SPECIAL: Special Dad or Grad?

*Camera RAW Compatibility Update*
Apple released Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 3.13, adding further RAW image compatibility support for six new cameras to iPhoto ’11 and Aperture 3.

It’s located under *Apple > Software Update…* “*Read more here.*”:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4757?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

*iPad Sales Top 3 Million*
Apple announced that they have sold over three million iPads (3rd gen) since the release on March 16. That’s a whole lotta Retina displays.

“*Read more here.*”:http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/03/19New-iPad-Tops-Three-Million.html

This may be a random feature from time to time…we stumbled across a couple of software releases this week, plus an app that just may change how you use your Mac forever (and by “forever,” we mean “as long as it takes to use computers as we know it until something comes out that we haven’t even heard of yet”).

*Coda Comes to iPad*
If you code for the web, Coda is often hailed as a light, easy-to-use alternative to DreamWeaver. I’ve used it off and on for several years now, and I concur. Panic, the developer, has now released “*Coda 2*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coda-2/id499340368?mt=12%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30 for Mac ($49.99) and “*Diet Coda*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/diet-coda/id500906297?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30 for iPad ($9.99).

Early reviews for Diet Coda seem to indicate that there are some features people would like to see, such as offline editing without a server, but Panic is a very responsive developer who no doubt is listening to what customers want. I’d give it a try if you’d like to take your code with you on your iPad!

*CheatSheet Makes a Shortcut for Shortcuts*
This app was brought to our attention by Ed, who you may remember as a longtime staple of Kibbles & Bytes. Once installed, “*CheatSheet*”:http://www.cheatsheetapp.com/CheatSheet/ displays the keyboard shortcuts on your Mac via a prolonged click of the Command key.

I found shortcuts that I didn’t even know existed–for example, I now can toggle my bookmarks through my keyboard!

Join us for Small Dog Electronics’s very first Burlington, VT Random Hacks of Kindness (RHoK) event. This event is part of RHoK Global, which hosts simultaneous hackathons all around the world on June 2nd-3rd. Meet like-minded programmers, create new and exciting apps, and win prizes and hack for humanity!

RHoK’s mission is to make the world a better place through a global community of innovation developing practical open technology. In this two-day event you’ll have the opportunity to help find solutions to submitted “*problems*”:http://www.rhok.org/problems from all over the world. Work with local subject matter experts on problem submissions from within our community, or choose from hundreds of global problems. This is a phenomenal opportunity to find technological solutions to solve local and global issues.

*Quick FAQs:*
*When:* June 2nd-3rd
*Where:* UVM – courtesy of UVM Summer University
*Cost:* FREE! We’ll even feed you!

Who’s invited? Whether you program a little or a lot you’re welcome to attend. This can be a great chance to stretch your skills and learn new ones. Community members who feel they can contribute, even if they don’t code, are also welcome.

How does it work? On Saturday morning, after an introduction to some of the local problems, you’ll break up into groups, choose a problem and work together to find a solution. Solutions need to be kept open source and you have the option to continue working on them after the hackathon. Sunday afternoon you’ll have a chance to present your solution to the group and a few lucky groups will go home with some pretty sweet prizes.

Sign me up!
For more information and to register “*check out our RHoK event page.*”:http://www.rhok.org/event/burlington-vt-usa

On Facebook? Sign up here:
“*https://www.facebook.com/events/293857200701379/*”:https://www.facebook.com/events/293857200701379/

Any Questions? Contact Rebecca Kraemer, Director of IT for Small Dog Electronics, at 802.496.7171 x643 or “*rhok@smalldog.com.*”:mailto:rhok@smalldog.com

Okay, fair warning to red colored crustaceans, I am coming for you. Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

Your Kibble & Bytes Team,
_Don, Kali, Mike & Dawn_

bq. __”Space…the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the Angry Birds. Their continuing mission: to slingshot around strange new worlds, to destroy new pig civilizations, to boldly go where no app has gone before.”__

The latest installment in the Angry Birds franchise takes the familiar gameplay from the first few games and adds a great new twist. The birds are now in space and have to deal with a variety of gravity wells. Completing levels now sometimes requires a method of navigating space known as a “gravity assist maneuver” or “gravitational slingshot.” This technique is used in real space exploration, first by “*Mariner 10*”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariner_10 and most notably by the two “*Voyager probes,*”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_program in order to achieve velocities and trajectories that would otherwise require incredible amounts of fuel.

Because of this connection, NASA has embraced Angry Birds Space as an opportunity to educate people about space and gravity. According to NASA: “Not only does gravity play a vital role in the game but, in general, gravity is a force that governs motion throughout the universe.” In addition to “*sending iPads to the space station,*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/article/ipad-in-space/ presumably to play Angry Birds Space in space, NASA has also made a video of astronaut Don Pettit demonstrating the physics of projectiles in a microgravity environment using an Angry Bird toy and a makeshift slingshot. The video can be viewed “*here.*”:http://youtu.be/lxI1L1RiSJQ

If learning isn’t your thing, that’s okay, because this game is also really fun to play. Your starting position and the number and type of gravity wells varies from level to level forcing you to constantly rethink your angle of attack and come up with some creative solutions to get pigs that seem impossible to hit at first glance. My favorite level (so far) is hidden and needed to be unlocked by getting what appeared to be a golden rock. When you hit the golden rock, you are warped to a game field that is an obvious homage to the classic arcade game Space Invaders.

Download Angry Birds Space for iOS “*here.*”:http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=19XpSnZWhPI&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/angry-birds-space/id499511971?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30

The “About This Mac” feature on your Mac has always been a shortcut to the details and specs on your computer. It provides a quick reference if you need to know how much RAM is installed, your serial number, or processor speed at-a-glance.

Before I get to the snazzy new look in Lion, though, I want to point out a tip that’s inherent in all versions of OS X: When you first select About This Mac from the Apple menu, a window pops up with some basic specs, including the version of the OS. Just by clicking those words, the data will rotate through, giving you access to your serial number right there.

In that main window, there’s a button labeled More Info… that you can click to view your System Information. Here’s where Lion has made this much more user friendly! Visually, it’s a complete overhaul, with the old text lists making way for photos to help you understand what you’re looking at.

It’s not just prettier, though. Browse through the website-like menu navigation (click for screenshots of “*Overview,*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/images/2940.png “*Displays,*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/images/2938.png “*Storage,*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/images/2937.png “*Memory,*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/images/2939.png “*Support*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/images/2936.png and “*Service.*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/images/2935.png) and you’ll find links to user manuals, upgrade instructions, warranty check information, the Help Center and more.