Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Mid-August is beginning to feel like late September, and I’m not complaining! We’re experiencing beautifully foggy mornings in the South Burlington area, and nice, cool evenings. Things are busy as always in the South Burlington store, and we’re all looking forward to the back to school rush that is certainly upon us.

    After our last edition of Tech Tails, I received some thoughtful feedback, and great questions from our customers in regards to film scanning techniques. As I mentioned last week, a lot of my spare time is spent shooting and scanning film. Soon to be added to the ritual is chemical processing at home. For those of you looking for the scanner comparison article, hang tight, I’m gathering resources to compare a few leading scanners, so look out for that article soon!

    This week I received a great question about iPhoto vs. Photos, and how editing has improved between the platforms. While I understand the change can be jarring, I believe Photos is a superior application, though it does require a shift in perspective. I always tell my customers, Apple is aiming to merge your iOS and macOS experience. If your introduction to Apple products was through iPhone, or if iPhone is your most frequently used device (as it is for a lot of us) it would stand to reason that your macOS experience should grow to resemble the handheld interface that you’re accustomed to. The telltale sign is when I see customers trying to touch a MacBook Pro screen as if it were a touch screen, then remembering to use the trackpad. Today, we share documents, photos, emails, and more between our iPhone or iPad and Mac. With the replacement of iPhoto, you see a clear shift in the way photos are sorted and edited. Overall, I find that Photos allows for more detailed editing points, and the sorting method makes a lot more sense to me, as it resembles the iOS “Camera Roll.”

    Have you found anything missing, or new features you recently discovered in the latest applications from Apple? I would love to hear your feedback to share with other customers. For now, I’ll be on the sales floor, and working on a few rolls of Kodak at home! Have a great rest of the summer, as autumnal as it may feel!

    Patrick McCormack
    “patrickm@smalldog.com”:mailto:patrickm@smalldog.com

  • Go Cubs Go, Hey Chicago what do you say? Cubs are going to win today! Well, at least I hope they win when Grace and I make our annual pilgrimage to Wrigley Field.

    I have a bear hanging out at my house. We accidentally left our cellar door open and the bear pulled the empty garbage can out looking for food. He or she left a big paw mark on the door. Bears usually only come around if you have bird feeders or garbage hanging out so we are going to have to make sure that door is secure and have the dogs and some people leave their scent. I repositioned one of my Arlo cameras on that door, so who knows I may have a photo for you next week.

    It is always fun to go back to Chicago and reminisce about the good times Grace and I had there as kids. We would ride the “L” and we still remember all the stops and while the crackly speaker is a bit upgraded we will still be getting off at Addison to go to the game!

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    _Don, Hadley and Emily_

  • Do You Know How Fast You Were Going?

    On a few recent road trips, I got to really test out a handy feature in my new car: radar sensing. Many newer cars are available with these features whether they be collision avoidance radar, backup traffic monitoring radar, cruise control radar or blind spot radar. It’s incredible to me that this relatively sophisticated technology is becoming available in even cheaper cars. It made me think that it would be interesting to discuss what radar is, how it works, and the different applications. Many of the fundamentals I’ve discussed in other articles, specifically my article about electromagnetic radiation, will be good to know about before we get into this. So if you haven’t read that article, give “**it a read first**”:http://blog.smalldog.com/kibbles/kb1026/ and then come back.

    Ok, are you refreshed? Good! Radar is one of those words like laser, modem or scuba. Radar was originally an acronym for RAdio Direction And Ranging. The original name should give a hint about how it works. Electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range doesn’t totally penetrate solid objects. This means that when the microwaves hit something they bounce off of it. Depending on the nature of the material involved, some microwaves might be absorbed by the object. In a radar system, there is a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter sends out microwaves and the receiver receives the reflections back to interpret them. Some properties, like simply knowing where an object is, can be determined by how long the transmitted waves take to return to the receiver. The strength and makeup of the received waves can also help infer the material of the object as well as its size. If the radar is set up to detect frequency shifts, it can use that to determine rotation or relative motion of the object. This kind of radar would be called doppler radar (after the Doppler effect) and is often used for detecting rain motion in meteorology.

    Many of the radars that are added onto cars are able to determine relative motion. This means that they can see an object and not only know it’s position in that moment, but also it’s relative velocity (relative to your car). For example, the blind spot radar on my car doesn’t trigger if I pass a car, but it does trigger when a car passes me. The radar is able to distinguish between these two motions. Forward sensing radars are able to detect possible collisions in the same way. This is also how police track your speed by radar. You can notice this effect with sound. When a police siren is approaching you, it sounds higher pitched, and when it passes you, it sounds lower pitched. The reason for this is the Doppler effect.

    When a wave (sound or electromagnetic) is emitted from an object in motion, stationary receiving points along the object’s path will see the waves either compressed or elongated depending on whether the moving object is approaching or departing. When the waves compress, this places more peaks and troughs in the same area. More waves in the same size area or shrinking area (shrinking because the distance between the source and you is shrinking) means higher frequency. When the waves are electromagnetic, this shift in frequency can be determined with high precision to determine how fast the object is moving.

    Because radar is an electromagnetic wave in the microwave spectrum it can be “jammed” relatively easily. By receiving the microwaves, modifying them, and then retransmitting them back to the source, the radar system may not be able to detect the object properly. Radar is also easily detected because it’s an electromagnetic wave. For these reasons, police often also use LIDAR. Which is the same system except it uses visible or invisible light (“LIDAR” is actually a portmanteau of light and radar) to do the same thing. Remember that light is an electromagnetic wave itself, so all the same principles apply. LIDAR can also be jammed, but as it’s a newer technology than radar, it’s less common. LIDAR also depends on lasers and other light focusing technologies and so wasn’t developed until the 1960s.

    You can also use ultrasonic sound to accomplish all of the same exact tasks, but sound is too easily affected by the environment. It’s also horribly slow compared to electromagnetic waves that travel at the speed of light. An ultrasonic rangefinder and speed detector would have to be calibrated every single time it was used. Changes in air density, pressure and temperature would all affect the sound waves. For this reason, we typically only use radar and LIDAR.

    Obviously there are hundreds of uses beyond cars and speed tracking when it comes to radar and LIDAR. We use LIDAR for surveying, aerial mapping, and precise distance tracking of celestial objects like the moon. If all of this was interesting, next week I’m going to talk a little bit about lasers. I’ve always been fascinated by lasers and will never forget my parents getting me a little pocket one when I was just 10. So tune in next week!

  • Get To Work Faster

    Some of us like to ease into the start of our work day, others might want to get things rolling as fast as you can. If you’re someone who likes to get things rolling you might find it advantageous to activate login items on your Mac.

    This feature has been in the macOS for years, and when it first came out it could sometimes affect your computer’s start up. Fast forward to macOS Sierra, SSD drives, flash memory and these concerns become issues of the past. Most of us keep programs running even when we are not using them without any performance issues with our Macs, so there’s little concern with current generation machines of delays from login items.

    If you’re not sure what I am referring to, let me take a moment to explain. You can specify through your system preferences if you do or do not want specific programs to automatically launch and run when you log in to your computer. In some cases users have programs automatically launching at login and do not know why. Microsoft Office, Skype and iTunesHelper commonly end up as login applications without users realizing it. That’s why Skype always seems to open on it’s own! In some cases it’s not an advantage to have a program start automatically, but if it’s one that you use every time you use your computer it can be very helpful. I have set as login items Mail, Safari, Calendar and Messages, the four programs I ALWAYS need when I get to the office.

    To look and see if you have any applications as login items is quick and simply. All you need to do is go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items.

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    You might find that you already have items in the list, they could be ones you want or perhaps ones you’ve always wondered why they auto launch for you. You should go through this list every now and then. As mentioned, on occasion applications you might not want as a login item might find its way there. You also might find you have an application as a login item that you no longer need or want to run all of the time.

    Here is what you need to know about managing your login items:

    **Add a login item.** An easy way to add an app to the Login Items list is to drag its icon from the Finder into the list. But you can also click the + button beneath the Login Items list and choose the app from the Applications folder. Or, make sure the app is running, Control-click its icon on the Dock, and then choose Options > Open at Login from the shortcut menu.

    **Remove a Login item.** To prevent an app from launching at startup in the future, select it in the Login Items list and click the – button under the Login Items list.

    **Hide a login item’s windows after startup.** Some apps, like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, fill your screen with their windows immediately at launch. If you don’t want to use an app right after restarting your Mac, you can reduce screen clutter by selecting its Hide checkbox in the Login Items list. That’s the equivalent of launching an app and hiding its windows by Option-clicking on another app.

    So, the next time you start up your Mac, get to work faster!

  • Apple Does It Again!

    I have run out of superlatives to describe Apple’s quarterly financial successes. All the “know it all” analysts were smug in their predictions that Apple would exceed their 3rd Quarter financial guidance but Apple posted earnings that surprised even the most bullish of the crowd. Posting sales of $45.8 Billion with a profit of $8.7 Billion. WOW!.

    This was the first quarter of growth in iPad sales in 4 years as the new iPad Pros began to have traction and it was the best non-holiday quarter in two years. Apple grew all sectors of their business, including iPhone, iPad, services and the Mac. In fact, it was a an all time record for Services revenue for Apple, too.

    These results alone would be remarkable but Apple also gave strong guidance for the next quarter. The back-to-school quarter is one of the most critical for Apple and even in the light of rumored shortages and other unsubstantiated churn, Apple is predicting sales of $49-$52 Billion and a strong quarter to come.

    Investors rewarded the good news with Apple stock opening at a record $159 per share, up some 6%. The Apple board of directors declared a $0.63 quarterly dividend to reward shareholders, too.

    The iPhone was responsible for about 55% of Apple’s revenue and they sold 41 million iPhones in the quarter. This brought the total number of iPhones sold since its introduction 10 years ago to 1.2 BILLION iPhones! Apple quoted a 95% customer satisfaction rating for the iPhone from 451 Research and a 99% rating for the iPhone 7+ which is truly remarkable.

    Services were a big part of Apple’s success story this quarter with their record $7.3 Billion in service revenue which is 22% growth. Much of this revenue comes from the widely popular App Store, although they reported that they have over 185 million subscriptions to Apple Music, too! Apple Pay also showed continued growth. Services is becoming a huge part of Apple’s amazing success story.

    The Mac did not do so well in the 2nd quarter but rebounded significantly this quarter with the introduction of the new Macs and rewarded Apple with 7% year over year growth compared to a decline for most other computer makers. They also trotted out some research again from 451 Research that showed a 97% customer satisfaction rate!

    Apple sold 11.4 million iPads which is 15% growth after several quarters of decline. The rumors of the demise of the iPad were definitely fodder for my new URL – www.falserumors.com. iPad sales were strong across the globe and among tablets costing more than $200, Apple holds a significant 89% marketshare. They announced that Walmart, Bank of America, Medtronic and Panera Bread would be rolling out large numbers of iPads in their operations.

    Apple ended the quarter with $261.5 Billion in cash, most of which is outside the USA. Apple spent over $3 billion on R&D with efforts on autonomous systems and other amazing new stuff that we will see in the coming months and years. Tim Cook was particularly upbeat on autonomous systems:

    “We are very focused on autonomous systems from a core technology point of view, we do have a large project going and are making a big investment in this from our point of view. Autonomy is sort of the mother of all AI projects,” Cook said today, echoing statements made last month. Autonomous systems can be used in a variety of ways and a vehicle is only one.”

    That got me thinking about some of these other ways that autonomous systems can be used. They hinted at some upcoming news on “Made in the USA” and certainly manufacturing is one area where autonomous systems can be utilized. I think we have only scratched the surface of a new manufacturing revolution.

    Congratulations to everyone at Apple for a stellar quarter. My retirement account thanks you, too! As an independent reseller of Apple products we feel privileged to be a part of this success. It is a tough business and I hope that Apple remembers the little guys that helped them grow, too. As one of the world’s largest businesses, Apple has a greater responsibility than anyone to be socially responsible and should and is held to a much higher standard. Great job on the quarter!

  • _Dear Friends,_

    I had some good weather for the Road Pitch and listened to about 10 different pitches for businesses ranging from an innovative energy management solution to modular exercise facilities built from shipping containers. It was good to connect with the other riders. This event has really grown. I was one of the inaugural riders a few years ago and we had about 10 riders then, all entrepreneurs or investors. This year there were over 50 riders at the kick-off event at Green Mountain Harley Davidson.

    I am off to my home town of Chicago to catch a couple of the Cubs games. The Cubbies are on fire right now in their quest to repeat as national champs.

    I quickly added the information that Apple had eliminated the iPod Shuffle and iPod nano last week. Sorry to see these devices go but most people are using their iPhones for music now. But we did score some of the remaining units and will have some for sale while supplies last.

    I will be reviewing the Apple 3rd quarter financials below but suffice it to say that Apple desurfaced the street and left the kind of grooved pavement that motorcyclists hate behind. They posted amazing results and grew across the board. Good job, Apple!

    For this week’s “**Kibbles & Bytes Exclusive you can get a FREE iPod Shuffle with any purchase of an in-stock MacBook.**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002766/89635/87083? We have a great selection of MacBooks in stock and we will send you a free iPod Shuffle if you buy one this week!

  • AC Rectification

    It’s back to usual this week for my article, because I thought of a good topic. I’ve talked many times about AC power…

  • intro

    Dear Friends, I had some good weather for the Road Pitch and listened to about 10 different pitches for businesses ranging from an…

  • I have a busy week coming up starting with my Road Pitch ride but also attending a concert in Shelburne and then hopping on a plane to go to Chicago with Grace for our annual pilgrimage to Wrigley Field where we will catch games against the Diamondbacks and Nationals. With the Cubbies back in first place by a hair they should be good games.

    I might have to grab a couple iPod nanos before they disappear. I use one on my motorcycle and it is a great way to have a lot of music to accompany my ride. Lately, I have been using my Beats X EarPods rather that the motorcycle’s sound system because my bike does have Bluetooth built-in.

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

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,

    _Don & Hadley (Emily is on a very well-deserved vacation this week)_

  • AC Rectification

    It’s back to usual this week for my article, because I thought of a good topic. I’ve talked many times about AC power and how and why we use it, but many things don’t use AC power. In fact, they can’t. These are things we use every single day. Virtually all digital electronics cannot use AC power directly. It needs to be converted into DC power. Remember that AC means the current is alternating and DC means the current is flowing in one constant direction.

    Any time you convert electricity from one type to another, or one voltage to another, there will be losses. Nothing is free. Every time you change something about electricity, you have to pay a tax. The goal in electronics design is to minimize those losses. AC to DC conversion is one of the simplest and most efficient conversions we do on a regular basis. DC to AC conversion is also possible (accomplished by inverters). Most of these processes are on the order of 95% efficient or greater. So how do we convert AC to DC?

    First off, the process of converting AC to DC is called ??rectifying??. Devices that accomplish this task are often called rectifiers. A very common rectifier design is called a bridge rectifier. To understand how they work, we have to recall that AC is a wave. Sometimes it’s voltage value will be positive, other times it will be negative. This doesn’t work for DC since the voltage has to always be positive or always be negative. Rectifiers take the negative voltage swing of the wave and flip it up top so that it’s positive. Now instead of a sine waveform, the output of the circuit will look like mountains. The voltage will always be positive, but it will still vary considerably, from the peak (approximately 170 volts on grid-level 120VAC) to zero and then back up again.

    How is the voltage rectified? In a bridge rectifier a ring of diodes is used. Recall that a diode only allows current to flow through it in one direction. By arranging the diodes in a ring we can create a “draw off” point for the current where the voltage will always be positive. Instead of being allowed to “pull” the current backwards during the negative voltage swing, the diodes redirect it back to the output point. Of course, this only means that the negative voltages get flipped up, creating the mountain-like waveform I mentioned earlier. This is not good for DC power, so how do we fix it?

    There are many ways to minimize this issue, but it can’t be fixed perfectly. One way is to use capacitors to buffer the output voltage. Instead of sinking when the mountains go back down to zero, the capacitors prop the voltage up during that period, until the next mountain peak arrives. Depending on the load, this could mean large capacitors to hold the load long enough. Remember also though that AC has a frequency on the order of 50-60Hz. This means there will be around 120 of those mountain peaks every single second, so the capacitors don’t need to hold for too long.

    The other issue we have to contend with is how to reduce the voltage from anywhere between 120-240VAC to something DC electronics might expect, like 5VDC. For AC to anything, this is actually very easy; we use transformers. A transformer has two sets of wire windings, a primary winding and a secondary winding. The primary winding contains the input current, usually fluctuating AC. This fluctuating current induces a magnetic field that also fluctuates in a metal core that extends from the primary winding to the secondary winding. The changing magnetic field in the core induces a new current in the secondary winding. The induced current will necessarily be greater than the input current if the windings are configured to reduce voltage. The overall power has to remain the same. So if the input were 120VAC at 1 amp (120 watts), and the transformer was reducing the voltage by a factor of two, the output would be 60VAC at 2 amps (still 120 watts). The output of a transformer will still be AC, but this is where we would apply rectification.

    This method of power conversion is extremely efficient, but as transformers are highly inductive, power companies would hate it if every single device used one. The reason for this is because inductive loads shift power around a lot without actually consuming that much. So the power company has to pay to send the power all the way from their generating station, to you, only to have your device reject almost all of the actual energy in that power. Most homes don’t have solely inductive loads though, so most of the time it’s not an issue. However, certain industrial processes rely heavily on inductive load machinery. In these cases, the power company may request that they burn off a certain amount of power in dump loads (basically huge resistors) in order to keep the grid functioning normally.

    So there you have it. How we take that high voltage raw AC power from the wall and tame it to safely power all of your devices.

  • AppleCare+ is a "No-Brainer" Add-on

    I have written many times on the benefits of AppleCare and how it differs from those “extended warranties” that everyone tries to sell you. Back in June, Apple converted to AppleCare+ and now adding AppleCare+ is truly the smart move.

    AppleCare+ was already out there for iPads, Watch and other Apple gear but June brought this feature to the Mac. We used to be measured by Apple on our AppleCare attach rate but now that is almost a moot point since most customers do opt for the new Applecare+.

    All of the features of the original AppleCare were brought over to AppleCare+. Your hardware warranty is extended from 1 to 3 years and your toll-free technical support from Apple is extended from 90 days to 3 years as well. This comes in pretty handy when your college student is cramming for an exam and needs tech support NOW. Without AppleCare+ the first thing your student would provide is a credit card number. With AppleCare+ for 3-years they can call Apple and get help.

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    So, what is new about AppleCare+? Well, it is that “+” sign. AppleCare+ now covers accidental damage which is the most common problem we see when we are checking in Macs for repair. You will have to pay $99 for screen or external enclosure damage or $299 for other damage, however, if you spill that soda on your Mac you are looking at a logic board replacement at well over $500 if you do not have AppleCare+.

    Let’s review each of the benefits of AppleCare+ for your Mac.

    *Late Night Tech Support*
    Okay, it might not always be late night but Apple is there to answer your questions 24/7 via chat or phone. Not for 90 days but for 3 years if you have AppleCare+

    *Apple Hardware Coverage*
    Your Mac is covered literally anywhere in the world for 3-years for both parts and labor. You can, in many cases for desktop Macs, request on-site service. For laptops you can mail them in or take it in to Small Dog Electronics or any Authorized Apple Service Provider. Or an Apple store if you must. This coverage extends not only to your Mac but also to:

    * Battery
    * Included accessories like the power charger
    * RAM
    * Airport base stations (if purchased within 2 years of your Mac purchase or while AppleCare+ is valid
    * Apple USB Superdrive (who uses those anymore? I have one on my shelf)

    *Software Support*
    Is it a software or a hardware problem? This is a common dilemma. But since Apple makes the OS, many Apps and the Mac, too, your AppleCare+ covers the MacOS, iCloud and quick how-to questions on Apple Apps such as Photos, Pages, iMovie, etc. Don’t expect a long lesson but if you are running into a roadblock on using Keynote, for example, you can call up and get some advice. Connecting to your network and printers is also covered.

    There is one important difference in buying AppleCare+ now. In the past, you had up to 1-year to buy AppleCare. We would send out reminder letters and many people did wait. But now, you have only 60-days to make that choice. Most people buy AppleCare+ with their Mac purchase because it becomes a bit of a hassle to buy it after the fact. You would either need to bring the Mac into Small Dog for inspection or set up a remote diagnostic with Apple.

    Pretty much anything that goes wrong with your Mac is going to cost you more than AppleCare+ if you are not covered so that is what makes it so valuable. With all the liquid damage we have seen, I am so happy to have a better option for customers. Too many times we have had customers come in with liquid damage and be shocked at the cost to repair. Now, that wine spill will be capped at $299 with AppleCare+. I can have a different discussion now with customers when we show them that the moisture sensors have been tripped and there is the gooey sticky substance on their logic board despite their insistence that they did not spill.

    The only thing that would make AppleCare+ better is if Apple would just include it with every Mac rather than asking you to buy. It is that essential to the Mac!