Tech Reviews
posted by Elijah on 09/20/2011
GlimmerBlocker is an ad blocker for Safari that doesn’t compromise the stability of Safari, according to its developers. (A claim supported by my own experience with it.) Unlike other ad blockers that are built as plugins for Safari, GlimmerBlocker runs as an HTTP proxy. This means it is also compatible with other browsers on OS X. Since it doesn’t run as part of the browser it doesn’t break due to browser updates.
Comments
posted by Elijah on 09/20/2011
Wanting to move your mouse less might sound lazy, or even funny, but if you use computers as much as we do then developer Ben Hines' smart little 290kb download could easily save you literally miles of wrist movements. MouseZoom is a prefpane for OS X that speeds up mouse movement. OS X’s default mouse acceleration curve is simply too slow for large screens, a problem that has gotten worse as displays have gotten larger. Navigating around my 17” MacBook Pro is an arduous process even with the standard mouse prefpane’s speed cranked all the way up. This little gem works so well I nearly forgot I had it installed until I found myself dragging the mouse half way across my desk while working in someone else's account!
posted by Jessie on 09/06/2011
The current prevalent trend in technology is moving all of our data and applications to “the cloud”, which means storing it online using a service rather than on your own computer or devices. This has the upside of providing an excellent way to remove the pressure of backing up everything on your computer compulsively; knowing that everything important to your digital life, from emails to childhood photos to your 100-page thesis, is stored somewhere “else” (and not having the only copy on your 8 year old failing PC, or even anything physical in your possession that might one day have to survive a drop, house fire, or just getting lost) is a blessing. Is Backupify the solution to this problem?
posted by Jessie on 06/03/2011
Google's free phone service, Google Voice, has been out for a little while now. After a quiet start, it has really started to build its functionality and become a fantastic resource. I initially decided to try it because of my carrier’s unsatisfactory voicemail system- too many lost voicemails, and a complete inability to notify me when I’d received a new one. Switching to Google Voice easily validated itself with its voicemail functionality alone, but as I’ve discovered it’s also so much more. And considering the only cost is the time to set it up, there’s little to lose, and a lot to gain.
posted by Elijah on 04/29/2011
It would be difficult to find a job where you see more broken power adapters than being a service technician. I’ve seen every brand, OEM and aftermarket, broken at one point or another. The one power adapter that seems to be the least problematic is the Apple MagSafe adapter.
posted by Elijah on 03/31/2011
As any Mac power user knows, their MacBook Pro or other Intel Mac will get hot when it’s working hard. Long renders in Final Cut Pro, applying heavy effects in Photoshop CS5, or viewing your newest high rise in AutoCAD will all get your Mac up to BBQ’ing temperature pretty darn quick. Sometimes the Mac’s built in firmware simply won’t kick the fans on soon enough, or won’t spin them up enough to avoid the heat.
Hit "Read more" to hear about a handy little app that will put your Mac's temperature in your control.
posted by Elijah on 03/11/2011
The days of manually backing up your most important documents with external hardware are over. The internet has provided many advances and solutions in the world of computing, and one of the most useful is a program called Dropbox.
posted by Elijah on 02/24/2011
Thin, light, and actually useful; that’s what came to mind when I first tested the new MacBook Air.
For almost 3 years now the MacBook Air has been Apple’s premier thin and light laptop. Its featherweight, svelte form makes it the ultimate mobile Mac.
posted by Elijah on 02/18/2011
It can be tough to get things done, and even tougher to find a good piece of GTD (getting things done) software. For simple projects it is often too difficult to use a piece of software like omnifocus, omnioutliner, or the like. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some of the time simple sticky note and reminder software is just that- too simple.
Cut to wunderlist, a simple piece of software recently developed and released by Berlin-based software startup 6Wunderkinder, that manages basic to-dos. wunderlist even allows sharing and syncing, a bit of functionality that many other software creators have ignored, or charge an absurd fee to take advantage of.