Author Archives: jur1st
How I Use the iPad
The iPad easily eclipses my laptop, iPhone and iPod as my favorite device. With the impending release of the second generation iPad I’m sure that the question of which apps to take a look at will be coming more and more. The iPad is an inherently personal device and everyone I know seems to use theirs just a little bit differently. Without further ado, here’s my list of apps that I recommend which I may update from time to time. … Continue reading
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Network Intel Script
I’ve known about GeekTool and it’s open source cousin, NerdTool since before I even switched from Windows to OS X. For some reason, I always stayed away. Perhaps it was terrible flashbacks to those desktop customization tools like StarDock which takes a professionally designed interface and lets people with no design sense remake their user interface in ways which bog down the system. So far, NerdTool has shown no signs of this nasty behavior. I started considering using this tool … Continue reading
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The Daily Disappointment
The Daily, a digital only newspaper produced by News Corp [launched this week][1] to a pretty high amount of fanfare. Since the iPad was announced close to a year ago, there has been a lot of speculation about how it can reshape the landscape of journalism and paid for content distribution. Taking away the ability for content providers to take advantage of subscriptions, the Daily does a great job of showing how not to persuade people to start paying for … Continue reading
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When Everyone Takes a Snow Day
Even though it didn’t affect places like Atlanta, DC or New York it was pretty hard to avoid noticing that a lot of the country got slammed with a big snow storm this week. Even the Chicago School District decided that it was best for everyone to stay home for a while. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, but there seem to be more posts than normal this week about the benefits of not being at work or shutting out other … Continue reading
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The Price of Apple’s Retail Success
I started looking around to find out what it will cost to have the internal drive replaced, and it’s turned out to be a bit of a frustrating experience. I’d talked to Ax0n about doing this ourselves down in the cave, but if it was going to be somewhat reasonable I’m happy to have someone do the swap that is used to taking these things apart on a regular basis. Even though I just know that the Apple Store will … Continue reading
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Adobe Loves Google
I’m not sure exactly what it was that Steve Jobs did to make the upper management at Google so mad, but it must have been bad. In the latest salvo in the resulting battle, Google has started using tactics of a monopolist to the detriment of content producers and users alike. As anyone who has taken a mid-level economics course or an anti-trust class in law school can explain, it’s not that being a monopolist is bad just because you’re … Continue reading
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Coping With (And Avoiding) Drive Failure
It’s a scenario that can happen to anyone, at any time and without warning. One moment you’re working away, enjoying a nice cup of coffee and the next your Mac hangs. As you try to figure out what’s going on, you notice that nothing is working. Placing some faith in the traditional OS X voodoo, you reset the PRAM (no help) and pop in the installation disc to repair permissions. Red text everywhere. Maybe repair will work! Nope. Frantically you … Continue reading
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Things of the Year – 2010
It might be a little late, but here are a few of my favorite (and not so favorite) things from 2010 Best Gadget This was nearly a tie, but since I don’t actually carry the MacBook Air, I have to give it to the iPad. I recently re-read the piece that I wrote shortly after the announcement and it holds up pretty well. One of the things that makes the iPad so nice is the lack of maintenance. Zero hassle … Continue reading
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The Future is Solid State
Recently I purchased a 13″ MacBook Air for my bride, the first one that she’s been able to truly call her own in nearly a decade. I’m truly amazed at the way it performs…especially considering how seemingly underpowered it is. For quite some time now, when most people ask me which Mac they should purchase my response is that the base model is probably more than sufficient for their needs. Most folks who ask me this question don’t do anything … Continue reading
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About the iPad
The iPad is without a doubt the most divisive device that has been produced in the past few years. One thing I find interesting is that the traditional battle lines have been blurred with hard-core Mac enthusiasts becoming as negative as those who dislike anything that Apple produces. There is a considerable amount of argument that people who are disappointed Don’t Get It. I tend to agree. Different Tools for Different Tasks Those who wanted full OS X on the … Continue reading
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