Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Mdworker and Your Mac

    When discussing system CPU usage on a Mac, you cannot exit the conversation without discussing mdworker and mds. In Activity Monitor, this process will not appear unless you select all processes, and then, these processes seem to be ubiquitous and resource hogs. So, what are they?

    Mdworker is short for Meta Data worker. This is a background process on your Mac that spends time indexing your files for Spotlight. Without mdworker, your Spotlight searches would be less than accurate at times. Mdworker returns its results to mds which builds your Spotlight database.

    Why is it that it can be processor intensive? As it indexes your files, it must first read all of them. As it reads them, it then exchanges the information with mds to create the database.

    So, how do you minimize mdworker and mds? You don’t. You could choose in System Preferences to stop indexing of all volumes in Spotlight and that would prevent these processes from being active. Often, you just have to let the processes run. Certainly, if you plug in a large external HD and do not want it indexed, or connect to a Time Capsule infrequently, you could disable the process from searching these volumes — reducing their workload when those volumes are preset.

    Ultimately though, you would not be able to use Spotlight for searching those external devices effectively in the future also. While mdworker and mds can seem to be processor-intensive processes, their benefits far outweigh their costs in the long term.

  • Why Did It Wake Up?

    Have you ever been fast asleep only to be woken up by your computer waking itself from sleep? Ever wonder exactly why it woke up? I found a tip on the web recently that gave a great and easy way to try to determine what woke the computer up.

    You’ll have to dive into Terminal a bit to get this information, and you may not necessarily get an answer. After your machine wakes up launch Terminal and type the following in:

    syslog |grep -i “Wake reason”

    You’ll then get a report from your OS that will give a code that tells you why the machine woke up. The article I found give some common error codes:

    OHC (Open Host Controller): This likely means an external device like a USB keyboard or mouse woke the machine. It could also be an external FireWire device like a hard drive. To my knowledge, this should also include Thunderbolt devices as well.

    EHS (Enhanced Host Controller): Similar to OHC except it’s usually wireless or Bluetooth devices.

    USB (Universal Serial Bus): A USB device woke the computer.

    LID0: This literally refers to the lid of your laptop. You shouldn’t see this code if you’re on a desktop.

    PWRB: This refers to the Power Button of the computer.

    RTC (Real Time Clock): This refers to wake-on-demand services like scheduling your computer with sleep and wake times in the Energy Saver settings.

    As always, mess with Terminal at your own risk. Before you all start emailing me with other ways to do this, the article does point out that that there are other ways you can monitor this in the Console application, but this way you don’t need to wade through extensive logs filled with gobbledygook.

    “*Read the original article here.*”:http://osxdaily.com/2010/07/17/why-mac-wakes-from-sleep/

    “Image Source”:http://www.zazzle.com/eat_sleep_computer_green_cut_out-153807245435309722

  • Hello readers,

    It has been cooling off last couple of weeks, but as usual, I forget what it actually feels like to be cold! It’s in the 40s at night now — we will likely see frost down here near the lake by the weekend and there are people skiing in the mountains already. So it’s not really cold, but just enough to remind me of what is coming (or not, if we get a repeat of last “winter”).

    Business is brisk in service, with upgrades to Mountain Lion currently being one of our most-requested jobs. Upgrading from 10.5 is a chore that requires erasing the hard drive, installing, and restoring data. Upgrading from 10.4 is all that and more — the newest OS will not migrate data from Tiger; it must be manually copied.

    We are getting lots of requests for upgrades from people who would rather have an experienced tech take care of their machines and data during this process. Please let us know if we can help any of you out there as well. But of course as Tech Tails readers, you can handle it I’m sure! Hope you are all having a good fall.

    Thanks for reading.

    Liam
    “*liam@smalldog.com*”:mailto:liam@smalldog.com

  • Save 70% on the Chill Pill Audio Helmet Speakers. Ride, Ski, and more with your music — $7.50 with free shipping Because we…

  • An Unhappy Anniversary

    Yesterday was both Dawn and Art’s 20-year wedding anniversary, as well as Barack and Michelle Obama’s 20th (congrats, you crazy kids!). Today, however,…

  • Airplanes, iPhones and Altitude

    Our good friends over at Tidbits recently posted an article written by pilot and physics guru, Steve McCabe about turning personal electronics off…

  • Hapy and I rented a little storage space in the barn across from our headquarters for his Audi TT and my motorcycles so we can enjoy riding this spring without having to drive over the dirt (mud) roads on the way to our houses. I hope the weather holds up so I can get a fall foliage ride in this weekend before I head to Asia!

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

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
    _Don, Kali, Dawn and Mike_

  • Free Shipping: Book + Keyboard + Mouse

    This week, when you buy and Apple Keyboard and Mouse, get free shipping when you add the Mountain Lion Pocket Guide! It makes a great gift to go along with a new laptop purchase.

  • Apple Releases OS Updates

    Yesterday, Apple released updates to both Lion (10.7) and Mountain Lion (10.8). For users with Lion, 10.7.5 Supplemental Update includes the following fixes:

    * Resolves a time delay issue with Time Machine backups
    * Addresses a launch issue in applications signed with a Developer ID

    The Lion Supplemental Update is recommended if you have Lion v10.7.5 update (build 11G56) installed, but not needed if you have Lion v10.7.5 update (build 11G63).

    For Mountain Lion, the OS X v10.8.2 Supplemental Update is recommended for __all users.__ It includes the following fixes:

    * Resolves certain language characters to appear incorrectly in Mail
    • Allows Safari to access secure sites when parental controls are enabled
    • Addresses an issue that may prevent systems with more than 64 GB of RAM from starting up
    • Resolves an issue that may cause DVD Player to unexpectedly quit

    Find the updates under *Apple > Software Update…*

  • Comparing Maps

    Apple CEO Tim Cook “*recently released an apology*”:http://www.apple.com/letter-from-tim-cook-on-maps/ for the frustration that their new Maps app has caused users. There were numerous reasons that Apple decided to create its own app rather than continue to use Google Maps, but as “*we’ve mentioned previously,*”:http://blog.smalldog.com/article/ios-6-maps-app-flop-or-not/ using it is a mixed bag.

    An overwhelming number of people have protested that it’s not quite ready for prime time, but in about a week’s time (three uses, to be exact), I’ve had no issue. Granted, even though I had never been to any of the places I mapped, they were relatively straightforward (i.e. right off the highway/in a location with solid cell coverage, etc.). I did notice, however, that the 3D feature wasn’t populating in most of the areas I was in. (That wasn’t __too__ surprising, given that many areas of Vermont are so to get adequate coverage.) I loved how much I could see from the main overview — ETA, mileage to go, etc.

    However, for those of you who have tried it and found that it’s not quite up-to-snuff, Cook specifically mentions “*MapQuest,*”: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/mapquest/id316126557?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30 “*Bing,*”: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/bing/id345323231?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30 “*Waze,*”: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/waze-social-gps-traffic-gas/id323229106?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30 or even adding a shortcut app icon that directs to Google Maps on the web (great call!).

    I’ve tried MapQuest before, and it was probably everyone’s go-to before Google Maps. It’s a good, solid app, and gets positive reviews for its accurate directions and features, such as turn-by-turn navigation and rerouting after a missed turn.

    I haven’t tried Bing or Waze, but upon reading reviews, most users find these to be well-organized apps that get the job done. Bing, of course, is Microsoft’s answer to Google, as current TV ads are pitting its search head-to-head with ubiquitous Google in a clever “blind” test reminiscent of the soda wars of the ’80s. While Bing “does it all,” Waze is an app specifically designed for GPS navigation. It also has a social component, with community-provided traffic updates. Pretty cool. I’ll be downloading this over the weekend as I navigate around the Baltimore-Washington beltway!

    All are free.

    Download “*MapQuest.*”: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/mapquest/id316126557?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30
    Download “*Bing.*”: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/bing/id345323231?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30
    Download “*Waze.*”: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/waze-social-gps-traffic-gas/id323229106?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30

    To add an icon to your home screen, navigate to the page you want in our iOS browser of choice, and click the Share icon to choose “Add to Home Screen.”

    Happy trails!

  • An Unhappy Anniversary

    Yesterday was both “*Dawn*”:http://www.smalldog.com/dawn and “*Art’s*”:http://www.smalldog.com/art 20-year wedding anniversary, as well as Barack and Michelle Obama’s 20th (congrats, you crazy kids!). Today, however, marks a decidedly sadder anniversary: it’s one year from Steve Jobs’ untimely death.

    Tim Cook, Apple’s current CEO, wrote about it on Apple’s homepage, and Apple has posted a video highlighting his life. Tim writes,

    bq. __”Steve’s passing one year ago today was a sad and difficult time for all of us. I hope that today everyone will reflect on his extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place.__

    bq. __One of the greatest gifts Steve gave to the world is Apple. No company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We share the great privilege and responsibility of carrying his legacy into the future.__

    bq. __I’m incredibly proud of the work we are doing, delivering products that our customers love and dreaming up new ones that will delight them down the road. It’s a wonderful tribute to Steve’s memory and everything he stood for.__”

    “*See the note and video here.*”:http://www.apple.com