Wiimote Meets Computer
December 11, 2006 | 2 Comments
Jon sent me along an article about Darwiin Remote. This sweet little OSX application allows you to take advantage of the inherent Bluetooth that the Wii-motes use to wirelessly connect to the Nintendo Wii. I love standard technologies…
You launch the application, then make your Wii-mote Bluetooth discoverable by pushing (1) and (2) simultaneously. Once the app connects, you can use the IR ability to take over mouse control. The developer has also mapped the (A) button to be the left click and the D-pad to arrow keys.
The other mappings are all fairly specific for Frontrow, which is annoying for me (I have a G5 without Frontrow). Listed as a desired future feature is customizable key mappings which I look forward to.
At the moment the IR sensing mouse movement is a bit too twitchy. It would be nice if the sensitivity could be turned down. As it is now, double clicking is nearly impossible.
I think this application has great potential, especially considering it is only version 0.3. Check out the developer’s blog or the Sourceforge Project. I’m hoping this matures to the point where I can regularly use my Wii controller to control video and music. This would be convenient as my Mac is currently attached to my receiver and 42″ Samsung DLP TV.
With a bit more complication, you can use the Wii-mote in Windows as well. This “how to” is written by LiquidIce, who is playing with all kinds of potential Wii hacks. There is also an interesting project that is focused on attempting to port Linux to the Wii, WiiLi.org. All kinds of fun is likely to come out of this exploration.
Tags: bluetooth, darwiin, darwiinremote, hack, hacks, liquidice, mac, macintosh, Nintendo, nintendo wii, osx, remote, wii, wii controller, wii hack, wii-mote, wiili, wiimote
Uno - A Prettier, Unified OSX
August 20, 2006 | 1 Comment
Without a doubt I think Mac OS X is by far the most modern and attractive looking OS in existence. Seeing it side by side with Windows XP every day shows how far ahead it was. Imagine my surprise upon discovering Uno’s ability to make it even better.
Uno applies skins across many of the OSX applications, allowing you to replace the brushed metal look with more of the iTunes/iLife look. Matt has often complained about the brushed metal look, I have always been indifferent. Until now. Wow. Safari, iChat, Finder and more all have new life breathed into them by just simply replacing the brushed metal with gradients.
Install this application, you won’t be sorry.
Tags: apple, application, brushed metal, finder, gradient, ichat, iLife, itunes, macintosh, os x, osx, safari, skin, skinning, uno
Great Mac Documentation: Flashing Icons and SSL
July 21, 2006 | 3 Comments
On two occassions this week I went looking for documentation on how to do “stuff” on my Mac. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of documentation I found from Apple with simple Google search strings.
I wanted to setup SSL on the web server that runs on my OS X.4 desktop. So, I searched for “mac ssl web server”. This turned up Using mod_ssl on Mac OS X, which is a detailed guide which acts as a cookbook for getting this up and running using the infrastructure already in place on your Mac.
Later I was helping a co-worker who was experiencing difficulty with starting up his Mac. The symptom was a flashing globe. So, again a Google search: “mac flashing globe”. This turned up another article straight from Apple, Mac OS: Flashing Globe When Computer Turns On. Again the document immediately explained that the network disk must have been mistakenly selected for startup. The solution: be patient, it’ll eventually time out and switch back. Perfect!
Of course, after being patient, we got a new symptom… The flashing globe was replaced with a flashing question mark. Back to Google for a final run: “mac flashing question mark”. This time the Apple document was second in the list, but equally helpful. It also told us to be patient, but listed a bunch of steps to take if this did not work out.
All I can say is that Google combined with the really good Apple Mac documentation is a powerful combination. I’m under the impression that a monkey with an internet connection could support a pile of Macs and still have time to screw around.
Tags: apple, documentation, flashing, flashing globe, flashing question mark, globe, google, google search, mac, macintosh, question mark, SSL, support, web, web server
Shared Clipboard and More With Synergy
June 28, 2006 | 9 Comments
OK, everyone is blogging about Synergy. Frankly Synergy is one of the coolest software utilities I’ve ever used.
Ever felt the desire to share a clipboard between two computers? On different operating systems? With the same keyboard and mouse? as simply as having multiple monitors on your desk? If you wanted any sub section of those things than Synergy is for you.
In about 15 minutes I managed to setup my Mac running OS X, my Windows XP laptop, and my Windows XP desktop to use Synergy. Suddenly my single keyboard and mouse could simply and seamlessly navigate between all three systems doing happy copy and paste across them. Words can’t express how freeing this setup can be.
The best part… Synergy is free, open source software and requires absolutely no additional hardware or gadgets to get running. It’s easy, you can go do it right now. If you are running multiple machines I highly recommend it.
Tags: keyboard, kvm, mac, macintosh, mouse, pc, shared clipboard, shared keyboard, shared mouse, synergy, virtual kvm, windows
Apple Ads Justifiably Harsh on PCs
May 22, 2006 | 6 Comments
Apple recently began running a fantastic ad campaign that seriously harshes on PCs. The series of ads shows two guys personifying the two platforms. The MacOS guy is clearly cooler and more interesting while the dorky guy plays up the all business angle of PCs. All 6 ads are really funny and touch on issues like networking, viruses, software availability, restarting, iLife, and good press. Basically the Mac is shown as coming out ahead on all of these things.
Sure it’s marketing, but I think they pretty much hit the nail on the head. How can PC-centric environments continue to be justified?
Tags: advertisement, advertising, apple, iLife, mac, macintosh, networking, pc, restarting, software availability, viruses, windows
iPod Video Guide
January 10, 2006 | 7 Comments
Digg just pointed me at this fantastic guide for the video ipod: The Last iPod Video Guide You’ll Ever Need. However, the guide is OSX central, so sorry PC folks…
It certainly holds up its claim with the following detailed sections:
Protecting Your iPod
Supported Video Formats
H.264 or MPEG-4: Which is better?
Watch iPod Videos on Your TV
H.264 to MPEG-4 Size Comparison
Testing for iPod Compatibility
Places to Download iPod Videos
Converting Videos with QuickTime Pro
Converting Videos with iSquint
If iSquint Won’t Convert Your Video…
My Video’s Sound is Out-of-Sync with the Picture
DVD to iPod Video with HandBrake
Optimizing HandBrake for TV Output
If HandBrake Doesn’t Properly Recognize Your DVD…
TiVo to iPod Video with Virtual PC
Tags: apple, digg, h.264, ipod, ipod guide, mac, macintosh, mpeg-4, osx, video, video ipod
Future of Computing?
August 5, 2005 | 1 Comment
There is a great discussion going on over at TeleRead titled Want to reach nongeeks? Then beware of the C word, about computing devices and handhelds. What will be popular and eventually gain critical mass with general public awareness and interest. Should the geeks be determining where we go, or should we finally listen to what users want.
In the initial post Casey Bisson said:
Geeks look at things asking what they can do to them, the rest of the world is asking for something to do the things they want to. Computers have necessarily put a little geek in everybody, but those expectations are counterproductive to the development of new devices like the Pepper Pad. Twenty years ago geeks scorned the Macintosh because it didn’t offer the DOS prompt they expected. Where’s that DOS prompt now? Geeks aren’t average users, we shouldn’t use those expectations in judging products targeted at the mass market.
Go read the whole post. Then read Casey’s additional post, The Coming Information Age. I think this really digs into where computing hardware is going. It is always interesting as we try to predict the future, many ideas will be discussed, few will come to be.
Tags: computing, future, hadhelds, handheld computer, hardware, information, macintosh, pepper pad