Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • SPECIAL | It's Almost Time to Head Mac to School…

    I know, I know. Nobody really wants to think about that yet. However, it’s an inevitability for some of you (right now, I’m in my “student of life” phase, though I’ll probably go back to school at some point — __Kali Hilke, PhD__ has a nice ring to it…).

    For everyone heading to high school, college, or graduate school this fall, we announce our annual Mac to School campaign. This year, in addition to all of the specials we’re running, we have the benefit of the GE Financing Promotion that is designed to help you get the Mac you need with a little extra time to pay. (More on that in a bit.)

    Though they “officially” launch on Monday, loyal Kibbles & Bytes readers can get an early preview of our Mac to School deals here:

    “*Smalldog.com/mactoschool*”:http://www.smalldog.com/mactoschool?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=MTS-KB

    We have already been running the Mac and AppleCare specials (you know, the ones where you get a $100 gift card from Small Dog when you purchase any new Mac and AppleCare?) for a few weeks now, but we have also added some must-have third-party specials to the mix. During the first two weeks, you’ll save on the things you need to keep that computer clean, from iKlear to screen protectors, and even a $30 off deal on Microsoft Office thrown in. If you’re near a store, there’s even more to take advantage of (which we’d offer online if we could!).

    If you’re wondering how to afford that new setup, be sure to click on the link for GE Financing to get the details and apply for no-interest financing (for up to 18 months, depending on the total cost of purchase).

  • Backing up is SO not Hard to Do!

    We have talked too many times about how important maintaining a backup of your data is and just how easy it might be to lose that data. Most hard drives are made up of spinning magnetic disks that whisk around at 5-10,000 revolutions per minute (that’s fast!) while a magnetic head moves over them to extract the data and send it to your machine.

    You all know I am an amateur mechanic and love to mess around in my shop, and I have learned pretty quickly that mechanical devices that move quickly break. So whether it is simply a matter of time between failures, an electrical surge or an impact, that spinning data depository in your Mac could suddenly become little more than a good doorstop.

    I know this firsthand. I had a PowerBook that I took on a long motorcycle trip, and each time I stopped for the night, I transferred the hundreds of photos I’d taken along the way. It worked great, but soon after I returned home, my drive failed and I could not access these hundreds of pictures from the trip of a lifetime. I did end up recovering them with the help of DriveSavers, but it made for a lot of anxious moments, and I was out $1200!

    Then, Apple made it easy! Time Machine is on Mac OS X and makes backing up simple and automatic. But they went even further when they introduced the Time Capsule which made backups not only easy, but wireless, too. The Time Capsule is the perfect solution for backing up your mobile devices because there are no cables needed. The Time Capsule combines an AirPort Extreme wireless access router with a hard drive to store your backed-up data.

    As I mentioned above, we made a special purchase of some 2TB Time Capsules that are now discontinued (but brand new) and include a 1-year Apple Warranty. These provide more than adequate storage for most users and are a great solution for wireless access and backup.

    I want every Kibbles & Bytes reader to be secure in their back-ups, so for this week, I am offering a Kibbles exclusive on these Time Capsules. They are already $60 off what you can buy the latest version of the Time Capsule at $239, but for Kibbles & Bytes readers I will take another $25 off so your price is just $214! See below for details.

  • MAC TREAT #212: Disable Automatic Attachment Preview in Mail

    We use Apple computers (obviously) on a daily basis, and I often find myself emailing numerous documents throughout the day. More times than not, I right-click on the attached images and switch them to an “icon view” to allow me to view more of the email content.

    Sure, it’s nice seeing a preview of the attached file, but typically I just want to get to the meat and potatoes of the email! Here’s a gem of a tip that allows me to turn off automatic attachment preview in Mail.

    To do this follow these steps (warning: Terminal use ahead):

    * Open up Terminal by navigating to *Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app*
    * Run the following command:
    @defaults write com.apple.mailDisableInlineAttachmentViewing -bool yes@
    * Quit and restart Mail

    Now your Mail app will show any attachments you receive as icons instead of previewing the document. If you decide you don’t like that and want to go back, simply run this command:

    @defaults write com.apple.mailDisableInlineAttachmentViewing -bool no@

  • _Dear Friends,_

    We have definitely broken the streak of over 2 months of nearly steady rain with an official heat wave of very hot and muggy weather. This has resulted in the garden actually growing, although we seem to be about a month behind now. Generally, the measure of whether your corn crop will make it before the frost is “knee-high by the 4th of July” and there was very little corn in the fields around here that was much more than a bit over one of my little dogs. The blueberries seem to have loved this rainy weather, though, and we have a bumper crop this year. Blueberry pies, milkshakes and a whole lot of grazing going on.

    Last week, I mentioned the great deal on the 2nd generation 2TB Time Capsules that we purchased. It’s already a hard drive and Wi-Fi router in one; additionally, if purchased with a Mac and AppleCare, the AppleCare covers the Time Capsule, too! And don’t forget, any new Mac and AppleCare purchase already qualifies for a $100 Small Dog Gift card with our back-to-school special.

    I am writing this on Thursday and it is Nelson Mandela’s 95th birthday. I have an autographed picture of Nelson Mandela displayed right in the middle of my wall of heroes and role models. What an amazing and inspiring man. Happy Birthday, Madiba!

    __”There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”__ — Nelson Mandela

    As I prepare to head out for our weekly radio show, Small Dog Speaks, I want to remind you that you can tune in every Thursday at 1PM on “*WDEV radio.*”:http://www.wdevradio.com Rebecca and I welcome your calls (it’s toll-free at 877-291-8255), and will answer any Mac question you have for us live on the show. If you want to catch up with past shows or submit a question in advance, visit our “*Small Dog Speaks page here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/sdspeaks?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=SDS-KB

  • SPECIAL | Special Edition 13in MacBook Air

    Small Dog definitely got lucky with this one and we are unable to contain our excitement. For sale, online and in-store are brand new 13-inch MacBook Air’s that were only released to educational institutes. Made specifically to give the most performance combined with portability.

    At a price that is simply unbeatable this is tied for the lowest priced brand new Mac that we sell! *Only $699.99 this deal is simply unbeatable and a great buy for any students on their way to school.*

  • SPECIAL | Brand New 2TB Time Capsule from Apple

    Who really wants to spend $300+ on an external hard drive and a Wi-Fi router when you can buy them together for the low price of $239.99! Two terabyte hard drives can retail for at least $100 and when you add in Apple’s AirPort Extreme you are looking at $280 at a minimum. Not to mention a current generation 2TB Time Capsule goes for $299.99.

    *This is your chance to grab a great deal on a brand new (still in the wrapping) 2TB, 2nd generation Time Capsule for just $239.99. Act fast before they’re gone for good!*

  • Remote Consulting

    As a regular reader of Tech Tails, you are likely aware that we the employees of Small Dog Electronics are amongst the most knowledgable Mac and iOS experts in the world. We would say that we are in fact the very best, but since we are Small Dogs and not alpha dogs, our modesty prevents it. If you were to call us the best, though, we would certainly accept the compliment!

    Each week we bring you tips and tricks to get the most out of your devices. What if the topic you are wondering about is not covered, though? What if you have a question that needs answering or a problem that needs solving and you need help sooner rather than later? Our local customers have always had direct access to us for in-store lessons or house calls from one of our Consultants. If you don’t live near us, or even if you do, we have a great service available: Remote Consulting.

    Thanks to the magic of “Go To Meeting”:http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/ we are able to remotely log in to your machine and see exactly what is going on. We can temporarily take control of your machine and teach, troubleshoot, and provide technical support . If you have high speed internet (DSL, cable, satellite, or 4G) then you can take advantage of this incredibly convenient service.

    Remote consultations are normally $49 per half hour, but if you are a first time remote consulting customer, then tell us “I heard about it in Tech Tails” and we will give you the first half hour for just $39!

    To book a consultation, please give us a call at 888-746-9816 or send an email to “*consulting@smalldog.com*”:mailto:consulting@smalldog.com

  • Food/Water Accidental Damages

    Food + your computer is not a good combination. Looking at computers coming into the tech department covered in crumbs with splattered food covering the display and keyboard, we think to ourselves, “it was only a matter of time.”

    We get machines in here that have had milk, tea, water, beer, wine, and food spilled all over causing shorts and corrosion on all the internals effectively killing the computer. Any kind of food and or liquid spill on a machine is, nine times out of ten, fatal for the computer.

    Computers have become such an everyday item for people that we typically don’t think twice about eating or drinking near them, until the accident happens and that expensive machine is going to require an expensive repair. I myself have fallen prey to this false sense of security of being able to eat and operate near my machine only to have my college work go up in literal smoke. Yes, my machine sparked and smoked itself to death.

    Luckily, I managed to get my data extracted from the hard drives but there was a good three week period where I wasn’t able to work in my dorm room. Since this incident, I have been much more careful.

    There are a couple measures to take in the event of a liquid spill. If the machine is still on, immediately turn it off as quickly as you can without jarring the liquid around. Place in a warm dry area, devoid of power, for a couple days. Some people say to place the machine in rice to draw out the moisture, but I am skeptical of this measure only because the rice can get into the machine and cause mold to grow as well as jam up your ports (I have seen both happen).

    However, the most important thing is … DO NOT POWER THE MACHINE ON. Once dry you should have it looked at by a technician or repair center (like Small Dog Electronics).

    *Ed. note* – ??Rebecca K. also suggests you should tent your laptop by leaving the display open at a 30 degree angle or so and place the laptop on its front edges so that it looks like a tent so to speak. This will, with any luck, keep liquid from coming in contact with components while drying.??

    Just because the machine was running while it was soaked doesn’t mean that it will continue to do so. Once the liquid drips to the logic board, the machine will die as surely as running it through with a knife. The safest measure you can take is to not eat near your computer, and to keep liquids secure and away so as to not cause that costly repair.

  • A Petabyte on a DVD

    According to a recent article on Science Daily (one of my favorite retreats for reviews on journal articles from physics and computer science to sociology and psychology), “A full 90% of all the data in the world has been generated over the last two years.” This truly is amazing information. Apparently this comes as a direct result from “big data” research centers at organizations like Google and Facebook. These companies process a staggering amount of data while amassing and analyzing meta data on what we’re doing and looking for.

    As you may or may not know a standard DVD (not Blu-ray) holds 4.7 GB of data. Scientists have recently shown this can be increased to a Petabyte, or 1,000 TBs on a single DVD. In its simplest terms the researchers humpbacked two laser beams in what they call “electron beam lithography,” which in effect allowed for 3D writing. The technology allows for the writing of information on a nanoscale never before achieved. “The technique is also cost-effective and portable, as only conventional optical and laser elements are used, and allows for the development of optical data storage with long life and low energy consumption, which could be an ideal platform for a Big Data center.”

    Aside from DVDs it will undoubtedly have impacts on all forms of storage and processing. Is this the way of the future? What do you think will become of Blu-ray discs? I would love to hear what our readers think of yet another potential shift in the medium for which we store our data.

  • _Greetings!_

    I have been sitting inside trying to keep cool while we go through this scorcher of a week. It’s times like this I wish I had invested in an air conditioner. Yesterday I was reading an article, while being surrounded by my legion of small fans, about a new rumor for the Apple TV service. Now if you haven’t heard this rumor before, there are reports that Apple is trying to start its own TV service that would work with the provider you have for cable today.

    The point of the rumor though wasn’t details on the tech or the if they would bring in a TV platform to incorporate it, it was on the removal of ads from the service. Apparently, Apple wants to have a fee that you could pay, sort of like a subscription, that would allow you to watch your cable TV through the Apple service commercial free. Not sure how this would happen other than Apple paying the fees that come with that, but I am very interested in the by-product.

    Anyway, we got a great issue of Tech Tails for you this Tuesday! We have some very interesting info on DVD’s by our own Sherry Fuqua, food and accidental damage info from Kyle Simpkins that we can all relate to and some valuable info on our remote consultation services here at Small Dog with Michael Duplessis.

    Stay cool everyone!

    _Barry_
    “*barry@smalldog.com*”:mailto:barry@smalldog.com

  • Lingering Data

    Wondering if deleted data can be recovered is valid to be mindful of (but of course, you’re backing up, right?), though not necessarily…