A Tech Nerd's Thoughts

Digital Photograpy

2006-05-02T22:54:00.000-04:00

I recently got a digital SLR (Canon Rebel XT) besides the fact that I love the camera. It is easy to use in semi-manual mode or automatic mode where the camera does everything for you. I’ve found that I love taking pictures. With my film SLR I never had much money for film and developing now I can just shoot away and not worry about the costs. I can just delete the photos I don’t like. I also like the amount I creativity that I can have by editing it on my computer. I’ve also started A photo-sharing site at smugmug.com my web-page can be found here. I plan on putting some of my better photos at this site. I would highly recommend getting into digital photography it will open a whole new arena to explore.

Social Networking

2006-03-31T11:11:00.000-05:00

Recently I've signed in to a couple of social networking sites. I have mixed feelings about these. Maybe it is because I'm not very social. I do like the idea of creating a social network. But I'm not sure if they have developed enough. Also, isn't myspace.com a social network. The social networks that I have been to are

imeem.com - it has it's own client software and allows you to blog, upload pictures. Create imeems( special interest areas) and create your own personal forums. It is still in the early stages but it shows a lot of promise.

www.macconnexion.com - another social networking site.

Then there is del.icio.us - social bookmarking. I like this idea. I think it is nice to know what others find interesting.

I'm sure there are more. Find the one that suits you best.

Technorati Tags: Internet Life

Blog update

2005-12-11T22:14:00.000-05:00

I've been away for awhile, and I wanted to updated anyone who may read my blog. My personal life has taken a turn for the worst. Nothing too terribly bad just something that has taken my mind away from blogging and doing other things on the net. I have also been recently diagnosed as "depressed" which also leads me to not be motivated to do too much of anything. With those too things happenings in my 'offline' life, I've been distracted. I hope to get back to regular posting to this blog. The good news is that I have started on the road to recovery and look forward to be more productive in the future.

Technorati Tags: Blogging

Apple Releases iPod Nano

2005-09-11T10:53:00.000-04:00

iPodNano - Apple released a new iPod, the Nano. It is one of the few OMG moments when it comes to computers in my life. Apple retired the iPod mini when it released the nano. Check it out. I like the shuffle but it didn't have a screen. The nano looks just perfect. My only complaint so far is that it won't sync via firewire.

Technorati Tags: Macintosh News

Online communities

2005-09-01T23:05:00.000-04:00

I've talked about customizing my mac. I've given some software mini-reviews. Tonight while I was surfing the net, I got to thinking about online communities. I've been only for about 20 years or so. First it was dial-up and local BBSes (Bulletin Board Services), then it was AOL and now it is High Speed Dial-up. Things have changed over the years. I've met some really nice people and I've encountered A**holes. One thing I would like to recommend is find a group of people with similar interests and hang out there. Now, this may take some doing. I'm a moderator at Macfora.com while the group isn't the best, they are friendly and are my type of people. We do have are disagreements. I've briefly spent time at the forums on Macnn.com I found the people there arrogant and rude. But that is my take on their forums. Maybe I just happened on the forums at a bad time. What I'm trying to illustrate is that both sites have people running them, different types of people and I fit better into macfora.com than I do macnn.com. Find the place that you fit into the best and you will find that more site enjoyable than others. I also spend time at the macthemes.net forums. While there are few members that I don't care for, (for that matter, there are members on every site that I belong to that I don't care for. ) overall I enjoy the friendly atmosphere there.

I would like to say in conclusion that your online experience can be enjoyable and rewarding. It just might take a little work find the right fit.

Technorati Tags: Internet Life

HomeAutomation

2005-08-25T22:01:00.000-04:00

I've always been geeky about home automation, and in fact, when I added affiliates I chose a home automation website as one of my affiliates(Smarthome).

What is home automation? - Well it can be a lot of things. You can set it up to turn on your outside light at dusk and off at dawn, you can have it connect to motion sensors to turn on lights when the sensor detects movement. You can create your own home security system using home automation. What home automation does is use the electrical wires in your house to carry signals to home automation devices using a protocol called X10. You could use home automation to turn on and off lights in a random pattern while your away on vacation. The possibilities are endless.

How do you configure it? Well, I haven't had the funds to setup a system myself but there are some basics that I can tell you about each device can be to a code there are two parts to the code a letter (A-P) and a number (1-16) you can set multiple devices to the same code such as A1. Whenever you tell your controller to for instance turn on the device(s) at A1 everything at the A1 address will turn on. Now your asking what is a controller well there are X10 devices that will send out preprogrammed signals when certain events happen for instance a motion sensor will send out a signal that says, it has detected motion. A command module will listen for those signals. Your next question is how does the command module know what to do. Well, that is where the computer and home automation software comes in. My recommendation for home automation software for the mac is Indigo. It is a server that will run in the background and respond to X10 signals if you have your computer connected to the command module. Another resource that I have found on the net was a home automation hacks book at O'Reilly.com Smart Home Hacks. This book has some great ideas on how you can use home automation to do some very cool things.

I hope this has gotten you interested in exploring home automation. I've been wanting to try ever since my wife keeps reminding me to turn off the kitchen lights.

Technorati Tags: Home Automation, X10

What's Important in Life?

2005-08-25T21:36:00.000-04:00

I've been having problems with what to write in my blog. I spend a lot of time online and I have a few regular sites that I visit. I've got a few close net friends. MHC (MacHeadCase) being one of them. I'm an avid reader and every so often I come across a story on the web that makes me think. Actually, there have been a few. Tonight's blog entry is because of the Story "Tammy" by Frank Downey. At the end of the story Frank's main character realizes what is important to him. And that got me to thinking.

I'm about to turn 40 in a few months and that probably has something to do with it. But "What's Important in Life?", I've been unable to answer that question for myself. I know there are important pieces to my life but... My kids are important to me. I want them to have a better life than what I have. My wife is important to me. She has provided me with so much. I've grown a lot being with her. Family is important but what do you do when family is disappointing? Those are important parts of my life but somehow I don't feel like that is all. I don't feel fulfilled. My life is far from perfect and I don't expect it to be. But to be frank, this isn't what I expected life to be. It is much more of struggle than I expected. I feel like I'm emotionally tired all the time.

Thanks for reading.

Technorati Tags: Life Questions

Interesting Article regarding Possible powerbook updates at Macworld Expo Paris

2005-08-21T13:54:00.000-04:00

Powerbook Central - Charles W. Moore's column about the upcoming Paris Macworld Expo and possible Powerbook refresh. Click on the link for an interesting read.

Technorati Tags: Macintosh Rumors

This I Believe

2005-08-15T21:38:00.000-04:00

NPR (National Public Radio) has brought back an 1950's radio show where listeners read their essays about what they believe in. Your next door neighbor or a famous personality read their essays. What I like about this series is that you are listening to personal beliefs. Not religious statements but beliefs that are important to the speaker. One speaker talks about the "Karma of Tipping the Pizza delivery boy", another 'Grace and Elegant Treeness' and many others. Essay's can be found at This I Believe I would encourage my readers to take a look at this page.

I'm working on my own essay so who know you may find me listed here some day. I realize that the United States of America makes up a small portion of the world but I believe that if you come to understand the type of people we are that there will be less conflicts in the world. I don't always agree with what my President says or does but everyone is done a great disservice when you don't look into the facts. Don't take anyone's word for something. Determine what you believe are the facts and make your own decisions.

I would like to leave you with this question: What have you done to make the world a better place for everyone?

Technorati Tags: Internet radio

Apple Release Security Update 007

2005-08-15T21:18:00.000-04:00

Apple released another security patch for OS X. Be sure to get your update and keep your system current.

Technorati Tags: Macintosh Software, Software Updates

Software Title to check out

2005-08-14T21:38:00.000-04:00

iSticky - The quick answer to this is Apple's sticky notes on steroids. But that isn't all. iSticky allows you to send notes to other iSticky users on your network or across the globe using iSticky's server. You can also send SMS messages using the program.

I guess the idea is that e-mails are letters and notes (post-it notes and the like) are notes. Need to remind yourself to pick up milk on the way home from work? Create a note. You can customize the look and feel of the notes in lots of ways. The notes can also have alarms attached to them. And you can sync your notes with the office and home.

It comes with a 30 day trial and Single User License is $23. I'm willing to pay that without the networking features. I can see uses for it without having other friends and family having a license also. There documentation is a little lacking but other than that. The program is easy to use and easy to figure out. Just play with it for five or ten minutes and your all set. My first look at this program got be excited.

Technorati Tags: Macintosh Software, Software Suggestions

Technorati what is it?

2005-08-13T10:16:00.000-04:00

I'm new to blogging and when I start seeing terms I don't understand I find out what they mean. Technorati Tags is a term that I kept seeing here and there in reference to blogging and the software ecto that I use has a couple of mentions in its documentation. So what are Technorati tags? Well I'm not sure yet. But what I have found out so far is that Technorati is a search engine that tracks blogs. Well, I'm not sure that search engine is the right term either. Technorati tracks blogs and then categorizes the topics and links between blogs so that you can find out who is saying what about a specific topic your interested in.

I've signed up at the Technorati site which gives me the ability to create a watchlist based on keywords and link this blog to Technorati. I'm sure there are more features that I haven't discovered yet. So stay tuned.

Part 2
I did some more reading on the Technorati site. I found that I can add Tags to the end of my posts that categorize the subjects that I am writing about. I have added categories to each of my previous posts.

Technorati Tags: Blogging

Wallpaper Sites Recommendations

2005-08-13T09:28:00.000-04:00

I would like to recommend a couple of website sites that have wonderful backgrounds/wallpapers for you to download.

Digital Blasphemy - Ryan Bliss has created a wonderful site of 3D graphics of all sorts. He also has a section of user submissions from other 3D artists. The site is worth checking out.

Howard Sayles - Howard has a site as part of the TheApplecollection.com web site. Check his intricate creations out. And while your there check out the vast collection of wallpapers available at the Apple Collection.

Mac Desktops - has a wide variety of macintosh related backgrounds.

Technorati Tags: Computer Wallpaper

Spending less time on the net Getting more done.

2005-08-10T20:36:00.000-04:00

I will admit it. I'm a net junky. I spend way too much time on the net.

I have found a way to get more done on net. I hope by now everyone has heard of News feeds or RSS (Real Simple Syndication) or ATOM (which is another form/protocol for news feeds.) Apple added RSS support to Safari when it released Tiger but I didn't find their implementation very useful. What I want to do is to view new news items and if I find one that I'm interested in, click on the link and go to the website with the news.

There are a whole host of programs called news readers that will manage your news feeds.
Here is a list of them from macupdate.com.

The big names in the news reader arena are

Newsfire (Which I currently use)

NewsMac Pro

NetNewswire

Chose the news reader that works best for you. All of them have the same basic features and all have their own unique features.

I hope this helps.

Technorati Tags: Macintosh RSS News Readers

Out Grown your Computer? There are options.

2005-08-09T20:07:00.000-04:00

I tend to keep my computers for a long time. Right now I'm typing on a 3+ year old Powerbook G4 running at 550mhz. Yes, I would love to have the latest and greatest computer but I can't afford that. So what do I do, I upgrade. On most macs you can upgrade the memory and the hard drive. On my powerbook I started out with a 20GB hard drive and now I have a 80GB hard drive. I also then put the 20GB drive in an external case so I can still use it. I also upgraded the memory when I upgraded to 10.4 (Tiger). I am planing on eventually upgrading my DVD-ROM drive to a Superdrive dual-layer.

Now on the Powermac G4s and G5s you can also replace the video cards and on some models add a CPU upgrade.

If you never have done any of this before all of this can be a little bit scary. One website that I would recommend to check out first is
Accelerate Your Mac
what I like about this site is that Mike posts news items about upgrades and the best part keeps a drive compatibility database of user results on upgrades. If you look at the menu at the top of the main page you can choose which database you want to search. Mike also has some tutorials/walk-throughs of upgrades. If you not sure how to do the upgrade look at the tutorials. Xlr8yourmac.com is one place to start.

I guess what I am trying to say with this post is that upgrading your older computer isn't as scary or as hard as you think. There are lots of places on the net that you can go for help.

Technorati Tags: Macintosh Upgrades

Lack of Updates

2005-08-09T10:52:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of updates on my blog. I've been
very busy at work. I hope to be able to get out from
under the backlog soon.

Modifying your User Experience Part 2

2005-08-07T13:30:00.000-04:00

Now for modifying the way the interface looks.

To do this you first need
Application Enhancer
from
Unsanity Software
. Application Enhancer is a framework that allows programs that use it to modify how your system works. Application Enhancer itself is free as are some of the applications that use it. Here is a list of some of the applications that use it
application enhancer modules list
.

Here is what I use to configure my system

Clear Dock
- This does just what it sounds like makes the background clear.

Windowshade X
- This module adds window functionality. You can minimize them in place, make them transparent. All with a click of the button and more.

Fruit Menu
- Customize the Apple Menu. Add your IP address to your Apple menu. Make your apple menu anything you want. What I like the best is I can change the Application Menu to an icon instead of the application name.

Silk
- Change the system font to whatever you want.

ShapeShifter
- This is the grand daddy of them all. This program allows you to modify the look and feel of the system through themes. Tired of the aqua look change it. Example themes can be found here and here.

Technorati Tags: Macintosh Customization

Modifying your User Experience

2005-08-05T22:27:00.000-04:00

I consider myself a Power User I do a lot to modify my user experience. I thought that I might share some of the software that I use to modify my user experience. I hope this will be useful.

DeskShade 2
Deskshade started out as a program that allows you to cover over your desktop icons. I got tired of a cluttered desktop and want just the desktop picture to be showing. Version 2 added some nice features. Desklock - locks your screen with a password and will keep a log of entries on the attempts to enter your password. The program will also manage your desktop images for you. Take a look at the link and check it out for yourself.

DragThing
Apple's dock on Steroids. This program allows you to have multiple docks at one time and also have them at various locations around the screen. I usually have a dock of frequently used folders, a dock for mounted disk volumes and another dock with the Applications that I have loaded on my computer. you can also put the trash can on your desktop again.

Growl
As their website says it is a global notification system. Install growl and applications that have been written to use it can be configured to display the same types of notification alerts. Instant messaging clients such as Adium will then use this system wide notification system to display notifications. I like growl because I can have the same type of notification for everything. And the notification styles are even themeable.

These three programs just add or configure your user experience. In part two I will bring up some of the applications that I use to alter the appearance of the user experience. Stay tuned.

Technorati Tags: Macintosh Customization

Software Recommendation for Wednesday August 3rd.

2005-08-03T12:50:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try to create mini reviews of software that I find useful and think others should know about. I going to shoot for weekly reviews. Suggestions are welcome.

Today's Pick is Webstractor by Softchaos.

What webstractor does is allow you to visit websites and download the pages to your computer. Now you say what's special about that. If that is all that webstractor did then nothing. But webstractor takes it one step further you can edit what you have downloaded. This makes it a powerful tool for researchers. Let's say your creating a report that has information from 4 or 5 websites. Well, what are your choices when you create the report? Cut and paste from the web pages into a word processing document and then have to format it. Webstractor allows you to create the report in webstractor by editing the downlaoded pages. Then when your done you can save it as a webstractor document. The link above is the webstractor page at softchaos. Check it out if this is something you think would be useful.

Soft Chaos has recently updated the software to version 1.5 and added some new features. My comments above are from the use of a previous version. And the price as of this post is $79.

Technorati Tags: Macintosh Software

Getting Into the Blogging Scene

2005-08-02T13:13:00.000-04:00

Ok, I've set up an account at blogger.com and I figured I might as well look into blog posting software. I have MacJournal from Mariner Software it allows me to post to blogger and livejournal but it doesn't post the blog into the journal. Just to the Blog site. I suppose that I could create a journal entry and then post that entry to the blog of my choice but... That seems backwards sort of.

I'm posting this entry via Etco. So far it is working great it can connect to my blogger account quite easily and it has an assistant the walks you through the account setup process. The help file also includes a list of blog sites that Ecto will support. Most of the blog types are either MoveableType, metaweblog, or ATOM. I did have problems trying to figure out how to insert a web link in the post but the help file was great and it was easy to do. As you can tell from this posting. Ecto is shareware priced at $17.95. So far, it looks like it is worth it. I plan on using the 21-day trial to figure out.

I have more questions about using my blog at blogger.com but those will wait for another time.

Technorati Tags: Blogging

New Beta for Omnigraffle 4

2005-08-01T15:41:00.000-04:00

Omnigroup released another beta of Omnigraffle 4 Check it out Omnigraffle 4

Technorati Tags: Software Updates