Friday, December 18, 2009

Enable visual tab switcher in Firefox 3.6 beta

While Firefox 3.5.5 is the current official release of Mozilla’s browser, the developer is already hard at work on its successor, Firefox 3.6. As of today, you can download and install Firefox 3.6b4, which contains a number of new features and bug fixes from the 3.5 series. As but a sampling, Firefox 3.6 will include a new version of the Gecko web rendering platform, integration of the Personas plug-in for simple appearance changes, much faster JavaScript performance, and improved application loading time.

Now, I’m not one to recommend running a beta browser as your primary browser, but if you like living on the edge and peering into the future, the Firefox 3.6 beta isn’t a bad way to do so—most everything seems to work reasonably well, and I’ve not had any crashes in my time with it.

One other interesting feature in Firefox 3.6 is support for a visual tab switcher, much like the Command-Tab application switcher in OS X. By default, if you press Control-Tab, Firefox 3.6 will cycle through your open tabs (and Shift-Control-Tab will cycle backwards). With a simple configuration switch, though, Control-Tab will instead display a visual tab switcher, like this (click for a larger version):

Firefox 3.6's visual tab switcher

The switcher will only show the six most-recently-used tabs, but a button at the bottom of the switcher lets you see all open tabs in a multi-row display. In this mode, there’s even a search box that lets you find open tabs based on words in the URL or page title.

So how do you activate the visual tab switcher? In an empty Firefox 3.6 tab, type about:config in the URL entry area, then press Return. You’ll see a warning about voiding your warranty; click the “I’ll be careful, I promise!” button to continue.

Once you’ve accepted the warning, the screen will fill with a long list of Firefox’s preferences. To enable tab previews, type ctrltab.prev; this should be enough typing such that the list of matches contains only one preference: browser.ctrlTab.previews. Double-click anywhere on the browser.ctrlTab.previews row to enable this feature—the Status column will change to User Set, and the Value column will change to True.

Once enabled, the visual tab switcher is immediately available; press Control-Tab to try it out. If you later decide you don’t like it, go back into the configuration screen, find the browser.ctrlTab.previews entry, and double-click it again. I’m not sure if this feature will ship enabled or disabled, but you can try it out now for yourself, if you like.

Personally, I’m undecided about its functionality—I like it, but I wish there were some way to force it to always show all tabs, as it’s usually an older tab I’m trying to switch to. (There’s a preference named browser.allTabs.previews, and I tried setting that to true, but it didn’t change the number of displayed previews in the Control-Tab switcher.)

Monday, December 14, 2009

Where Do I Get Started With Youtube Marketing?

Image via Wikipedia

Where Do I Get Started With Youtube Marketing?

Source: Where Do I Get Started With Youtube Marketing?
By Gene Wolff On June 1, 2009
1 Comment

Well I am assuming since you are reading this post, you missed the other posts importance of why you need to get started with youtube marketing.

So first thing is first, you need a video. Until you start recording your own videos you can use mine. But it is important that you start promoting your own business marketing you as the professional. Remember, you have a training area set up for these people. You have a support center set up for these people. You have webinars almost every other day and live Ustream event’s to help them succeed. And they get all this without paying you one single dime!

These are the things you might want to let these people know. Now if your promoting GDI, Spiderwebsystem, Or my favorite the search engine combined with GDI.

So make sure you have set up all your affiliate Id’s for every income stream you wish to earn from. Make sure you have subscribed to Tissa’s PAYPAL, feature as he will do your promotions for you for free for the next 30days. Which I might say is a true added bonus on top of the already $125 he is giving you for free.

After have a set up everything. There is one last ting you need to do before getting your youtube videos up. If making sure you have qualified for the GDI bonus pool. This is where you can make some really decent money. For every five people you refer to GDI to pick up their domain name, you make $100 potential bonus.

Which is a great deal considering your only paying $10. Now that you have everything set up we wan to grab a video. I have a number of videos out on youtube, however I would suggest using tissa’s personal video here and use the other youtube tutorial I created for ripping video. Go here to see Tissa’s video

Here is one of my other videos I created just promote GDI as a stand alone product. And this video is from Brian Bear my upline, this is a great converting video for promoting GDI as a stand alone product as it shows brian waving around some of his paychecks from GDI. Really gets the blood flowing

And here of course is another video promoting GDI. Are getting the picture here? GDI and the niche search engine are some very powerful products as they offer some serious income potential for you.

And last but not least, 2 videos to help you promote your search engine. I am providing some video proof in these ones. I hope you see the power of providing proof to people. It does not matter if you have any yet, but we have some for you and any video you can have promoting your business on autopilot is a good thing.

When uploading your video it is best to use the bulk upload option so you can upload all these videos, either to one channel or spread out over 3 channels or more. One thing you should do though, is read youtubes terms and service here before starting your marketing. This is just so you know what to expect sometimes from youtube. They can be really strict with their rules, but not everyone follows them. And no, nothing extreme will happen if you break them either.

When you rip the videos feel free to take the Title( add something to it of your own), the description – and when taking the desciption make sure you remove my link up top and put your own referral link. If your promoting GDI you can choose what ever link you want from the replicated websites page in your GDI backoffice. If your promoting the Niche Search Engine, then your promotional page will be your GDI domain with this at the end (tissa.htm). Here’s what mine looks like www.PeopleSearchWebsite.ws/Tissa.htm

After ripping the description now rip the tags from the posts just under the description area. Now go over everything make sure your links are there. And you should be ready to go. Click upload.

Any questions regarding the tutorials I just gave you must first be checked through the other Youtube video tutorials before asking for help. Other wise please post your questions under the post in the comments section so the next person gets to see them.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Apple Mac Tablet rumors: February production start, 10-inch LCD screen

Source: appleinsider.com

Checks within Apple's supply chain have led to a new round of tablet-related rumors from one analyst, who believes the device will launch in March or April of 2010 with a 10.1-inch LCD screen.
Yair Reiner, analyst with Oppenheimer, revealed his latest tablet news in a note to investors issued Wednesday morning. He also said that Apple has been reaching out to book publishers with a "very attractive proposal" for offering content on a forthcoming ebook platform.
Reiner believes the tablet could provide an additional 50 cents to 75 cents in earnings per share for AAPL stock.
"Our checks into Apple's supply chain indicate the manufacturing cogs for the tablet are creaking into action and should begin to hit a mass market stride in February," the note said. "At this stage Apple appears to be sizing its supply chain to support production of as many as 1M units per month."
Reiner said Apple would likely need at least five or six weeks of inventory built up before it can release the product, positioning a likely launch in March or April. Such a launch would assume there are no production issues, like the one believed to have led to the last-minute removal of a camera from the latest iPod touch.
He also said that the device will have a 10.1-inch multi-touch display using LTPS LCD technology, the same as on the iPhone. He specifically disputed an earlier report that a high-end model would sport an OLED display.
Apple is also said to be offering publishers a deal that will allow them to release their content on other online stores, such as for Amazon's Kindle, or for new, forthcoming digital storefronts from major publishers. But Apple could sweeten the pot by offering a better deal than some companies, like Amazon, currently offer.
"Contacts in the U.S. tell us Apple is approaching book publishers with a very attractive proposal for distributing their content," Reiner said. "Apple will split revenue 30/70 (Apple/publisher); give the same deal to all comers; and not request exclusivity. We believe the typical Kindle split is 50/50, rising to 30/70 if Kindle is given ebook exclusivity."
He went on to say that the Kindle has "disgruntled the publishing industry" by strong-arming companies into exclusivity through a "wolfish cut of revenue" taken if they sell their content elsewhere. The Kindle also does not allow advertising in content it sells for its device.
"The tablet is set to change that," Reiner said. "It should also make ebooks more relevant for education by simplifying functions such as scribbling marginalia."
Oppenheimer predicts that the company could sell between 1 million and 1.5 million devices per quarter at an average selling price of $1,000. The company has a price target of $235 for AAPL stock.

New MacBook Pro Versions Likely to Use Intel’s New i5 and i7 Processors

Image via Wikipedia

Source: DeviceMag.com

Intel have announced their intentions to expand their line of Arrandale processors with three new additions, and the release date has been stated to be January 3rd. The processors will use the high-end Nehalem architecture, which is already being used in some of Mac’s desktop computers, released earlier this year. The new processors, titled the Core i5 and Core i7, are reported to have a significant performance gain over the Core 2 Duo, which is currently used in the MacBook Pro.

Clock speeds will range between 2.4GHz and 2.66GHz, and the processors will be offered at a competitive price for large orders – 1000 units will cost between $225 and $332 a piece. The processor’s cooling requirements seem to fit with the current design of the MacBook Pro, and it’s also expected that a low-voltage version will be released to be used in the MacBook Air, famous for being extremely thin and light.

Apple have made it quite apparent that they’re switching over to Intel processors, ever since the Power PC G5’s huge cooling problems. This can only spell a good future for both the company and its customers, as Intel processors are becoming more and more efficient.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Ten quick Calculator tricks on a Mac

Image via Wikipedia

Ten quick Calculator tricks

by Sharon Zardetto, Macworld.com

Here's how to get the most out of Apple's built-in tool

The lowly Calculator sits there in your Applications folder. It’s so unassuming you barely notice that it has menus and little interface details that make it not quite so lowly after all. These tips work for the Basic calculator. Many also work for the Scientific and Programmer versions available through the Calculator’s View menu.

1. Copy and paste numbers

Need to include a quick calculation in an e-mail message? Because you can’t select anything in the Calculator display, it’s easy to forget you can still use Copy and Paste commands with it. The Copy command (Command-C or Edit -> Copy) always grabs the currently displayed number and places it on the Clipboard so you can use it elsewhere. And, if you’ve copied a number from someplace else, just use Paste (Command-V or Edit -> Paste) when the Calculator’s open to insert the number in the Calculator field. (Many OS versions ago, you could paste in a calculation like 17*34, and it would appear in Calculator as if you had clicked those keys; now that calculation pastes in as the number 1734.)

2. Pick your precision

If kiwis are selling 3 for $5, does one of them cost $1.66667? When you don’t need 15-decimal place precision, use the View menu’s Decimal Places submenu to specify how many digits you want displayed. The displayed number is rounded, not truncated, so 1.66667 becomes 1.67. The actual number is stored internally, however, so you can continue with a calculation that uses the true number instead of the rounded one.

3. Convert units of measure

You may never have to convert hectares to acres, or inches of mercury to pounds per square inch, but the Convert menu provides more mundane changes, too. For example, use it to convert metric units to any of the stubbornly held standard measurements the U.S. uses. Enter a number (or work with the one already there from a calculation) and then choose a category from the menu—Length, for example. Use the pop-up menus in the sheet that appears to specify what you’re converting to and from. The Calculator displays the answer in the chosen units.

4. Repeat the last calculation

With the Calculator’s hidden “repeat the last operation” function, it’s a cinch to compute something like short-term compound interest. Start with 1200 dollars times 1.06 for the first year’s 6 percent return and you get 1272. Just hit Return again, and the number is multiplied by 1.06 again; another press of Return gives you the third-year total of 1429.22.

Alternatively, you can enter numbers in between the repeated operation. So, after the first calculation is done, you can enter 1500 and press Return to get that number multiplied by 1.06.

5. Use the paper tape

The paper tape window not only serves as a quick reference, it can also be printed or saved. This shows the result of the special “repeat last” function, which uses repeated clicks of the equal sign (=) key to perform the same operation—*1.06 was entered only once.

The Window -> Show Paper Tape command opens a small window that shows each of your calculations as soon as you press Return or click on the equal sign (=) key. This lets you check for incorrectly entered numbers. If you realize you want to see your history only after the fact, no problem: Any time you open the paper tape, you’ll see everything you’ve done since you opened the Calculator for the current number-crunching session. If you need a copy of the paper tape, choose File -> Save Tape As or File -> Print Tape. You can also select any part of its display and copy out the information.

6. Store a number

You’re figuring out the cost of tiling the kitchen, with and without the pantry closet, and maybe the back hallway, too. You don’t have to re-enter the $6.47-per-square-foot cost of the tile for the three different calculations.

Enter 6.47 and press M+ to put it into memory. Then, calculate the cost of each area’s tile by multiplying the square footage by the stored tile price, retrieved with a press of the Memory Recall (MR) button. Enter 14*16*MR for one cost, 6*7*MR for the next, and 2.5*3.5*MR for the last.

7. Delete a digit

If you type or click the wrong number, there’s no need to clear everything by clicking on Calculator’s C (for “clear”) key or pressing C on your keyboard. (If you have a full Apple keyboard, you can also use the key labeled Clear.) Press Delete on your keyboard to erase the last digit you entered; press it multiple times to continue erasing digits. (The Forward Delete key doesn’t work for this.)

8. Quickly switch calculators

Click on the Calculator’s Zoom button (the green one of the three buttons in the upper left of its window) to cycle through the three kinds of calculators—Basic, Scientific, and Programmer—instead of using the commands in the View menu.

Normal Calculator

9. Easily change a mistake

If you enter the wrong operator by mistake—pressing the plus sign (+), say, instead of the minus sign (-)—just press the correct one next. Calculator will ignore the first operator.

10. Specify a negative number

Normally, you can’t calculate 4 multiplied by negative 5, because 4*-5 is assumed to be a typo and is treated as 4-5. But you can reverse the “negativity” of a number you just entered by clicking on the Calculator’s plus-or-minus key. (It’s the key with a plus sign on top of a minus sign. You'll find it to the right of the C key.) So, press 4*5 and then, while the 5 is displayed, click on the plus-or-minus key to make it negative. Press Return to see the answer: -20.

Sharon Zardetto is a long-time Mac author who remembers keeping a calculator in her desk drawer until the Mac introduced the software-based version in 1984. She posted an interesting, though admittedly not very useful, Calculator tip on her MacTipster blog.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

How Google Chrome OS Could Beat Windows

Image via Wikipedia

How Google Chrome OS Could Beat Windows

Source: pcworld.com

If Google really wants to compete with Microsoft, it needs to join 'em to beat 'em.
Michael Scalisi, PC World

Google recently stated that it is developing a new Linux-based OS called Chrome to run on both netbooks and desktops. In order for Google to seriously challenge Microsoft’s dominance, it needs two things. First, it needs to be seriously awesome. Second, it needs to be compatible with Windows Apps.

I must confess that when I heard about the OS, my first thought was “Oh great, just what we need, another Linux distro.” Then I realized two things: Apple has already demonstrated that its possible to build an awesome and unique OS based on UNIX, and, this is Google we’re talking about.

I believe that the Chrome OS can be awesome. That it’s named Chrome is telling. For those who haven’t used the Chrome browser yet, it’s incredibly fast, extremely simple and intuitive, yet strangely powerful. It gives you what you need before you ask for it based on what you’ve done in the past. All within an attractive, simple interface.

The Google Chrome OS is likely to be just like that. I’d expect the file system to resemble Gmail, using labels instead of folders. I’d expect eye-candy to be at a minimum and for performance to be highly optimized. I’d expect bloat to be ripped out by its roots and hastily discarded. It will capitalize on the cloud-computing model and leverage Google’s existing Web services. Imagine turning your computer on, and within 10 seconds you’re browsing the Web. That would be awesome.

All this might be enough to make a dent in the netbook market. After all, people might be willing to sacrifice the ability to use their Windows apps on a computer that was never meant to be anything more than a cheap and small web appliance. Never mind that consumers have already rejected Linux on the netbook.

Even if Chrome OS is utterly mind-blowing, if it lacks Windows application compatibility, it will merely be competing for a share of the high single-digit to low double-digit market share that Apple and Linux currently battle over. I highly doubt this is Google’s intention.

Windows dominates because it has become the lowest common denominator for application compatibility. The vast majority of commercial desktop application developers write for Windows because that’s what 90 percent of all consumers use. Consumers choose it because they invariably need to use some application that runs only on Windows. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle that needs something more than just a better competing OS to break.

As great of an idea cloud computing is, it isn’t going to eliminate the need for local apps anytime soon. If Google wants the Chrome OS to have any shot at desktop dominance, it needs be able to run Windows apps.

There are a couple of different ways to approach this. One possible alternative is to dump all sorts of resources into Wine development. This would be great since it would also give Linux and OS X a boost. Unfortunately, it will be nearly impossible to improve Wine to the point where it achieves anywhere near 100 percent Windows application compatibility.

The more likely alternative is to enable the Chrome OS to run Windows apps virtually like what is currently possible with VMware Fusion or Parallels. Of course the challenge here is that this will still require a Windows license.

The way I envision it, people will install the Chrome OS on their Windows PCs. Chrome will then repartition your drive, install its own boot loader, and set itself as the default OS. This is what most Linux distributions do already.
Users will then boot their computer into Google’s OS, and within seconds be able to use the Chrome browser and web-based apps. When the user needs a Windows app, they click on the icon for it and Chrome loads Windows in the background. The app might take a minute or so to load, but the process will be transparent otherwise. Just like VMware fusion or Parallels.

After Chrome OS finds its way onto a few million desktop computers, application developers will start porting Windows apps over to Chrome. Once Chrome is available on a majority of computers, developers will develop for Chrome first and Windows will quickly slip into obscurity. Give this process about a decade.

Michael Scalisi is an IT manager based in Alameda, California.

Beyond Article Marketing

Image by Tall Fool via Flickr

Article Marketing 102 - Article Marketing 101 Taken Beyond!

www.danielmolano.com

Concepts: article marketing, keyword, competition, keyword phrase, business, article directory, niche, internet marketers, keyword research, optimization, search engine, target, online, Daniel Molano, Google, Home Jobs, Business Consulting, writing, profit, USD, Legitimate Work, affiliate, rank, resource, SEO, grab, EzineArticles, demand, money, warrior forum.

Summary:
- Make a Six-Figure Online Income In Record Time, Without Spending a Dime!
- Due to the outstanding success of my Article Marketing 101 thread in the Warrior Forum (Article Marketing 101 - Everything You Need To Know About Article Marketing In One Place!) and to celebrate my internet marketing anniversary, I have decided to compile a more up to date version on the subject.
- I still see a lot of complaints, failures and some people still look down on this method of traffic generation, simply because they are ignorant about its true power.
- Therefore I'm going to make a step by step procedure, with a catch.
- If you complete this plan of action to the line, and you don't receive tens of thousands worth of targeted traffic, I'm going to pay you $500.00 USD.
- That's right, if after 1 month of the completion of this outline, you have not achieved tens of thousand of targeted visitors, you will receive $500.00 USD after showing me all of your work.
- This step is in fact quite simple, but it's also one of the steps most people have a wrong idea about.
- Usually, everyone tries to find that untapped holy grail, a niche with low competition.
- And although such niches do exist and you can profit from them, that's not where the real money is.
- You want to go for a niche with extremely high competition, where there are proven buyers and massive demand, otherwise there would not be such competition to begin with.
- Untapped niches normally have a low demand, and hence not much profit can be made there, at least not so easily.
- High competition is only a good thing, because there are several ways in which you can leverage, intercept and profit from that demand, without having to beat the titans at it.
- Anyone with decent writing skills can make great profit using this in a highly competitive niche.
- Here's another commonly misunderstood step, often skipped altogether.
- When in fact, this is the pillar of Article Marketing.
- Most beginners and even some advanced internet marketers believe that you can acquire massive amounts of targeted traffic by simply submitting hundreds or even thousands of articles.
- This concept comes from the idea that high traffic article directories, such as EzineArticles, will get your article more views and therefore you will receive more traffic.
- The articles will get more views, but you won't receive more traffic.
- All those views are coming from people surfing the article directory, so they are completely untargeted, they don't want what you have to offer.
- They will not click on your link and much less purchase whatever you're promoting.
- The true key to article marketing is not in how many articles you submit, but in the search engine rankings achieved with those articles.
- In fact, 10 articles can beat 1,000 articles if you know what you're doing.
- So I want you to grab your favourite keyword research tool.
- If you're on a low budget, I recommend using the Google Adwords Tool.
- Pick all countries and territories, english language and exact matches.
- Unless of course you are geotargeting a specific country and you wish to promote a local business.
- If you can actually make a small investment (which you should as soon as you have it), then I highly recommend Micro Niche Finder.
- You DO NOT have to target specific niches and directly related keyword phrases.
- For example: Someone interested in fitness, will also be interested in weight loss.
- Someone interested in self defense, will also be interested in pepper spray and tasers.
- A 25 year old bachelor will be interested in getting rock hard abs.
- After you're done, come back here in order to proceed.
- You must find 100 keyword phrases with less than 500,000 competing sites in Google and at least 3,000 monthly searches each.
- To find out the number of competing sites, simply Google the keyword phrase under quotes, i.e: "keyword phrase".
- A lot of people will say that there are several other factors when measuring the competition, and they're right.
- But under this scenario, and with what I'm about to show you, this is the only thing that you need to know.
- Once you have that 100 keyword phrase list with those parameters, we can continue.
- In my experience, there are only 3 article directories out there that work for this precise purpose.
- 1. ArticlesInAClick.com - The best article directory in terms of SEO, I personally contributed in the search engine optimization of this site.
- Not only is it based on Wordpress, it also has built in social bookmarking and the best part, it distributes your articles to the top 25 article directories out there, including GoArticle and EzineArticles.
- 2. GoArticles - The second best article directory in terms of SEO, but the design is horrible and it has way too many ads, which will only result in you losing traffic to them.
- 3. EzineArticles - The best positioned and highest traffic article directory out there.
- But it also has way too many ads which will result in you losing traffic to them.
- Since my favourite is ArticlesInAClick.com, I will use it here as the example.
- I suggest that you write you articles in Notepad, simply because it's clean.
- Microsoft Office might bring some weird html elements into it.
- Grab 1 of your keyword phrases from the list and do some research about it.
- The resource box is perhaps one of the most important things in the article, your traffic depends on it.
- If you are using article marketing for the backlinks, make sure your link is in anchor text with the keyword you want that page to rank for.
- 1. You can simply add an affiliate link or CPA link in the resource box and send them directly to the merchant's page.
- PPC on the internet, online marketing, advertising business and other innovative strategies to make your business boom!
- "Daniel Molano is an Information Marketer, Internet Business Consultant and bestselling author of "The Newbie Blueprint" system.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Mac Gems I’m thankful for

Image by insidetwit via Flickr

Mac Gems I’m thankful for

Here's an extract from an article on MacWorld I found very useful since I use mostly

Source: macworld.com

It’s Thanksgiving day here in the U.S., and I want to wish all our U.S. readers a happy holiday. Since Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, which is also a Mac Gems day on the Macworld calendar, I thought I’d mention a few Gems I’m thankful for—the inexpensive apps and utilities that I use every day to increase my productivity and generally make my Mac-using life a bit better.

This isn’t a list of our all-time favorite Gems; we published the most-recent version of that list back in June (although some of those products appear on this list, as well). Nor is it a list of my favorite Gems of 2009; you’ll see that one the week we publish our annual Eddy Awards. Rather, this is a list of Gems that I continue to use every day—Gems that have become such an integral part of my workflow that I often take them for granted.

To the developers of these programs, and of the many other great-but-inexpensive software titles out there, thank you. The Mac experience is better because of you.

DocumentPalette: I use DocumentPalette many times each day to create a new document in the current folder via a keyboard shortcut—I just choose the type of document from the palette that appears.
Dropbox: Over the years, I’ve tried many methods for keeping particular files in sync between my computers, and for sharing files with friends and family. Dropbox, with its Finder integration and automatic syncing, makes it easy.
FlexCal: Flexcal lets me create new iCal (or BusyCal) events without having to open my calendar program. I just press a keyboard shortcut and provide the event details.
Growl: More and more of my favorite programs take adantage of Growl to provide notifications and updates. Throw in HardwareGrower, a Growl add-on that informs me of hardware and network connections and disconnections, and my Mac feels lacking without this utility.
Jumpcut: As a writer, I consider a multiple-Clipboard utility to be a must, and Jumpcut remains my personal favorite for its ease of use and elegant interface.
LaunchBar: Jason Snell put it best: “If I could have only one Mac utility, a solitary piece of software that I could use to improve using my Mac and all its programs as I went about my daily business, it would be Objective Development’s LaunchBar. When I use a Mac that doesn’t have LaunchBar running, I simply feel naked.”
MagiCal: Snow Leopard finally lets you put the date in the menu bar, but I still prefer MagiCal, which instead uses a tiny calendar icon for the date; clicking on the icon displays a useful monthly calendar.
Mercury Mover: Among this add-on’s many features, the one I use the most is the capability to quickly restore windows to particular sizes and positions. For example, by pressing Mercury Mover’s keyboard shortcut followed by S, my Safari window is instantly placed in my favorite location with my favorite dimensions.
MondoMouse: I use MondoMouse dozens of times each day to move and resize windows without having to grab a thin title bar or a tiny resize box—heck, without even having to click a mouse button.
ScreenSharingMenulet: Using OS X’s Screen Sharing feature between my Macs has become a regular part of my daily routine, and ScreenSharingMenulet has made making those Screen Sharing connections simple.
Sharpshooter: Tech writers take screenshots—lots of screenshots. When I choose to use Mac OS X’s built-in screenshot features, Sharpshooter lets me choose, on the fly, the screenshot format, name, and save location.
Shimo: Mac OS X’s built-in VPN functionality doesn’t hold a candle to Shimo, which provides more features, more-reliable connections, and many automation options. It’s also a much-improved alternative to Cisco’s OS X VPN software. Did I mention it provides Growl notifications?
SuperDuper: I’m paranoid about data loss, so I have a rigorous backup routine. Part of that routine is to use SuperDuper to schedule six clone operations every day—two each of three different drives. If a drive dies, I can be back up and running without much delay.
TextExpander: In my line of work, a text-expansion utility—which automatically pastes frequently used text whenever I type a corresponding abbreviation—is up there with multiple Clipboards in terms of productivity gains. And TextExpander is my current favorite. According to the program’s own tally, I’ve expanded over 5500 snippets over the past couple years.
Today: Today shows me the day’s events and tasks in a space-saving window, even if iCal or BusyCal is closed.
Witch: OS X lets you switch between windows in the current program by pressing Command+`. Witch puts that feature to shame by displaying a list of every window in every application, letting you easily switch to—or act on—any of them.

There are plenty of other Gems that I use regularly, but these see daily action on my Mac and have worked their way into my routines. What are your most-used—and most overlooked—Mac Gems? Let us know in the comments. And if you're celebrating today, have a great Thanksgiving, and thanks for reading.

think-act-do

Friday, December 18, 2009

Enable visual tab switcher in Firefox 3.6 beta

Enable visual tab switcher in Firefox 3.6 beta

Firefox 3.6's visual tab switcher

Monday, December 14, 2009

Where Do I Get Started With Youtube Marketing?

Where Do I Get Started With Youtube Marketing?

Where Do I Get Started With Youtube Marketing?

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Apple Mac Tablet rumors: February production start, 10-inch LCD screen

Apple Mac Tablet rumors: February production start, 10-inch LCD screen

New MacBook Pro Versions Likely to Use Intel’s New i5 and i7 Processors

New MacBook Pro Versions Likely to Use Intel’s New i5 and i7 Processors

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Ten quick Calculator tricks on a Mac

Ten quick Calculator tricks

Here's how to get the most out of Apple's built-in tool

1. Copy and paste numbers

2. Pick your precision

3. Convert units of measure

4. Repeat the last calculation

5. Use the paper tape

6. Store a number

7. Delete a digit

8. Quickly switch calculators

9. Easily change a mistake

10. Specify a negative number

Thursday, December 3, 2009

How Google Chrome OS Could Beat Windows

How Google Chrome OS Could Beat Windows

Beyond Article Marketing

Article Marketing 102 - Article Marketing 101 Taken Beyond!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Mac Gems I’m thankful for

Mac Gems I’m thankful for

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