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Tom Briant

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Editor: Tom Briant

 

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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth has more articles for you

Thanks to Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth’s tireless scouring of the ‘Net, we have more articles for you to read:

Some folklore on the original Macintosh:

Chris Espinosa got a flash of inspiration …….  instead of a new iteration of the calculator [app for Mac], Chris unveiled his new approach, which he called "the Steve Jobs Roll Your Own Calculator Construction Set".

Steve …... immediately started fiddling ……. After ten minutes or so, he settled on a calculator that he liked.

http://folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=Calculator_Construction_Set.txt&sortOrder=Sort%20by%20Date

Since iOS’ launch in 2007, people have devoted a lot of time and money to copying the UI. Samsung, of course, is the biggest offender.

The entire tech industry has been homogenizing and commoditizing iOS’ appearance so much that after six years, iOS no longer felt exclusive, unique, or premium to most people: it felt like the norm. Apple needed to shake things up to keep their premium edge, and they went all-out.

Now, with Apple's new iOS-7, every imitation looks ancient. Soon, they’ll start to feel obsolete. Most imitating efforts will need to be redone or abandoned to look current.

Copying iOS 7 is going to be a big problem for cheap hardware.  iOS 7 requires lots of computing power that they don't have.

http://www.marco.org/2013/06/27/ios7-as-defense

Audio:

Hiring managers say social media sink job chances

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/hiring-managers-say-social-media-sink-job-chances-2013-06-26-710710

U.S Government Surveillance: Bad for Silicon Valley, Bad for Democracy Around the World

Violating foreigners' privacy harms both our security and our prosperity.

some European activists are calling for data-storage rules to thwart the U.S. government's surveillance advantage. The best way to keep the American government from snooping is to have foreigners' data stored locally.

So the first unintended consequence of mass NSA surveillance may be to diminish the power and profitability of the U.S. Internet economy. America invented the Internet, and our Internet companies are dominant around the world. The U.S. government, in its rush to spy on everybody, may end up killing our most productive golden goose.

Even worse, a shift away from U.S.-based Internet services is a blow to free expression around the world. We expect U.S.-based Internet companies to resist authoritarian governments that ask for help squelching political dissent.

Having Twitter in the U.S. helped when the U.S. State Department asked it in 2009 to delay its regularly scheduled maintenance to ensure activists can communicate during the Iranian elections. It is much harder to say no to a foreign government when a business has employees and data in that country.

authoritarian countries want to censor, spy on, and control Internet access within their own borders.  The U.S. government's fervor for Internet surveillance has now provided advocates for such cyber-sovereignty with new privacy-motivated allies and a great set of talking points.

President Obama recently chided Americans concerned with NSA surveillance for our naïveté, saying "you can't have 100 percent security and also then have 100 percent privacy." But this administration's rhetoric is short-sighted and depressing when, in fact, rampant surveillance harms our long-term security.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/06/us-government-surveillance-bad-for-silicon-valley-bad-for-democracy-around-the-world/277335/

A good article on accountability for medical record keeping.

http://www.market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=222280

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth has more articles for you

Apple's Eddy Cue defends e-book approach

Top Apple executive quizzed by Department of Justice in court

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apples-eddy-cue-defends-e-book-approach-2013-06-13

Trash can that looks like new Mac Pro causes a stir in Japan

the recently unveiled Mac Pro does bear a striking resemblance to the Tubelor trash can.

PastedGraphic-2013-06-27-18-35.png

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/trash-can-that-looks-like-new-mac-pro-causes-a-stir-in-japan/

The Foundry this week announced that MARI, its industry-standard 3D painting package 3D digital painting tool used in films "Avatar" and "The Avengers," is coming to the Mac. The developer, along with Oscar-winning animation studio Pixar, showed off MARI for OS X at WWDC this week, just 8 weeks after it began porting the software to the Mac.

During the tests, the Mac Pro was entirely concealed in a giant steel cabinet, keeping its new design a mystery to The Foundry and Pixar.

"All we could see was the monitor, and the Mac Pro was encased in a giant metal filing cabinet on wheels." said Jack Greasley of The Foundry

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/06/14/developer-secretly-tested-new-mac-pro-for-weeks-inside-apples-evil-lab

Apple's Commitment to Customer Privacy

http://www.apple.com/apples-commitment-to-customer-privacy/

http://www.geeksugar.com/What-Information-Does-Apple-Collect-30826082

Steve Jobs Read  Mac Rumor Sites

http://qz.com/95138/yes-steve-jobs-read-apple-rumor-sites/

http://www.justice.gov/atr/cases/apple/exhibits/px-0870.pdf

Will the Robots Steal Your Paycheck?

BREAKING: They Already Have

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/06/will-the-robots-steal-your-paycheck-breaking-they-already-have/276935/

Why Even Hugely Successful Web Sites Have So Much Trouble Making Money

"I learned the network effect isn't everything. In fact, it became a liability." Stock's words confused me. How could being in such an enviable position of creating a valuable marketplace be a bad thing? "Getting paid was a bitch," Stock said, and he began to unravel how certain marketplace businesses like Zvents can succeed themselves to death.

Google skims a proportionally tiny amount of value from a tremendously huge marketplace. The absolute number of people who buy a sponsored placement is large enough to keep the company humming, even though it only monetizes a tiny proportion of the value created.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-pitfalls-of-the-network-effect-2013-6

Apple founder Steve Jobs, in rare video, explains why the tech world is not like the Renaissance

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2013/06/19/apple-founder-steve-jobs-in-rare-video-explains-why-the-tech-world-is-not-like-the-renaissance/

I'm worried that worst case scenario here is playing out and that Time Cook is to Post-Jobs Apple what Steve Ballmer has been to Post-Bill-Gates Microsoft.

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2013/06/19/apple-and-why-the-market-doesnt-matter/

Five ways to protect yourself from government surveillance

http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2013/0612/Five-ways-to-protect-yourself-from-government-surveillance/If-you-want-privacy-take-the-battery-out

Map the iPhone Users In Any City, And You Know Where the Rich Live

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/06/map-iphone-users-any-city-and-you-know-where-rich-live/5961/

The only winners of the NSA debacle are companies that protect your online privacy

http://qz.com/96174/the-only-winners-of-the-nsa-debacle-are-companies-that-protect-your-online-privacy/

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Saturday, June 22, 2013

OmniOutliner 3: A Quadrille Paper Pad for the 21st Century

I have to thank one of my consulting clients for turning me on to OmniOutliner 3.x. He needs to advance from the marvelous MORE 3.1 app, which is strictly for Classic. So I got tasked with finding a 21st Century replacement for MORE.

After typing the search into Google, I came up with OmniOutliner, which will import MORE 3.1 files. I already had OmniOutliner, which Apple included on my MacBook purchase in November 2006. I hadn’t put it to use, though.

How I use OmniOutliner 3

I started putting OmniOutliner 3 to use when I discovered I needed notebook paper to complete exercises in a paper workbook. I didn’t want to clutter my cramped workspace with pieces of paper. I wanted to stay computerized!

Well, OmniOutliner 3 fit the bill. A lot of the exercises fit into an outline format. You want a parent topic with indented child topics. You also want to sort your topics. You could literally cut and paste pieces of paper; but it’s a lot more convenient to drag and drop within OmniOutliner 3.

What OmniOutliner 3 is and isn’t

If I had to choose a phrase to describe OmniOutliner 3.x, it’s “A Quadrille Paper Pad for the 21st Century.” Quadrille paper, sheets of paper with a preprinted grid of blue squares, has enabled millions of users to put their ideas on paper. OmniOutliner 3 can supplement or replace quadrille paper. If you make a mistake, you can just delete it and not worry about wasting a sheet of paper.

It is not a replacement for Excel. Oh, it’s very handy for listing my grocery purchases, as I can set up various columns for food categories. It won’t do the math that Excel can do. Don’t do a depreciation schedule on OmniOutliner. It only does simple addition.

It’s Expandable!

You can use AppleScript and Automator to expand upon OmniOutliner. If you go into the Support section and drill down to Extras,

  • you will find a host of useful extras. I particularly recommend the Useful Scripts to add capabilities to your installation of OmniOutliner 3. I particularly like the
  • Which Version Should I Get?
  • You can download both the Standard and Professional version from the Omnigroup’s Web site here. They will run as fully functional trials for 14 days. You only need to run OS X 10.4.8 at a minimum, too.
  • You can upgrade from the Standard version to the Professional version for $49.99.
  • Summary
  • This is one of the best products I have found for the Mac. I suggest you download a copy of Standard and try it out for 14 days. If you want to add the capability to quickly transform your unnumbered outline into Harvard format, go to the Extras section of support, download the Useful Scripts, and install them.
  • Tom Briant
  • Editor, MacValley Blog

Sunday, June 16, 2013

File Tagging in OS X now-what are some of your options?

Apple talked about these three features coming in OS X 10.9 Mavericks at WWDC 2013: Finder tabs, systemwide tagging, and real multiple monitor support.

Finder tabs? I’m sure power users have wanted Apple to natively implement it in the Finder. In the meantime, they have gone out and bought Finder supplements & replacements. They have bought TotalFinder, which adds tabs, dual pane mode, and cut & paste between folders for $18.00 after a trial period. They have bought Pathfinder, which is the reference for any program aiming to improve on the Finder. I use Pathfinder and I highly recommend it. Just chock-full of features, including OpenMeta tagging.

If you want a free upgrade to your Mac, you can try out Tran Ky Nam’s XtraFinder.

As for multiple monitor support, I haven’t used multiple monitors with my Macs that often to offer a comment.

Now to tagging. Apple has already implemented support for finding OpenMeta tags into Spotlight.

PastedGraphic-2013-06-16-10-39.png

They just haven’t implemented support for adding tags to files and folders into OS X. Several 3rd party applications do give you the option to add tags. I will discuss the free app Tagit from Ironic Software and the paid ($34.95) app Default Folder X.

Tagit

PastedGraphic1-2013-06-16-10-39.png

Tagit lets you add tags to files and then search for those tagged files. That’s it. Ironic Software has additional paid apps for tagging files and searching for them. Tagit, though, may suffice for your requirements.

You tag files by starting on the app. You next drag the file(s) you want to tag to the icon in your Dock. You should see the following window. You see a selection of tags that I have used. You can use the previous tags by clicking on one or more of them. You also can add a new tag.

PastedGraphic2-2013-06-16-10-39.png

That’s it! You’ve just tagged files with one or more tags

Notice that the tags consist of one word. If you place multiple words between quotes, such as “New York City”, you can have a multi-word tag. The brevity of tags is one thing that distinguishes them from Spotlight comments, where you can write multiple sentences.

Now you can enter multiple tags from the displayed tags. Tagit is nice enough not to overwrite previously entered tags, too.

Now to search for tags. You can use Tagit to search for files. You enter the tags to search for and click “Search”

PastedGraphic3-2013-06-16-10-39.png

Tagit serves as a front-end for the Finder. As you see from the window in the upper right-hand corner; the Finder searches for files with both tags.

PastedGraphic4-2013-06-16-10-39.png

So Why Didn’t Apple Implement OpenMeta tags back in 10.6?!

Apple wanted users to find these upcoming Maverick tags all over the place. Not just on locally attached drives to your USB, Thunderbolt, and Firewire ports; but to network drives and in particular, files up in iCloud. OpenMeta on the Mac won’t do that. Mavericks should.

So What’s the Best Alternative for Now?

I’m going to introduce you to Default Folder X. It’s a bit pricy at $34.95; but once you’ve used it, you’ll want it. It add capabilities to the File Dialog boxes that make you wonder, “So why didn’t Apple do this or that in the first place?!”

In Default Folder X’s File Save dialog box, you get five icons on the right-hand side. You want to look at the bottom, though.

I’ve highlighted the box that switches between the OpenMeta tags and the Spotlight comments. Just type the first few letters of a previous tag and you’ll see it appear in the box. If you’d rather enter a Spotlight comment, click the tiny double-headed arrow to switch to Spotlight comments.

PastedGraphic5-2013-06-16-10-39.png

Now at the bottom you see “Label” with a yellow oval next to it. This is Apple’s oldest option for marking files for further review, the Labels. You have many ways to mark a file with a colored label. You can do it from the Finder by selecting a file and (1) right-clicking on it to display a pop-up menu. Labels is a choice or (2) Select Get Info from the Finder’s File menu or selecting a file in the Finder and then pressing Command + I for the Get Info window.

  • Default Folder X gives you another option. Now you can easily tag, comment, or label files as you finish with them.
  • Summary:
  • It’s nice that Apple finally got around to adding tabs to Finder windows. If you want it now, you have at least three options for adding tabs to the Finder.
  • Multi-monitor support for multiple apps on several screens will please power users, who have used 3rd party solutions up to now.
  • Tagging of files by OS X Maverick will take tagging for the Mac beyond the limitations of the OpenMeta tag format. You can tag files in the (i)Cloud and on network shares, too.
  • You can tag files with the free Tagit app from Ironic Software, as well as the paid (and versatile!) Default Folder X.
  • Tom Briant
  • Editor, MacValley Voice.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Nine Awesome Ocean Desktops for your Mac.rtf

You’ve seen the shot of the default desktop for OS X Mavericks. OSXDaily.com has 9 other awesome desktop wallpapers with an ocean theme, as well as suggestions on how to get more surf shots.

Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog

Nine Tips on dealing with the clutter on your Mac's Desktop.rtf

If you feel overwhelmed by all the stuff on your Mac’s desktop, here’s 9 tips to cut through the clutter. These come courtesy of OSX Daily. They are:

  1. 1.Focus in Full Screen (10.7-10.8 only)
  2. 2.Stuff all those icons into a Sort folder for later (All versions)
  3. 3.Turn off the Desktop Display (All versions, uses a Terminal command)
  4. 4.Hide everything with a keystroke (All versions)
  5. 5.Wrangle Browser Windows and Tabs (Best with Chrome; similar option for Safari)
  6. 6.Use the iTunes microPlayer (itunes 11 on up)
  7. 7.Make a New Virtual Workspace with Mission Control (Works best with plenty of CPU cycles and RAM left)
  8. 8.Quit Unneeded Apps and Trust in Auto-Save & Window Restore (10.7 & 10.8)
  9. 9.Go Extreme with Single Applications Mode (All versions)

Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog

Monday, June 10, 2013

A New Hardware Form Factor Emerges for the Mac Pro-Plus the promise of OS X 10.9

A New Hardware Form Factor Emerges

When Apple introduced the new Mac Pro today, it pointed the way to a new form factor for all personal computers. The computer of the future will consist of mix-and-match units. A central unit for the CPU and RAM memory and all-flash storage, like the new Mac Pro (beat that, Dell! In your face, Acer!) that you can easily move, and external expansion chassis for expansion cards hooked up through the Thunderbolt 2 expansion bus. 4K displays hooked up through the all-purpose Thunderbolt bus, with an additional HDMI port for a big screen TV/projector for presentations (“This is what we’ve been up to here at Quest Laboratories”)

PastedGraphic-2013-06-10-17-58.png

As great minds think alike, you can see this trend in personal computers toward the central core with peripherals added as needed. The Belkin and Matrox Thunderbolt expansion units geared toward the MacBook Pros and Airs show this trend in design.

For years, writers have whined for a Mac mini-tower with an external display and could handle PCIe expansion cards. Now Apple has given us their answer, and that answer is “Your wishes are granted, if you don’t mind how much it costs right now. The form factor for a Mac mini-tower will be a central Mac Mini/MacBook Pro/MacBook Air hooked up via Thunderbolt to an external expansion chassis and big 4K display.”

I’d wager that the cost will come down and the convenience factor will go up with the passage of time. I recall in 2004 buying a 19” LCD display, 1280 x 1024, for $599.95 at Costco. Today, I can walk into Costco and get a 27” 1920 x1080 display for $269.00. A 23” for $149.00 or less. So the expansion cage will cost you $399 now and let you add 1 or 2 PCIe expansion cards approved by Apple. I’d expect 4 to 6 cards of your choice for $99.00 in 2 years.

PastedGraphic1-2013-06-10-17-58.png

Did I say 4K display? I certainly did and I took my cue from Apple’s announcement that the new Mac Pro could drive 3 4K displays. The 27” Thunderbolt display is due for refreshing, and I would expect Apple to bring out a 4K display with additional ports (USB 3.0, Firewire 800, and Gigabyte Ethernet).

Software: Say Goodbye to the Big Cats!

Apple has had a good run with the big cat names for each iteration of OS X. Say hello to OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Mavericks is a Northern California surfing destination. We demand equal time for Southern California. 10.10 Solana Beach! That’s in San Diego County, just north of La Jolla and home to Nisus Software.

Mavericks will feature a new Finder with tabs, built-in file tagging, and-and!-support for multiple monitors. Now the hardware has long supported additional monitors, but the Full Screen App feature only supported one monitor. Now you can have a Full Screen App on each monitor.

PastedGraphic2-2013-06-10-17-58.png

Using AirPlay, you can use Apple TV as yet another monitor. Presumably with the 3rd party apps AirServer or Reflection, you can use another Mac or Windows computer as that second or third display.

Now you can get a lot of these features now as third-party add-ins. Default Folder X has given the File Dialog box a tagging/Spotlight comment box for some time now. PathFinder has had tabs for display panes for years and tagging and a whole host of other features. Expect these developers to add even more enhancements to their products. And XtraFinder adds tabs to the Finder for Free.

And more to come! iTunes Radio was announced today, June 10th, as well. It’s coming this fall. Until then, make do with Pandora and Spotify. As well as the gaggle of stations already listed in iTunes under “Radio”.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Stop Freaking Out about the NSA's PRISM program (H/T to Arnold Woodworth)

Stop Freaking Out About the NSA

The government’s phone surveillance isn’t Orwellian. It’s limited and supervised.

Is government surveillance worth worrying about? Sure. But even broad surveillance, per se, isn’t outrageous. What’s important is that the surveillance be warranted by real threats, appropriately limited, and supervised by competing branches of government. In this case, those standards have been met.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/frame_game/2013/06/stop_the_nsa_surveillance_hysteria_the_government_s_scrutiny_of_verizon.html

Damage Control Time: National Intelligence Releases PRISM "Facts"

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-06-08/damage-control-time-national-intelligence-releases-prism-facts

The Unknown Patriot Who Exposed the Government's Verizon Spy Program

In praise of whistle-blowers whose risky disclosures of official wrongdoing make the nation stronger rather than weaker

Some leaks are pernicious -- but certainly not this one.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/the-unknown-patriot-who-exposed-the-governments-verizon-spy-program/276593/

Meet Edward Snowden, the NSA Whistleblower

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/meet-edward-snowden-the-nsa-whistleblower/276688/

Simple math shows why the NSA’s Facebook spying is a fool’s errand

analysts might be confronted with 100,000 false positives for every real terrorist.

http://qz.com/92207/simple-math-shows-why-the-nsas-facebook-spying-is-a-fools-errand/

What We Don't Know About Spying on Citizens: Scarier Than What We Know

The NSA's surveillance of cell-phone calls show how badly we need to protect the whistle-blowers who provide transparency and accountability.

Remember in 2003, when Congress defunded the decidedly creepy Total Information Awareness program? It didn't die; it just changed names and split into many smaller programs.

We know that corporations are doing an enormous amount of spying on behalf of the government: all parts.

We know all of this not because the government is honest and forthcoming, but mostly through three backchannels.

our government regularly classifies things not because they need to be secret, but because their release would be embarrassing.

Knowing how the government spies on us is important. Not only because so much of it is illegal -- or, to be as charitable as possible, based on novel interpretations of the law -- but because we have a right to know. Democracy requires an informed citizenry in order to function properly.

whistle-blowing is vital, even more broadly than in government spying. It's necessary for good government, and to protect us from abuse of power.

Whistle-blowing is the moral response to immoral activity by those in power.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/what-we-dont-know-about-spying-on-citizens-scarier-than-what-we-know/276607/

NSA data-mining digs into networks beyond Verizon

The National Security Agency's monitoring of Americans includes customer records from the three major phone networks as well as emails and Web searches, and the agency also has cataloged credit-card transactions, said people familiar with the agency's activities.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nsa-data-mining-digs-into-networks-beyond-verizon-2013-06-07

Zuckerberg, Page use similar language to deny Facebook, Google participate in PRISM

AW comment:  I believe Zukerberg's claim that the NSA and FBI never demanded data from Facebook.  Why?

                                They didn't have to demand anything.  Remember those few times in the past when changes

                                were made to Facebook and all privacy settings were automatically turned off?

                                You don't think the NSA missed out on those opportunities, do you?

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2013/06/07/zuckerberg-page-use-similar-language-to-deny-google-facebook-participate-in-prism/

Government Phone Surveillance for Dummies

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/06/government-phone-surveillance-for-dummies/276629/

Both Apple AND Android are winning (H/T to Arnold Woodworth for these articles)

Apple and Android are BOTH Winning the Smart Phone Competition

http://virtualpants.com/post/51196037154/android-is-winning-apple-is-winning

The whole mobile phone market is converting to smart. Apple is taking the high end and Android is taking the rest.

Samsung and Apple between them make almost all the profit in the mobile handset industry.

"winning" means different things for Apple, Samsung or Google.

http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2013/5/23/on-market-share

Look at slide number 11 of this slide-show (titled "Dominance of Apple and Samsung").  It's a real eye opener.

http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-an-excellent-presentation-about-the-rise-of-mobile-and-the-massive-implications-2013-5?op=1

Experts warn that the end of net neutrality would mean that deep-pocketed content providers could squeeze others out.

Net neutrality is being eroded on several fronts.

Despite the threats to net neutrality, the fact that any FCC regulations exists at all will limit how far ISPs and carriers will push the matter, says Tim Wu, the Columbia Law School professor who coined the term "net neutrality" 10 years ago.

Why It Matters:

The continued openness of the Internet depends in part on ensuring that Internet businesses treat all traffic in roughly the same way.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/515031/all-data-packets-are-equal-some-more-than-others/

I do think it is a good idea to put like 0.5% (that is 1/2 of 1%) of your portfolio into bitcoins, because if they end up becoming a de facto currency in the digital economy, you'll make 100x your money on them. If not, you lose 0.5% of your portfolio on them.

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2013/05/28/save-your-portfolio-from-the-currency-wars/

Get in on the wearable computing bubble

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2013/05/29/get-in-on-the-wearable-computing-bubble/

Stop Freaking Out over the NSA PRISM program

Federal judge in SF rules Google has to comply with secret, no-warrant demands for user data

A National Security Letter, or NSL, is a type of electronic  data gathering tool used by the FBI that doesn't require a warrant.

A U.S. District Court judge has reportedly rejected a request by Google to have 19 National Security Letters (NSL) used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to obtain user data without warrants either modified or thrown out.

CNET reported Friday that Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco turned down Google's request after two leading FBI officials delivered classified affidavits attesting to the letters' importance.

she also said that Google brought up only broad arguments about the legality of the NSLs, and didn't address issues specific to the 19 letters in the case. The judge's ruling potentially gives Google another chance to counter the FBI's requests at a later date, according to the report.

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2013/05/31/federal-judge-in-sf-rules-google-has-to-comply-with-secret-no-warrant-demands-for-user-data-report/

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/05/judge-rules-fbi-doesnt-need-warrant-access-google-customer-data/65787/

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak opposes Apple tax policy

he thinks recent criticism of the tech major's policies to avoid some taxes was "extremely warranted".

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-co-founder-opposes-apple-tax-policy-report-2013-05-31

7 Heroes of Technology

http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2013/05/01/7-heroes-technology/

World:        We Have Lost the First Webpage.

Professor: Oh, I Have a Copy of It Right Here.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/world-we-have-lost-the-first-webpage-professor-oh-i-have-a-copy-of-it-right-here/276387/

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is partnering with leading lawyers to bust a key patent being used to threaten podcasters.

A couple of months ago we wrote that podcasting was under threat from a patent troll. At that time, a patent troll named Personal Audio LLC had sued three podcasters and sent demand letters to a number of others. We’ve written often in the past about how patent trolls are a drain on innovation, and this latest troll is no exception. Since many podcasters barely make a profit, or simply do it for love, a shakedown from a patent troll threatens to shut down their program.

It is not easy to fight patent trolls, but with your help, we can defeat this patent and save podcasting.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/05/help-save-podcasting

Apple goes on trial over e-book price-fixing

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-goes-on-trial-over-e-book-price-fixing-2013-06-03

http://qz.com/90380/eddy-cue-and-steve-jobs-calling-publishers-idiots/

80% of Samsung’s microchip revenue comes from arch-nemesis Apple

http://qz.com/90226/80-of-samsungs-microchip-revenue-comes-from-arch-nemesis-apple/

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Networking a modern Mac and a PC

So you want to network a PC and a Mac. Here’s how to go about doing it.

Go here to My First Mac for instructions (I used to write for this site, but not this article)

Go here to About dot com for instructions for networking Windows 8 to OS X 10.8

  • Tom Briant
  • Editor, MacValley Blog

The Very Basics of getting files from Dad's old computer to his new Mac (or Windows or Linux box)

With Father’s Day and graduations coming up, you might consider the Dad or grad a new Mac computer! As a Mac partisan, I would say that is an excellent idea.

Of course, the problem arises: How does data from the Dad or grad’s old computer get onto the new Mac (or Windows or Linux box)? This depends on the age of the old computer and the condition it’s in.

If the computer runs well and comes with an Ethernet port or USB ports, then you can just network the old computer with the new computer through the Ethernet ports or hook up an external USB hard drive to the USB ports to copy the data. (See next article for how to network a PC to a Mac to exchange files).

If the computer runs well, but lacks Ethernet or USB ports; it’s a well-maintained, but definitely antique computer! If the floppy disk is a 3.5”, just copy the data onto floppy disks. You then need to purchase a USB floppy drive and plug that into the new Mac. You can get them at Frys Electronics,

Amazon, Newegg, or at floppydisk.com. They cost about $25.00.

If your lovable old computer has only 5.25” floppy drives, you have a problem. You cannot buy a USB 5.25” floppy drive. I’m sure floppydisk.com would sell them if they had ‘em. They do offer a service to transfer old 5.25” floppies and ZIP drive disks to a flash drive. This is expensive and you may want to go to the next option.

The final option is to remove the hard drive from the computer and hook it up to a USB to hard drive adaptor. YouTube has several videos on this subject. I recommend this one by Mr. Fix-It. He explains the difference between a SATA drive connectors and an IDE drive connectors.

Where can you get these adaptors? You can get them at Frys Electronics, where you’ll find them in the same area as the hard drives. You can get them at Amazon.com and geeks.com. Mr. Fix-it recommends geeks.com. Other on-line computer retailers have them, too.

So, those are your options for getting data from a really old, pre-USB, pre-Ethernet computer.

One final tip. If you have to open up an old computer, it will contain an AMAZING amount of dust. So don’t open it in the same room as the new white carpet. Take it outside and bring a can of compressed air.

Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog

More Articles from Arnold Woodworth

Apple and Android are BOTH Winning the Smart Phone Competition

http://virtualpants.com/post/51196037154/android-is-winning-apple-is-winning

The whole mobile phone market is converting to smart. Apple is taking the high end and Android is taking the rest.

Samsung and Apple between them make almost all the profit in the mobile handset industry.

"winning" means different things for Apple, Samsung or Google.

http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2013/5/23/on-market-share

Look at slide number 11 of this slide-show (titled "Dominance of Apple and Samsung").  It's a real eye opener.

http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-an-excellent-presentation-about-the-rise-of-mobile-and-the-massive-implications-2013-5?op=1

Experts warn that the end of net neutrality would mean that deep-pocketed content providers could squeeze others out.

Net neutrality is being eroded on several fronts.

Despite the threats to net neutrality, the fact that any FCC regulations exists at all will limit how far ISPs and carriers will push the matter, says Tim Wu, the Columbia Law School professor who coined the term "net neutrality" 10 years ago.

Why It Matters:

The continued openness of the Internet depends in part on ensuring that Internet businesses treat all traffic in roughly the same way.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/515031/all-data-packets-are-equal-some-more-than-others/

I do think it is a good idea to put like 0.5% (that is 1/2 of 1%) of your portfolio into bitcoins, because if they end up becoming a de facto currency in the digital economy, you'll make 100x your money on them. If not, you lose 0.5% of your portfolio on them.

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2013/05/28/save-your-portfolio-from-the-currency-wars/

Get in on the wearable computing bubble

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2013/05/29/get-in-on-the-wearable-computing-bubble/

Saturday, June 1, 2013

What to expect at Apple's WorldWide Developer's Conference

Jim Dalrymple of The Loop does not expect Apple to introduce a new iPhone or iPad at next week’s WorldWide Developer’s Conference. He says that the iPhone and iPad are “flagship products” that Apple devotes whole events to.

But he does expect new Macintosh hardware, hopefully using Intel’s new “Haswell” line of processors. They would fit in nicely into Tim Cook’s keynote speech.

We’ll also get a look-hopefully-at the new look of iOS since Sir Jony Ive took over software development.

For me, I’m looking forward to news about OS X 10.9. Rumor has it that Apple will include tabs and other features that you can get with shareware and freeware plugins to the current Finder.

I’ll continue to use Pathfinder as my Finder replacement. Apple, just buy Pathfinder for $1 billion or so. Make it easy on yourself.

Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog

 

 

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