Category: Columns
This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Alex Lee, purveyor of the canonical IIgs reference site What Is The Apple IIgs? We talk about what it was like being one of the brave few with this machine, and that feeling of living in a secret world of incredible graphics and sound that nobody else seemed to know about. Alex walks us through the history of IIgs emulators, and all the ways that the IIgs Finder was actually better…
December 2016 Sierra’s problems continue, as the Spy receives other reports of programs not functioning besides the ones cited here last month. To be fair, the Olive Tree folk managed to get their Bible Study program working on Sierra, reducing the number of fails by one. On the other hand, he now has multiple reports of Sierra installs killing off or corrupting the keychain, and some of SSH, ITunes, and other apps failing, or running very slow. There are also…
I hate to break it to you, but with the introduction of new MacBook Pros last week came news that the beloved Mac startup chime has died of unknown causes at age 32. I was, of course, heartbroken. So, I made a little video with famous startup chimes and chimes of death/doom as a kind of memorial for the deceased: Special thanks to the nice folks at MacTracker; I couldn’t have done this without them.
I’m about to embark on my annual tour of Mac user groups in the great Northeast: Monday, November 7: Virginia Macintosh Users Group (VMUG) at 6 p.m. Tuesday, November 8: Princeton Macintosh Users Group (PMUG) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 12: Main Line Macintosh Users Group (MLMUG) at 9 a.m. All meetings are free of charge; click the links for details. At each meeting I’ll be showing a few ways to work smarter on your Mac; demonstrating a few of my favorite things; and revealing the best things…
The Spy described himself last month as “still breathing”. In view of the worst cold to afflict him in many years, that is not a quality statement, just a bare fact. Good thing he isn’t trying to dictate this column. VCON-41 was this past weekend (why he delayed writing this) and the Spy was scheduled for four panels and a reading. After struggling through Friday afternoon and evening, he awoke Saturday with no voice at all, and had to cancel…
This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Kate Szkotnicki, long time Apple II fan and new addition to the retro community. We chat about her first impressions as a newcomer to the community, and the big splash she made at her first KansasFest. Kate is a cosplayer and frequent attendee of anime and comic cons, so she brought a very fresh set of skills and perspectives to KansasFest. Her presentation on making plastic parts (and candy!) with silicone…
macOS 10.12 Sierra comes out tomorrow; please don’t install it until you read this: Dr. Mac’s Rants & Raves (Dr. Mac’s Rants & Raves Episode 187 for The Mac Observer) Or, if you can’t read the whole thing (it’s only a few hundred words) for whatever reason, here’s the thrilling conclusion: If you like to live dangerously, go ahead and install Sierra and iOS 10 the minute they come out. I will, but remember, I’m a trained professional. So, before you do…
This is an update of a previous blog post about setting up free dictation on your Mac. It’s slightly different in macOS Sierra than in previous versions of macOS, so please enjoy this delightful little ditty I like to call: How to become a Mac Dictator (Sierra edition) Have you always wanted to become a dictator? Not that kind! I meant the kind who dictates text to their Mac rather than typing. If you don’t like to type, or you…
The Spy like everyone else still breathing, is always learning new things–or re-learning old ones–especially so as a new crowd of students (and many more old ones) is about to descend on campus. El Capitan falls into both categories, for it has a few extremely annoying bugs that he has not had to deal with for several OS X iterations. One of the worst is the tendency to forget it has ever heard of Bluetooth. The menu bar icon turns…
This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Mark Pilgrim, one of the most active software preservationists in the Apple II community. Mark has been spending his free time working on Passport, an automated cracking tool. It automatically detects and defeats copy protection schemes on Apple II disks, producing copyable disks that are otherwise completely intact. This is a boon for preservation of software that has only been (poorly) cracked by hoodlums of the past, or is previously uncracked….
This month on Open Apple, as is tradition, we present the megapodcast recorded live at KansasFest. Most of your favorite retrocomputing podcasters attend KansasFest each year, and we all get together in a basement room to record a giant group podcast. This year’s recording includes, in no particular order: Quinn Dunki of Open Apple Paul Hagstrom of Retrocomputing Roundtable and Drop /// Inches Michael Mulhern and Carrington Vanston of Retrocomputing Roundtable Kevin Savetz of Antic Rob McMullen of Player/Missile Ken…
Pokemon Go is a Huge Security Risk by Adam Reeve is well worth reading if you are even thinking about playing the new Pokemon Go iOS app. If you choose to play, at least the way it’s currently set up, Pokemon Go will have full access to ALL OF YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT INFO. Which is to say the makers of Pokemon Go can: Read all your email Send email as you Access all your Google drive documents (including deleting them) Look at your…
A new web store with on demand printing has opened, check it and fulfill your retro wearable! Update: New products added: picasso style graphics, vintage games! http://store.apple2faq.com
I’m trying something new and will be hosting my first “Ask me anything,” a live streaming event, on Sunday July 3 at 7PM Central. You can post questions here in advance (your best bet): Click here to visit the Ask Me Anything page Or wait and ask them during the event (not such a good bet). Click here to join the live event (Sunday July 3 at 7PM Central) Here’s the official trailer: I hope to see you there Sunday night!
This month on Open Apple, we sit down with Sean Fahey of A2Central, major league collector, and member of the KansasFest Committee. It’s not too late to register! Go to kansasfest.org right now. If you listen to this show, you should definitely be there. The Garage Giveaway will be larger than ever this year. You won’t want to miss the amazing pile of free Apple II gear. The other classic traditions keep getting better as well- the cookout will be…
This is an excerpt from my upcoming e-book, Working Smarter for Mac Users. It’s about setting up free dictation on your Mac, and while the book’s still in beta (coming this fall), this piece is pretty much done. So please enjoy this delightful little ditty I like to call: Who Wants to Be a Dictator? Have you always wanted to become a dictator? Not that kind! I meant the kind who talks to their Mac instead of typing. If you don’t like…
This entry is all about the Toolbar and Sidebar in Finder windows, but don’t worry—I won’t bore you a feature-by-feature description of every Toolbar and Sidebar feature. Instead, I’ve written a delightful little ditty about making the Sidebar and Toolbar work smarter, a tantalizing little tale I call: Why the Hell Haven’t You Customized Your Toolbar and Sidebar??? I’m teaching a class on Mac basics at University of Texas Informal Classes and It freaks me out that not a single…
This month on Open Apple, Kevin Savetz sits down with Amy Kefauver and Lorri Hopping. Amy was the editor of Scholastic Microzine, an educational magazine focused on the Apple II. Lorri was a writer and editor for Microzine. They share many great memories creating lessons with computers, the nature of the educational market, and how computers can engage kids in ways that static media can’t. After those interviews (thanks Kevin!), Mike and Quinn talk ear worm game introductions, crappy early…
June 2016 The Spy spotted an article this month (which he won’t loan credibility by providing a link) suggesting Apple was becoming the next Blackberry, doomed to fail because it is falling behind the times. Perhaps so, but that doom seems a long time off yet. The good news is that WWDC, upcoming in two weeks, is likely to see a plethora of incremental upgrade announcements to please the faithful (though the Spy is giving it a pass again this…
Has This Happened to You? Your iPhone SPONTANEOUSLY MADE A PHONE CALL FOR NO APPARENT REASON? Friends say, “I’m returning your call,” EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW YOU DIDN’T CALL THEM? You see phone numbers in your Recent Calls list BUT YOU KNOW YOU DIDN’T DIAL THEM? If any of these has happened to you, I’m pretty sure I know why. And, I’m also pretty sure I know how you can develop a habit to prevent it from ever happening again. …
