Richard & Stephanie Sipe

Problem: The Mac OSX finder does NOT support the Ctrl-X (would be Apple-X) functionality to move files as does Windows XP. Really Control-X in Windows does not Cut Files it just in initiates a Move File command. Apple decided in OSX that mapping Apple-X to Move File would be confusing so they just left it out. Well that is annoying to all of us Switchers whose fingers are hardwired to hit Control-X to move files to have to learn to hit the moved Command key (Apple) - X just to have it do nothing!

Solution:
The solution is two fold. The first step is to use Automator to create a move automator finder plugin. This is really easy and involves just a few steps:

• Open Up the Automator Application
• Drag over the “Get Selected FInder Items” element
  
• Drag over the “Move Finder Items” element
  
• Save as Finder Plug-in Named “…Move” or something similar
• Control (Right) Click on a file or group of selected files and choose whatever you named your plug-in in the step above
  

Now you have a finder plugin but you still can’t Apple-X to move files. For this you will need to map Apple-X to your new Automator function using a freeware or shareware software program.

• To use a keyboard shortcut (Apple-X) to move files you need to save the automator action as a Plugin for the Script Menu (same method as saving for Finder Plugin just use the dropdown to select Script)
• Download and InstallFast Scripts Lite
• Click on the Fast Scripts Icon in the top toolbar and Select Fast Scripts Light and then Preferences
• Expand the top Tree Element which is your personal Scripts Folder where Automator placed the created script from the first step.
• Click on the Move … Element then click in the Shortcut Column and press Apple-X to assign your Automator Action a Keyboard Shortcut.
• Thats it. Now, as long as Fast Scripts Lite is running you can use Apple-X to move your files!

              

iSlayer has come out with the latest version of itsiStat Pro computer monitoring widget. The iStat Pro version 3.0 Beta improvements include built-in Intel Core Duo Temp monitoring and many graphical and skinning upgrades.

iStat Pro is a very popular widget that allows you to keep track of whats going on with your Mac. I have been a huge fan of this widget since I first got my Mac Book Pro and now that it has a built in Core Duo Temperature readout, I have gone back to having it as my main system monitor.

              

UPDATE: 7/19/06 :: Now the iStat Pro widget does have the ability to monitor Core Duo Temps. See my blog post for more info on the new iStat Pro.
UPDATE: 7/7/06 :: Now there is a Core Duo Temp Widget that works with the same framework as the Core Duo Temp monitor app I posted below! This is a much better solution I think than a hard app.

Original Post: 6/26/06: The Core Duo Temp Monitor is a Mac OS X app which monitors the temp and frequencies of your Intel Core Duo processor. Load it and see just how hot your processor is running. I use the iStat Pro widget for other info on my computer and processor but since they have not yet released a version which can record temps on the new Intel Core Duo Processors, here is an app I found from Wikipedia you can run to monitor the temps.

Core Duo Temp Monitor |

              

Problem: After setting up my Mac Book Pro to sync via Bluetooth with my Pocket PC I could no longer sync via USB connection. I received this error:

Cannot start communications with the desktop computer. The communications port is not available. Another program may be using the port, or it may not be valid.

Quit any programs that may be using the port and reconnect. If the problem persists, restart your device using the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

I could still sync through the Bluetooth sync but USB no longer was active. I thought the issue was with The Missing Sync program I was using to sync my iPAQ pocket PC with Entrourage on my Mac Book Pro but after trying to sync through USB on my Windows XP desktop, I received the same error.

Solution: Change the Pocket PC Sync Manager to sync via USB

Details:
Step 1: Select Active Sync from the Pocket PC Windows Menu

Step 2: Select “Options” from the Tools Menu at the bottom of the screen.

Step 3: Click the “Options” button.

Step 4: Select “USB” from the drop down menu on the screen

Step 5: Plug in your USB cable to your PC and your Pocket PC and sync

The port the error refers to is the Pocket PC’s COM port NOT the port on your Mac (through the Missing Sync) or PC. Whenever you switch back between USB and Bluetooth syncs, just follow these steps again to select your method.

              

The Problem: No Mac OSX software exists that halfway compares to Scooter Software’s Beyond Compare FTP & dif program all in one. Since I recently switched to a Mac, I have been unable to find anything close.

I tried using Panic’s Transmit for FTP but once the demo ran out I really had no desire to continue using it. I then switched to Fetch Softwork’s Fetch FTP client. I like Fetch better but the necessity of having a separate Finder window open was annoying and I still don’t have half the functionality of Beyond Compare.

Why is Beyond Compare so great?

• Connected file tree browsing with remote FTP and local files liked. So, when you expand or minimize a folder, Beyond Compare does the same action on the Remote/Local. This is an AMAZING time saver.
• Built in dif functionality. Beyond Compare is able to link the file systems because it compares the contents of the folders and their names using its dif engine. Even if you have folders locally or remotely that have no pair, Beyond Compare links up the paired folders. When you need to sync local with remote, it is a snap to see the changed files then, if necessary, double click to view the detailed documents in a side by side dif display with the differences highlighted.

The Solution: Parallels + Windows XP + Shared My Documents Magic == Beyond Compare goodness on a Mac.

The Details: Although this seems like a very difficult way to run a program, with Parallels and OSX its really easy to set up and once you have XP up and running there are lots of other uses for the framework.

• Step 1: Buy & Install Parallels. Really its as easy as that. Download, Double Click the DMG, and Install.
• Step 2: Start Parallels and create a New Virtual Machine for a Windows XP Install. There is a wizard and I pretty much used the defaults. NOTE: I have read that if you bump up the RAM over 512 your actually loose performance but you can always adjust those after the machine has been created.
• Step 3: Put in the Windows XP Disk, Start the Virtual Machine, and Install Windows. Again it was as easy as that for me.
• Step 4: Reset your My Documents Folder to be shared with your OSX Documents location. This allows you to work on the Code from OSX then just switch to your Parallels XP Machine running Beyond Compare to manage your uploads.
  • I found a great How To Set up Your parallels My Documents Folder as your OSX Documents Folder on TechPedia’s Blog.
  • Follow the directions there which uses Apple’s Bonjour to create a Mapped Network Drive which you can set as your My Documents location.
  • IMPORTANT: This method has some security implications that you should consider before implementing. This sharing is opening up security holes that previously did not exist on your Mac.
• Step 5:Install Beyond Compare and enjoy!

              

An awesome app which uses the included IR remote to arm and disarm an alarm for your laptop. The alarm works through the motion sensor, mouse, and/or power in your Mac Book or Mac Book Pro. It also takes an iSight picture of the thief if set off!Also, make sure you pair your Mac Book IR remote with your PC so some devious theif or co-worker ^_^ can’t disarm or arm it. To pair your remote: Aim your remote at the infrared port on the front of your MacBook. Next, press and hold the Play/Pause button and the MENU button at the same time until the paired graphic appears on your screen. To unpair your remote launch System Preference select the Security icon and press the Unpair button.

Video of iAlertU Mac Book Alarm System in use on a Mac Book and a Mac Book Pro Laptop

The Preferences for iAlertU includes a Camera tab which displays the image capture taken during the last alarm.NOTE: People in the iSight Capture shot altered to protect the guilty!

Download iAlertU | digg story