My Mac is connected to a small USB audio mixer which is connected to an amplified which is connected to a couple of very large speakers. I likes me some loud sound when playing iTunes music or videos. The problem with this luxurious setup? When email rolls into my Mac the alert sound is so … Continue Reading »

After watching some demos of Apple’s Siri, the personal assistant for iPhone 4S, I wondered if such technology will come to the Mac, and, if so, when. Then, I wondered how many such apps already exist for the Mac, but with keyboard input instead of the Siri voice. First, I expect Apple will move Siri … Continue Reading »

Competition is a good thing. There was a time when Mac users could choose from a few dozen email apps. Those days are gone. Most of us would be hard pressed to fill up all the fingers on one hand with the name of Mac email applications. Mail. Thunderbird. Outlook (from Microsoft). And… now the … Continue Reading »

This is an app that every Mac user can use. Especially my wife. Here’s the problem. Jesse is so intent and focused when she’s on her Mac that she never hears anyone walking up behind her. When they speak or make noise, she freaks out and screams. It’s disconcerting for everyone. What solution is there … Continue Reading »

No matter how you look at it, audio and video on the web is a mess full of standards. Not one standard. Many standards. And none of them make up a standard we can all learn to love. Take Flash. Please. It works reasonably well enough as a de facto video player standard for Mac … Continue Reading »

Tell me the truth. You love a little eye candy on your Mac, right? Like simple but slick and sassy apps that display iTunes track information and cover art right on your Mac’s Desktop. Admittedly, I like such visual sugar. I’m collecting music and album art for a reason, so it’s great to have an … Continue Reading »

When I’m in the family room browsing the web, watching a football game, listening to music, and talking to my wife (all at the same time), I occasionally hear an Oh, S#$@! from her banging away on her Mac’s keyboard. Invariably, it’s something she typed when she didn’t want to. Or, she replied to all … Continue Reading »

They say that if it takes you too long to explain an idea, it’s probably not a good idea in the first place. That makes sense. Remember Google Wave? There are one-trick-pony apps for the Mac. They do one or two things and that’s it. And there’s Butler, which bills itself as the original many … Continue Reading »

How many browsers are on your Mac? Safari? Firefox? Google’s Chrome? There’s something strange going on in browser land, folks. Safari is at version 5. Firefox is at version 6. Chrome is at version 15. Automatically Updated Browsers I was browsing the web today and came across a link to Google Chrome, version 15. 15? … Continue Reading »

Our Mac family is social. The teenagers are more social than the rapidly aging adults. We do Facebook and Twitter. Flickr and Google Reader. Our kids, on the other hand, can’t spell RSS. What we’ve been looking for is a single Mac app that lets us connect everywhere we want to be. How To Be … Continue Reading »

My job is such that I do quite a big of diagramming. That means diagrams for everything from flow charts, wireframes, network configurations, org charts and everything in between. Through the years I’ve tried and used every Mac and Windows PC chart and diagram app on the market. Most are over priced and overly complicated. … Continue Reading »