Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • New Price and FREE shipping on the Seagate Wireless Mobile Storage 500GB

    Enjoy your media and access your files without wires or the Internet. Seagate Wireless broadcasts its own Wi-Fi network, so you can wirelessly stream your media and files to up to three mobile devices. With 500GB of storage at your fingertips, choosing which files to sync to your mobile device before a long trip is a thing of the past. Seagate Wireless lets you carry hundreds of movies and thousands of photos, songs and documents. Seagate Wireless streams your media and documents to all your popular tablets, smartphones, computers and connected devices.

  • TRIM support for SSDs

    TRIM (not actually an acronym) is a technology exclusive to SSDs that helps the drive erase data that is no longer in use. Traditional spinning disk HDDs do not actually erase all the data when you delete something. HDDs merely delete the file header(s) when you empty the trash. The file header is the information that points to the places where the actual data is stored. To save time (and wear and tear), a HDD will leave the real data on the drive to be simply overwritten in the future for something else.

    SSDs, on the other hand, cannot overwrite existing data. The data first has to be deleted (written over with zeroes) before new data can be stored in the same location. This is fine for a while, but as the SSD fills up, it will eventually be stuck erasing lots of data before it can save new data. This will affect the performance of a SSD over time.

    The way TRIM works is that it every time you delete something, the SSD zeroes out all of the data blocks that are associated with the files. This not only can make SSDs more secure out of the box, it also keeps the read and write speeds high over time!

    Apple now includes a *Terminal* command that enables TRIM for third party SSDs. It’s called *trimforce*, and it works on OS X 10.10.4 Yosemite and higher and all versions of OS X El Capitan. It also is fully compatible with every Crucial SSD that Small Dog sells! After installing an SSD in your 10.10.4 or newer Mac, enable TRIM support with the following steps:

    * Open *Terminal* (can be found in the *Utilities folder*)
    * Type “*sudo trimforce enable*” (without the quotes)
    * Type “*y*” (sans quotes) to agree with the warning
    * Type your admin password (no letters will show up while typing)
    * Wait for your Mac to restart

    To check that TRIM is successfully enabled, click the Apple in the upper left-hand corner, click *About This Mac > System Report.* Choose *SATA/SATA Express* from the sidebar. You should see *Crucial* (or your brand of SSD) written somewhere there, and under that it should say *TRIM Support* with a *Yes* across from it. You have now unlocked the full potential of your new SSD!

  • On Firewalls

    Firewalls can be tricky to understand. I have met many people who do not know what the purpose of a firewall is. Since the firewall included in Mac OS X is also disabled by default, most people are alarmed when they discover it. However, in most cases, this is nothing to worry about.

    The purpose of the software firewall in consumer-grade computers is to block incoming virtual connections from the network the computer is connected to. Depending on the situation, this can be a good or a bad thing. Allowing unknown entities to connect to your computer is never a good thing, but a connection to your computer can only be established if there is an application already waiting to receive it. By default, Mac OS X has far fewer applications running in the background of the operating system that can accept virtual connections than Windows does. This is why the firewall is disabled by default in Mac OS X, and not in Windows. It is also part of the reason why Macs have a reputation as “more secure” than Windows computers.

    If a firewall is activated on a computer, it can cause issues for the user that would not occur without it. Some legitimate applications may not work correctly from behind a firewall, because they rely on input from remote servers. Typically, the firewall will prompt the user to allow or deny the connection if such a connection is detected, but this can be irritating for the user and will not increase security in many cases because most users will blindly allow every connection.

    Most Mac users will never encounter a situation where it will be necessary to enable the firewall. In most situations, the firewall should only be enabled if the user is trying to run an application which is known to communicate freely with the Internet, and the user wants to disable this functionality. If you do want to turn on the firewall, this can be done in the *Security & Privacy* panel of System Preferences.

  • Cleaning Up & Speeding Up Your Mac

    bq. _My Mac used to be fast, but now it’s running so slow._

    I’ve heard many versions of this complaint, and they’re usually factually true, not just opinions: Macs can become sluggish over time, even if all of their chips and hard drives are working like new. Even diehard Apple fans will admit that Macs typically run new OS X versions better (faster, and with fewer bugs) if you start with a clean slate: completely wipe your hard drive, do a fresh install of the latest OS X release, and restore only the files you need. That’s not as hard as it sounds, but it’s a radical and fairly time-consuming solution.

    There are many things you can do to clear the cobwebs in your Apple device and keep it running as fast as it was from day one. First, find and delete enough files to leave your Mac at least 50GB of free storage capacity – enough room for the Mac to work without pausing to manage its hard drive space. Regular maintenance is must. Like a car, watch, or bicycle, anything regularly serviced and taken care of can extend the lifetime.

    Deleting apps you no longer use from your *Applications folder* is a great spot to start your cleaning adventure. It may sound obvious, but clearing out the trash regularly will help your computer run smoother. Always keep in mind that anything emptied from the trash is permanently deleted. You may need to restart or shutdown your computer for the space you’ve reclaimed to properly show on your hard drive.

    Compressing and archiving your old files is another way of cleaning up your Mac. Compressing your files will make them dramatically smaller, freeing up extra space on your hard drive. Once your files are compressed, move them to an external hard drive, USB thumbdrive or CD for storage. Also, keeping files you don’t regularly use on your hard drive can slow it down. Regularly check your *~/Movies/*, *~/Music/*, and *~/Downloads/* folders for unused files. Drag unneeded files to the *Trash*. Apps like to save here by default, and this can result in used hard drive space, so be vigilant about what gets put in here.

    Lastly, if you are running 10.10 Yosemite or earlier, run *Disk Utility* to verify and repair permissions to speed up your Mac. Installing and uninstalling of programs on Macs over time can lead to changes in permissions for programs. Sometimes this gets obsolete and causes unnecessary processing. This unnecessary processing won’t affect the size of space taken on your hard drive, but it will increase efficiency, which equates to increased speed.

  • _Hello Fellow Technophiles,_

    People often ask “Where is the manual?” when purchasing a new Mac. Apple has not included very much paper in their boxes for some time, but nevertheless, your Mac has a manual. When you are in the *Finder* you will see a menu option in the top bar that says *Help.* Click this and select *Mac Help.* This is the manual. There are categories on the left and you can click on the little triangle next to each category to reveal all of the topics in that category. Each topic generally includes detailed descriptions, how-tos, pictures, and links to further information.

    These links usually go to “*support.apple.com*”:https://www.apple.com/support/ where there is massive amounts of information on every product, OS, and app that Apple has released. It can be daunting to sort through if you are not sure where to start, but rest assured that all of the information you need is there somewhere. If you need help sorting through this, you can call AppleCare phone support (if you have AppleCare) or you can reach out to us at “*consulting@smalldog.com*”:mailto:consulting@smalldog.com and one of our Apple-certified experts can point you in the right direction, or if it makes sense, book a one-on-one lesson to get you up and running.

    And for you bibliophiles out there, there are actual physical books available as well. You can see Small Dog’s selection “*here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/Books Make sure to get yours while paper books still exist!

    Mike
    “*michaeld@smalldog.com*”:mailto:michaeld@smalldog.com

  • My daughter Autumn and her husband Ismael are coming to visit next week which should be fun. Then we pack up and head back to Vermont. Hopefully the weather will cooperate but it seems like warmer weather is in the forecast for the Green Mountains.

    Thank you so much for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    _Don, Emily, Hadley & Amy_

  • Get yourself some Dux

    What is a Dux you ask? Dux is a really great product line from STM and one that we are really excited to begin carrying here at Small Dog. This product line up has cases for your iPad and your computer and for the last week or so I have been testing out the Dux case for Macbook Air.

    My first impression is that it gives my computer a sharp new look. I feel as though my computer is highlighted more in this case. It features a primarily clear case and then a border that comes in an assortment of colors. The one I am using is black and it really looks sharp and sleek on the computer.

    I will be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of hardshell cases for computers. They do add weight to your computer and they can be hard to put on and take off. However, this case did stand out to me as soon as I saw it and I immediately asked for a sample so that I could test it out. It’s the reinforced border that caught my eye. The plastic is slightly different from that of the clear case and really gives you a feeling of protection for your computer.

    Customers ask me all the time why someone might want a hard shell case, it’s a combination of accessorizing and protection. Hard shell cases are great for those who might like to sticker their computers. You can sticker all you want on a removable case and not damage your computer. For people who bring their computers everywhere it’s a great way to protect them from the dings and scratches that can happen just by pulling your computer in and out, especially those whom might fly a lot. One piece of advice I will give users of hardshell cases is that you still need to remove them! The idea and concept of hard shell cases is to provide added protection to your computer, to keep it looking like new under the case. However, if you don’t remove the case from time to time and clean the case and computer from dust and debris your computer will still get scratches. I have seen countless computers get just as scratched up with these kinds of cases than those without and the cause is always the same: dirt build up. This particular case comes on and off much easier than some others on the market making my recommended occasional cleanings much easier to perform. After all you’ve probably purchased a hard shell case to keep your computer looking new.

    Overall I am very happy with this case, but the biggest test is yet to come. I am flying to Arizona next week for an event with one of our vendors, and I’ll be keeping this case on my computer for my travels. The real test will be if I notice the added weight while making my way through airports, so far I haven’t really noticed the increased weight in my daily travels.

    P.S. Hadley, even if it means burpees and laps in an airport terminal I plan to maintain my lead in our competition. It’s ON!

  • It's On!

    With nice warm weather finally on the way, and a pretty early spring overall, we’re getting pretty geared up for outdoor activities here at the Small Dog HQ. I don’t remember which of us suggested it initially, but Emily and I have kicked off an April fitness challenge/competition.

    We’re both trying to get more active and we thought having a challenge would be a good fun way to keep us both motivated. Emily’s main method of attack is running and other exercises like burpees, pushups, and the occasional jumping jacks (to intimidate me while I’m sitting at my desk). I never liked running, so my main method of attack is riding my bike. The weather has been marginally cooperative for that. The roads are mostly clear of salt, and the sun shines enough, but the days have still been on the colder side. I don’t like to ride in less than 40 degrees because I have to put on too many layers and I find it really uncomfortable.

    We needed to figure out a way to track our individual progress so we could compare results. Emily has an “**Apple Watch**”:http://www.apple.com/watch/ and I have a “**Misfit Shine**”:http://www.smalldog.com/mfg/?MfrName=Misfit. At the beginning of the month, we did a few test days to see how the Misfit would track my bike riding and how the results would compare with Emily’s Apple Watch tracking her running. As it turns out, the two are pretty comparable. When I’m riding, I have the Misfit on my shoe to record the pedaling motion. It ends up recording this in a kind of “step equivalent” that we’ve found is actually comparable to the steps counted by Emily’s Apple Watch when she runs. Obviously running 5 miles takes more energy and effort than riding 5 miles (thanks, bearings!) but we found that Emily’s standard run (about 3-4 miles) was roughly equivalent to a 10-15 mile ride for me depending on terrain.

    So the challenge is fully on now. On a daily basis, I don’t get that many steps. My ace in the hole here is that I still haven’t been able to do my standard full 18-20 mile training ride yet. The weather hasn’t cooperated enough. I’m hoping that’ll change this weekend. Two days of over 60 degree weather and nice and sunny!

    The coolest thing about this challenge is that it shows how completely different fitness trackers are pretty close to each other in tracking general activity. The Apple Watch can do additional things like better tracking of calories and workouts, because it can measure heart rate. The Misfit cannot do that. We found that my Misfit’s calorie reading includes basal metabolic rate. So even if I just walk around all day and never get my heart rate up, it’ll record that I burned something like 2200 calories (which basically translates to, “hey, you were alive all day today!”). If I get it to record an actual workout (like a bike ride) the calorie information for that specific activity will be pretty close, but on average, it’s not a good metric for our challenge. We’re sticking to steps.

    At the end of the month, I’ll be back here to report our results to Kibbles readers! (Bad news though, after writing this, I did a check of my month-to-date total and it’s about half of where Emily is. I’m still confident I can stay in it. I’ve only had like 2-3 half decent rides so far. I’m itching to get out on the road!)

  • Hey Dora…

    So we have Siri and I’ve been playing around with Alexa (don’t tell Grace!) but now I have Dora, too. Dora is the computer from Robert Heinlein’s Time Enough for Love, The Number of the Beast, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls which were some of my favorite Sci-Fi as a kid.

    I was helping a customer that has pretty bad arthritis and struggled to use the keyboard. I was straightening out her email and getting her off of AOL (something we do often!) and noticed how difficult it was to type a simple email. So, I showed her dictation on the Mac and wow, it was like a light just got switched on. Dictation has come a long way and if your are on Mavericks, Yosemite or El Capitan, Apple’s enhanced dictation works wonderfully.

    Dictation will not be a satisfying experience for you if you have a lot of noise in the room, i.e. other people talking, music, etc, but if you are working alone in a relatively quiet environment it can be a great tool not only for dictating that email but you can also use spoken commands to direct your Mac to take action.

    Setting up Enhanced Dictation

    * Open System Preferences, then click on Dictation & Speech. Turn on Dictation and set up your options.

    * Click *Use Enhanced Dictation*. This will download a 1.2GB file so that you can dictate without internet connection.

    * Choose your language and dialect. Some languages, such as English, have multiple dialects.

    * Choose the keyboard shortcut you will use to signal that you’re ready to start dictating. The default is pressing the function Fn key twice, which I find convenient but you can customize it.

    * Choose your preferred microphone from the pop-up menu below the microphone icon. Normally, you use the internal microphone but if you are using a headset or external microphone you can choose that.

    Using Dictation

    * Go to a document or other text field and place the insertion point where you want your dictated text to appear.

    * Press the keyboard shortcut for starting dictation. The default shortcut is Fn Fn (press the Fn key twice). Or choose Edit > Start Dictation. When your Mac is listening, it displays a microphone with an input meter that rises and falls as you speak.

    * Speak the words that you want your Mac to type. Use dictation commands to add punctuation, formatting, and more.

    * To stop dictating, click Done below the microphone icon, or press Fn, or switch to another window.

    The more you use Dictation, the better it understands you. Dictation learns the characteristics of your voice and adapts to your accent.

    I will go into some of the more enhanced features like Dictation Commands in next week’s Kibbles & Bytes but I can tell Dora to Open an App, select text, move up or down and much more. I think you will like dictation on the Mac, give it a try!

  • _Dear Friends,_

    New data from Piper Jaffray’s teen survey show that Apple is dominating that market at least as far as mobile devices are concerned. They have 71% of the teen market for smart watches and almost 70% for iPhones and 64% for iPad. Another survey has Apple Mac sales showing positive growth while literally the entire PC market is in decline.

    I have been playing around with Amazon’s Echo and I have to say that I like it a lot. I wake up each morning and say “Alexa, what’s new?” and I get the news reports from NPR, CNN, Huffington Post and BBC as well as ESPN Sports and the local weather report. During the day, I ask Alexa to “play the blues” or “play some classical music” and while the speaker is not as good as my Sonos system it does fill the room. I can be around the corner or across the room and the Echo can hear me. Apple needs to step it up a bit and get Siri on the Mac or even better yet, integrated into their networking gear. I would love to be able to tell my Sonos app to play my music from my iTunes library!

    Speaking of networking here’s a Kibbles & Bytes exclusive! This isn’t for everyone but if you have a big house and your Wi-Fi signal isn’t reaching that far corner of the house this could solve three problems for you! I am bundling the Apple Factory Refurbished 3TB Time Capsule with an Apple Factory Refurbished Airport Express. Both have the same 1-year Apple warranty as new but you can save some bucks. The 3TB Time Capsule gives you the Airport Extreme wireless access point and automatic wireless back-ups to the integrated 3 terabyte drive. The Airport Express allows you to extend that wireless network. Normally “**this bundle**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002195/extend-your-network-and-back-up-your-data-for-only-325-99? is around $500 new, but this week for Kibbles & Bytes readers, while supplies last you can buy this refurbished bundle for only “**$325.99!**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002195/extend-your-network-and-back-up-your-data-for-only-325-99?

  • Hey Siri, What Can You Do?

    So, I am a little embarrassed to admit it but I bought an Amazon Echo to check out how Alexa compares with Siri. I’m a gadget guy so we will see if we find it useful and if not, I am sure I can find it a home on eBay. I use Siri more and more these days. My most common uses are asking her to settle trivia disputes with Grace or setting the timer for 5 minutes. But there is a lot more that Siri can do!

    Make Relationships with Siri
    When you speak Siri commands, you can refer to people by relationship, rather than name. So, if you want to call your father, you can say “call my father” instead of saying “call Bruce Leibowitz.” But to do this, you need to introduce Siri to your family. First, make sure you have a “card” in the Contacts app for yourself, and then go into Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, scroll down to find and tap My Info, and select your card. Next, make sure you have a contact card for your father, and then tell Siri, “Bruce Leibowitz is my father.” Or, if Siri doesn’t hear you correctly, open Contacts, edit your card (not your father’s!), scroll down, tap “add related name,” tap the default relationship to pick “father,” tap the info “i” icon, select your father’s card, and tap Done.

    You can even use Siri to remember other types of relationships. Artie used to bring manure from his uncle’s farm for my garden and ended up with the nickname, “the spreader”. If I tell Siri “Art Hendrickson is my spreader” I can now just say “text my spreader…” and Siri knows who I am talking about. This works for nicknames but also for lawyers, accountants, doctors or any nickname you want to tell Siri about.

    Take a Picture
    Instead of fumbling to launch the Camera app on your iPhone you can just say “take a picture” and Siri will automatically open the Camera app and you can snap away.

    Siri Converts
    Need to know how many millimeters are in 4 inches? Just ask Siri and you will find that there are 101.6 mm in 4 inches. This works for currency exchange rates, too. Ask Siri how many Euros are equal to $100US you will find that 87.73 Euros is the exchange rate today. Siri has some other strong calculation features too. You can ask Siri how many calories there are in that fish sandwich or to calculate a 20% tip on your restaurant bill. You can ask her to solve math problems involving fractions and other math functions that will be faster than opening the calculator app and punching in the numbers.

    Settling Up
    Okay you can use Siri to look up baseball stats or other information to settle a dispute but what if you are at loggerheads and just want to get a random answer and don’t have a coin to flip. You can ask Siri to “roll the dice”, “flip a coin” or pick a random number.

    Name that Tune
    Siri is integrated with Shazam to help you figure out what song is playing. Just ask her “what song is playing?” and she will listen and let you know and probably try to sell you the song, too!

    Find that Photo
    Siri can search your photo library for you. I know how frustrating it is if your are like me and have literally thousands of photos. You can say something like “find that photo from Daytona Beach from last March” and Siri will launch Photos and take you right to any photos taken at that place and time.

    Siri Takes You Out
    Siri can make your restaurant reservations for you, too! Tell Siri “make a restaurant reservation for four at 7PM” and she will respond with available restaurants nearby and if you have the Open Table app installed can make the reservation for you or give you the phone number to call.

    Are We There Yet?
    If you are using your iPhone for navigation you can just say “ETA” and Siri will let you know how much longer you are gonna be on the road.

    Leave Me Alone
    Siri can do a lot for you but sometimes you just want alone time. You can tell Siri to turn on “do not disturb” and you will not be bothered. Or tell her to “turn on airplane mode” and she will turn off Wi-Fi and cellular signals.

  • Mississippi joined North Carolina and several other states that have passed laws that legalize discrimination against LGBT folks. Vermont banned non-essential government travel to those states and our Governor sent a letter to entice PayPal to move their 400 jobs to Vermont after they announced they were cancelling their expansion into NC. Good idea, because Vermont has always been a leader in banning discrimination from being the first state to make slavery illegal to the first to enact civil unions.

    It looks like a cold weekend in Vermont and I won’t bore you with the forecast down here in the Keys but I hope you have an awesome weekend!

    Thank you so much for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    _Don, Emily, Hadley & Amy_