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Friday, March 12, 2010

How to Deauthorize iTunes Computers [tutorial]



Having iTunes authorization problems? Files downloaded from the iTunes Store can only be authorized to play on up to 5 computers at a time. If you try to go over 5 computers, then iTunes will give you an authorization error.

For most people, 5 computers is plenty. One computer at home, one at work, a friend's computer, your laptop, your car (wait... did Xzibit Pimp Your Ride and put computer in your car?).

Where you really start to run into authorization problems is when you get a new computer. Before you sell or get rid of an old computer, you should always "deauthorize" it first in iTunes. You should even consider deauthorizing your computer before sending it away for repair or upgrade - in case it doesn't come back in one piece. Deauthorizing your computer does not erase your music files; it simply prevents your purchased music from playing until you authorize that computer again with your iTunes password.

This methodshop.com tutorial will walk you through the entire iTunes Deauthorizing process.





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Monday, February 01, 2010

How to Get a RSS Feed of Your Facebook Status Updates



Want to get Facebook status updates as a RSS feed? Facebook doesn't make it easy AT ALL. But all you need to know are your 3 Facebook numbers: facebook_id, your_internal_key and your_friend_key. Once you have these 3 numbers, you can copy and paste them into a custom RSS feed for your status, the status of your friends, all notifications or links from you or your friends. You can then take this custom RSS feed and do things like put into widgets or Hootsuite and feed it into your Twitter account.

Making your custom Facebook RSS feed is easy. Just follow the steps below.


Step #01: Go to your Facebook Notifications Page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/notifications.php


Step #02: Click on the “Your Notifications” link on the page.

You should now see a RSS feed of all your notifications being displayed in your web browser.



The structure of the link is as follows:

http://www.new.facebook.com/feeds/notifications.php?id=YOUR_FACEBOOK_ID&viewer=YOUR_FACEBOOK_ID&key= YOUR_INTERNAL_KEY&format=rss20

There are 3 numbers in this URL. The number that follows “id” is your Facebook ID number. This number appears twice. The last number is your Facebook Internal Key. Copy these numbers and set them aside.


Step #03: Go to your Facebook Friends Page:
http://www.facebook.com/friends/?ref=tn


Step #04: Click on the “Friends Status’ Feed” link on the page.

You should now see a RSS feed of your friends’ activities. The URL will look like this:
http://www.new.facebook.com/feeds/friends_status.php?id=your_facebook_id&key=your_friends_key&format=rss20

The second number is your Facebook Friends Key. Copy this number and put it aside.


Step # 05: Create the RSS URLs

Once you have your 3 Facebook numbers (facebook_id, your_internal_key and your_friend_key), you’re ready to make your custom RSS feeds. All you have to do to is copy and paste them into the link structures below.

Status Feed
http://www.new.facebook.com/feeds/status.php?id=your_facebook_id&viewer=your_facebook_id&key=your_internal_key&format=rss20

Notifications Feed
http://www.new.facebook.com/feeds/notifications.php?id=your_facebook_id&viewer=your_facebook_id&key=your_internal_key&format=rss20

Friends Status Feed
http://www.new.facebook.com/feeds/friends_status.php?id=your_facebook_id&key=your_friends_key&format=rss20

Friends Links Feed
http://www.new.facebook.com/feeds/share_friends_posts.php?id=your_facebook_id&key=your_friend_key&format=rss20

Friends List Feed
http://www.new.facebook.com/feeds/friends_status.php?id=your_facebook_id&key=your_friend_key&format=rss20





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Monday, December 28, 2009

How to Make a Michael Jackson Mii for the Nintendo Wii





The Nintendo Wii is a great console. It's family friendly, fun and allows you to customize your characters, called Mii's, used in many of the games. Instead of being some generic character in a game, you can be yourself. You can also make a celebrity Mii look alike. So the next time you are playing Baseball on Wii Sports, you might end up with a celebrity Mii on your team like Oprah, Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson or Dwight from the TV show The Office.

This tutorial will guide you through making a Mii and sharing it on the Internet as well as give you plenty of celebrity Mii ideas.

Tutorial: How to Make and Share Celebrity Mii's for the Nintendo Wii


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Saturday, December 26, 2009

Copy DVDs onto Your iPod or iPhone






Do you get a giant stack of DVD's for Christmas? Want to watch them on your iPod, iPhone or Apple TV? Here's a tutorial that explains how to use an awesome program called Handbrake to rip DVD's into iTunes friendly MPEG-4 video files. Tis' the season for ripping!

Tutorial: How to Rip DVD's for Your iPod, Apple TV or iPhone




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Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Spy on Your House or Office with a Panasonic Network Camera





Wonder what your cats do while you are at work? Is the nanny drinking again? Don't trust your roommates? Did the dog walker forget to come today? Are the kids throwing a party at your house while you're on vacation? Want to keep an eye on your store employees while you are at home?

There are a million reasons to install a hidden camera at your home or office. Installing a security camera system has traditionally been both expensive and difficult. But not anymore.

The Panasonic BL-C131A wireless network camera sells for under $300 and will do everything from email you a photo when the motion sensor is triggered to to let you watch and control the camera angle live over the Internet.

Unlike a webcam, a "network camera" doesn't need a dedicated computer. Just plug in the power and connect the camera to your wired or wireless network. The Panasonic BL-C131A wireless network camera is about the size of a 16 oz. jar of peanut butter. No clunky tape decks. No frozen computers. And since it's so small, it's easily hidden on a bookshelf or a dark corner. It's also very easy to setup. All you need is a web browser like Safari or Internet Explorer so both Mac and PC users can take advantage of this great camera.

For less than $300, this feature rich network camera can really give you piece of mind.

Tutorial: How to Setup and Monitor Your Home or Office Remotely Using the Panasonic BL-C131A Network Camera


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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Making Celebrity Mii's





The Nintendo Wii is a great console. It's family friendly, fun and allows you to customize your characters, called Mii's, used in many of the games.

The "Mii" is a brilliant concept. Instead of being some generic character in a game, you can be yourself. You can also make a celebrity look alike Mii. So the next time you are playing Baseball on Wii Sports, you might end up with a celebrity Mii on your team like Oprah, Tom Cruise or Dwight from the NBC TV show The Office.

This tutorial will guide you through making a Mii and sharing it on the Internet as well as give you plenty of celebrity Mii ideas.

Tutorial: How to Make and Share Celebrity Mii's for the Nintendo Wii





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Monday, November 02, 2009

Auto Upload Dreamweaver Files



Do you use Adobe Dreamweaver to create and design websites? Is Dreamweaver no longer automatically uploading all dependent files when you save a page? We use Adobe Dreamweaver to create methodshop.com and this always seems to trip us up everyone couple years or so.

Chances are you probably were messing around with your Dreamweaver Preferences or accidentally checked the "Don't Ask Me Again" check during the "putting" process.

PROBLEM: Dreamweaver fails to prompt for including dependent files when putting

SOLUTION: This is an easy fix. If you want to be prompted to upload dependent files, then you'll need to turn on the "Prompt on Put/Check In" preference. Just follow the directions below:

Requirements:
  • Dreamweaver 3 or higher (Mac/PC)




1. Choose Edit > Preferences.
2. Select the Site category.
3. Under Dependent Files, check Prompt on Put/Check In.


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Thursday, October 08, 2009

Assign Drive Letter i to Your iPod





Microsoft Windows assigns drive letters to disk volumes to help tell them apart. For example, the default letter assigned to your computer’s hard drive is probably ‘c.’ Each time you dock the iPod to a PC, Windows will assign the iPod the next available drive letter, such as ‘f’ or ‘g.’ But isn’t the letter ‘i’ the most appropriate drive letter assignment for the iPod?




Here’s a simple tutorial on how to assign the drive letter ‘i’ to an iPod connected to a PC using Microsoft Windows.

Tutorial: Assign Your iPod to Microsoft Windows Drive Letter ‘i’


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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

How to Remove Duplicates From Your iTunes Library





As your iTunes Library grows, you will probably lose track of exactly what media you have already imported. Eventually you will end up with duplicate songs and videos. For example, you might accidentally import a CD twice or add files from Limewire or BitTorrent. Or maybe a friend with a big Terabyte hard drive loaded you up with a lot of music recently.

Here are a few tips and techniques on how to get rid of duplicate songs in your iTunes Library as well as some precautions you should take before deleting duplicate tracks.

Tutorial: How to Remove Duplicates From Your iTunes Library


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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Twitter Client for the C64 [video]



Get ready for some 1980's computing to meet Web 2.0. A guy named Johan Van den Brande has made a Twitter client for Commodore 64 (C64).

The C64 was first introduced by Commodore in August 1982. It was a revolutionary computer and boosted the best graphics and sound capabilities of its time. The C64 had 64KB of RAM, a 985Khz processor and could display screen resolutions as high as 320×256. Compared to computers today, the processing power in your bedroom alarm clock could dance circles around the C64.

You don't see too many Commodore computers these days. After 25 years, most people have either thrown them away or they are buried in an attic or garage. So if you want to try using Breadbox, your best bet will probably be to install a C64 emulator on your Mac or PC. We have a methodshop.com tutorial that will walk you through the installation of a C64 emulator if you are interested.

In the video below, Johan Van den Brande shows off his Breadbox software and loads a screen from Twitter. Skip to 2:45 if you don't want to see the camera setup and the application loading from diskette.





If you're curious, Johan posted a more technical description on his website.
"It's a Commodore 128D running in C64 mode. All Commodore 128 and 128D systems could either run in C128, CP/M or C64 mode, so it's like having 3 computers in one. This isn't emulation as the C128 has the same core hardware as a C64. Whether you're running in 128 or 64 mode is just a matter of how fast the 8502 CPU is running, which ROM is active, and whether you have 128K or 64K of RAM available."

After watching the video you may be scratching your head wondering why someone would even bother making a C64 Twitter client. It's all just nerdy thrills ladies.

If you're still not sure what all this Twitter talk is all about, then this article might help: How to Explain Twitter to Your Grandma.


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Thursday, June 18, 2009

How to Tweet Video Clips on Twitter Using BubbleTweet





Can't fully express yourself with Twitter's 140-character limit? It can be tough. And sometimes plain text just isn't enough. Luckily services like TwitPic and Ping.fm allow us to embed picture links in our tweets. But what about video? There are actually a few services helping bring video to Twitter and BubbleTweet is one of the best.

A "BubbleTweet" is a short video clip that plays in a"bubble video player" that floats on top of your Twitter page. That's right. When one of your Twitter followers clicks on your BubbleTweet URL, the video clip plays on top of your Twitter page. Then, when the video is done playing, the player "pops" and goes away. It's simple, easy to use and just plain fun.

Besides a Twitter account, all you need to start BubbleTweeting is an existing video clip or a webcam. Ready to make your first BubbleTweet? The tutorial link below will walk you through the process step-by-step.

Tutorial: How to tweet video clips on Twitter using BubbleTweet



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Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Dealing with iTunes Duplicates



As your iTunes Library grows, you will probably lose track of exactly what music you have already imported and end up with duplicate songs. You might accidentally import a CD twice or add files from BitTorrent. Or maybe a friend with a big Terabyte hard drive "loaded you up" with a lot of music recently.

Here are a few tips and techniques on how to get rid of duplicate songs in your iTunes Library as well as some precautions you should take before deleting duplicate tracks.

Tutorial: Managing Duplicate Songs in Your iTunes Library





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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Tutorial: Making Celebrity Miis for the Nintendo Wii



The Nintendo Wii is a great console. It's family friendly, fun and allows you to customize your characters, called Miis, used in many of the games.

The "Mii" is a brilliant concept. Instead of being some generic character in a game, you can be yourself. You can also make a celebrity look alike Mii. That way the next time you are playing Baseball on Wii Sports, you might end up with a celebrity Mii on your team like Oprah, Borat (pictured below), Charlie Brown (pictured on right) or even Dwight Schrute from the American TV show The Office.

This tutorial will guide you through making a Mii and sharing it on the Internet as well as give you plenty of celebrity Mii ideas.

Tutorial: How to Make and Share Celebrity Miis for the Nintendo Wii









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Monday, May 18, 2009

How to Fix an Inverted Macintosh Monitor





Is the monitor on your Macintosh computer inverted? Are you seeing black where it should be white? Does everything look negative? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you accidentally enabled a Macintosh feature for people with impaired vision.

We've heard of people doing all sorts of crazy things to fix this problem like swapping video cards, buying new LCD monitors, attempting a monitor calibration or even replacing RAM. But there's a much simpler way to fix this inverted screen problem. Chances are, all you need to do is change a few settings in your Mac OS X System Preferences panel. There are some extreme cases where a little more fiddling is required, but we have solutions for those as well.

So don't worry. Your video card isn't broken. Now let's fix your inverted monitor problem.

Tutorial: How to Fix an Inverted Macintosh Monitor



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Tuesday, May 05, 2009

How to Download YouTube Videos



Want to download a video from YouTube? There are a ton of reasons why you'd want to save the file locally on your computer. Maybe you need to embed the video in a PowerPoint presentation, watch it on your iPod or even edit it in a video project. There's only one problem: YouTube doesn't allow you download their videos. Why? They want you to come to their site and be exposed to the adverting.

Even though YouTube doesn't make it easy, you can still download their videos if you know a few tricks. Here's a step-by-step MethodShop.com tutorial on how to download video files off YouTube.com and convert them for an iPod or iPhone.

TUTORIAL: How to Copy Files Off YouTube and Convert them for your iPod, iPhone, or Apple TV.

This trick will work on Mac or PC using Firefox or Internet Explorer.


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Monday, April 20, 2009

iPod or iPhone Reset



Is your iPod or iPhone frozen? This can happen for a number of reasons and does not necessarily indicate a serious problem. Sometimes they just need a reset much like the way your computer needs a restart once in a while.

Restarting an iPod or iPhone is a simple procedure that will not erase any of your music, data files, or customized preferences.


Sometimes the iPhone just gets confused. For example, the iPhone may be powered on but it won't respond to any button, switch, or touchscreen input. Try pressing and holding the Home button on the front of the iPhone for 6 seconds until the active program closes.

If this technique does not resolve the issue or the iPhone is in a different state such as showing a persistent Apple logo on the display, then you should reset the iPhone.









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Thursday, March 19, 2009

BlackBerry iPhone Theme





Are you stuck with a BlackBerry at work but really want an iPhone? There's no magic trick to physically convert your BlackBerry into an iPhone, but you can install the free "bPhone for BlackBerry" theme and make your BlackBerry feel like an iPhone.

The theme will reskin your Blackberry icons with iPhone icons and even replaces the hourglass with the OS X spinning beach ball.

You can install the bPhone theme here if you are reading this on your phone right now or check out the author's website here.

Here's a step-by-step bPhone install tutorial:
  1. open this link on your phone
  2. Select your BlackBerry phone model (ie. the curve is the 8300).
  3. Select the "Icon" theme
  4. Enter in your BlackBerry email address
  5. A download link will be emailed to your phone
  6. Download the bPhone theme on your phone
  7. Go to Prefs on your phone
  8. Select the bPhone theme
  9. Enable the bPhone theme
That's it!


But before you install the theme, please make sure your BlackBerry meets the following requirements:
  • 8700 series: BlackBerry OS 4.2.1 or later. WARNING: You MUST have OS 4.2.1 or later or you may render your BlackBerry 8700 unusable! Go to Options > About to check your OS version.
  • Pearl (all versions): BlackBerry OS 4.2.1 or later
  • Curve (all versions) and 8830: BlackBerry OS 4.2.2 or later
  • 8800: BlackBerry OS 4.2.1 or later



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Monday, March 16, 2009

How to Fix Boxee Black Screen Error on Apple TV



Is your Apple TV freezing when you launch Boxee? Do you see a quick flash of the Apple logo and then just a blank "black screen"?

You aren't alone. If you were one of the early Boxee beta/alpha testers, you might have some files leftover from an old install. Don't even bother reinstalling Boxee or trying a factory restore on your Apple TV. These won't solve your Boxee problems. You need to remove the old user data files using a SSH client.

In this tutorial, we will walk you through the steps to remove these old files and return your Boxee software to normal functionality on your Apple TV.






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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Hulu Blocks Boxee... Again



The streaming video site Hulu and the streaming-video-on-your-TV service Boxee spent all of last weekend fighting. Again. In late February, Hulu asked Boxee to remove the special Hulu browser from the Boxee software. Boxee complied with Hulu's request, but Boxee users were very upset.

Then last weekend, Boxee figured out a way around the Hulu issue. Boxee was able to reintegrate Hulu videos back into Boxee's software by creating a video RSS reader. Basically Boxee was just browsing Hulu's public RSS feeds which any web browser or RSS reader can do. This solution wasn't as flashy as the special Hulu application that Boxee had made, but it was a good work around until a formal deal could be worked out with Hulu.



Over the weekend, news quickly spread on Twitter that Boxee had reintegrated Hulu back into the Boxee software. Boxee users rejoiced but their celebration was short lived. Even though Boxee was only importing Hulu's public video RSS feeds, Hulu promptly blocked the Boxee RSS browser and displayed the following message: "This video is not currently available at this site, but you can view this and other Hulu videos at Hulu.com."




In response, Boxee released a statement on the company's blog:
"To our users: if you choose to use Boxee as your media browser to view legal and publicly available content on the Internet, we will do everything we can to ensure that you can access it, no matter what the source... while some of the best things in life are free, sometimes you have to work hard to get them."

Why is Hulu is putting so much effort into blocking Boxee? The only difference between Boxee and your web browser is that Boxee's browser is on your TV screen, rather than your computer screen.

However, there is a silver lining to this story for Boxee users. The new video RSS reader functionality that Boxee developed to reintegrate Hulu can be used to access other public RSS feeds. The next version of Boxee will most likely include the new RSS reader and a feature called "App Box" that will help simplify the addition of new in-house and third party applications.

Boxee hopes to have a new release ready before their New York City Boxee meetup on March 24.




Not sure what all this Boxee talk is all about? Boxee is a free open source cross-platform media center and entertainment hub that can play movies, TV shows, music and photos, as well as streaming content from websites like Hulu, Netflix, CBS, Comedy Central, Last.fm, and flickr. Hell, the damn thing can even download free public torrents (Refer Madness anyone?!).



All you need to install Boxee on your Apple TV is a USB stick. If you own an Apple TV, then you need Boxee. Install Boxee and set your Apple TV free.


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Thursday, March 05, 2009

How to Convert Audio File Formats in iTunes





iTunes is much more than a digital music jukebox. It's capable of handling many different tasks involving digital media and your iPod. Some of iTunes' most popular features include buying music online, burning CDs, and syncing files with your iPod or iPhone. But one of the lesser known functions hidden within iTunes is the ability to convert audio files.

Why would you need to convert an audio file? Converting audio file types can be useful in many different situations. Here are a few examples:

  • You have an AAC file in iTunes that's not compatible with your Zune that can play MP3 and not AAC files.

  • A WAV file needs to be emailed to a client for approval but it's too big. You need to convert the file to an AAC so it's small enough to easily send via email.

  • You are making a music video and want to use a song you purchased from the iTunes Store as the soundtrack. However, the editing program won't import the song because of Apple's protective DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Many programs that convert audio files into different formats are pretty complicated and usually cost money. But not iTunes. iTunes is simple, fast and best of all... free.



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Friday, February 27, 2009

Apple TV 2.3.1 Update Breaks @Boxee



This week Apple released a very minor firmware update for the Apple TV. The 2.3.1 update only adds a "Network Test" option to help users troubleshoot Internet connections. That's it. Seriously, it's hardly worth the trouble. But the update does do something we weren't expecting... it disables and deletes the Boxee software.

Boxee is a free open source cross-platform media center application that enables your Apple TV to play streaming content from websites like Hulu, Netflix, ABC, CBS, Comedy Central, Last.fm, and flickr.

So if you've already hacked your Apple TV and installed the Boxee software, you should probably skip this 2.3.1 update and wait for a new version of the Apple TV firmware that actually adds some new features.





Unfortunately this has been a rough few weeks for Boxee. First they had to remove the ability to watch Hulu videos from their software because Hulu's content partners were complaining. And now Apple is releasing minor software updates that disable Boxee.

If you love Boxee, then you'll want to disable automatic Apple TV updates. Here's how:

  1. After you've hacked your Apple TV and installed Boxee, select "Settings" from the Launcher menu (Launcher > Settings).
  2. You should now see a screen with two options that say "Use Universal Mode" and "ATV OS Update enabled." Set "ATV OS Update Enabled" to "No."
  3. That's it. For now on, minor Apple TV firmware updates will no longer ruin your Boxee fun.



All you need to hack your Apple TV so it can use Boxee is a USB stick. If you own an Apple TV, then you need Boxee. Install Boxee and set your Apple TV free.


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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Twitter Autofollowing Tutorial



Autofollowing people on Twitter just got a whole lot easier.

Last month we wrote a detailed tutorial on methodshop.com that walked you through how to setup up your Twitter account to autofollow anyone who follows you using a service called TweetLater. Part of the process involved making an autoforward rule in Gmail. But after getting an inbox full of undelivered mail this past weekend, we figured we should sign in to TweetLater.com and see what was up.

It turns out that Twitter recently updated their API and TweetLater no longer requires you to forward emails to them using Gmail. Here's a blog post from TweetLater with more details about the update:

Thanks to a positive addition to the Twitter API, TweetLater was able implement a completely different way of identifying new followers.

We now get that information directly from the Twitter API, and we do not need your forwarded Twitter new follower notification emails anymore.

Please remove/delete/inactivate the forwarding rule that forwards emails to twitterfollow@tweetlater.com.

You can do this right now because we have already migrated the new follower processing for your Twitter account over to the new and far more efficient method.

At this point in time we'll be processing your new followers once a day, but we may do it more often in the future.

Even though we process your followers once a day, we automatically spread out your welcome message throughout the day. Your new followers won't all get their welcome messages at the same time. In other words, if you publish public welcome tweets, your timeline will not be littered with a bunch of welcome messages all at once. And, if you send DMs, you will see the DMs drip-feed into your Sent DM folder throughout the day.

If you have new follower vetting turned on in TweetLater, then know that it will still work as before. The only change is that your new followers are added to that list once a day now, as opposed to through-out the day. (If you haven't checked out the new follower vetting feature yet, please do so now. It is really cool.)

There's a lot of good news in this announcement. If you've struggled in the past to get your automation working, it will now "just work" (provided that we still have your valid Twitter username and password on file).

If you previously used this methodshop.com tutorial to setup your Twitter account to autofollow your followers, then you'll need to disable the Gmail auto forward rule. We've also updated the tutorial with some new instructions.





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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Expose the Exposé Blob



Like using Exposé but hate hot corners and function keys? Why not unleash the hidden Exposé Blob built into Mac OS X? You can even make your blob look like Eric Cartman or Meatwad from ATHF.

When Apple introduced Exposé in OS X 10.3 Panther, many people felt it was the best new feature in the entire operating system. In case you have no idea what Expose is, basically it's a component in the Macintosh operating system that allows you to instantly access any open window or document with a single keystroke. Dragging your mouse into a hot corner or pressing a function key instantly tiles and scales all of your open windows and documents so you can see everything you are working on in a single glance.

Yes, it is a great feature, but activating Exposé is sometimes kind of awkward. Personally I tend to accidentally hit the wrong function key and usually turn on my screen saver several times with a mistaken hot corner before activating finally activating Expose.

The programmers at Apple probably felt the same way. Hidden deep within the Mac OS is a secret, yet fully functional, graphical interface for Exposé. Most people like to call it a "blob." The Blob is really just a shaded blue sphere. The Blob is moveable, clickable and a nice addition or mascot for your Macintosh OS X Desktop. You can even customize the Blob to be any image you want. For example, I've customized my Blob to be Eric Cartman from Comedy Centrals' South Park.





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Thursday, February 12, 2009

Restart a Frozen iPhone or iPod



Is your iPod or iPhone frozen? This can happen for a number of reasons and does not necessarily indicate a serious problem. Sometimes they just need a restart much like the way your computer needs a reset once in a while.

Restarting an iPod or iPhone is a simple procedure that will not erase any of your music, data files, or customized preferences.


Sometimes the iPhone just gets confused. For example, the iPhone may be powered on but it won't respond to any button, switch, or touchscreen input. Try pressing and holding the Home button on the front of the iPhone for 6 seconds until the active program closes.

If this technique does not resolve the issue or the iPhone is in a different state such as showing a persistent Apple logo on the display, then you should reset the iPhone.






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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

How to Install Google's Gmail Notifier on the Mac OS X





Are you a Gmail user? Want to integrate Gmail into your operating system and save yourself a trip to Gmail.com every time you want to check your email?

This tutorial will teach you how to install Google's Gmail Notifier on the Mac OS X and add icons to your menu bar, dock and even auto launch the Google Notifier application when turning on your computer.

Tutorial: How to Install Gmail Notifier on Mac OS X


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Thursday, February 05, 2009

Troubleshooting an Apple TV





Is your Apple TV frozen or unresponsive? Is the battery in your Apple Remote control dead? Is the hard drive completely fried? This tutorial will walk you through a variety of common problems and help you figure out what's wrong with your Apple TV.



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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

How to Anonymize Your Web Browser



Privacy is a constant issue in today's technology enabled society, but there is plenty you can do to protect yourself starting with your web browser.

One of the most useful and at the same time, most dangerous things about web browsers is the amount of data they store. Did you forget your password for that photo sharing site? Can't remember which travel company you bought your plane tickets with? Don't worry... your web browser remembers. Web browsers are constantly collecting information about you. They can do everything from store passwords to let you search your browsing history.

However, this stored data may be useful for you, but anyone who snoops around on your computer can use your web browser data to discover your habits, history, passwords, account names and preferences. This information can then be used by ex-spouses, advertisers of even hackers to take advantage of you.



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Boxee is a free open source cross-platform media center and entertainment hub that can play movies, TV shows, music and photos, as well as streaming content from websites like Hulu, Netflix, CBS, Comedy Central, Last.fm, and flickr. All you need to hack your Apple TV so it can use Boxee is a USB stick. If you own an Apple TV, then you need Boxee. Install Boxee and set your Apple TV free.

imagearrowHow to Auto Follow People on Twitter
There's a way to auto follow your followers on Twitter. This auto follow Twitter trick can be pretty useful if you find yourself managing a Twitter account for a public figure, company or celebrity.

arrowRip DVD's for Your iPod or iPhone
handbrakeNeed something to watch on your iPod or iPhone? Here's a tutorial that explains how to use a program called Handbrake to rip DVD's into iPod compatible MPEG-4 video files.

yetiarrowYeti Sports
Like to smack penguins with baseball bats? Should your Yeti catch the penguin at the right moment and angle, you might just hit one out of the park, or arctic continent.

ipodarrowRejected iPod Engravings
When purchasing a new iPod from the Apple store, you can choose to have a custom message laser engraved on the back. These were the rejects.
 

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