March 04, 2006
Good Consumer!
You can't say I am not playing my part as a good old American consumer! With the Apple Order Status widget, you can receive constant updates of your Apple Store order status. It almost makes you want to purchase more stuff. Do they have these for Amazon or Ebay yet?
Technorati Tags:
Apple, Apple Store, Computer, commercialism, cyber life
Add to Del.icio.us | Add to Technorati Favorites! | Blogroll Me!
Posted by capecodcyclist at 05:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 02, 2006
Apple Releases Security Patches
Apple on Wednesday released a security update for Mac OS X that fixes 20 vulnerabilities, including a high-profile web browser and Mail flaw disclosed last week.
Some critical updates are now available for the Apple users out there.
(Via: silicon.com)
Posted by capecodcyclist at 02:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 27, 2006
Firefox: Build the Super Bowser
Check out: The Super Browser
Anyone who has spent any time using Firefox and its many extensions will appreciate this one. Splasho.com has a great post about running Firefox with 100 of the most popular extensions installed! The non-Firefox user probably won't appreciate the post, but I thought it was great for a laugh. I am currently using Flock as my default browser, but I had used Firefox exclusively for some time. Still, I never had more than 6 or 7 extensions installed...
HERE is the FULL SIZE SCREENSHOT of this beast of a browser.
A tip of the hat to digg for this story.
People are Talking:
online, cyber life, Firefox
Add to Del.icio.us | Add to Technorati Favorites! | Blogroll Me!
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:35 PM | Comments (0)
February 26, 2006
Thinking in Web 2.0: Sixteen Ways
"Thinking in Web 2.0"I highly recommend the above post for an excellent read regarding present and future online technologies. It is a great read for developers and users alike.
To summarize Dion Hinchcliffe's points:
1. Before you even begin, understand your goal simply.
2. The link is the fundamental unit of thought.
2a. Everything on the Web is linkable with a URI or URL (and if isn't, it should be!)2b. Saving any link lets you get back to what the link originally referenced, and it lets you share it with anyone, anywhere, at any time.
2c. The anytime piece in #2 is crucial and means the link is really a permalink that won't change or go away without good reason and prior warning.
2d. Links should be human readable, consistent, and their purpose self-evident.
3. Data belongs to those that create it.
4. It's about data first, experiences and functionality second.
5. Be prepared to share everything with enthusiasm.
6. The Web is the platform; make it grow.
7. Understand and embrace the "capability gradient".
8. Everything is editable. Or it should darn well be.
9. Identity on the Web is sacrosanct.
10. Know thy popular standards and use them.
11. Obey the law of unintended uses.
12. Granulate your data and services.
13. Provide data and services that are for user's individual benefit.
14. User-driven organization and filtering are not just nice to have. Not critical, but very important.
15. Offer/use rich user experiences.
16. Embrace and enable rapid change and feedback.
Read his entire post:Thinking in Web 2.0: Sixteen Ways
Technorati Tags: Computer, Web 2.0, online, cyber life
Add to Del.icio.us | Add to Technorati Favorites! | Blogroll Me!
Posted by capecodcyclist at 09:16 PM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2006
Trying to use Flock With Movable Type
Movable Type - Flock Community:
"When setting up a Movable Type blog in Flock you might encounter an error near the end of the wizard that says 'There was and error detecting your blog settings'..."
Lately, I have been all about trying new Web 2.0 apps and such (PageFlakes and News Alloy are the two most noteworthy of these). So, it should come as no surprise that I have also been checking out "browsers" that claim the ability to combine many of the features I have been enjoying: blogging, tagged bookmarking, aggregating, etc. Tonight I decided to take Flock for a spin. No offense to you Flockers, but what a let down.
First, I am no newbie to any of this. I use Mars Edit to do most of my blogging now when I am at home. I didn't have any problems setting this up with my MT blogs. However, despite perusing bug reports, forums and comment sections, I could not get my Movable Type install working with Flock for the life of me. Hopefully Flock makes this an easier transition for MT users before they go public. I spent the entire evening trying every tip and hint I could mine from Google, and all I can say is, "What the Flock?!?!"
I give up. It's time for bed.
UPDATE: Spent my entire morning trying to connect to my blog through Flock... still nothing. I can connect and post to my blog through Flickr, Mars Edit, etc., no problem, but Flock will simply not let me log in.
Technorati Tags:
blog, blogging, Computer, Flock
Add to Del.icio.us | Add to Technorati Favorites! | Blogroll Me!
Posted by capecodcyclist at 10:09 PM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2006
culiblog: Google Recipe Finder
culiblog: Google Recipe Finder:
This is the stuff computers are made for. After reading the blog post at the above link, I combined a Butler hotkey combination of "Control+R" with the Google Recipe Finder. I press two keys, a search bar pops up in the middle of my screen, I enter any ingredients from my refrigerator (ie chicken+carrots+ mustard, etc.) and I am instantly presented with the google recipe search results for my ingredients. Does this mean I will be cooking more?
A tip of the hat to culiblog for this trick.
People are Talking: Apple, Mac, Computer, Butler, Google, Recipe, Cooking, Food
Posted by capecodcyclist at 09:06 PM | Comments (1)
February 19, 2006
Apple Store: Derby Street
Jesse and I took a road trip to Hingham for the grand opening of the new Apple store at Derby Street yesterday. The line and the wait to get in was surprisingly long, especially considering temps were in the 20's and the wind was howling. They would have done well to get more unconverted Apple fans out. Most of the participants already seemed to be dedicated Apple users. Who else would stand around in the freezing cold for so long?
We did have a good time despite the cold and the wait. We scored new T-Shirts, hit some of the other stores (REI was the highlight for me), and did lunch at Rustic Kitchen... a nice weekend date.
Other people are talking about the grand opening at: The Unofficial Apple Weblog
*Peter and Rebecca Wood's photo gallery of the event
*Another photo gallery at V1beta.com
Related Technorati Tags:
Apple, Derby Street, Apple Store, Mac, Computer
Posted by capecodcyclist at 09:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 13, 2006
Cyber-crime on the rise: Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, FL.
Tallahassee Democrat - www.tallahassee.com - Tallahassee, FL.:
"Billions of dollars are lost each year in communities such as Tallahassee to cybercrimes, Tallahassee Police Department Chief Walter McNeil said Wednesday. To combat that problem, the department has created a cybercrimes unit to work on these cases.Sgt. Bill Bierbaum, supervisor of the financial-crimes unit, will oversee the cybercrimes unit. He said 40 to 50 percent of crimes reported are computer-related."
Sgt. Bierbaum further explains the need for this move: "Sophisticated criminals are trading in the pry bar and gloves for a computer."
If forty to fifty percent of reported crimes in Tallahassee are cyber-crimes, it seems that more of our communities will eventually be forced to assign officers to this growing problem. If our law enforcement agencies were not already so strapped, this might not be such a big deal.
I don't think we are talking about criminals "trading in their pry bars and gloves" either. I think we are just witnessing the birth of a new breed of criminal. Is the guy with the pry bar and gloves in it for the challenge? They may be similar in that they view other people's property as easy money I suppose...
Similar Technorati Topics:
cyber crime, cyber-crime, law enforcement, crime, identity theft
Posted by capecodcyclist at 05:43 PM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2006
I've Got a Butler
How many auto parts salespeople can say that? And how many can say that their Butler is the best?
Butler is actually a new launcher utility (new to me at least) that I have added to my iMac. For many people, the idea of a launcher utility is probably old news. For this new iMac owner, however, Butler is a program that has revolutionized the way I access applications, searches, reference look-ups, menus, bookmarks, files and url's from my computer. To put it as simply as I can, a launcher utility gives you the ability to launch all of these and more by assigning key combinations, abbreviations and "hot corners" (screen corners, mouse button, key combinations). Butler does this and much, much more. The productivity and time saved mousing and clicking around makes me wonder what I have been doing without such a utility for so long.
Just a few examples of some of my favorite new shortcuts:
* control-i opens my Images (or Pictures) folder
* control-command-t opens a Technorati search bar
* control-command-g a Google search bar
* control-command-n NetNewsWire, etc., etc.
Being new to this, I am certainly not capable of comparing this launcher to others, or even critiquing its ease of use. Still, I can tell you that I am loving the possibilities already. I highly recommend giving this, or a similar program a try if you spend much of your time using your computer for work or play.
Posted by capecodcyclist at 09:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 21, 2006
An Apple a Day Keeps Good Intentions at Bay
Despite my good intentions, the iMac G5 is singlehandedly responsible for my not getting half as much done as I intended today. Blame it on the computer. I vacuumed the house, did laundry, washed the dishes, and I also messed around with Dougie Dell (Jesse's laptop) a bit. It isn't like I was unproductive. So, my hair didn't get cut. We all need time to play a little...
Posted by capecodcyclist at 05:03 PM | Comments (1)
January 16, 2006
MarsEdit: Blog Editor
I am trying out a new blog editor: MarsEdit 1.1. This is the first post using the software, and I like it so far. If anyone has tried it already, please leave your feedback. I am interested in any tips, tricks or problems you may have run into (especially since I haven't purchased yet). I am using MarsEdit with my Movabletype blogs.Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:50 AM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2006
First Week With My iMac G5
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." —Ken Olson, President, Chairman, and Founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977
When it comes to changing technologies, I don't think anyone could have ever predicted just how necessary computers would become to our daily lives at home. It is also incredible to consider the speed with which computer technology is still changing today, and how much it has changed in the years since my mother purchased our first desktop (an Apple IIc). It has been twenty-one years since that first Apple computer, and I have had five Microsoft Windows based PC's (not including my word processor) over the course of that time. So, finally breaking that Microsoft ball and chain last week was a giant step for me. Yesterday, marked the anniversary of this fantastic change: one week with a new iMac G5. I am a convert.
I will not travel the road of extolling the virtues of the Mac over Windows. They both have their advantages and their disadvantages. I will say that, for me, change is always exciting, and I have not felt that newness or excitement working with a Windows computer for years. Windows had just become that old hat.
So far, the biggest thing for me has been fighting those Windows mouse habits and realizing how often I used my mouse button to cut and paste web links. The drag and drop in Mac is just as easy (if not easier), but it is a matter of teaching an old dog new tricks. That is half the fun. Learning something new is what Windows had going for it eleven years ago, so ten years from now (maybe less), I will probably be making the jump back to Windows or some other operating system. I can only hope that I will happily be exploring and learning the world of Mac until then.
Within days of purchasing my new computer I learned that Apple would be releasing the same computer, at the same price, with new software, more features, and processors that are two to three times as fast. At first, I was a little peeved; but then I realized: I had been willing to make this purchase despite the knowledge that six months from now, the choices would be far greater. That is always the case the way technologies are changing. There is really no sense in perpetually waiting for that new, improved release. It is also always the case that the first year 's edition of anything always has its lemons. The kinks, quirks and problems all need to be worked out. By the time the people who are jockeying to be first in line for their new iMacs have worked out the bugs, I will be the willing recipient of their successes and the best student of their mistakes.
I am the happy owner of an Apple computer again, and there is no looking back.
Posted by capecodcyclist at 08:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 12, 2006
Amazing World of Mac
Okay, why didn't anyone take my hand and lead me down the Mac road sooner? Shame on you... you, SELFISH people! I don't think I have been this impressed with a computer since my Apple IIc.
Posted by capecodcyclist at 06:44 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack