Three End-Of Year Tips to make 2019 Easier

One, get a timer. 

 

Whether you use the timer on your phone, a Website (https://onlineclock.net) or pick up one at the store, a timer can make life easier in 2019. 

 

You need a timer to make sure you don’t play Fortnite while others fume in the laundry room over your taking the last good dryer.

 

You need a timer to time the food you’re cooking. Yes, stop going to fast-food joints and cook your own food this year. 

 

For starters, go here to the most profane and hilarious cookbook I have ever read. Warren’s sister wrote this for him. Read it here or download it in several formats. Cook and laugh. 

 

 

 

Two, how to make a simple template for your Mac’s documents you use over and over again.

 

This tip is not new. Apple has included this feature since way back in the Classic OS days. Yet people keep reinventing the wheel when they need a new document only varying slightly from many previous documents. 

 

Here’s the deal:

 

Select a document you want to recycle in the Finder. Click on it once.

 

 

Right-click or control-click on the document to bring up the Information Panel.

 

 

Click to put a checkmark in the Stationary Pad checkbox. 

 

 

Click in the Stationary Pad checkbox. You’ve created a simple template for future documents.

 

 

Now when you click on this document, you’ll get a duplicate of it opening in the application using this document.

 

You can use it for letters you send out with your name and address and contact information already in place.

 

You can use it for computer coding documents you use over and over again with only a change to one or two variables. 

 

You can use this with pictures, too. Any document you want to edit on your Mac can use this technique.

 

Now many apps already come with their own template capability. You can include variables, such as using a mailing database to insert names and addresses from that list. 

 

The time and date are other variables your app’s templates could insert that this simple Stationary Pad technique won’t do.

 

 

Having said that, you now possess a simple technique from Apple for making templates for simple apps such as Text-Edit and Preview. 

 

Third, get a second display

 

Macs, at least since the start of the Intel era in 2006, have come with a second display port. 

 

Make use of it for your profit and amusement. 

 

You can use your big screen TV or an iPad as that second monitor. You can also buy a cheap used monitor.

 

For the big screen TV, you need an adaptor cable. You’ll need a cable that fits into the Mac’s second display port on one end and into your big TV’s second HDMI port on the other. 

 

For the iPad with the Duet Display, you’ll need your iPad’s USB to the iPad’s connector. Recent iPads use the Lightning connector, which are easy to find and purchase.

 

If you use an older iPad, it came with a 30-pin to USB cable. You will have trouble finding these on the market, so check your junk drawers. 

 

Now you can use a Wi-Fi connections between your iPad and your Mac. Avatron’s AirDisplay uses the Wi-Fi connection. 

 

If you want to display video on your iPad, you’ll want the hardwired connection used by 

Duet Display. 

 

I’ve used both. They take a little fiddling to make the connection between Mac and iPad. 

 

 

You want to make it simple? Just get a second monitor, put it where it’s convenient and plug in the correct cable and adaptors. 

 

Tip: If you want to buy a cheap monitor, go here to PCLiquidations. They have used LCD monitors. They may have some missing pixels or a scratch on the bezel, but you can save some dollars. 

 

Come here to Monoprice for the right cables. 

 

 

That’s my 3 tips for years end to make life better.

 

Happy New Year!

 

Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog

How to Add a Windows-Style Start Menu to your Dock for FREE!

Many of us work on Windows computers elsewhere. I use one at work. 

We grow used to the convenience of the Start Menu in the lower left-hand corner. It lists all the apps we need in one place. 

What if you could put a Start Menu in your Dock? What if you could do it for free? Follow me then...

 

Step 1: Open up the Finder to the root (bottom) of your boot drive.

 

 

 

At the bottom or root level of my own hard drive, called High_Sierra, I have 5 folders.

 

• Applications
• Library
• Opt
• System
• Users

 

Step #2: Click on the Applications folder and drag it down to the right side of the Dock.

 

 

 

You ‘ll notice several folders on the right-hand side. In the middle of those folders, you’ll see an icon looking like a lock. That’s the icon of the first app in my Applications folder, 1Password.

Note the settings revealed when you right-click on the icon:

 

• Sort by Name
• Display as Stack
• View Content as Automatic

 

Now to change it to a list of apps with the branded Applications folder in the Dock, do the following:

 

• Sort by Name
• Display as Folder
• View content as List

 

 

 

Here’s how my Start Menu looks when I click on it:

 

 

 

Summary:

 

With this procedure, you get a Start Menu in your Dock. Other apps, some free and some paid, offer more options for the Start Menu. 

For a free option, look into Devon Technologies’ XMenu, available here. You will need to scroll down the list of great freeware they provide to see X-Menu.

For a paid option, look into Brawer Software’s uBar 4. It’s about $30, but gives you a full-blown Start Menu on the left-hand side. It seemingly replaces the Dock.

Well, it shoves the Dock over to the right-side of the desktop and puts it on auto-hide. 

Don’t steal it! The developer has a neat way of combatting piracy. The app’s text morphs into Klingon if you use a bad password.

 

Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom's observations on the current state of the Mac market 2018

The Mac lineup now comes with lots of power from the Mac mini to the iMac Pro. It will cost you to buy a Mac. 

 

Apple now focuses on professionals, what I call the “I can deduct this on my taxes!” market. If you want to buy a Mac or an iPhone, you’ll pay for it.

 

Some writers accuse Apple of “greed.” I won’t excuse them. They have touched the heights of a trillion dollars in stock market value. They won’t go back to a mere $100 million in valuation voluntarily. They value the cheers from Wall Street more than a good review in Macworld or MacFormat (UK). 

 

My strategy is to use my Mac mini until it won’t run the software I need. This especially applies to the operating system. If the software you need won’t run on your current Mac’s operating system, then it’s time to start pricing replacements. 

 

My first piece of advice for those seeking a new Mac is this: DON’T BUY OFF THE SHELF AT THE MAC STORE IN THE MALL! Go to Appleinsider.com and MacRumors.com, which list the latest deals. If you hold your enthusiasm in check, you can save substantial sums with mail order. 

 

Just today, Fry’s Electronics listed the base model Mac mini at $747 instead of the MSRP of $799. Exercise some patience. You can find a good deal if you look for it.

 

Of course, Apple has us over the barrel when it comes to adding additional storage and memory. My sympathies. Just remember, you want to purchase a Mac for several years. I bought my Mac mini in 2012 with OS X 10.7. Now it’s nearly 7 years later with macOS 10.13. I’ve recouped my payment.

 

I’ll keep writing tips and techniques for getting more from a Mac. Your Mac has a lot of secrets hidden in the operating system. It’s my job to bring them to you. 

 

Tip #1: Make backups with Time Machine if you run OS X 10.5 or above. Use Super-Duper if you run OS X 10.4 or below. That’s not original advice by any means. It will save you from the heartache of a dead hard drive/SSD and the loss of files you spent years creating or just saving. 

 

Tip #2: Go back to Tip #1. 

 

Haven’t got a back up drive? The following retail stores have them: Costco (near the big screen TVs), Best Buy, Frys, Staples, Office Depot, Office Max. 

 

Want an even better deal? Head for Amazon and eBay and Newegg and Tiger Direct. 

 

But Do It! 

 

Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog