If you’re a Mac user you’re probably accustomed to the way CMD + TAB works on the map; frankly, it sucks. It doesn’t maximize minimized windows and you can’t cycle through windows, just applications. Witch will fix that for you.
Witch: Makes CMD + TAB on the Mac Stop Sucking from Jeffery Smith on Vimeo.
Over the years I’ve assimilated a number of people into the collective hive mind of Apple users. But some users aren’t engrossed in the culture as others and may miss some beautiful applications.
I’m here to share one such application called TextExpander by smileonmymac.com. If you’re not familiar with the app, take a look and see if it’ll help you out!
Mac Tool Tips: TextExpander from Jeffery Smith on Vimeo.
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apple, applications, tips, tutorials
In my day job we, like many other companies, have been struggling with the problem of data center sprawl and the expenditures that go along with that. One of the first things that we looked at was server virtualization but with budgets getting tighter and tighter in today’s economic climate we certainly couldn’t spend money to save money. It was then that we stumbled upon VMWare ESXi.
Server virtualization has been a hot trend in the IT field lately. For those that don’t know server virtualization is basically the process of emulating the hardware layer of a machine through software with the goal of being able to create several instances of a machine on a single server. So one machine could be used to emulate multiple complete machines including networking and their own storage allocations.
One of the great benefits to virtualization is the consolidation of servers. Now an adequately outfitted machine can serve as multiple servers which are isolated from one another. For example in our lab environment at the office we have a single server hosting 9 virtual servers with room to spare! We save money on power (because there’s only 1 physical machine as opposed to 9) and we save on space. (For the same reasons)
VMWare ESXi is a Virtual Machine Server implementation based on the popular ESX architecture created by VMWare. The software is a small footprint, bare metal install of the virtualization software. The ISO will perform the install after answering just a few questions and embeds itself into the physical server’s firmware. The install also will detect all compatible hardware and configure it appropriately, with the keyword being compatible. So far our common incompatibility point has been with storage arrays, specifically the Dell MD3000 arrays, so you’ll want to make sure to check the Hardware Compatibility List prior to beginning the install. Once the software is installed, virtual servers are configured and deployed via a Windows GUI based interface. ESXi will allow you to define resource pools for memory, cpu utilization and disk usage. This can keep a particular virtual machine from running rampant and impacting other virtual machines on the same physical server.
Now for the major selling point of VMWare ESXi. This great technology is available to you absolutely free, no strings attached. You won’t have access to any of the really fancy features available in some of the other virtual suites, but you can absolutely do serious production work with ESXi and is instantly an option for companies or organizations of any size.
Besides the benefits already listed you’ve also got the added benefit of being able to run multiple operating systems on a single piece of hardware. A virtual server can host virtual machines running, Linux, Windows and Solaris (to name a few) all at the same time. This can really lead to cost savings for companies with restrictive IT budgets. ESXi also supports virtual switches, so you could simulate an entire network on a single machine. This is great for lab testing or development work.
If you work for a company and you’ve been tossing the idea of playing around with sever virtualization now you can with no risk. If you’re that tinkering developer that wishes he had more environments to play with, now you can do it and you can do it for the lowest price ever possible. I highly recommend you check out VMWare ESXi.
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virtual server, virtualization, vmware, vmware esxi
The team over at the Pain in the Tech blog have a good tip for adding a recent applications icon to the Dock. Good stuff. See the full article with screenshots here.
To create this stack, open the Terminal window, found under Utilities, and paste (all on one line) in the following and hit enter:
defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-others -array-add '{ 'tile-data' = { 'list-type' = 1; }; 'tile-type' = 'recents-tile'; }'You must restart the Dock for this to take effect. Type in the Terminal window:
I’m a big board game fan, always have been and always will be. I love sitting down at a table and moving little pieces around and kicking ass, I’m a simply guy to please. Board games have been ‘ported’ to computers for as long as they’ve been around. Most of the time it’s simple mainstream games like Monopoly and Scrabble, but quite a few more hardcore games have made it to the PC like Axis and Allies, Risk, Advanced Squad Leader and quite a few Warhammer games. The biggest problem I’ve had with board games on the PC was not being able to easily play with other people. Yes there were multi-player functions, but most of the time you had to actually know someone with the SAME patched version as you (a problem I ran into trying to play Civ IV with Nic a week ago) and then convince them to sit down and play. Then came the Xbox 360.
I used to be a huge PC game fan and hate console systems. I could get free games for the PC just by looking hard enough (Warez FTW), PC’s were upgradeable and they could do so much more. Then I grew up and got a job. I got tired of constantly getting new drivers and new patches when I got a game and then still finding out my graphics card wasn’t compatible. Then Jeff convinced me the Xbox was the best shit since sliced bread. How do I know if the game will run, if my graphics card is good, do I have enough Ram? That shit says Xbox on the front, right? It’ll run! As long as I’m connected to the interweb it’ll download patches for me, I don’t even have to go looking for them. What’s even better is a whole shitload of people playing the same game, with the same patches on Xbox Live. I don’t even have to LOOK for them. So I’ve been sold on console gaming for awhile now.
So what happens when you combine board games with Xbox Live? Nate gets very happy! Recently I discovered the Xbox Arcade has Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan, two of my favorite board games. I’m so fond of them I’ve spent over $200 for Settlers and expansions and over $100 on Carcassonne. I was pleased to find out that I could buy them on Xbox Live for 800 points each. Now Microsoft’s whole scheme with points should be criminal but that’s another story. So, on to some reviews.
Carcassonne: The graphics are booty… Straight out of 1995 VGA graphics. Why am I playing with 10 year old graphics on an HD system? I’m not asking for super animated shit, hows about some crisp lines though? The tiles look like my 7 year old cut them out. Thats about my only complaint though! The game play is great! the interface is simple, but not very fancy. It takes a tiny bit of getting used to flipping the tiles around but thankfully they only let you put it in valid spots. The game is just as fast paced and enjoyable as the real thing. All of the same strategies are there, when to place farmers, how to mess with your opponents, betting on getting the one tile you need to complete something. There’s even a pretty good tutorial for anyone who hasn’t played yet. They have the River expansion and a King and Robbers expansion and supposedly are planning on releasing more of the expansions in the future.
Catan:
Same poop graphics, although there is a graphics expansion that improves this AND animates the tiles, but who wants to spend another couple hundred points on it? The game play is good, the AI’s are OK and most of the time make good decisions. I’ve played almost 20 games so far and have rarely had a problem finding 3 other people to play with. My biggest complaint is the lack of expansions. I own both Seafarers of Catan and the Knights and Cities expansions and find that that with the two expansions the game has a much higher replay value to it. Where as the expansions for Carcassonne add a little, Catan is far inferior game without them. This still doesn’t stop me from playing non-stop, but it does make me want to get together with some guys and play the real deal.
I doubt the Xbox will kill board games, but it’s nice to be able to sit down and play the games you love without all the hassle of getting everyone together, and still get 90% of the same experience from it.
Nate: The angriest dork ever.
I remember my first computer. It was a 286 given to me by a friend’s father. He noticed my interest in computers and decided that when he upgraded he would feed an eager young mind with the knowledge of 1′s and 0′s. Of course I was younger then, so those 1′s and 0′s put together formed a game called Wing Commander. It was the greatest single experience in my young life, glued to the keyboard for hours upon hours. Despite all the gaming systems I owned, Atari 7200, Sega Master System and even the Nintendo, nothing could have torn me away from my beloved 286 when it came to gaming. My how times have changed.
It’s a Friday night and I don’t really feel like going out. I’ve got 3 Netflix movies that I’ve already watched and need to be returned. So I decide to turn on the old TV and begin to channel surf.
Now if you’re like me, chances are that when you do actually watch television, you’re either watching something you’ve got on your DVR or you spend more time looking for content than you do actually watching it.
During what alcoholics refer to as “a moment of clarity”, I realized that I’ve been paying $50 dollars per month to enjoy the privilege of watching DVR. I’ve also realized that 90% of the things I’ve recorded are on ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX, all channels that are free over the air. So with this thought in mind, I decided to begin a little experiment in ditching cable. I figure with all the Internet streaming video out there, it should be feasible right? Yes and no.
I was reading an article on Macworld announcing the Wine 1.0 release.
After 15 years of “pain” and “despair,” open-source developers on Tuesday celebrated the release of version 1.0 of the Wine emulation software by, you guessed it, opening a few bottles of wine.
Wine allows Windows applications to run natively on other operating systems, including versions of Linux, Unix and—thanks to Tuesday’s commercial release of CrossOver—the Mac OS.
I remember when I was running Linux as my OS of choice, it was a lonely world. We live in a Windows world still to this day 10 years later. Linux has matured however and the latest top dog Ubuntu seems to have captured the hearts of many. One of the problems with living in that world was the lack of applications to replace your current Windows solution. I can remember the sheer excitement I had when I finally got GAIM to compile and not crash everytime I launched it. So back then, Wine was a God send.
But now that time has passed and Linux is much more mature, there are a lot of software solutions out there, is Wine really needed? Sure there are those business apps that only run on WIndows, but chances are the users of those apps will be running on Windows anyways.
For the home Linux user is Wine still relevant? Still, Kudos to the development team. Better late than never. It was a long hard road.
This has potential. Potential to suck too but I think they can work it out.
AppleInsider | Apple looks towards personalized on-demand podcasts
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Turns out Microsoft is still having trouble getting their Zunes out the door. As part of a Valentines day promotion they guaranteed delivery in time for the big lovers day. Unfortunately their manufacturing plants weren’t on board with that and they’re not capable of completing all the orders.
BUT, check out this note below from a Microsoft e-mail.
We wanted to provide you with an update on your order status. Due to some issues in our fulfillment center there remains a chance we will miss getting your Zune to you by February 14th. We are working hard to get your order to you as quickly as possible and we currently plan to ship your Zune within the next 3-4 days. Once your order is in transit, we will send you a shipping confirmation with a link for tracking.
Our goal is to provide a smooth customer experience for ordering, customization, and delivery. We sincerely apologize for not meeting that goal in this specific case. We will be refunding the entire amount of your order, which you should be able to see on your credit/debit card within 7-10 days. We hope you love your Zune and that you will accept our sincere apology.
If you have additional questions, please call 1.877.GET.ZUNE. For fastest service, press 5 then press 1 and have your order information ready.
The Zune Originals Team
Sounds like someone is DESPERATE for market share. FYI Microsoft. If you’re sending me some free shit, I’ll definitely check it out.
