Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Breakdown of RAM Allocation

    One frequent question we encounter with regard to performance and speed is “how much RAM do I need?” While increased RAM will help significantly in some cases, RAM is not always the bottleneck contributing to the performance deficit you are working through. How do you then determine if more RAM will help you and your computer? The Activity Monitor application has several wonderful tabs built in. These tabs include *Mass Storage Usage, Network Throughput and Memory Allocation.*

    In Activity Monitor, select the Memory tab toward the bottom of the application window. Listed in a few columns with a corresponding pie chart will be the RAM usage of your Mac, broken into several different categories. To begin with, in the lefthand column, there are five main listings: *Free, Wired Active, Inactive and Used.* “Free” is the amount of addressable RAM in your computer not currently allocated to any process. The second item, “Wired,” is the amount of RAM that cannot be moved to mass storage because it’s being used by the system.

    Next in the list is *Active RAM;* Active is the data in the RAM recently used. *Inactive RAM* is RAM that contains information from applications or processes that have been ended. This RAM is available to the System, but if the application which parented this wired RAM should be reopened, it would become Active again and its information would not need to be reloaded from mass storage. *Used* is the sum of the four previous categories of RAM in the machine; Used plus Free should equal the total RAM installed in the computer.

    The second column contains how much data from RAM has been written elsewhere–or *Virtual Memory.* In this column, the one statistic that will alert you to the need for more RAM is *Page outs.* Page outs are the total number of times the System has written contents of RAM to mass storage because there was inadequate RAM in the system.

  • Improve Gmail in Apple Mail

    Are you one of the 425 million people in the world who have a Gmail account? If so, you’ve likely become accustomed to one of the best email experiences today that you can get for free. However, there may be some tips I can impart to improve your Gmail experience on your Mac.

    We all know how great Gmail’s web interface is, but there are some great benefits to accessing your Gmail account via Apple’s Mail app. For example, have you ever wanted to reference an old message but not had access to the internet? Apple’s Mail application can store a local copy of all your messages, providing access to email without an internet connection. Google has a great knowledge base article on how to set up your Gmail account with Apple’s Mail app “*here.*”:http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=180188

    Once your Gmail account is configured, you’ll be presented with an inbox identical to the inbox you have at “*Gmail.com.*”:http://www.gmail.com However, there are some key changes I’d recommend in order to keep everything about your Gmail email (it rhymes!) in sync.

    After adding your Gmail account to Mail, you will note that a *Gmail* category has been added to Mail’s left-hand sidebar. Underneath that, you’ll probably have a couple mailboxes/mail folders with the first one labeled *[Gmail].* Click on the disclosure triangle to the left in order to disclose the contents. What you’re seeing under the Gmail category is every folder that’s synced to Gmail’s servers. Under the [Gmail] mailbox, you’ll see *Sent, Trash, and Drafts.* It’s important to click on each of these, one at a time, and click *Mailbox* in the menu bar and click *Use this mailbox for…* Then, choose the appropriate type (Sent, Trash, etc.). This will keep everything you do in sync with Gmail’s servers, as well as other devices you check your email on.

    Next, you’ll want to go to Gmail.com, log in, and get to Gmail’s settings. Here, you can click on *Labels.* You’ll see *System labels* and *Labels,* all of which will have a *Show in IMAP* checkbox option. If you want to tidy up Mail’s left-hand sidebar or if you simply don’t care to utilize some of Gmail’s built in label/mailbox/mail folders, then you can simply uncheck a label such as *Important* or *All Mail.*

    Google services are great, but I hope I’ve relayed some info that might make your Gmail experience on your Mac a bit better. Stay tuned for more Google-Mac-integration themed tips in the future!

  • Reboot a Frozen iPhone

    This past weekend a friend of mine posted a frantic status on Facebook that his phone would not power on no matter what he did. We typically have a few people come to the service desk here in South Burlington every week with a similar problem. Nearly all of these phones are brought back to life by a very simple two button reboot process.

    Hold the power button (the one at the top) and the home button (the one on the face of the phone) both down until you see the Apple logo on the screen. Depending on the status of your battery, you may need to plug the phone in for this to work. In cases where the phone either has a fully drained battery or has crashed this should get it rebooted.

  • Hello all,

    It’s another week of dangerously hot weather in the central part of the country and it’s unseasonably stupidly hot here as well, with no end in sight (at least until later this week)! If you live in the middle part of the country please take care.

    I received a bunch of good-natured emails after last week’s column, the general thrust of which was “Ha. You aren’t old enough to talk about the good old days.” There were some great insights into the nature of the good old days as well, which maybe I will revisit here at a later date. I may not be the oldest person in the world, but my next big birthday is going to put a 5 in my tens column and mark a point where I might (just might) start to consider myself to be middle-aged. I remember moon landings and the oil embargo of 1973. I remember the floods of 1972 here, and Richard Nixon resigning.

    I also remember when there were no personal computers, no internet, and no awareness in the mass consciousness that we were on the edge of a radical and widespread change in the way humans perceive and interact with the world. No idea that in the next twenty years everything would change for hundreds of millions of people. It’s often said the advent of this new era of wonder has made the world smaller, much like the telegraph and telephone did earlier. I suppose I understand that, but from my perspective–that of a kid growing up in a small town in an era when that meant your world was small already–it has gotten a lot bigger and has shown itself to be more wondrous and richer than I could possibly have imagined back there in the “good old days.”

    Thanks for reading.

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

  • NBC Olympic Apps

    Cheerio, chaps! For all of you who look forward to the Olympic Games every two years, and perhaps more specifically, the Summer Olympics,…

  • This week we’re offering the 11-inch closeout 1.6GHz i5 MacBook Air (circa 7/2011) at an extra $200 off—plus a Hammerhead Leather Envelope free—for…

  • Oh, Friday the 13th, You So Crazy

    As Don mentioned, it’s Friday the 13th, and boy, does it feel like it. I also woke up feeling like today was cursed,…

  • Mac-o-Phobia and Your Biggest Fears!

    “The great fear and paranoia of Apple’s Macintosh Computers and all related software, hardware, logos, etc.” Well, at least according to Urban Dictionary….

  • Blueberries, motorcycle riding and my Cubbies are in the cellar. It is a sure sign that these are the dog days of summer. If I can get you away from the lake or barbecue for a moment, I want you to know how much all of us here at Small Dog Electronics appreciate your support and business.

    We set out to build a community and have some fun, and it has been the great feedback and support from Kibbles & Bytes readers and our customers that makes this all worthwhile. Thank you! Now, back to summer…

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

  • APPS OF THE WEEK: NBC Olympics and Live Extra

    Cheerio, chaps! For all of you who look forward to the “*Olympic Games*”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games every two years, and perhaps more specifically, the “*Summer Olympics,*”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Olympic_Games this year’s games are being held in jolly old England–“*London, to be exact.*”:http://www.london2012.com/ (For those who couldn’t care less about them, it’s probably good not to pay attention to any media between July 27-August 12…)

    NBC will be covering the Games again, as per usual, and this year, they have developed what looks to be a fantastic app for those of us who don’t have TV. (It’s true…I’ve been without TV for nine years running over here–pardon the pun.)

    “*NBC Olympics*”: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/nbc-olympics/id542497845?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30 is presented by GE, which makes it free for users.

    It features:

    * Top news, both overall and categorized by sport
    * Video on-demand, which will include highlights and other featured videos
    * Photo galleries with athlete photos, events and more
    * Hometown coverage connected to your local NBC affiliate
    * Social network connect with Facebook, Twitter and Google+
    * Schedules, results, and medal counts

    In addition, NBC has released “*NBC Olympics Live Extra,*”: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/nbc-olympics-live-extra/id542511686?mt=8%26uo%3D6%26partnerId%3D30 which looks to provide far more video coverage–live–as the events are taking place!

    There are some Pre-Games features, including on-demand video: a preview of the London Games and a recap of the Beijing Olympics. Once the Games start, it will include the following:

    * Live coverage of every event of the 2012 Summer Games
    * Event replays to relive the every moment
    * Alternate camera views, ideal for sports such as gymnastics and track and field
    * Push notifications to receive reminders
    * Gold Zone, a live streaming channel with every gold medal event

    I’ve downloaded both, and the countdown has begun…just 14 days, 5 hours and 45 minutes (as of this writing)!

  • Oh, Friday the 13th, You So Crazy

    As Don mentioned, it’s Friday the 13th, and boy, does it feel like it. I also woke up feeling like today was cursed, but I’ll spare you the details. Let’s just say that a certain toddler welcomed the day with a blood curdling scream…fast forward through a conspicuous coffee spill, an ill-timed last square of toilet paper and I found myself at work, commiserating with others that at least our day didn’t look like this:*

    * On Friday the 13th, 1979, a black cat crossed the path of Houston football player Tony Frisch and was accidentally kicked 67 yards for a world record.
    * On Friday the 13th in 1962, a Colorado couple, while watching Channel 13 in the honeymoon suite of a Las Vegas motel, were crushed to death by a falling mirror.
    * On Friday the 13th in 1957, a duck hunter, wearing a rabbit’s foot around his neck while hunting near 12-Gauge, Texas, was kicked to death by a giant 3-legged jack rabbit.
    * On Friday the 13th in 1966, a Detroit sociologist (who had just demonstrated his lack of fear by walking under 13 ladders and throwing a black cat through a mirror) was run over by a limousine driven by blind soul singer.

    Other things to note to maintain good luck today:

    * Never trust a rabbit that tries to sell you his foot.
    * 4-leaf clovers are lucky today–but not if you smoke them.
    * The number “13” is very unlucky–especially if it’s the only one you can get on the drugstore blood pressure machine.
    * Walking under a ladder can be very unlucky today–especially if it’s at the drugstore the 16-year-old with zits is climbing down with a barbecue grill.
    * Stepping on a cricket can very extremely unlucky today–especially for the cricket.
    * Wearing garlic around your neck today will ward off evil spirits. It will also ward off good spirits, indifferent spirits, and any other spirits with noses.
    * A rabbit’s foot is not lucky. If you don’t believe me, ask the rabbit.
    * Wearing a lucky penny between your toes means good luck and blisters.
    * For good luck, hang a horseshoe over your front door. For really good luck, hang the entire horse over your front door.
    * Horseshoes usually bring good luck today, but never trust a horse that wears high heels.

    __*Taken from “Little Known Scary Stuff That Occurred on Friday the 13th” and other fun stuff, “found here.”:http://halife.com/daily/archives/friday_the_13th_fun.html Calls to verify their authenticity were not returned because our phone lines have been chewed by the mice that the black cats didn’t catch.__

    “__Image source__”:http://www.quickmeme.com/Business-Cat/

  • Meet Matt Curran

    Here’s the second in a series of “Meet the Small Dogger,” wherein I introduce a new employee to Kibbles readers. This employee, “*Matt Curran,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/mattc is actually new to the company, so this article is a way to introduce him to the Small Dog community as a whole.

    I’ve been lucky to get to know Matt as he and I have carpooled a few times since he also lives in Addison County. Addison County is on the “other side of the mountain” from Small Dog Electronics’ head quarters. The road that we drive on has the claim to fame as being the highest elevation maintained by the State of Vermont’s Department of Transportation during the winter. This ridge of mountains divide the state and if you live on one side, you very seldom cross to the other side. People in Addison County think that those of us who commute over it every day are freaks.

    Matt and I grew up in the same general location in Massachusetts (separated by decades, though!), so his accent and way that he talks makes me feel like I’m with my relatives. Here’s an interesting little tidbit: Matt and I were born in the same hospital in Fitchburg, MA at Burbank Hospital. It also turns out that there is a third Small Dogger (Nick Piccicuto) who was born there!

    Matt has his MBA from Assumption College in Mass. He joined Hapy as Assistant Controller and as Don mentioned, Matt really brings some physical mass to the Accounting Department. I measured Matt’s shoulders and here’s how he stacks up:

    He’s 13% bigger than “*Hapy,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/hapy 31% bigger than “*Art*”:http://www.smalldog.com/art and 57% bigger than “*Kali.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/kali (He’s pictured with “*Nessy,*”:http://www.smalldog.com/vanessa above.) He’s a big guy and a huge fan of football. He’s even been asked to help coach the Middlebury College football team. Can’t wait to start going to games! (I love football).

    Matt and his wife have a 10-month-old son named Theodore. Matt, Megan and Teddy have now settled in Vermont, which is where Megan grew up. Matt’s been able to experience the best of Vermont by moving here in June–I think if everyone came here in June, the Vermont population would be HUGE! Hopefully, the drive over the hill in January will just make him stronger!

    So Matt, welcome to Small Dog and Vermont. Did you get your official nip of maple syrup from the Vermont welcome committee? If not, perhaps Art intercepted the package…