IN ALL CAPS. To disable it, use uControl (free, http://gnufoo.org/ucontrol), a keyboard-mapping utility. Once installed, access it via System Preferences and set Caps Lock to "None" to banish future unintended shoutfests.

 MacAddict Magazine
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 Go to Sleep... Now!

Q: Is there a keyboard command to put the computer to sleep without having to scroll through the Apple Menu? I know you can tap the power switch, but my iMac sits on a large desk and the last time I tried to crawl back there, I pulled a hamstring. ~ Jerry Diego

A: Yes, there is a keyboard shortcut. On Macs running OS X, you can press Option/Command/Eject. Of course, you'll have to have one of the more recent keyboards with an Eject key in the top right.

 macHOME HotTips
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 Really, Really Empty the Trash

 Recently I wrote about getting a computer ready to pass on to a new user. Part of that discussion was about making sure that your personal stuff was really deleted. Following that column a reader wrote me about Secure Empty Trash. He said that using this feature could even protect your stuff from 8th graders. It is not really a secret. It is listed in plain sight under the Finder menu in any Finder window. Apparently this works because it deletes your file and then writes over the drive space. Do note, however, that because it is writing over your file, it takes considerably longer to Secure Delete your files.

 Mouse Tales, North Coast MUG, Berea, OH
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 A Mac OS Update Caution

 The fact that any system update may include updates for several of Apple's bundled applications (such as Safari, Mail, and so on) reminds me to point out once again that if you move these applications out of the Applications folder, or into a new folder within it, you run the risk that they will not be updated as they should be. To avoid such a problem, make sure that you leave Apple's own applications where they were originally installed; that is, in the Applications folder proper.

 In general, you can reorganize most third party (i.e. non-Apple) applications to suit yourself, but you may still find a few that insist on being located "as installed" in order to receive updates. If an application refuses to be updated, try moving it to the original installation location (usually the Applications folder) and running the updater again. ~ Steve Cooper

 AUSOM News, Melbourne, Australia

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Interesting Websites

Google The Moon

 Most of you have seen Google Earth that allows you to zoom around cities and countries like you were playing on a Xbox.
But have you seen Google Moon? It shows the NASA imagery related to the Apollo landings. But to see what the
moon is really about, zoom in all the way.
http://moon.google.com/

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 Get an Email Reminder to Change Your Car's Oil

 How many people have every intention of changing their oil as recommended (every 3 months), only to find that several extra months have gone by since the prescribed oil change date? If you're one of the many that are now trying to calculate in your head how many months have transpired since you last changed your oil, you may want to sign up for a free service from Castrol that sends you a simple email reminder when the time arrives.

 To sign up, point your browser to http://www.castrolusa.com, and click on the "Oil Change Reminder" link on the home page. Then, fill out the simple Web form and click the Submit Form button. If you're wondering how in the world a website can know if you've passed the 3,000 mile recommendation ... well, it can't. But at least you'll be reminded when 90 days have passed!

 TMUG Insider, Pleasanton CA
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 Music Details

 For all kinds of information about any singer, band, lyrics, articles, reviews, pictures, sheet music, tour dates, tickets, discography, downloads, videos, or wallpaper, go to http://www.starpulse.com/Music.

 Mouse Droppings, Corvallis OR
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 Desktop Backgrounds

 The images found at the website for the NASA Earth Observatory make attractive desktop backgrounds, and some can even be found in sizes as large as 3,600 by 3,600 pixels, large enough for even a 30-inch Cinema Display. Browse the index of all images and you'll see some amazing images!

 Check it out here: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images_index.php3

 Charlotte MacWorkshop, Charlotte NC
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Joke of the Month



MY SPELLING CHECKER
Eye halve a spelling checker
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marcs four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
It's rare lea ever wrong.
Eye Have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My checker tolled me sew.