The Philosophical Fish

The following article is reprinted from CIO.com.

Macs in the enterprise aren’t just cheaper to manage—they’re a lot cheaper, according to a new survey released today by the Enterprise Desktop Alliance.

Keep in mind that Enterprise Desktop Alliance is a group of software developers who’ve bandied together to deploy and manage Macs in the enterprise. The group surveyed 260 IT administrators in large U.S. companies with both Macs and PCs who are involved in some degree with IT cost calculations. Enterprise Desktop Alliance members include Centrify, Absolute Software, Group Logic, Web Help Desk, and most recently IBM.

[Another Enterprise Desktop Alliance survey shows two out of three companies buying Macs this year, which will bring integration challenges for IT admins, CIO.com reports.]

The survey found that Macs were cheaper in six of seven computer management categories: troubleshooting, help desk calls, system configuration, user training and supporting infrastructure (servers, networks and printer). Nearly half of the respondents cited software licensing fees as roughly the same for both platforms.

A whopping 65 percent of respondents said it costs less to troubleshoot Macs than PCs, 19 percent said they spent the same on both computers, and only 16 percent said they spent less to manage PCs than Macs. Read the rest .... »

Convert a color PDF to greyscale in Acrobat 9

This has been driving me mental. Ever since upgrading to Snow Leopard I haven’t been able to figure out how to print a pdf so that it appears in greyscale. In other words, I want to strip colour out of the electronic document so it appears on the screen in pure greyscale with no colour. Why? Because I am posting some class lectures and the important bits are in red… but I refuse to teach to exams so when I give the notes out they aren’t highlighted. That way they have to actually read ALL the material, not just the examinable bits. AND they have to actually pay attention.

The problem is, that every time i thought I had done it…the colour was actually still there, embedded in the pdf. But, I finally figured out how to remove it permanently.

Here’s how to convert a color PDF file to grayscale in Acrobat 9 Pro.

1. Open a color PDF file in Acrobat 9 Pro. The file may contain a mix of CMYK, RGB or spot color objects.

2. Choose Advanced > Print Production > Preflight.

3. Select the Convert to Grayscale PDF Fixup, and then click the Analyze and Fix button.

4. Give the file a name and location, and click the Save button. The entire PDF file will be converted to grayscale.

Ta Da! Now I know where to find the information when I have to do it again…right here!

I don’t really know what made me think of this the other day. I was wandering around the internet and reading some of Ann Coulters racist, bigoted, mean-spirited conservative writings. Why? Well, how can you argue against something the other side says if you don’t pay attention to it and try to understand it. It’s easy to blow something off because it doesn’t jive with your own philosophy, and that usually makes reading it offensive and difficult. But it’s better to be educated in your dislike. Then at least you can debate it intelligently.

So how do I go from that to religion and computers. Who knows, there’s no rhyme or reason to my mental wanderings. Just ask my husband about the time we were quietly driving down the highway each lost in our own thoughts and I suddenly blurted out “I wonder why there is water inside a coconut.” Of course, I figured it out after thinking about it for awhile… but it didn’t lessen the absurdity of the moment as far as he was concerned. Even though it made perfect sense to me… he just hadn’t been in on the thought trail that led to that question.

But again, I digress.

Ann Coulter’s offensive arguments made me think of how people debate things, and how belief systems are often based on a complete absence of knowledge on the alternative point of view. And the most obvious example of that is religion. Pure and illogical belief in something intangible and untestable. And that kind of belief is dangerous and often vicious. Because people have no tangible method to prove their argument, it erupts into a case of “Because I believe so!” And when you attack someone’s belief structure, it becomes viewed as a personal attack rather than a philosophical one.

And thus I am led to computers… or rather computer systems. Mac vs PC specifically.

I’ve never slagged Macs, even though I never owned one until last year. I have on the other hand constantly slagged PC’s… even though I’ve owned them and worked (fought) with them for almost 30 years (from the first Tandy 1000). I did have a chance to play with one of the early Apple II computers back in the 80’s and it was the first time I’d ever seen a colour window or a mouse. And I never saw one again for a long, long time… until Microsoft finally figured out how to do both much later.

Maybe that’s where it all started. Maybe Microsoft was scared of the new computer and started a bit of a Holy War against it back then…and it just continued. I don’t know, but what I do know is that somehow we got snookered into using a system that has twists and turns that punish you when you press the wrong button or type the wrong command. And then you must repent all your sins and reformat…yet again. Seems a bit like a confusing faith based system…. “If I just do XYZ, I’ll be saved and can get on with my life again until I make the next mistake and must repent yet again…”

And yet, with all that pain and suffering built on one operating system, why don’t more people change? Is the Mac viewed as a pagan religion? One that offers happiness and freedom because theirs is a friendly God that offers solutions? Or is the Mac a Godless religion with a leader who nurtures friendship to all and acceptance? It must be since the Mac has altered its architecture to allow the PC to operate within its confines, while the reverse is not true.

I think people are afraid of what they don’t understand. Afraid that they made a wrong choice and that it’s too late to change operating systems. And that fear manifests itself as derision and contempt towards something they haven’t taken the time to investigate. We are led to believe that our software won’t work. We are led to believe that there are no alternatives to the software we are used to. We are led to believe that it’s too difficult to switch. Let me tell you, if my 70 year old mother can do it…anyone can do it! Many software titles are available in both Mac and PC language. Many alternative software applications exist for the Mac that run faster, smoother and will even import the information from the former PC programs. But fear is larger than life and it is human nature to give in to fear. Fear of the unknown. But fear of the familiar unknown is apparently more comfortable than fear of the new unknown.

People get comfortable in their frustrations. After-all, they would have to find something new to complain about if they switched to something that offered less difficulty. People just love to complain and this would mean that they would have to find a new outlet for their need to gripe.

As I said, I never slagged Macs even though I didn’t have one. I knew people with Macs, intelligent people. The Marine Station I spent time at had Macs… and the people there were intelligent. Artists and musicians used Macs… and they did some amazing things. So there had to be something to this. And yet, at a friends house, her daughter was trying to connect her computer to the television to play a slide show, and the grandfather snarked out “Well, what do you expect, it’s a Mac!” When I made the switch, all sorts of people said “Are you crazy!?!?”

Why? Because they’ve succumbed to the belief that only a PC will get them through the day to day world of business and science. And I’m here to say, that simply isn’t true. And I can also say that in a year and a half of living with two Macs, I’ve not had to reformat a computer once…..I’ve shed no tears over them, and that’s worth more than anything I can think of.

Apparently I’m not the only person to think this way (although I am an atheist). In the writing of this I found the following:

Umberto Eco, the Italian semiologist, compared Macs and PCs to the two main branches of the Christian faith: Catholics and Protestants. The Mac is Catholic, he wrote in September 1994. It is “cheerful, friendly, conciliatory, it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach — if not the Kingdom of Heaven — the moment in which their document is printed.”

The Windows PC, on the other hand, is Protestant. It demands “difficult personal decisions, imposes a subtle hermeneutics upon the user, and takes for granted the idea that not all can reach salvation. To make the system work you need to interpret the program yourself: A long way from the baroque community of revelers, the user is closed within the loneliness of his own inner torment.”

My computer system is a benevolent computer system, one that doesn’t make me pay for my transgressions… and for that reason I believe that my Mac is atheistic, moving through time and evolving as its users find new ways to push its limits and test its abilities. I think if more people made the switch, the world would be a happier place and we would evolve at a pace that we decide, not one that The Gates dictates.

Of course, there is Steve Jobs at the helm.  Maybe it is a cult…I can live with that.

Have I mentioned that I love my Mac?

Shut up and pass the purple kool-aid!

I’ve been having a little problem with our PVR system. We have an Elgato EyeTV that records television shows to the computer hard drive. From there, it is exported to iTunes, and finally sent to the Apple TV in the living room via WiFi. It all works seamlessly… except for one small detail. Every so often, in shows that are an hour or longer usually, the video and audio snags and gets out of sync. Usually somewhere about halfway through.

I’m not absolutely certain what is happening, but I have a hunch, Time Machine. I think the Apple Time Machine backup system that does an automatic backup every hour is causing things to hiccup. It makes sense that a backup would interfere with data being sent wirelessly, but how to get around it to make sure.

I don’t want to totally turn off the backup system, but the shows we record are at various times throughout the day. I don’t really need an hourly backup, who needs a backup every hour while they sleep? Things don’t change through the wee hours… so why not allow users to alter the schedule? I suppose one of the good things about Macs is that they are somewhat goofproof for the neophyte, but for those who like to weak machines…. it can be a bit annoying sometimes. So…is there something that will enable me to alter the Time Machine schedule without totally turning it off?

Turns out the answer is yes.

Enter Time Machine Editor.

A nifty little freebie that gives you some control over your backups… and hopefully solves my AppleTV problem at the same time.

“Time” will tell.

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Update: Seems that the TIme Machine was not the problem. We were watching TV the other night and the signal clitched and made us both think that when the cable signal pixelates it probably hits the recording with a bit of a corruption and puts the audio and video out of sync. It is probably magnified when it is exported into the Apple TV file format and sent to the box. Probably a function of the new requirement for digital signals from all TV stations.

But, I don’t think I needed an hourly Time Machine backup anyway. Every 6-12 hours is probably more than enough for my purposes and I like having the control.

_____________

Update to the update: Nope, finally figured it out…I had all my video files being recorded to an external drive…it would seem that the coding was causing glitches as it recorded…moved the EyeTV library to the main drive and I think we are good now….

I’ve been using a cool little Mac application for awhile now and I think it’s going to stay in the repertoire.

I’ll admit it, I’m an organizational nut. I like everything in its place, and I hate clutter. I also hate having to hunt for things. Isn’t it nice when you are looking for something and it’s right there at your fingertips? I also collect cookbooks, but within reason. They have to all fit into our one (big) bookcase. And since said bookcase is full, that means we now have a one-in-one-out policy now. If I come home with a new cookbook, one of the old ones just has to go. Makes it a bit better because I now really, really think about whether or not I “need” that new book or is it just an impulse buy.

But I have also collected a multitude of clippings from newspapers and magazines and on recipe websites (most notably the Food Network) as well as recipes from friends and family over the years. And those all ended up in a big binder.

So here’s the problem…make a recipe once…and six months later… or even sooner… and just try to find it again.

Enter MacGourmet.

I managed to copy over all of my clippings into MacGourmet. Many of them were from Bon Apetit and Gourmet Magazines and these can all be found online at Epicurious. Cool trick, Epicurious recipes can be imported directly into MacGourmet complete with picture!

Some I had to type in and others I found and was able to “clip” into MacGourmet and format properly.

I can either have my computer in the kitchen with me and use the recipe directly from the screen, or print it out. But seeing as how I am trying to reduce paper in my life, the former is working just fine.

So what about all those recipes in my own books? Easy. I just created entries in MacGourmet but instead of a recipe, they give me a book title and a page number to find it.

All neat and tidy, just the way I like it.

OK, found a new piece of Mac software that I love. It’s called SideNote, and it’s free.

Do you use Stickies? I do, but there are a couple of things about Stickies that annoy me. One, I have to open the application to start it all the time. And two, when I do leave it open or have it start on login, the notes I have made are all over the desktop and are cluttered looking. OK, so I hate clutter, and Stickies have their place if it’s something I want to remind myself about, but I can also do that in iCal.

For jotting down bits of information, SideNote rocks! And, it’s unobtrusive, just hiding there on the sideline until I need it and when I need it, it’s instantly there for me.

It parks itself along the side of the monitor, out of view. if you want to jot down a note, grab a link, grab some text or an image from a website and drag it there, just move your mouse the the edge of the screen and it pops into view ready for you to fill it’s waiting screen with information. You can have different notes and name them, you can pin the drawer open so that you can drag things into it. It keeps the formatting of any web text or table, and just copies it over with a simple drag and drop.

How nice is that?

Simple, unobtrusive, useful, and…… free!

You can get it here…. SideNote

OK, I love this little application. Not only is it totally useful, but it’s free.

If you come from the world of PC’s you know what it is to uninstall a program. Or should I say, you know what a pain it is to uninstall a program.

You know the drill… “Should I use the uninstaller with the program, or should I remove using Task Manager” Regardless, you’ll be left with some crap files hanging around and bits and bobs int he registry that slowly but inexorably lead to the eventual proverbial plugging of pipelines. And eventually, you’ll be so frustrated you don’t have a choice but to reformat…and kiss a day or two goodbye in the process.

Yes, everyone will tell you that on a Mac all you need to do is grab the application and drag it to the trash bin and voila, it’s all gone. Well…. not really…. it still leaves preference files and a few odds and sods lying around. Not as much, and they are easier to find, but they are still left in the library.

So what to do…..

Meet AppTrap.

A handy dandy, and did I mention that it’s free, program that will quietly sit in the background until needed. When you decide that your application of choice is no longer needed, simply drag and drop it into the trash bin and AppTrap will do the rest. It will leap into action (assuming you set it up to do so int he PrefPane) and find all associated files (i.e. the one or two other preference files associated with your application – be very jealous PC users!) and ask if you’d like to trash them also.

Say yes, and the program and all it’s remnants are totally and completely historical entities on your Mac.

Easy Peasy.

Oh, and there is another (also free) option out there. It’s called AppCleaner. Also a spectacular little application, although it works a little differently.

Are you a visual thinker? Do you draw arrows and bubbles when you plan something? I am…and I stumbled across the coolest program recently. It’s called MyThoughts and is only for the Mac.

They call it mind mapping software, although as a biologist I think of mind mapping having different connotations. But it’s really a useful little program.

When studying for my comprehensives I used to keep a Book of Knowledge” that used different colours and arrows and circles to connect ideas and knowledge. This software does the same thing but on the Mac and it even lets you print out or use the final images in presentations. It generates curvy colourful thought trains that are pleasing to look at and create interest. Great for brainstorming!

You can add relationships between thought branches, modify the curve of the relationship line to suit your needs, add text, add colour and your diagram looks great in no time at all.

Watch the MyThoughts for Mac Video – Organic Mind Mapping

The developer says:

Mind Mapping is a method of visual thinking. Mind Maps improve your ability to brainstorm, evaluate and learn information in a fashion that is brain friendly.

A Mind Map is a picture that represents thoughts, ideas, tasks and other such topics that radiate and link to one central keyword or thought. This visual approach helps generate new thought paths, helps structure your ideas, provides a clear means of thought presentation and is well proven as a study aid.

Mind Maps make use of the human brain’s ability to associate detailed information with one single image. For example, if asked to describe your front door, the image of your front door would appear in your mind’s eye and you could describe in some depth the appearance of your door.

Mind Mapping is useful all in aspects of life, including personal thinking, education, and business thinking.

A number of years back I dug out all my old vinyl and with a ton of effort and time I managed to rip most of it into mp3 files on my PC. It involved rooting out our old turntable and connecting it in the living room, then running miles of RCA cable into the bedroom where the computer is located. I’d have to bolt back and forth to manage the start and stop and the software was always a struggle to manage. In a nutshell, it was a labour borne of the love of the music…but boy did it come with some major labour pains!

Then a couple of years ago I was at a friends surprise birthday party and we ended up in the basement poring over his old records… and reminiscing about all the great music from the 80’s. Most f what we listened to wasn’t exactly mainstream. Mostly club music. Made sense since that’s where we hung out. I had brought him a stack of CD’s filled with all the stuff I had collected, but he still had a treasure trove of music I hadn’t been able to dig up, mainly because most of what I was still hunting for was relatively obscure.

I also stumbled onto a nifty toy when we were in Las Vegas two years ago, a turntable with a built-in pre-amp that could be used via USB. So when we got back to Vancouver we went hunting. We didn’t have to go far though. While the one we saw in Vegas was strictly USB, we found one at Tom Lee Music (a block away from home) that had both USB and RCA output. SOLD!

The problem was that when I took the vinyl from him to record, I had all the time in the world on my hands…but then I acquired two big contracts and all my spare time vanished. So the records have been languishing in a cupboard for the past three years.

Well, I have some spare time again…and I’ve been thinking about those records again. So today I dragged out the turntable and hooked it up to the Mac for the first time. I opted to use the line in instead of the USB as a test and because I can control the input volume from the preference pane. Tickity-boo and I was in action. Using Audacity I was up and running in moments and I am halfway through recording the first album, Unexpected Lovers by Lime circa 1985. Roxio Toast also worked like a charm within about 30 seconds.

All this…on my MacBook no less.

Have I mentioned that I love Mac?

Awhile back (Pre-Mac) we were in Future Shop and I saw someone buying something called “AirTunes” or something like that. Kirk sniffed at it and said wireless sound wasn’t any good.

Oh how times change.

Shortly after we bought the MacPro last year, Kirk delved into the Apple TV and started to change his mind a bit.

On the PC I used to use an ATI All-in-Wonder card that had a built in TV tuner. It was supposed to work as a PVR, but it never really worked all that well. It missed shows, crapped out…basically acted like most things do on a PC…frustratingly inconsistently.

So when I got the MacPro I was looking for something to replace it, and did I ever find the ultimate solution. It takes three things.

#1. A Mac computer
#2. The Apple TV
#3. Elgato’s EyeTV 250 Plus and associated software

The Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus is a tiny little box, a bit bigger than a pack of cigarettes (not that I smoke) that connects to your Mac computer via USB. Plug your coaxial cable into the back of it and set up the software.

Set up your AppleTV at your TV and stereo system and plug it in.

Enter iTunes and set up the connection with thee AppleTV.

At this point you can already access and stream all those thousands of mp3 files directly to your stereo and see the cover art on the TV screen.

But wait, there’s more!

Once you have the EyeTV set up, you can access the TV guide right from within it, and just click to record your TV shows, even edit them so they record weekly, weekdays, monthly, whatever your heart desires. You can set it to record at any resolution you want and to send the file to any drive you want (we have a separate external drive just for video). With the right settings, it records, recodes, and exports to iTunes. Then iTunes, because it is synced with your Apple TV elsewhere in the house, wirelessly sends the show to the little box by the TV.

Once you watch the show on the AppleTV, it removes it from the list of unwatched programs, but keeps it in iTunes until you tell it you don’t want it anymore.

It works seamlessly.

And…although we haven’t done this yet, because the system is set up through iTunes and we have an iTunes account, we can peruse and order movie rentals right from the living room…even in HD.

Our VCR hasn’t been used in months…..