Earlier this week, Apple released the second update for Snow Leopard, bringing it to OS X 10.6.2. This update features a security update, as well as a substantial list of bug fixes for Safari, Mail, MobileMe, network file systems, graphics, fonts, Front Row, and much more.

The 10.6.2 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Read more “by clicking here.”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222 Read about the security aspect of the update “by clicking here.”:”http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3874

You can download the update by running *Software Update*, which is found under the Apple button in the upper left corner of your screen (this is the recommended method). You can manually install the update “by clicking here.”:http://support.apple.com/downloads/#macosx106

Of note, this update removes support for Intel Intel Atom processors, disabling “hacked” non-Apple netbooks running OS X. The update fixes a critical issue with guest accounts and the accidental erasure of entire home directories.

Apple frequently releases free software updates for all of applications along with OS X. The Software Update feature in Mac OS X makes it very easy to determine and get what you need. There are a few tips that make keeping your Mac up-to-date especially convenient and easy, including setting an update schedule.

Apple has posted a Support article detailing the procedure. I think it’s worth reading. For example, I didn’t know that it was possible to “hide select updates”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2357, if you don’t want to install them.

“Click here to read the entire support article!”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1338?viewlocale=en_US

Along with the 10.6.2 update, Apple released a Security Update for 10.5. This Update is recommended for all users and improves the security of Mac OS X. Previous security updates have been incorporated into this security update, so if you’ve skipped some updates, this one will catch you up quickly.

If you have 10.5, you can download the update by running Software Update, which is found under the Apple button in the upper left corner of your screen (this is the recommended method). You can manually install the update by “clicking here.”:http://support.apple.com/kb/DL963

A friend recently asked if it was possible to change the default color of highlighted text in OS X. He is working on a research project, and frequently needs to highlight text, especially in Safari. The standard basic grey color of highlighted text in OS X made it difficult to find highlighted text on the screen.

Fortunately, it is very easy to change the default color of highlighted text. Simply open System Preferences (found by clicking on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen), then click on the *Appearance* button. In the Appearance pane, you will see a drop-down menu for *Highlight Color*. You can choose from several options, or create your own color.

_Dear Friends,_

We are in the midst of Indian summer here in the Green Mountains with sunny skies and warm days, setting a few record warm temperatures and definitely extending the motorcycle season a bit. I know we are going to pay for this. I met with my new plow man yesterday to talk about the upcoming winter. I found a new plow guy because the young man doing it for the past couple of years is not a morning person, and sometimes we would not be plowed out until the afternoon. Real plow guys get excited when it snows and are up at 3AM to make sure their customers are happy and able to get to work!

Customer satisfaction is the key to any successful business, snow plowing or Apple-selling. I often tell my employees that customer service doesn’t cost–it pays. We take customer satisfaction very seriously; in fact, much of our incentive compensation is based upon our customer satisfaction scores as measured by NPS (Net Promoter Score). If you want to learn more about this means of measuring customer satisfaction, “click here.”:http://www.netpromoter.com/np/index.jsp

We do not pay commissions at Small Dog Electronics because we feel that the person that packs the box or sweeps the floors is just as important as the person that happens to take the order. We provide incentives to our employees based upon certain key performance indicators for the company, each department and the individual. In each case, a very large percentage of this incentive compensation is based upon customer satisfaction.

We track our NPS scores like someone monitoring their temperature when they have the flu. When we see a decline, I can walk around the company and overhear comments about how to get he score back up. It is just that important to our company. The other thing that Hapy and I have done from the very start is to empower our employees to directly deal with customer service issues. Hapy is much better than I am at deflecting requests for customer service decisions back to the employee with the question, “what do you think we should do for this customer?” Ultimately, we want our employees to make these decisions.

We will be having a special customer appreciation pre-holiday sale at our retail stores here in Vermont next weekend that will help some to beat the holiday rush. We are offering our local customers some special deals that will make you wish you lived in Vermont!

I had the pleasure of awarding the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility Legislator of the Year award to Speaker of the House, Shap Smith. During lunch with the Speaker, he talked about the huge challenges of the upcoming legislative session with a lame duck governor, many leaders running for governor and a big fiscal budget crisis for the state in addition to the lingering problems of health care reform, sustainable energy and transportation.

It was a lot of work on his plate, but then he told me that he felt privileged to be in his position to roll up his sleeves and tackle the heavy-lifting. It was very inspirational and I was very honored to present the award to him. “See a photo here!”:http://blog.smalldog.com/images/1433.jpg