Can't open trash? Try this...

If you click on the Trash icon in the Dock and nothing happens, try quitting the Finder and restarting it.

Vista 'a work in progress'

A work in progress? You mean M$ releases unfinished products on its customers? Yes...products that they can't completely fabricate will take some time before they can, so use this garbage until the REAL Vista is ready.

Ballmer: Vista 'a work in progress' - Business - Macworld UK:

As users clamour for Microsoft to continue to support Windows XP, company CEO Steve Ballmer called the Vista OS "a work in progress" at an annual Seattle event on Thursday.

"It's a very important piece of work. We did a lot of things right and have a lot of things we need to learn from. You never want to let five years go between releases," he said.

Yahoo to tell Microsoft to shove it

Insert laugh of Nelson Muntz from The Simpsons.

Yahoo to reject Microsoft bid: source - Yahoo! News:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc. is set to reject Microsoft Corp.'s offer, initially worth $44.6 billion, as undervaluing the business, a source familiar with the situation said on Saturday.

The Internet media giant is expected to reject Microsoft's offer on Monday, the source said.

Microsoft Doubletalk

A buddy named Derek pointed me to these links; they're perfect for the blog. Thanks Derek!

Phil Factor's Phrenetic Phoughts : Microsoft Boy announces his School Homework

Microsoft can't speak straight any more - Joel on Software:

Here's how Microsoft says, “SQL Server 2008 will be late:”

“We want to provide clarification on the roadmap for SQL Server 2008. Over the coming months, customers and partners can look forward to significant product milestones for SQL Server. Microsoft is excited to deliver a feature complete CTP during the Heroes Happen Here launch wave and a release candidate (RC) in Q2 calendar year 2008, with final Release to manufacturing (RTM) of SQL Server 2008 expected in Q3. Our goal is to deliver the highest quality product possible and we simply want to use the time to meet the high bar that you, our customers, expect.”

Mac OS X a growing target amongst hackers

I'm trying to remember how many times I've seen this same article over the past two years. It's obvious people at InfoWorld don't know much about Macs. First, the only way that hackers will exploit a Mac is if the Mac user is an idiot, and most Mac users are NOT idiots (most of the intellectual world uses a Mac). Second, IT departments that run Macs (like the U of Mich) run Radmind, which definitely ALLOWS AN IT DEPARTMENT TO UPDATE SEVERAL MACS AT ONCE.
The PC world just can't stop the Mac hatred...so they're trying to plant the myth that Macs are now at risk. Yes...they've always been at risk (like any system), but I still say that any UNIX-based system is far more secure than Windows.

read more | digg story

Fix some Mac slowdowns

Here are some good tips for fixing slowdowns on your Mac.

Macworld | Fix Mac slowdowns

I especially like the advice given for web browsing and using Mail:

Quit and Relaunch Web browsers tend to be resource hogs, and if you visit lots of media-rich sites, this effect can increase over time. Quit and relaunch your browser occasionally (at least once a day) to speed up browsing and reduce your browser’s impact on other programs.

Over time, though, these databases can become cluttered or even corrupted, resulting in slower overall performance, among other problems. You may be able to speed up your e-mail client significantly by rebuilding the message index every few months.

Mail’s Rebuild command (Mailbox: Rebuild) works only on individual mailboxes.

Shutting down with the newer keyboards

Losing my old Kensington keyboard means losing my power button. But even though I can't power up from the keyboard anymore, I can still shutdown or restart easily:

Apple - Support - Discussions - The ole keyboard shutdown ...:

Hit CTRL (yes, CTRL, not CMD) and EJECT key. This will bring up 'Are you sure you want to shut down.... dialogue box. Once in there, hit enter/return for shut down or hit 'S' to sleep.

And to bypass the dialog:

Apple - Support - Discussions - Power up from keyboard. ...:

Sleep = opt + cmd + eject
Restart = ctrl + cmd + eject
Shut Down = ctrl + opt + cmd + eject

New Apple Keyboard!

Well, this New Year's Eve, I stupidly spilled coffee into my old Kensington keyboard, while typing away over at GtrOblq. Even though I took it apart and used a hair dryer on it, the bottom row of keys refused to come back to life. So, we did a mad dash to the nearest Best Buy before they closed for New Year's Eve, and I purchased one of those slender, new Apple keyboards. We didn't have time to make it to the Apple Store at La Cantera, because everything closed at 6 pm.

Man, what a great keyboard! I barely feel like I'm typing, and it's so thin that I don't even need a wrist support! Yeah! The front housing is made of Aluminum, so it seems sturdy. I looked at the other Mac-compatible keyboards, but they all came with a mouse and were at least $20 more than the Apple keyboard! So much for that theory that Apple is more expensive.

Happy New Year

I've revamped the blog a little. Added some additional sidebar content. Also, be sure to sniff around at my other pages around the web, including:

http://www.sonicdeviant.com
http://sonicdeviant.blogspot.com

Have a great 2008!

Ballmer, MS, and their cronies at their stupidity again

I really need to write about something else. This blog is turning into a "I hate Microsoft" column. But they're just so hateable.

The iPhone whining from Microsoft is apparently ceaseless. Too bad the iPhone WAS A SUCCESS, eh Ballmer and Allard?

MacNN | MS Zune chief: iPhone is a "lousy" iPod:

"It’s a lousy iPod," Allard explains. "You can’t skip a track without looking at it. You can’t go running with the thing."

Ballmer bawls out Apple iPhone as 'no hoper':

Microsoft's boss Steve Ballmer slammed the iPhone last week, saying it has "no hope" of gaining a foothold in the mobile phone market.

Ballmer clearly hasn't heard much about the one million AT&T customers in the US already signed-up for information on the new product when it ships.

On the security-and-utter-bull-crap front, Computerworld magazine published this gem from a hacking contest winner. Obviously, MS is trying their damnedest to reverse the PR image that their pathetic OSX-wannabe is not the malware slut it once was:

Vista more secure than Mac OS:

I have found the code quality, at least in terms of security, to be much better overall in Vista than Mac OS X 10.4. It is obvious from observing affected components in security patches that Microsoft’s Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) has resulted in fewer vulnerabilities in newly-written code. I hope that more software vendors follow their lead in developing proactive software security development methodologies.

It wasn't all bad, though, in that he actually had some good security advice for Macites:

I recommend that Mac users make their primary user a non-admin account, use a separate keychain for important passwords, and store sensitive documents in a separate encrypted disk image. I think these are fairly straightforward steps that many users can take to better protect their sensitive information on their computer.

Mmm hmm...oh yeah, it's real secure (and energy-friendly). Later we read:

Vista Battery Problems and Microsoft Security Update:

A Domain Name System (DNS) zero-day bug had been found that could expose vulnerabilities throughout Microsoft's entire server line. There are indications that Microsoft will also include a DNS patch in the Tuesday round.

Yep, it's just plain more secure than OS X. We then read this:

How Internet Criminals Will Evade Vista's Safeguards:

Think malware will fade away with Vista? Sorry. There's about as much chance of the thriving throngs of online criminals packing up shop as there is of Microsoft doing the same.

And MS's gobble-everything-up mentality hasn't gone away, seeing that they are unable to muster any innovations of their own accord; when someone is actually competing with them, they'll just work at acquiring a service or product that they just can't seem to deliver well on their own:

Reports: Microsoft pursuing Yahoo:

Microsoft is feeling increasing pressure to compete with Google, which plans to beef up its portfolio with a $3.1 billion purchase of online advertising company DoubleClick Inc. Microsoft currently trails both Yahoo and Google in the lucrative and growing business of Web search, even as Google increases its development of Web-based software that directly competes with Microsoft's lucrative Office suite.

Technorati Tags: vista, news, opinion, osx, apple, macintosh, tip, gmail, microsoft, security, google

More reasons why Vista is bombing

XP continues to outperform Vista (aka poor copy of OS X).

Testers see Windows XP passing Vista - Yahoo! News:

Wellington, Fla.-based Devil Mountain Software ran several versions of XP and Vista through a test simulating common desktop computing tasks. It found the original Vista performed 50 percent to 100 percent slower than the prevalent XP Service Pack 2, or SP2.

Vista has shaken IT professionals; more and more are considering the "real thing".

Vista woes lead IT pros to Mac, Linux - Business - Macworld UK:

Users won't be booting up Vista PCs any time soon, according to a recent survey, which revealed a majority of IT professionals are worried that migrating to Vista will reduce stability and introduce too much complexity into their environments.

In terms of alternatives, Apple's Mac OS X leads the pack, with support from 28 per cent of survey respondents. About 25 per cent said they would opt for Red Hat Linux, with SUSE Linux and Ubuntu each garnering 18 per cent of the vote. Another nine per cent cited other Linux operating systems and four per cent were unsure.

It turns out that even Microsoft execs can't keep straight which version of their new OSX-lookalike OS will run on which new PCs. Just 'cause your hardware says "Vista Capable" doesn't mean it will work with the Vista that you bought.

Lawyers: even Microsoft confused over Vista marketing - Business - Macworld UK:

Actually, the Vista Capable sticker meant that the machine would not necessarily be able to run any version of Vista, but only a version. A Vista Capable machine, for example, might be able to run Vista Home Basic, the lowest-priced and least-capable version in the lineup, but not the more advanced Home Premium. (Systems also tagged with the Premium Ready sticker, however, would be able to run all versions of the operating system, including the top-end versions such as Ultimate or Home Premium.)

Mac your PC? And they hate us "fanboys"?

More proof that all PC users secretly want to be Mac users, no matter how hard they come down on us "fanboys":

Mock OS X: Five ways to make your PC more like a Mac - Crave at CNET.co.uk:

Oh, and before anybody throws their Start menu out of the pram, the best way to have Mac functions is obviously to buy a Mac. But it's not that simple for roughly 90 per cent of the working population, chained to ancient HP WageSlave 486s in strip-lit spreadsheet farms across the world. For them, this article is a ray of hope. And we're sure there are plenty of people out there who are perfectly happy with Windows, but even they could benefit from the nifty features we have lined up.

Windows apps on a Mac (sans Windows)

Here's another potential Microsoft killer (I hope this is making them shake in their Redmond boots in the same way they gasp at OS X, the iPod, and iPhone):

Uncovered: Evidence that Mac OS X could run Windows apps soon

Leopard apparently contains an undocumented loader for Portable Executables, a type of file used in 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows. More poking around revealed that Leopard's own loader tries to find Windows DLL files when attempting to load a Windows binary.

PC User Compares Leopard to Vista

Leopard is the New Vista, and It's Pissing Me Off:

Surprise, surprise! A PC Magazine columnist, who claims to worship OS X 10.4 (Tiger), is more or less calling Leopard OS X 10.5 unfit for release in much the same way Vista was unfit (and is still unadopted by the PC faithful).

Let's break this idiot's diatribe apart piece-by-piece, shall we?

Let's see, Tiger crashed—oh yeah, NEVER. Ten months and I'm installing everything from production-level Office for the Mac 2004 to 0.x releases of VLC, Seashore, and Ecto—even betas of Firefox and Parallels. Whatever my nerdy little heart desires. I've had those early apps crash, but Tiger never faltered.

First of all, BS! All OS's crash, though I proclaim that OS X is typically more stable than Windows, regardless of the version. I guarantee you that Tiger version 10.4.0 crashed MORE than version 10.4.5, and so on. Now the latest version of Tiger (10.4.11) has some quirks that tick me off in a few included apps (like making me use Safari 3.x, for example), but what we're seeing here from this guy is a little overstated.

The first version of anything is going to have bugs. All developers rely on the cutting-edge crowd to find the junk in their code that they have been unable to find. Basically, if you buy and install the first version of anything, you're paying to be a beta tester, whether you like it or not!

Later on, the goon states:

A month of using Leopard with the same software I had under Tiger and the OS has dumped six times. That's six cold reboots for Oliver. Apple isn't even honest enough to admit that Leopard is crashing: The OS just grays out my desktop and pops up a dialog box telling me I've got to reboot. Like the whole thing is my fault. I even snapped a picture of it. After all, I HAD PLENTY OF CHANCES! And all my complaints, mirrored by online forum traffic, are the same complaints I heard about Vista when it first reared its unbaked head.

Next lesson for this noob. Developers of software for a particular OS MUST CATCH UP WITH THE LATEST OS RELEASE! If they don't, IT'S NOT APPLE'S FAULT! Hello, are you listening, Oliver? Every time I've upgraded to a new version of OS X, apps that once worked on the previous version have occasionally had problems. I either must wait until the developer fixes the app to work with the new OS version, or I MUST CHOOSE NOT TO UPGRADE UNTIL ALL THE APPS I USE ARE COMPATIBLE. These are all simple, elementary things that every savvy computer user knows. PC Mag...I'm available if you need a writer with a brain who uses a Mac.

Microsoft bullcrap of the month

Microsoft Excel fails math test - Yahoo! News:

In a blog pst, Microsoft employee David Gainer said that when computer users tried to get Excel 2007 to multiply some pairs of numbers and the result was 65,535, Excel would incorrectly display 100,000 as the answer.

Gainer said Excel makes mistakes multiplying 77.1 by 850, 10.2 by 6,425 and 20.4 by 3,212.5, but the program appears to be able to handle 16,383.75 times 4.

“Further testing showed a similar phenomenon with 65,536 as well,” Gainer wrote Tuesday.

He said Excel was actually performing the calculations correctly, but when it comes time to show the answer on the screen, it messes up.

Remember this? Steve Ballmer said the iPhone would be a failure. Obviously, he's a genius...because it sure has been a big failure, LOL! Now, we can see the Zune looking more and more like the iPod:

Microsoft is upgrading its Zune line and testing a website where owners of the MP3 players can socialize as the technology giant strives to wrest market share from Apple's beloved iPods.

Adobe makes me mad: disable Adobe plugin

When installing Adobe Reader on your Mac, you also inadvertently install the plugin inside Safari that takes forever to open a pdf. To get rid of it, just delete their damn plugin at:

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/AdobePDFViewer.plugin

MCLD blog: How to disable Adobe Reader Safari plugin

Ringtones in iTunes--no longer free?

So, it looks like a new cat-and-mouse game has erupted between Apple (trying to gouge folks for another dollar) and savvy users who want to load their iPhone with ringtone music they already own. This is quite similar to the DRM wars, where users have continued trying to remove the protections from AAC files they have purchased from iTunes.

How to sync ringtones for free under iTunes 7.4.1 – iPhone Atlas:

Apple’s release of iTunes 7.4.1 put an end to the free transfer of current AAC tracks as ringtones to the iPhone — for a day or so at least.

Of course, other tricks continue to work for adding ringtones to cellphones using Bluetooth, like the Motorola RAZR v3, especially using music from your CD collection or other mp3s.

Mac soars and Vista bores!

Looks like Vista is having trouble managing traction among the faithful:

MacNN | PC Mag chief editor tires of Windows Vista

"The upshot is that even after nine months, Vista just ain't cutting it. I definitely gave Microsoft too much of a free pass on this operating system: I expected it to get the kinks worked out more quickly. Boy, was I fooled! If Microsoft can't get Vista working, I might just do the unthinkable: I might move to Linux."

Of course, notice how he's not willing to give in to the Mac just yet; the Apple-haters just can't let it go--they refuse to allow themselves to be seduced.

Meanwhile, the Mac, in all its beauty and elegance, continues to win over many MS-deluded sheep, even those that find small complaints in the Apple way of doing things:

Review: New iMac tempts a Windows user - Yahoo! News

The iMac deserves to be a strong contender for any PC user looking to get a new computer. If I was looking to replace my PC right now, I would be sorely tempted. Even the Windows software I've accumulated over the years isn't a real reason not to switch, because Macs can now run Windows, too (with some additional software purchases).

"Well Known" TCP and UDP ports used by Apple

"Well Known" TCP and UDP ports used by Apple software products:

It's a good idea to know what's coming in and going out of your computer. Here is a handy list of ports and protocols that Apple software uses, just to keep you from freaking out when you see all sorts of weird connections on your log. Also, if your firewall is blocking this stuff and you're missing features (like Bonjour recognizing other Macs, you need to unblock the appropriate ports for your network.

"File type not supported" iPod syncing errors

Apple - Support - Discussions - File type not supported

A bizarre problem recently popped up after I had updated to iTunes 7.2. Suddenly, certain songs would no longer sync with the iPod, even though I had ripped them from my own CDs. These weren't iTMS purchases. And there were only 4 mp3s out of a library of nearly 4K songs that wouldn't sync over anymore.

The solution was simple (but stupid on Apple's part):

In iTunes, drag the songs to the desktop.
Then delete them from iTunes.
Re-add the files back in to iTunes.

No clue why this happened.