Technology

1. I'm on a Mac, so I had to run Windows via Boot Camp.
2. For some reason, my copy of Windows is suddenly afraid that it's not Genuine. It wants me to activate. I fear for the worst, because the last time I installed Windows, my Activation Key has to be activated over the phone. By talking to a real person. Who asked me if the software was installed on any other computer, to which I responded "No" and we were merrily on our way. Anyhow, it turns out to be a simple little check up.
   
3. I usually use Firefox, but once I logged in to Netflix, I was informed that I have to use Internet Explorer for this feature.
4. There is a special plugin that Netflix requires to play video. Okay, fine, download and install it.
5. You have to allow the plugin that you just installed to run in the browser now.
   
6. My DRM is out of date. I have to download an update.
7. The video player browser plugin now informs me that I actually need Windows Media Player 11 to watch video in my browser. Would have been nice if you'd checked on that back in step 3, so we could have all updated together.
8. Windows Media Player 11 Setup informs me that Windows has successfully been update. But it couldn't have been that successful, because I now have to restart. Let's hope I remember to start Windows and not Mac OS.
9. I actually thought we might be ready to go at this point. But no. Another component of Windows Media Player needs to be updated.
10. That didn't take too long. Now are we ready? Yes, choose something to watch.
11. No, wait, the media file can't be found. I try another.
    

Fun photos

Emotional Design... presents scientific evidence that attractive thing work better. Since being happy broadens our thought processes and facilitates creative thinking, attractive products that make us happy can improve our ability to use them. In effect, they work better because we work better.

--Ambient Findability (p. 56)

I wonder if the folks at Apple monitor the press that they get in the days leading up to a new product announcement to find ways to reduce the information leakage. There are always rumors, but they seem to be increasingly accurate as of late. I can't imagine that Apple takes kindly to having their grand announcements spoiled, so I wonder if they debrief after an event and make plans to be more secretive next time.

Firefox, Safari, Camino, Adium, iChat, TextMate, Coda: ⌘{ and ⌘}

Dreamweaver CS4 beta: ⌘` (which is still wrong, that's the shortcut for switching windows not tabs)

Ah, the joy of extensibility.

The new Dreamweaver beta convinces me even more than ever before that I should switch full-time to Coda. There are just a few tiny little things I still wish Coda could do.

• Site-wide find and replace
• Along the same lines as site-wide find and replace, warn me when I delete or move a file that is linked, and offer to update links
• ⌘-D to open links
• Auto-complete character entities

When I grow up, I want to be the Alton Brown of web design. He always has something clever to say. And he knows just about everything about food.

I visited an Apple Store Friday night for the inevitable purchase. I knew I liked Apple and their products, and everything about the experience has confirmed that. The only bad thing is that the purchasing experience is so laid back, and I'm so shy that it is hard to make the first step and approach a salesperson. Once I did, I loved the tiny little box that Rory came in. It was heavier than I expected. I love that I didn't need a shopping bag; the salesman put a Thank You sticker on the box so the folks at the door knew I had paid. The thing fit in my pocket. I didn't have to carry a receipt home with me, it was in my inbox waiting for me.

The unboxing ceremony was equally pleasure filled. Just a few tiny pieces in the box, very little waste, very little wasted space, and very little box. The device itself has everything I've always asked for and complained baout my previous devices: Nice large screen, no physical keyboard, no softkeys, no stylus. Only the good stuff; only what matters.

Firefox: Control+Page Up, Control+Page Down

Safari: ⌘{ and ⌘}

Camino: ⌘⌥← and ⌘⌥→

Adium: ⌘← and ⌘→ by default, ⌘[ and ⌘]

iChat: ⌘{ and ⌘}

TextMate: ⌘⌥← and ⌘⌥→

Dreamweaver: ⌘` (which is wrong, that is for switching windows)

I don't know what the appropriate response is: Argh, groan, or sigh.

My list of changes in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard has turned into a list of bugs I have encountered. There are many new features as well, and those are what I intended to document. But it seems most of them have already been revealed. Since this is a relatively new software release, it is to be expected that there are bugs. Oh, well. I guess I'll just keep adding to my list.

In all my reading about Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, I've not seen mention of some changes that I've noticed since installing.

1. Using Shift+Command+4 to take a screenshot now shows a cursor with coordinates.
2. The Print dialog has been updated. It now has a disclosure triangle like Open and Save.
3. Software Update (at least the first one) now works more like Automatic Updates in Windows. The first window is the same as Tiger, but after you click install, your computer begins to restart and shows a progress bar while installing, locking you out from using the computer. As I mentioned, the first update behaves this way, which may be because it updated the OS; I'll have to wait and see.
4. Shift+Command+O opens a new window in slow motion. Control+Command+O does what Shift+Command+O used to do. (Added 2007-11-19 12:00)
5. The screen no longer turns blue on shutdown, it stays on the desktop picture for the last logged in user. Especially noticable when your computer is attached to a projector when you shut down. (Added 2007-11-25 22:55)
6. Using Shift+Command+4+Space to take a screenshots of a windows includes the shadow. (Added 2007-11-27 20:38)
7. In the Finder, when Getting Info on multiple items or when some Get Info windows are already open, the windows sometimes pile up instead of titling. This is probably a bug. (Added 2007-11-27 20:38)
8. When you begin playing a playlist in iTunes, then switch to another playlist while still playing the first, the pause button changes to stop. When you switch to another app, the stop changes to pause again. This is certainally a bug and may appear in other OSs. (Added 2007-11-28 18:06)
9. Command+Tab does not always switch apps. At first it looked like this was just a Firfox problem, but it has happened involving other apps as well. I think it has included switching to or from Finder everytime, so that may be the cause. Finder may in fact be the source of that functionality. (Added 2007-12-02 19:19)
10. Some file icons are incorrect or generic. For example, a .tmpl file from Movable Type shows as a Unix binary, many CandyBar .icontainer files have generic icons. (Added 2007-12-02 19:21)

I watched the guided tour and I have some complaints about Apple's new OS already. Minor annoyances, to be sure, but I expect Apple to pay attention to such details.

1. The look and feel is closer, but still not completely consistent: Preview and Mail don't have the same kind of toolbar buttons as Address Book, Safari, and Finder.
2. Some windows (the opening progress bar, time machine hard drive insert dialog box) don't have a unified sunken interface. I guess I'll be keeping UNO around after all.
3. Some windows show toolbar names and icons, while others only show icons. That's still an application preference, not a global one.
4. Scroll bars look like candy and haven't been updated to the iTunes 7, which would be more appropriate.
5. Cover Flow scroll bars don't conform to the system scroll bar preference.

Update: Walt has delivered his verdict: “Not revolutionary, but it beats Vista.” (via PC World)

Firefox ran at 102% of my CPU today, according to Activity Monitor. I'm not sure how that is possible, but the audible increase in fan activity was the first indicator. The same thing happened at work today too. Then, I thought it was because I had so many tabs open. And when it happened just now, I discovered I had opened a tab with a movie in it. But then, I clicked on Help to see if there was a Feature Request button, and I saw that Firefox was downloading an update. Still, it brought my processor to a halt with whatever it wanted. It makes me (once again) consider switching to something Mac-native. Oh, how I would miss my extensions.

In case you've been living under a rock (even my mom knows from a source other than me), Apple announced an iPhone on Monday. We talked about it at work today, and the two questions that popped up were about the keyboard and other apps.

Will it run Photoshop? If it does, my boss has claimed that he will divest himself of his fancy, but troubled MacBook Pro. And the keyboard? Even Steve Jobs himself encountered some problems using it. Just watch the keynote and pick out the smattering of "Oops" and mis-pressed keys.

I see there is some trouble brewing as well.

I am sitting here at my computer, working away, when this awful noise startled me out of my skin.

It was my MDA, Melvin. The sound is one he makes when he completes synchrnization with my desktop computer. The sound is not supposed to be so loud.

This has happened before, but it is not predicatbel and threrfore staretles me every time. I would like it not to happen, but since I can't pinpoint the cause, I doubt that tech support could be of any help.

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