Kibbles & Bytes Blog

I heard from Don and Grace on Monday, and I asked about the motorcycles they’re renting for their tour of France and Austria. Their answer was, “FAST AND FUN!” So, all is well with the Mayers, “as you can see here.”:http://blog.smalldog.com/images/2561.jpg

Thanks for reading!

Your Kibbles & Bytes team,
_Jan, Kali, Emily & Stephanie_

One thing we’re crazy about over here is a good cable (or two)–one can never seem to have enough. FireWire (Would you like FireWire 400 or 800? One of each?), USB (The universal printer cable or hard drive/camera connector), ethernet… the list goes on and on.

Fittingly, we happen to sell our own, and this week, we’d like to offer you *any two Small Dog cables for $5 off with free shipping.* Our cables are already a great value because we use high-quality components, and sell for fractions less than many big-name cable suppliers.

Simply “*click here*”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/Cables_and_Adapters/Small_Dog to pick out any two cables of your choice and use coupon code *kbcable* in the cart to redeem your savings.

__Please note that the offer is not valid toward ethernet cables 25 ft and longer and shipping savings are based on USPS to the lower 48. Other than that, go cable-crazy!__

Small Dog Electronics’ “*Waitsfield location*”:http://www.smalldog.com/waitsfield/at_kb will be holding a *free* iPad Social on *Thursday, September 22 at 6pm.*

Bring your iPad, your favorite apps, your iPad questions and any friends who want to tag along!

Join us for a special after-hours event and enjoy drinks, food and fun while chatting about your favorite Apple device.

Please RSVP by email to Waitsfield Store Manager Emily Kenyon if you plan to attend.

“**emily@smalldog.com**”:mailto:emily@smalldog.com

We’re offering several *free* Apple seminars this month focused on integrating Apple solutions to boost your business!

*Your Business on a Mac*

Tuesday, September 13 at our “*South Burlington, VT retail store*”:http://www.google.com/maps?q=100%2BDorset%2BSt,%2BSouth%2BBurlington,%2BVermont%2B05403&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=16&iwloc=addr

Wednesday, September 14 at our “*Waitsfield, VT retail store*”:http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Small+Dog+Electronics,+Inc.,+Main+Street,+Waitsfield,+VT&aq=0&sll=44.21817,-72.791709&sspn=0.006713,0.010772&g=1673+Main+Street,+Waitsfield,+VT&ie=UTF8&hq=Small+Dog+Electronics,+Inc.,&hnear=Main+St,+Waitsfield,+Vermont&z=14

Topics will include:
* The Mac Advantage for Business. Learn how to introduce Mac into your business environment and get the most from your technology investment.
* Marketing with Style. With iLife and iWork, marketing and promoting your business through self-created materials has never been easier.
* Apple Solutions for Business. Learn how you can integrate iPhone and iPad into your business environment to help you work smarter and more efficiently.

*iPad in Business*

Tuesday, September 20 at the “*Highlander Inn and Conference Center in Manchester, NH*”:http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2+Highlander+Way,+Manchester,+NH+03103&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=61.19447,88.242187&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=54+Hanover+St,+Manchester,+Hillsborough,+New+Hampshire+03101&z=17

Topics will include:
* Intro to iPad and iOS 4, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system
* Deploying iOS 4
* Integration & Security
* Apps for Business
* App Development
* Wireless App Distribution
* Mobile Device Management demonstration

*Plus, a guided tour and demonstration of all iPad’s features and functions.*

Preregistration is required to attend these seminars. For more information and to register, “*please visit the events page on our website.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/events/at_kb

Before upgrading to Lion, I was most excited for the improvements to Finder, and they haven’t disappointed. To help you get the most out of Finder in 10.7, here are five notable new features of the happy Mac face we all know and love.

# *You can arrange your files.*
There’s an Arrange button in the Finder’s toolbar in Lion, and it lets you do just that: you may now group files and folders by name, size, label or date, among others. So nice!

# *You can resize a window from any location.*
This is a favorite feature of mine because I often find myself with dozens of windows open, and the lower righthand corner isn’t always immediately visible. In Lion, you can now resize from any part of the window–top, bottom, left, right and anywhere in between. So simple, yet so gratifying.

# *You can search using file types.*
Yay! As tidy as I try to keep my files and folders, sometimes I am too -lazy- busy to name a file as I’d like it to be permanently. This feature is much like what you can already do in a Google search: Type *kind: JPG (or whatever you need to find)* into the search bar in a Finder window. Once you select a file type from the menu, your results will be limited to those.

# *You can edit and arrange your System Preferences menu.* __(OK, so that may not be technically a part of Finder, but it’s a system feature that goes hand-in-hand.)__
Are there some things in System Preferences that you never use or would rather not see? Just select *System Preferences (under the Apple) > View > Customize* and uncheck what you want to hide. You can always go back and change those settings again, so nothing’s set in stone. It’s as satisfying as spring cleaning to me!

# *You can get your colored icons back.*
This requires a third-party software download and some commands in Terminal, but it’s pretty simple if you’ve been hankering for a bit more color in your life after Lion left your Finder windows monochromatic! (I’ll have to make sure Don sees this one, as he was lamenting the all-grey look when he first upgraded.)
“*Read how to do it here.*”:http://osxdaily.com/2011/08/25/get-color-sidebar-icons-back-in-mac-os-x-10-7-lion-finder-windows/

_Dear Friends,_

It’s Jan writing for Don again this week as he and Grace are still motorcycling in Europe. Believe it or not, the leaves are beginning to change color here in Vermont! On my way home yesterday, I noticed the edges of two large maples had a hint of orange. Is summer really over!? Although I hate to see summer wane, fall in Vermont is second to none–the expansive rolling hills filled with intense reds, oranges and yellows for as far as the eye can see is simply breathtaking. Coming from Minnesota, I thought we had the market on spectacular foliage, but having experienced four foliage seasons here, Vermont takes the prize. If you have the opportunity, a weekend in Vermont in the fall is an incredible getaway.

Fall not only brings our foliage season, but also our “*eWaste recycling events!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/ewaste It’s the perfect time to gather up computers, printers and other electronics and get them out of the attic or garage before you hunker down for winter. Our events are free–we do not charge for recycling your unwanted equipment or peripherals. Our upcoming event in *Vermont is on Saturday, September 24th at Ben & Jerry’s corporate offices in South Burlington.* Our *Manchester, New Hampshire event is Saturday, October 8th* at the Mall of New Hampshire’s food court parking lot. Both events are from 9AM to 2PM, so we hope you will make our eWaste event part of your “to-do’s” on one of those days.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that our Mac to School promotion ends on September 18th, so if you still need a new Mac for that student of yours, you won’t want to miss out on this great offer: Buy any new Mac with AppleCare and we will give you a 4th year of labor coverage free, a complimentary year of membership to our Top Dog Plus Program (a $99 value) and a $50 Small Dog gift card! So, don’t miss out!

“*For more information, click here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/mactoschool/at_kb

I also want to let you know that the Mad River Valley is on the mend after the floods on August 28th. The curbside piles of discarded household furnishings are starting to disappear and people are starting to rebuild their lives. Folks who are fortunate enough to have a second home in Vermont are offering those up to people who have been left homeless, and volunteers continue to stop hard-hit folks and say, “What can I do to help?” It’s clear the spirit of Vermonters is as strong as ever.