By now you’ve all see the “sneak peek” at the new MacPro (and if not – look, a link!). While it certainly looks interesting, it poses some serious problems for current MacPro users like me.

For one, I already have all 4 internal drive bays filled with disks – as well as 10 external drives, and 2 external optical drives. I have a pair of eSATA cards and a USB 2.0 card in the PCI slots (that supposedly no one uses) as well as an upgraded video card. So with no eSATA or FireWire connectivity, I have to figure out how to connect up all these drives without going broke.

A couple of the drives have USB 3 ports, so I’d be good there. Most are FireWire 800 (with the opticals being 400) as well as USB 2 (too slow for drives unless they are temporary really). And of course the internals have no cases at all.

I did see a 4-drive USB 3 enclosure for $100 on Amazon. I’d need a couple of those. Of course, the next price up on anything like it is generally at $150, and the majority are pricier, so I’m not sure if that $100 is just asking for trouble or not. It would at least cut down on my cable and power connections.

Good luck finding a Thunderbolt enclosure for anything reasonable. The few that I found were as expensive as buying another computer.

My DisplayPort monitor will work with one of the Thunderbolt ports, so that’s OK. But I have a lot of USB peripheries – mouse, keyboard (previous articles have mentioned why I gave up on Bluetooth for those), serial ports (which I connect to ham radio gear), USB printers, etc. So it looks like a couple of hubs are in order.

It could easily cost a premium of $300-700 just to hook everything back up! And if I need to change the video card in the future, another $300 just for the Thunderbolt to PCI box so I can buy a video card. (Yes, the dual cards look to be pretty powerful now, but how will they look in a few years?)

In any case, I certainly won’t consider buying one until the second model comes out. I already got burned with my original MacPro, which has an Intel chip that can run 64-bit OSes, but the 32-bit EFI won’t let it move past Lion. What “gotchas” will be found down the road with the first model with a radical redesign? Also, the heat dissipation is a concern  to me, having been a Cube owner- I’m sure it’s been well-tested in the labs, but let’s see what happens when they get out into people’s hands and in real use. I’m willing to bet the second or third gen has some sort of at least minor redesign to keep the unit cool.

They might also move some of the ports – the only one that must be on the back is the power cable. Put the some of the others on the front. I plug in a lot of things temporarily (like thumb drives). Yes, I could place it with the ports on the front, but then the power cable will be front and center as the largest cable.

We also don’t have pricing yet. Usually, as things get miniaturized, they get more expensive. I’m not too keen on paying a laptop premium on a desktop just to make it small. I would like something a tad smaller than the current monster, but it seems that all of that free space will be taken up by expansion boxes anyway.

So I’ll be passing on the first gen model for sure, and wait to see how it works out. Fortunately, converting my boot and main working drive to SSD has sped up my current machine so that it doesn’t seem slow anymore. Prior to that, my laptop, which also has SSD, seemed so much faster, even with the slower processor.

So instead of breaking the bank on a new MacPro, you might consider an SSD upgrade instead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBUKdGvBLqQ

I’ve had cell phone envy for a long time. I fell in love with Apple’s iPhone the first time I saw it. My problem? I use my cell phone so little that I couldn’t justify the monthly cost., so I stuck with my little AT&T dumb phone. Last year I got fed up with paying $35 a month and went with a prepaid LG Tracfone. It was supposed to have internet access, but that was a total joke. The only good part was that I was getting by with only paying $20 every 3 months.

Recently, Virgin Mobile started offering the iPhone 4 and 4S at a substantial discount with a low cost, no-contract plan. Buy the phone outright and pay $35 a month for 300 voice minutes and unlimited text and data. To be totally honest, the unlimited text and data is a bit misleading. If you read the fine print, go over 2.5 GB of text and data for the month and they won’t cut you off, but they will throttle way back on the speed. Truly, I can live with that. I’m usually within range of a trusted WiFi network, so I doubt that I’ll come anywhere near the limit. Oh, and the $35 fee? Set up autopay and they drop it to $30 a month. That’s less than what I paid for my old ultra-limited dumb phone. So yes, I bought it.

Switching from one carrier to another was actually easier than I expected. Because I was keeping my old number, I was without a phone for about 5 hours. Had I been thinking, it would have been closer to 2 hours.

Things to remember when porting your number from one provider to another?
a. Power down the old phone before you activate the new one. It won’t give up the number unless you do.
b. Once the old carrier has given up the number, you’ll probably have to reboot the iPhone.

VIrgin Mobile does one thing that drove me nuts. When I went to the website to activate the phone and put in the request to transfer the number, I couldn’t set up payment of any kind at the same time. They will not let you set up a payment method until after the old carrier has released the number. Really? Come on, people. There must be a way you can set it up so it doesn’t require a second trip to the website. And nowhere could I find a warning that this was the proper procedure. In their defense, it only took a minute or two to reach tech support. That said, please save the Spanish-speaking operator for the Spanish-speaking customers. I grew up in a bilingual home and normally have no problem with even the heaviest of accents. (You never met my great-aunts!) While both operators I spoke with were pleasant, they were hard to understand, and one had a hard time understanding me. Sorry, but I speak technogeek. I can’t help myself.

So far the service has been fine. Additionally, I opted for free shipping which offered delivery within 3 to 5 business days. In truth, I had it in less than 24 hours. Can’t beat that for service. An iPhone 5 would have been nice, but the 4S is still great. I could have saved another $80 and settled for the iPhone 4, but for the difference in price I also went from an 8 GB iPhone to a 16 GB. Now if I can just get my apps set up the way I want…

I’ll leave you with Detroit Cass Tech’s own Lily Tomlin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9e3dTOJi0o

I’m a bit of a password/security fanatic. I rely on 1Password not only to manage my passwords, but also to generate random secure passwords for all my sites. While 1Password does a great job of generating passwords, storing them and inserting them when I need them, there are times that I need key in a password from memory. While I want a password that I can remember, I don’t want one that would be easy to figure out. There are several ways to achieve this and I figured I’d share one method with you. What was your phone number during your childhood? Most of us remember our phone numbers from and old residence, childhood home, parent’s home, etc. In most cases while you’re gonna know that number, most will not think to use it as a password or try to hack in using it if they don’t know you. However, that’s not secure enough. Using just the phone number is only as good as no one else knowing it and chances are someone else does. This is why you have to add to it. Perhaps put a letter on the front of it and letter or two on the end of it. The chances of someone knowing this number AND the letters you’ve decided to use are going to significantly reduce the likely hood of someone guessing it. Also since many sites require a capital letter, number and special symbol, why not use them all! What letters you use is up to you. Perhaps it’s the 1st initial of the person who lived in the house on the left of you and 1st initial of the child that lived on the right of you. Again things you’ll be able to remember, but no one is likely to guess you’re using. Example: J555367-OO45k. Note that in this example one letter is upper and one is lower and instead of using zeros in the phone number I used letters. Again these could be upper case, lower case or both. Also note that there’s a dash to satisfy the “symbol” requirement. Feel free to put that dash anywhere in the string and again that will make it even harder for someone to guess.

I’m sure you can come up with your own easy to remember examples. However, if you are stumped then try the one above. Don’t use your current phone number!

I’ve been AWOL on vacation, driving cross-country. While the car has OnStar, with the direction package, the OnStar directions are a bit primitive compared to using a program like Navigon or TomTom on my phone, so I set up destinations with OnStar but leave them as an “emergency backup.” (I once used a hand-held GPS/map system on my way to a party and of course, it crapped out half way there. Overconfident me didn’t write down the address, and the GPS lost it in the reboot. With the party in full swing, no one answered the phone, and I was left adrift. So now – backup systems in addition to writing things down!).

I’d pretty much given up on using TomTom – Navigon always seems to be ahead with features like photos of your destination and the ability to select just certain maps to download. But I decided to give it a try since I hadn’t used it in a while to see if it was any better (I know I’ve updated it a few times).

This meant ponying up for a monthly traffic pass though – unlike Navigon, which charges you once for all your iOS devices, TomTom charges you either yearly or monthly, and that sub can only be active on one device (you can either transfer it or buy another sub on the other device).

TomTom did fine work in getting us around on the outbound leg. I decided to use Navigon on the way back as a comparison. Both were selecting the same routes. But Navigon flipped out on me this year. It’s done that in the past, but not like this.

This year, Navigon decided it couldn’t pull up the map while we were driving through heavy construction in downtown Tulsa. I do glance at the maps while driving, so this was quite annoying. (I have the phone on a mount on the dashboard so I can see it while looking at the road.) The overlays for speed/time/distance/etc. were there, but the map was all black. Restarting the program did not help, either. So it was back to TomTom.

TomTom immediately warned me of a major blockage on my route and asked if I wanted to go around. I chose not to (and regretted it – TomTom was right). I’ve also used it around town since I’ve gotten back, and on one route in particular – where both Navigon and TomTom try to send me down a usually-jammed freeway – TomTom figured it out and routed me around. Navigon never has.

So I guess sometimes you do get what you pay for – I’ll be renewing my TomTom traffic for the year.

(warning – some NSFW language near the end of the music)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvAYGz6Iwmc

Apple will once again use Apple TV as a LIVE delivery mechanism for their “Apple Event” today! The WWDC (worldwide developer conference) keynote will be streamed live to all Apple TV (2 or higher) today at 1PM ET. You can also watch it via their website here (perhaps you’re at work today), but it’s so much more engaging seeing it on the big screen.  So if you’ve got a 2nd generation (the little black one) or higher with the latest software updates applied, then you’ve already go the special Apple channel on it. Just tune in right before 1PM ET today. Let’s see what new software, OS and potential hardware goodies Apple has in store for us today!

June 8th, is National Lemonade Day!— Yeah, there’s an App for that, too!

The ultimate “Old School” teacher of commerce at a young age.

Detroit Lemonade Day
National Lemonade Day has gone well beyond the earnings of a few dollars for a days work.

Last year the 5000 Detroit participants of National Lemonade Day raised over 1 Million dollars,  giving almost a quarter-million to local charities.

The app, supported on most iDevices, gives our young entrepreneurs a real idea of e-commerce the hard and best way, earning it. Some aren’t giving the app the best of reviews. Hopefully, an update or two has occurred since then.
Or better yet, set up that Square account.

If you see a Lemonade Stand while you’re driving around on Saturday, stop and support your local entrepreneur.

http://detroit.lemonadeday.org/city-story/

http://detroit.lemonadeday.org

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I’m always amazed at the number of people who access their email via web browser. These are generally the same people who have a single email address that came with their internet access. While over the years I’ve had my AOL, Earthlink & RoadRunner addresses, I learned early on to have at least one backup account that is independent of any ISP. The first one was probably my dotMac account that migrated to MobileMe and finally iCloud. Yep, I still use it. In fact, it’s the main account I use for friends & family. I also have addresses with Brighthouse (my current ISP) and Google. Add to that a Google account that is tied to a website I maintain for a group I belong to. And then, there’s also my husband’s business account. Yes, I have lots of accounts to keep track of, as you can see. Checking each one through a web browser would take forever.

I think the first actual mail application I used was Eudora — way back when. Eudora was replaced by something from Microsoft, either Outlook Express or Entourage. The latest version of Microsoft Office comes with Outlook. When Apple released the first verion of Mail, that became my mail app of choice. I won’t debate the merits of one over another. It all boils down to a matter of preferences, and that’s why we own Macs. Right?

Whichever works for you, you should have a dedicated mail app and at least one backup or extra email account. I don’t know of a service that hasn’t been down at one time or another. Even iCloud has had a couple of major outtages. Gmail accounts are free and easy to set up. I won’t recommend a free Yahoo account. Everyone I know who has had an email account hacked has been with Yahoo. I have no idea whether it’s coincidence or they’re just easier to hack. YMMV.

If you check email from multiple systems (desktop, laptop, smart phone), you should set up your email accounts using IMAP instead of POP settings. IMAP will ensure that your messages are in sync across those systems.

If you are living with a single email account that is tied to your ISP, consider adding an iCloud or Google/gmail account. If you’ve never used an email app, check out Apple’s Mail app. It’s free and easy to set up, and it should be sitting right in your Applications folder. Likewise, if you have a version Microsoft Office on your computer, you should have either Entourage or Outlook in that folder. Give it a try.

One of the burning topics covered this past MacGroup-Detroit meeting was doing a clean-install of your OS.

A clean-install has gained popularity for several reasons.

Though, for some, there’s still an air of concern regarding “losing something” or screwing up.

What can a Clean-install accomplish?

• A clean-install can clear your system of applications that can no longer run on your computer. I’m sure that with system upgrades, you’ve seen that universal “No” icon covering some of your apps. This means that the app is obsolete for your OS. Best choices are to upgrade to the latest version of the software that is compatible with your OS. If that isn’t an option, delete this app entirely. It’s just taking up valuable hard drive space.

• A clean-install can clear your system of data files used by applications that no longer reside on your computer. You don’t keep every app you install or download, but your computer may still have that apps preference file, or more, lingering around. If you are afraid to dive into your Preference folder to delete obsolete files, then a clean-install is tailor-made for you.
• If you’ve migrated your OS over (and over and over) as you’ve upgraded to a new and better computer, you have outdated content that flowed over with those migrations that are gunking up the internal processes and causing your machine to run slower than it should. Or better said, not as fast as it could. This is an experience I gained first hand. EVERYTHING ran so much faster on my computer after my first clean-install in years. I was happily surprised.

Some consider this a daunting task, making the decision to just migrate over that much easier. Or, the ever-present reason of “It’s just inconvenient right now.”

So, how do you make it easier and convenient? 

What are some of the things you might do before you take on the task of doing a clean-install, to make the task a faster and welcome one?

Prepare Yourself

Don’t just rush into it. Apply some thought and prepare.
Where do you begin?

• Backup, Backup, Backup!
• Did I mention to Backup?

That’s where you begin.

If you don’t have them, purchase two external drives with a capacity greater than the capacity of your computers internal drive. If you don’t have it, purchase Super Duper! by Shirt Pocket. It’s the best $30 you could ever spend for peace of mind.

Why two?

1. You are making a complete bootable copy of your computers content before the clean-install, that you can then access and boot from at anytime. Great. Restart with this new clone as your startup drive, to make sure that it works. After confirming, then put this external drive aside. This is your security blanket.
2.  With the second external drive, use this to do backups going forward from your newly clean-installed computer. This way you’ll have a “current backup” and a “before clean-install backup.” More security.
3.  If you are really proactive, you’ll have a third external drive that hosts a Time Machine backup. Even more security.

Now, you should feel very safer, that in the event you “forgot something”, it’s right there on the backup drive.

Other Thoughts

Gather all IDs and serial numbers of your apps.
If you don’t have them in a dedicated app or file, create one.

Make note to deactivate and/or unauthorized apps that require it when the time comes to clean-install.
Like Adobe apps, iTunes, etc.

Review your computer apps.
 Some of your apps were downloaded from the internet. Some were installed by disc. Are those downloads and discs still available?

Available Software
Is the software version you are using specific to your present needs, and the latest software version not? In which case you need that specific version; is it available? Or can you just wipe that version away with the clean-install and download the latest version from the developers website?

Some apps you may not care about at all.
If you haven’t used them in months or even years, chances are that you won’t miss them.

These are some of the things to consider as you make your way to doing a clean-install of your computer OS and apps.

Keep in mind that this process will take some time.

So, if you’re on a deadline to get a project done, or anything that would rush you, hold off until you can dedicate time specifically to this.

Just remember to backup first.

Anyone care to add any more tips about things to do prior to a clean-install of your OS?

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With the advent of the tornado season, and especially after the terrible disaster that occurred on Monday in Oklahoma, it’s important for everyone to keep up with the weather. Yes, that mundane subject that occasionally has us scurrying for cover. One of the best ways to protect you and your family is with a weather radio. Look for one that will alert you and wake you up in case inclement weather comes in the middle of the night. I can recommend Midland radios as working well for me over the years.

Don’t forget too that your local National Weather Service branch has a web site chock full of data, including weather maps and forecasts with warnings. Of course there’s also local TV and radio.

The NWS gets much of its data from its many radar and weather-gathering sites. But it also gets data from average citizens who have, at their own expense, set up weather stations. I had an old weather station set up for years, but that model didn’t interface with anything but a small console. So I recently upgraded to a Davis Vantage Pro weather station. They make their equipment in the US, and the station is pretty high quality compared to the one I retired, which was a bit flimsy (but still worked well for several years).

This weather station can (with some extra hardware) also send its readings to weather gathering site like the Citizen’s Weather Observer Program, the Weather Underground (the good guys, not these guys!), and WeatherBug to name a few. These extra readings help out the NWS and these other sites to give a more accurate and detailed  picture of just what’s happening.

When you buy a data logger (the extra device required in the case of the Davis equipment to export your readings) you also get software from Davis. You can get either the Mac or Windows software, but all the reviews I read said that the Mac software was well behind the Windows version in features (including where you can export to). So I bought the logger, but I also picker up some Mac-only weather software called WeatherSnoop.

WeatherSnoop takes the data from your weather station (and they support quite a lot of them) and allows you to export it to all the places I mentioned above. You can also get a WeatherSnoop phone app ($1.99) that will read your weather data on the go (and you can connect the app to multiple WeatherSnoop and/or Weather Underground stations if you want).

The WeatherSnoop software is pretty easy to set up and has a good electronic manual to get you going.  It comes in a Lite and Full version. The Lite version doesn’t have the nice graphical presentation of the Full version. You can upgrade at no penalty if you start with the lite version. You can also download a trial version that will run for 3 hours, which should be enough time to determine if it works OK with your weather station and if you like it or not. A few of the screens available are the indoor readings:

and the outdoor readings:

There are also some graphs and charts. You can also edit the data or just look in the database if you want.

WeatherSnoop is $60 or $20 for the Lite version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIgVCU19pjg

I’ve been a big fan of AirDrop since Apple introduced it a couple of years ago. It’s the fastest way to transfer files from one Mac to another, and it can be used even if no wi-fi network is available. It would be great if Apple would extend it to iPhones and iPads, but so far no luck. What we do have, instead, is Instashare. Like AirDrop, you don’t need an internet connection, just your built-in wi-fi or Bluetooth. So far, it’s just for Mac and iOS, but they are also working on Windows and Android versions.

Like AirDrop, Instashare is easy to use. And fast! Transfer any type of file.

Even Pages documents created on my iPad mini can be transferred to my Mac via Instashare.

Instashare is free, but for $.99 you can get rid of the ads on the iOS version. If you try it and like it, pay the people. Comes under the heading of “Pay the nice independent developers.”