From the blog…

Okay, It's Officially iEnvy

Posted August 2, 2007 //

I just got to touch my first iPhone. Yeah, I know — where the heck have I been? The truth is, I’ve intentionally avoided going to the Apple store just so I wouldn’t wind up whipping out the plastic and taking one home. The boss (wife) would kill me if I did something impulsive like that.

As luck would have it, an upper-management co-worker who’s a huge Apple Fan-Boy (and a really cool guy) was kind enough to rub my nose in the fact that he snagged an iPhone as I passed him in the hall. I stopped and asked him if I could see it & he handed it over to me. I thought about bolting for just a split second, but then realized my job was at stake, and it’d be curtains if I did.

Well, I’ve got to admit — in the 30 or so seconds that I got to play with his iPhone, I definitely want one of my own. There I said it. iEnvy the iPhone. Now, all I’ve got to do is figure out how to get myself out of the 2 year Verizon family plan I just got locked into…

Filed Under: Apple //

Extending a Network with AirPort Express

Posted July 6, 2007 //

Here’s an idea I’m toying with, and I’d love to hear what readers may have to say about it…

I run a closed AirPort Extreme (G) WiFi network here at JMO headquarters. It’s cool and all, but there are a couple of problems with my situation; First, I don’t have a real dedicated office space to work from — aside from the dining room table, which is in the middle of everything going on in the house and isn’t the most comfortable place to sit for hours at a time writing code. Second, my work area can get pretty cluttered with books & such when I’m in high gear. I know it drives the wife crazy that I have my crap scattered all over the table — though she’s really good about not saying anything. Heck, it even bugs me when I walk in the front door and see my own mess.

So, to make life a little better all around, I’ve been thinking about creating some working space in the garage and setting up a desktop machine I have sitting around for Subversion and WordPress development purposes. The two obstacles keeping me from doing so are; My AirPort signal is not strong enough in the corner of the garage I have to set up in, and the desktop machine needs to be hard-wired to a network.

So, here’s where you come in. I’d like to know if any readers have attempted using an AirPort Express as a network bridge to “extend” their signal and/or add a machine that’s Ethernet only to a wireless network? It seems like it should work, and would be the perfect solution for me if it does.

So, if you’ve pulled it off — or know someone who has — let me know via comments.

Filed Under: Apple, Ramblings //

Always Keep Them Guessing

Posted June 25, 2007 //

Wife: The media’s making such a big deal over this new iPhone, saying there’s all kinds of trouble with it already–and they’ve not even released it.
Me: Nah, that’s just a bunch of lazy journalists quoting some hack named Enderly. The guy doesn’t really know what he’s talking about. I’d be willing to bet he’s somehow paid by Microsoft to generate bad press for Apple.
Wife: Oh… I suppose you’re going to want one of these, aren’t you?
Me: Huh? Oh. No, I’m good with the phone I have, thanks.
Wife: …

I think this morning was the first time in years that I left my better half speechless. I’ve always been such a ravenous fan of anything new by Apple (though I don’t always get to have it), that she was sure I’d be begging to be able to get one. Ha! Fooled her, didn’t I?

The truth is, I don’t really have an opinion about the iPhone one way or the other, and I can’t tell you why either. I’ve been trying to put my finger on it, but I just can’t. Could it be due to over-hype? Very likely. Or maybe it’s because I know it’d cost me way too much to have one by the time the dust settled? Very likely too.

Either way, I just don’t care. In fact, I’ll be quite happy once June 29th has come and gone. Once it does, there’ll be no more buzz marketing hype and we’ll finally get to see if the darned thing is really worth plunking down the equivalent of a monthly mortgage payment. That’s when I’ll make up my mind.

Nope. I’m still good with my Motorola SLVR/5G iPod combo. For now, anyway…

Filed Under: Apple //

QuickTime Exploit Fix Released

Posted March 5, 2007 //

QuickTime 7.1.5 Patches Panther, Tiger, XP, Vista Exploits

Apple has released a security update for QuickTime for Mac OS X 10.3.9 and later and Windows XP and Windows Vista. Version 7.1.5 for all affected platforms fixes a small host of flaws that allow maliciously crafted files to crash a program employing QuickTime or allow arbitrary code execution – a phrase that often means there’s a potential for an attacker to gain control of a computer or, at least, install malware.

A quick note to the masses: It’s time to fire up Software Update again. Apple has released a new version of QuickTime (7.1.5) that patches some serious holes for the various systems the software runs on. Details of what’s addressed in the fix can be perused in Apple KBase Article 305149. It’s a recommended update for all users.

And a subtle reminder: If you haven’t already installed the Daylight Savings Time Update, you’ve got less than a week to get it done.

Filed Under: Apple //

Using Keychains With .Mac; Troubleshooting Issues

Posted March 2, 2007 //

Using keychains with .Mac; troubleshooting keychain issues

You can use keychains with .Mac. This article applies to Mac OS X 10.4 or later and contains troubleshooting information that you can use if you encounter keychain issues.

Fresh on the heels of my last post about keychain troubles, Apple was good enough to release a far more detailed article on the topic. This is definitely one of those “Utility”1 bookmarks you want to keep in your browser. The article covers mostly troubles when syncing your keychains via .Mac, but it has some good points for troubleshooting none-the-less.

However, based on my past experiences syncing keychains with .Mac, there’s only one thing I can say about it — just don’t do it!

[Read more...]

  1. I like to keep a folder in by browser favorites named “Utility” where I store handy tidbit such as this. It’s a time saver when something goes wrong. [↩]
Filed Under: Apple, How To... //

Apple KBase Article: Resetting your keychain in OS X

Posted February 23, 2007 //

Resetting your keychain in Mac OS X 10.3, 10.4

If Keychain First Aid finds an issue that it cannot repair, or if you do not know your keychain password, you may need to reset your keychain. (Resetting a keychain deletes a keychain reference while preserving the keychain file.)

Here’s a good Apple Knowledge Base article about resetting your login keychain to keep on hand in your browser favorites. The only thing I would add to it, which isn’t made clear; resetting your keychain in this manner will rename your old keychain to “login_renamed#.keychain” (where # is a number), which can be opened manually in Keychain Access again to copy digital certificates and other passwords to the new login.keychain — this is presuming, of course, that your old keychain is not so corrupt that it can’t be opened.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Apple, How To... //