Category Archives: Apple

A Return to Blogging

I’ve certainly taken some time off from blogging, several years of writing only intermittently and a change of sites to boot. But it’s time to return.

But for what purpose? Most of my prior posts consist of bible studies, while the second most are related to computers/tech, and last but not least, political issues. I’m not teaching bible studies right now and politics is fractious right now, to say the least, so that leaves computers and technical topics.

And to lead off we’ll start with my current deep dive into the Appleverse.

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Posting to Self Hosted WordPress in Mac

So you bought a Mac and you love it but are dismayed that the software for posting to your self hosted WordPress Blog is so darned expensive. Fear not, I have a reasonable alternative that works mostly like an application.

The alternative is the built in WP editor in its own Safari window with an application icon in the dock. The trick is an Apple Script saved as an application that opens the WP editor in its own window and a custom WP icon.

First the script.

Open the Apple Script editor and create the following script substituting the url for the url to your post-new script on you WordPress Blog.

tell application "Safari"
	make new document at end of documents with properties {URL:"http://yoururl.com/wp-admin/post-new.php"}
end tell

Compile the script and save it as an application to a directory of your choice.  Change the icon to a WordPress Icon, here is a link to a nice WordPress icon you can use.  Last drag icon to your launcher or to the applications folder for easy access.  When you launch the application it will open a new Safari browser window ready for you to write a blog post in.

Finder Woes Solved (Mostly)

I am pleased to report that I am much happier with Mac Finder (the Apple not-quite a file manager) as of today than when I first started using it.  My happiness comes from two sources. First an internal finder tweak.  The finder main menu, under View provides two items that can be unhidden, the status bar which gives the file count in the current folder and total remaining space on the disk at the cost of no extra room consumed in the window, and the path bar which shows the full path to your current location from the root down and allows you to change your location.  This last is much more important and while still not as good as having an address bar to type a location in is much better than nothing as a navigation tool.

More important than those two tools is a free add-on for Finder called XtraFinder.  XtraFinder installs inside Finder (so to speak) and you still use finder as before, except it now has some totally sane additional capabilities.  What capabilities you ask?  How about permitting you to make folders list before files (there is not much more annoying than searching for a folder through a long list of files).  Then there are tabs, yes a tabbed interface so you don’t have to clutter your desktop with finder windows.  And dual pane goodness is a command-u away.

Things are definitely looking better.

Switch to MacBook Air from ASUS Zen Book

The Zenbook is a great machine, slim and light with a 1920X1080 display with a matte finish, all aluminum construction, an Ivy Bridge dual core processor, 4 gigs of ram and oodles of sex appeal. So why ditch it? For the most quotidian of reasons and for some that are a little more highbrow.

The drab mundane truth of the matter is that Mac’s appear to excell in three unexciting areas. No windows laptops I have ever held in my hands, no matter the price (and I’ve always bought expensive laptops), the maker or the heft of the machine have come close to Mac standards in these areas. They are as follows:

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From TF 700 Transformer Infinity to iPad

First of all this is not a review, this is more of an attempt to put together my thoughts on what its like using the two tablets.  It is very subjective and, frankly, your mileage may vary considerably.  Fortunately both of these great tablets are available in the market and we can choose to buy the one that suits our needs, tastes and pocket books.

I originally bought the Transformer over the iPad for several reasons:  expandible memory via micro SD card, the attachable keyboard dock, cheaper price (marginally), the prospect of getting rid of iTunes, the ability to access the the Android file system (although in a limited fashion without rooting the device), the ability to switch default browsers and the ability to assign file types to particular applications.  Of those reasons only two really wound up mattering to me; accessing the file system and the abiltiy to assign file types to particular applications.  I wish I could do those things on an iDevice.

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Change

Change is coming for me. Not big change, not some metaphysical realization that shakes my world and makes me run off and join a commune, just the garden variety sort. I’m changing operating systems.

After years of being a user of Windows and Linux I’m switching to Mac across the board. I have avoided Apple because of the expense, the squirrelly interface design decisions, and the lack of freedom (with Apple it’s their way or the highway). But I’m tired of futzing with computers. I just want them to do what I want them to do.

So I’m turning in my Windows laptop for a Mac, my Android tablet for an iPad (this post is being written on that iPad), and my Android phone for an iPhone. There are sure to be issues and adventures, outside the Apple walled garden their products are not as well supported, and I’ll try and chronicle them here, mostly for my own benefit.

First up will be iPad vs TF700 Transformer Infinity.