Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • MAC TREAT #108: Change Your Mac's Startup Image

    Here’s a simple Mac Treat that will make you look like you’re a power user. You know that standard image you see when you boot up your Mac? Well, you can change it–no Terminal commands involved–whether you want it to suit your personality, identify your machine or just because you’re bored.

    *10.5 Leopard and 10.6 Snow Leopard*

    * Go to *Your Hard Drive > System > Library > CoreServices.* You’ll find DefaultDesktop.jpg; this is the startup image.
    * Drag it to your desktop (or other folder) to save it in case you ever want to put it back.
    * Find the image you want to replace it with and rename it DefaultDesktop.jpg (the new image *must* be a JPG).
    * Drag your new DefaultDesktop.jpg into the CoreServices folder.

    Upon restart, you’ll see your customized image!

    Note: If you are using 10.4 or previous (I think this is applicable back to at least 10.2), this trick will still work. However, you’ll find the image you need to replace in *Your Hard Drive > Library > Desktop Pictures > Aqua Blue.jpg*

    Note #2: This may go without saying, but you will need to make sure you’re the admin user to you know, go changing things and stuff.

  • _Dear Friends,_

    We got the first substantial snowstorm of the season on Wednesday and that ties the record here in Vermont for the latest date of a snow accumulation. Ed got caught behind an 18-car pileup on the Interstate as all the commuters that had delayed getting snow tires and forgot how to drive in the snow were slipping all over the place. Thankfully, everyone was OK.

    I am still on cloud nine from my visit to the White House last week. I was able to shake the President and First Lady’s hands and convey greetings from Vermont. I spent a lot of time wandering around the East Wing and talking to the Marine guards that were eager to talk about the history of each room. And yes, the food was awesome!

    Tonight is the first night of Chanukah and I’ll be taking out the menorah and lighting the candles, especially when my grandkids come over. I got their wish lists and Khadija made one for Grace (Umama) and one for me (Gramps) and mine had the cool stuff with URLs and 800#s, too. Gotta love it.

    __Note: That’s a previous snowstorm in my picture. Fantail is looming large over the snow!__

  • Bento 3

    The new “Bento 3”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74620 software from FileMaker allows you to organize your files and your life without having to learn a new program. Bento makes it easy to connect your address book, iCal and even iPhoto or Excel files. Its a great program to keep you organized and on top of your schedule on a day to day basis. With the new built-in templates you can easily organize your contacts, projects, to-dos and mailing lists. It’s a great tool to plan special events like birthdays and weddings.

    One of my favorite parts of “Bento 3”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74620 is that you can organize and maintain your photos on your computer. The best part is that it reads from your iPhoto library so you don’t have to import your photos into Bento 3. It allows you to add much more detail for each of your photos than in iPhoto. With the grid view it looks almost exactly like iPhoto.

    I was skeptical at first because I wasn’t sure if I needed another program to keep my files organized. After using “Bento 3”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74620 for a little while I found that is wasn’t very hard to learn the program and I was surprised how well it connected with my other programs. I have to say the thing I use most is the integration with iPhoto, but the way it creates simple and quick visual planning, it’s great. I would recommend this program to anyone looking to get better organized with their daily life and organize their thoughts and ideas in a simple and easy to use program.

    Bento 3 is available in a “Single-Pack”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74620 for $49.99 or in a “Family-Pack”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74621 (five installs) for $99.99!

  • PowerCurl for MagSafe Power Adapters!

    “MagSafe”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74727 adapters are amazing–they can often keep a little stumble from turning into a full-on disaster with the way they just release the cord when the wrong pressure is applied. Sometimes, though, power adapters suffer some abuse due to our busy, on-the-go lives; even with good care, _fray happens!_

    Well, our friends at “quirky”:http://www.quirky.com/ teamed up with the quirky community to create a fix for our fraying blues. The “PowerCurl!”:http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=quirky This bright orange creation allows your power cord to have a safe housing (the power cord fits into the PowerCurl frame), the wires from the MagSafe wrap around the PowerCurl so you don’t have to worry about the cord going everywhere (it will even house the extension cable!). But the best part is that the PowerCurl will help cut back with the cord fraying by the brick of the MagSafe because of the way it coils around the unit.

    It also makes bringing your power cord much easier. You don’t have to worry about the cables going all over the place. I have a pocket in my backpack that holds this perfectly!

    You might argue that the MagSafes have the legs on the power brick that you can wrap the cable around; however, I feel like they are a bit flimsy and don’t offer the same “toughness” that the PowerCurl does. For $11.99 you can’t go wrong!

    It’s a lot cheaper that $79.99 for a new MagSage Power Adapter! **Tip:** **The PowerCurl is available in a “60W”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/75009 and “85W”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/75010 size!** So be sure to get the 60W for your MacBook or 13″ MacBook Pro and the 85W for your 15″ or 17″ MacBook Pro!

  • Quiver for iPod/iPhone

    If you enjoy running, biking, or snowboarding, you’ve probably brought along your iPod to keep the energy flowing and have realized that reaching into your pockets to fumble with your iPod to change songs can be tricky (not to mention dangerous).

    The “Quiver”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74793 aims to eliminate this hassle, sporting a simple yet ingenious design that allows you full control of your iPod or iPhone while keeping the headphone wires under control and your iPod safely tucked away. The design is reminiscent of an arrow quiver used by archers (hence the name) and is worn across the torso, similar to how you would wear a messenger bag. The material is stretchable and water-repellent, so it remains comfortable and will get you through virtually anything Mother Nature can throw your way.

    Right on the front and in easy access in a line of five buttons that make up the “Quiver’s”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74793 “inSound” control system–allowing you to play and pause your music, answer a call on your iPhone, skip tracks, and raise/lower the volume. These controls are enabled by plugging your device into the dock connector in the “Quiver’s”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74793 main pocket.

    Headphone management is the other area where the “Quiver”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74793 shines. No one likes to deal with tangled, dangling wires, especially in the middle of activity. The “Quiver”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74793 allows you to feed your headphone cord through the fabric and to the pocket where your iPod sits. This allows enough cord to comfortably and safely wear your favorite headphones without getting them tangled in a tree branch or other obstacle.

    Once you have your headphones and iPod in place, adjust the “Quiver”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74793 to fit against your body snugly, and you’re off! This would make a perfect gift for the holiday season for snowboarders or skiers. Come by our retail stores and ask one of our staff members to give you a demo! Priced at $89.99 the “Quiver”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74793 is a great holiday gift!

  • Aroma Home Animal Screen Wipes

    With little chamois bellies, these “Aroma Home”:http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=aroma Animal Screen Wipes are sure to add a little fun to computer or LCD cleaning! Easier to hold on to than other screen wipes, these animals will erase finger prints and any dust off your screen as well as reduce static.

    Don’t worry, they won’t scratch your screens, but they will leave a nice lemony, clean smell–giving you some aromatherapy while you work! “Aroma Home Animal Screen Wipes”:http://www.smalldog.com/search/?find=aroma are also reusable and no training is necessary!

    This is a fun holiday gift that is perfect for the person who has EVERYTHING! Available in four different animals – “Elephant”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74953, “Gorilla”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74954, “Pig”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74955, and a “Tiger!”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74956

  • Seasons Greetings!

    As I write this, I can’t believe it’s already December 14th! This year seemed to fly by! But that’s alright because that means its time for the Holidays—and then the start of a brand new year!

    This time of year most customers who come through are looking for the perfect gifts for the Mac enthusiast, the person who has everything, or something small to just say “thanks”.

    Jeremiah, Gary and I wanted to do a special edition of Best in Showroom to pass along some of our gift picks for this year! Enjoy—and please feel free to contact Jeremiah, Gary or myself if you have any questions whatsoever!

    On top of the savings you will see below, we still have great rebates when you buy a new Mac with AppleCare (which is currently discounted itself!). Enjoy a FREE HP Officejet J4680 All-In-One Printer, Scanner, Copier and Fax after mail-in-rebate (regularly $119.99) OR get a $60 mail-in-rebate when you purchase a LaCie 500GB or 1TB Neil Poulton hard drive!

    Happy Holidays!

    -Katie, Jeremiah, and Gary (and the rest of the South Burlington Crew!)

  • Happy Tuesday, Every year I seem to forget just how beautiful the woods can be right after snowfall. I woke up Sunday morning…

  • Repair of the Week: MacBook Won't Charge

    This week’s repair is on a first-generation MacBook that had a very slight amount of water spilled on it. The customer did everything right: he immediately turned off the computer and removed the battery, and left it alone in a warm place for ten days. An attempt to fire up a spilled-on computer generally makes the situation worse, so while it might be tempting to cross your fingers and hope for the best, resist the urge and wait it out.

    After 10 days near his wood stove (not too close!), he plugged it in, pressed the power button, and it fired right up. Delighted, he attacked his inbox for a half hour and right after signing into Facebook, the reserve power warning came up. Even after plugging the computer in, the battery would not charge.

    This is a fairly common situation and there are several components involved. The flow of power in a MacBook goes from the MagSafe adapter, into the MagSafe-in clip, to the logic board, to the battery transfer board, to the battery. Of course, the easiest thing to do is test the MagSafe adapter itself with a known-good one. If that does not resolve the issue, the next component to test is the battery. If neither of these resolve the issue, it’s time for a visit to your local repair shop.

    Knowing that the spill was concentrated in the area around the arrow keys, right above the battery transfer board, the first step was to swap that part out. No luck there. Not having a spare logic board to test, I went to the MagSafe-in board and swapped that with no luck. At that point, I had to order up the logic board for diagnostic purposes, and it did resolve the issue. While I could not find any sign of liquid on the logic board, I did very plainly see liquid damage on the battery transfer board, so the outcome was a bit surprising. In the end, though, the customer elected not to repair the damage due to the very high cost of logic boards. In this case, the best thing to do was simply use the computer while plugged in.

  • Tip of the Week: Time Your Time Machine Backups

    I love me some “Time Machine”:http://www.apple.com/macosx/what-is-macosx/time-machine.html. It’s the easiest way for the average Mac user to reliably back up their computer. Since it’s the easiest backup method, it’s also the most likely method to be used, which is a good thing. Apple writes:

    “Time Machine automatically makes incremental backups every hour, every day, copying just the files that have changed since your last backup. And it does this all in the background, so you can continue working while Time Machine is busy copying your files.”

    As much as I adore and use Time Machine, there are times when it gets in my way. I frequently import and edit audio and video, which results in large files that take a long time to backup. The standard hourly Time Machine backup is often too frequent.

    Fortunately, there is a free app for Mac OS 10.5 and Mac OS 10.6 called “TimeMachineEditor”:http://timesoftware.free.fr/timemachineeditor, which lets you change the default one-hour backup interval of Time Machine. You can change the interval or create more sophisticated scheduling based on a calendar. I prefer my Mac to simply backup to Time Machine once at the end of the day.

    You can “click here to download TimeMachineEditor”:http://timesoftware.free.fr/timemachineeditor. It’s easy to install and uninstall. If you decide you prefer the standard one-hour Time Machine backup, simply use TimeMachineEditor one last time to turn it off, then drag the application to the trash to uninstall.