If your Mac is ever in a bad way then AppleJack could well save your hide. Like it’s expensive competitors it will allow you to do repairs outside the OS X GUI after a restart.

Do your backups. Use Onyx and AppleJack.

Your Mac and your vital data will love you for your petting, brushing and general love. If not then don’t blame me if you lose your music, documents or family photos.

AppleJack is a user friendly troubleshooting assistant for Mac OS X. With AppleJack you can troubleshoot a computer even if you can’t load the GUI, or don’t have a startup CD handy. AppleJack runs in Single User Mode and is menu-based for ease of use.
screen shot of AppleJack running in single user mode

Using AppleJack, you can repair your disk, repair permissions, validate the system’s preference files, and get rid of possibly corrupted cache files. In most cases, these operations can help get your machine back on track. The important thing is that you don’t need another startup disk with you. All you need to do is restart in Single User Mode (SUM), by holding down the command and s keys at startup, and then typing applejack, or applejack auto (which will run through all the tasks automatically), or applejack auto restart (which will also restart the computer automatically at the end of the process).

Via

A couple of weeks post the MacBook Pro upgrade to 64bit the MacBook range is updated to the old MacBook Pro chipset. Core Duo 2 but not much else. Benchmarks are saying 10-30% faster, Apple are saying 40% faster.

If you are considering a laptop purchase then the MacBook is now a serious contender, dual run OS X and Windows without a reboot … nice.

Prices remain the same, the latest from the link below.

Link

You have the option to copy and paste built into the finder menu, but not the option to move. Move can be damned handy under certain circumstances, expecially when disk space is at a premium.

Finder can do move though, even if it isn’t widely known or vastly documented within OS X. Here’s how:

Highlight the file or folder and hold down the command key, the key with the Apple symbol on it. Now drag your folder to its new location and it will move, not copy. Here’s a walkthrough for new Mac users:

Open finder, navigate to the folder with the file or folder that you want to move. Hold the Apple Key and click your home folder, it opens a new instance of Finder. Now navigate to where you want to files to move to. Select the files/folder you want to move, hold the Apple key and drag to the second Finder window. The files will now move across.

I know that in OS X I’m spoiled by many ways of doing a screenshot.

The built in functions include grabbing the entire screen, you can simply press Command-Shift-3, this will save the shot to your desktop in the default file format of PNG. To grab an area of the screen, press Command-Shift-4, then click and drag the cursor to mark the area you want to capture.

You want more? Here’s the full list of key combos:

Key Combination — Result
Command+Shift+3 — Capture entire screen and save as a file
Command+Control+Shift+3 — Capture entire screen and copy to the clipboard
Command+Shift+4 — Capture dragged area and save as a file
Command+Control+Shift+4 — Capture dragged area and copy to the clipboard
Command+Shift+4 then Space — Capture a window, menu, desktop icon, or the menu bar and save as a file
Command+Control+Shift+4 then Space — Capture a window, menu, desktop icon, or the menu bar and copy to the clipboard

The Mac has a million hidden key combos, you just have to get used to it.

The Grab App is also available, but not worth the effort. Much better is the commercial Snapz Pro X 2; but why pay for something when you can get it for free. The wonderful widget that should be on every Mac is Screenshot Plus. Damn it’s sweet and covers all your normal screenshot needs.

If you want to capture a whole website that scrolls off the bottom of the window then use Paparazzi!. For post grab processing then use Imagewell (yes it also does screenshots too) or if you need more power then go for GIMP. All free of course.

Windows goes one better and a hundred worse. It has the print screen key, which dumps a copy of the entire desktop to the clipboard - Command-Shift-3 on Apple. Print screen does not save the file and lets face it MSPaint doesn’t cut it.

Try the cheap but commercial WinSnap that will save shadows and rounded corners in Windows XP. Something I’ve not seen before; does a free version exist? I’ve not seen one but I’m not exactly a Windows guy anymore. For post processing on XP you have the commercial PSP and the free GIMP.

I’m packing the computer room up today which means I need to consider how the hell I’m going to get all my data safely across the atlantic. Safe as in it will reach the other side and that no-one will read my data if one of the disks goes astray. I don’t need someone running riot on identity theft or some heavy handed security gorilla going through personal files and photos.

I’ve two 160GB IDE drives, one will hold Windows in an 8GB partition, the rest of the disk will be encrypted, the other disk will be completly encrypted. I’m going to use Truecrypt to secure my data then copy backups across both disks; mirroring each other.

I also have two external USB2 hard disks, a 260GB and a 300GB, both of these are formatted in JFS+ for OS X. I think I’ll take those two through as hand luggage, each disk mirroring the other. Those can’t be encrypted in the same manner as Truecrypt isn’t available for OS X as yet.

One solution is to create a DMG on each partition and encrypt that, a free solution which is pretty straight forward, you can read Apple’s guide on how to do that here. I’ve got a long day ahead of me, shuffling data around five different hard disks and encrypting four of those. My PowerBook’s internal hard disk will remain unencrypted, except for the 128bit AES encrypted Filevault which is a built in OS X feature. It’s going to be a long day waiting for those small blue bars to fill up.

It took about 3 hours to encrypt those 160GB disks, about 30 mins for Filevault and I’ve yet to tackle the external disks. If you want an external USB hard disk you really can’t go wrong with Western Digital.

This beats the hell out of the built in battery guage. For free you can’t knock it.

SlimBatteryMonitor is a replacement power gauge for Apple’s Mac OS X that tracks both laptop batteries and many UPS batteries. Multiple-battery systems (e.g. older powerbooks) are supported as well. A graphical icon shows the power remaining, and can be accompanied by a text description (battery charge in percent, or time remaining). Colours can indicate whether the system is fully charged, charging or on battery.
three different text displays
show percent full or time remaining

five different shape options
5 different shape options

much smaller than mac os x gage
much smaller than Apple’s gauge!

Best of all, you can choose different display options for each battery state (fully charged, charging or on battery). You may wish to see the time remaining while on battery, for example, but show only the icon during charging, and hide SlimBatteryMonitor entirely when batteries are fully charged.

Link Via
SlimBatteryMonitor
Download

Update 4 Final

They finally did it, a couple of weeks after people predicted but it happened. The MacBook Pro is now 64bit running on the latest of Intel’s Core Duo processors. Apple also bumped up the memory is ships with, a larger hard disk and firewire 800. Nice upgrade. The MacBook Pro costs the same as before. Buy now or wait until the end of January.

Apple bumps MacBook Pro to Core 2 Duo
October 24 - Apple released a long-awaited update to the MacBook Pro Tuesday, upgrading the laptop’s processors with 64-bit Core 2 Duo chips that Apple says perform up to 39 percent faster than the previous Core Duo-based MacBook Pro. Other specifications remain largely unchanged.

Update 3:

A ‘pretty firm’ date has been set for some kind of refresh announcement and it is the 25th Sept. See here.

Update 2:

The rumours of a September launch for merom’s are certainly growing legs.
Core 2 Duo Based Macs… September?
Core 2 Duo for the MacBook and MacBook Pro?

Update 1:

Well, not at the developer conference. The developer conference was lackluster, nothing huge announced aside from the expensive and powerful Mac Pro desktops. Even the Leopard preview was astonishingly dull.

I know why, the less they show now the larger the impact against Vista as the OS will come out almost side by side. Apple is hiding the deck right now, fearing yet more peeking from Redmond.

January is the consumer conference and I’m sticking with the prediction that merom will go into the MacBook Pro’s. I stated a long time ago that I wouldn’t buy a new Mac until January 2007, that is looking a pretty good bet still but for different reasons than I originally thought.

I refused to buy a first generation Intel expecting teething issues. I was right, the new laptops had battery, heat, noise, display and driver issues. The January revision would have been stable and I’d have bought it. Now January will see a new chip, a leap to 64bit, a new form factor for the MacBook Pro. It’s revision one all over again; teething issues ahoy.

The annoying thing is I’m going to be buying it anyway. I won’t be able to resist a second time.

Back to the original post:

MacBook Pro’s going 64 bit? I’m guessing so. Compared to the current Apple MacBook Pro the Intel Merom line is faster, it’s 64 bit and it uses less power.

The additional bonus is it puts clear water between the MacBook Pro and the MacBook. Chosing between the two lines right now is difficult, a friend of mine is going through that dilemma right now. The only current factor is ‘Do you want to play modern games?’ If the answer is yes then buy a MacBook Pro.

Right now though wait, don’t buy anything until after next Monday’s WDDC keynote.

So far, the success of Apple’s Intel systems has hinged on a single line of processors, the 32-bit Core Duo series formerly code-named Yonah. But in recent weeks, Intel has rolled-out far more capable chips in its 64-bit line of Core 2 Duo processors, including a mobile variant known by its code-named Merom.

The news has lead to widespread speculation over precisely when and where the new mobile chips will take their seat in Apple’s product lines.

According to a source familiar with the Mac maker’s plans, the company is slated to receive mass shipments of the new Merom Core 2 Duo processors by the first week of September and plans to be amongst the first PC manufacturers to introduce systems based on the new chips.

A Flickr set of the WWDC06 banner is up:

It shows a new Nano, but the enclosure on the Mac Book Pro looks the same as ever.

Link

Flashcard study has been shown many times to be one of the best ways of learning a subject fast. So I’m giving it a try as I have a lot to learn right now and not much time to do it. Rather than invent the wheel and retype good flashcard practise techniques here’s a blockquote from a sensible source:

So here’s my recipe for effective flashcards you can use for optimal learning…

1. Each card should only have 1 question and 1 answer - You aren’t copying down information verbatim when you make a flashcard. It should be quick (i.e. “Flash” card) not a synopsis or a bibliography. So 1 question and 1 answer.

* Right way: A flashcard that has “Who was the main actor in Mission Impossible” - answer on other side: Tom Cruise.
* Wrong way: Who was the main actor, supporting actor, key grip and set designer for the movie Mission Impossible? Answer: Who the hell knows?

- Notice how intimidating the second card is.

2. When studying or in class if there is a subject you don’t know make a flashcard. This is very important. Some students skip over complex subjects and think “I’ll just study that later.” Make sure you do study that later by making a flashcard really fast. Like I said above since each card has only one question and one answer it’s easy. You don’t have to put off the complex stuff anymore. Tip: If you are in training and have a question, write down the question, then ask the instructor. Write down his or her answer on the back..instant flashcard.

3. Keep your flashcards in your pocket or purse at all times. Since flashcard study is so fast and efficient, you can study at any time. Study while waiting in line at the bank. Study while waiting for someone to arrive at lunch. Heck, I’ve studied while riding elevators.

4. Set a goal to review each flashcard in your pack 3 times per day. Do you remember when I said you’ll learn some stuff automatically? I can’t quite explain why, but if you simply read through each card 3 times a day you will be amazed at what you pick up. Maybe it’s like how Tony Robbins says “repetition is the mother of skill.” Topics you formerly thought “I’ll never get this”, will begin to make sense very quickly.

5. Set aside the cards you know ONLY after you can answer them correctly after a night of sleep. Let me put this another way. If you work through your cards 3 times today and on the third try you answer a card correctly, do not set that card aside yet. Wait until the next day’s first rotation. If you get it right again the next day, then you can discard it - you’ve learned that topic.

If on the second day you get it wrong again, sorry, you have to wait another day to answer that one correctly. This ensures you aren’t accidentally answering cards correctly or guessing at the right answers.

The entire post can be seen in this link and it’s worth reading through the whole text.

If you’re more digital lifestyle oriented then it’s worth getting hold of some flashcard software for your computer. So I’ve trawled Google and Version Tracker and made a quick list of software; I’ll update this more as I use the software in more. A greater weight is placed on free software, especially OSS, and the list is very Apple OS X heavy. This is because I use my Apple PowerBook to do all my work on.

If anyone knows some good flashcard applications for other OS - Windows, Linux, BSD or whatever - then please leave a comment pointing me to it.

When I get time I’ll do a brief write up on each of these:

YAFCA - free OSS - yafca.sourceforge.net/
Flashcard Wizard - free - Win/OS X Soon - www.foolsworkshop.com/
iStudy Flashcards 2.2.1 - CM - www.macstudysoft.com/blog/category/Homepage/
Genius - free - web.mac.com/jrc/Genius/ - This is what I’m currently reccomending for use
StudyCard Studio - CM - www.digitalmeadow.com/ - Not yet tried
Kurisu 1.0.1 - free - www.frykholm.se/kurisu.html - Not yet tried
Flash Quiz 1.0.2 - CM - www.likelysoft.com/flashquiz/ - Not yet tried
Cerebral imprint - Free OSS - www.alexrose.net/software/ci/cerebralimprint.html - Not yet tried
Flashcard Pro - CM - www.cryptonictech.com/products.html - Not yet tried
Backpack - Free - www.mammoetsoftware.com/backpack/ - Not yet tried