Recycle Your eWaste for FREE: September 21

Happy Labor Day to everyone! I hope you have a great holiday. The annual Killington Classic motorcycle rally is this weekend, so we will probably take a ride down route 100 to check it out and pick up some sweet corn for the grill on the way home.

Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
_Don, Kali & Stephanie_

The Option key on your Mac has some pretty handy (no pun intended?) benefits, from time-saving keyboard shortcuts to access to hidden or ‘bonus’ features.

Some of these things we’ve covered in previous Mac Treats — for example, how to stop the ‘quack’ (hold the Option key while pressing the volume buttons) and how to access your Library folder in 10.7+ (hold the Option key while perusing the Go menu in Finder) — but it can do so much more.

Among the most popular, using the Option key:

* Adds bonus/alternate menu options in the Finder and almost every app
* Accesses ‘Secure Empty Trash’ in the Finder menu
* Enables full-screen Quick Look in a Finder window
* Allows one to move an item rather than pasting in *Finder > Edit*
* Allows one to bypass System Preferences for certain commands using the menu bar instead
* Gives an option to Show Inspector with *Option+Command+I*

For more on what the Option key can do for you, take a look at this article at “*Mac Tuts+.*”:http://mac.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tips-shortcuts/going-further-with-the-option-key-in-mac-os-x/

__Note: We covered some the options of the Option key way back in 2008 in__ “*Kibbles & Bytes issue #597.*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/kibbles/kb597/ __Some of these commands have changed over the years, but it’s worth a read in order to explore more Option possibilities!__

Enjoy *50% off* any color Hammerhead neoprene case for iPad and Brenthaven Collins Folio Sleeves for iPad.

Both of these cases will give your iPad supreme protection while looking sleek, too!

Get excited kids…September 1st not only kicks off a new month,* but it also marks the first of 30 days of FREE live music! Beginning in 2007, the annual iTunes festival has been on the rise as one of London’s most exciting months of live music. Every night, an emerging artist will be paired with a veteran headliner. This formula has been known to produce some awesomely epic results.

Like always, the iTunes Festival will return to the Roundhouse in London and tickets are given away to iTunes users and fans in the UK by an application that you can submit through the iTunes Store or the “*official app*”:http://search.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZContentLink.woa/wa/link?path=festival. However, fear not if you didn’t get your hands on tickets. The great thing about this festival is that Apple makes it easy for everyone to enjoy. It’s easy to watch all concerts live on iTunes or download the “*iTunes Festival app*”:http://search.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZContentLink.woa/wa/link?path=festival and watch straight from your iPhone or iPad.

I have to admit, I think I was living under a rock for the past six years as I knew about the iTunes Festival, but either was too busy or it slipped my mind to actually sit down and enjoy. But don’t ya know, this will not be the case this year! I’ve got the app downloaded and ready to go.

I have even gone through the list of performers and added iCal events to my iPhone (probably the best feature of the app) so that ten minutes before go time I’ll get a little alert that Justin Timberlake is performing — of course, I have to wait until the second to last day of the festival for that alert, though.

I’d recommend checking out the “*lineup.*”:http://www.itunesfestival.com There’s a little bit of everything in there: new, old, already famous, rising-star, etc. Then iCal your faves and get ready to watch some great live music! Cheers!

__(*Boo…summer is coming to an end!)__

_Dear Friends,_

School is back in session here in Vermont (and many areas of the country) even before Labor Day. All of our retail stores will be closed on Labor Day this Monday, September 2nd, to allow our employees to enjoy the holiday with their families.

Labor Day was designated a national holiday in 1894 after the bloody and contentious Pullman Strike. Labor Day honors the contributions of works to the economic and social fabric of our country but of course, it also marks the end of summer. Here in Waitsfield, it also means my favorite summertime snack bar — Maynard’s — will be closing for the season. I am not ready for summer to be over so I am going to pretend it is still here.

Saturday marks the end of the special financing for Macs and iPads, so if you’re in the market for one, there are still a couple of days left to take advantage of no-interest financing for 6, 12 or 18 months and the Small Dog Electronics Mac-to-School specials.

It is the 2nd anniversary of the devastating impact of Hurricane Irene here in Vermont. It is amazing to me that two years after the event, I can still see ruined houses, fields and bridges as I ride down route 100 to Rutland. There are a lot of celebrations this week, honoring the “Vermont Strong” reaction to the floods, but there is still a lot of work to do for full recovery.

There is a lot of speculation on exactly what Apple might introduce at their first new product event of the fall which is widely reported to be scheduled for September 10th. Rebecca and I will be talking about that on Small Dog Speaks on Thursdays at 1PM on WDEV. Let us know your thoughts or if you have questions, feel free to email or call in live for the show. The toll-free number for WDEV is 877-291-8255. You can also “*stream*”:http://www.wdevradio.com/audio.html the show or listen to the “*archives.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/sdspeaks

Might as well look cool carrying around all your supplies when you head back to that place called School.

*Save $15* on all Burton Metalhead packs until September 15!