Overseas Chinese Web Guide

Category: Tech

  • Transmit: Finding Files on Your Server

    I have been using Transmit for a long, long time. For some reason, I just discovered today that Transmit has a search box. Odd. I use the application every day, but had not noticed it until just a few minutes ago. At some point, I must have developed some form of user blindness where I only focus on the familiar elements and ignore the rest, apparently to my detriment. After all, the search box is right there in the upper right-hand corner. Type in a few characters from the name of the file you are searching for and Transmit quickly displays a list of matching files. A true time saver if you have hundreds or thousands of files sitting in one folder.

    The lesson is that if you cannot see something, all that means is that you cannot see it. It does not mean that the object does not exist.

  • PowerBook Will Not Charge

    My PowerBook G4 is on an unlucky streak. A few months ago, it developed a bulging battery problem. Since I always leave the PowerBook plugged in, I did not immediately notice the defective battery. What caught my attention was my sudden inability to close the PowerBook lid. After a bit of head scratching, I flipped the PowerBook over and discovered that the battery was bulging outwards such that it was pushing the keyboard upwards. Fortunately, a kind genius provided me with a complimentary battery. Since the PowerBook is the back-up computer, I left it in the computer bag after I returned home.

    So, a few weeks ago, I needed to retrieve a file on the PowerBook. Unfortunately, whatever residual charge that existed on the new battery had vanished into the ether. I grabbed the power adapter and plugged it in. And, nothing happened. No glorious amber halo around the DC connector. Nada. Well, I was not expecting that.

    No problem. I search around at work but discover that everyone has already upgraded to the new MacBook Pros with the MagSafe Power Adapter. That doesn’t help. So, the PowerBook sits in the computer bag some more until a friend shows up at my front door with the old style power adapter. Insert prongs into the wall. Insert DC connector into the PowerBook. The amber halo emerges telling me that the PowerBook still works, but the power adapter does not.

    With that question answered, I look for a replacement power adapter. I am not thrilled by the $79.00 price at the Apple Store, nor its average 2-star rating. How does a power adapter go bad? There aren’t a lot of moving parts.

    For no apparent reason, I switch the removable prongs between the good power adapter and bad power adapter and discover that my power adapter now works. Double mystery!! How does a prong go bad?

    After some searching, I find a replacement prong lying around. I switch out the prong and the power adapter is fully functional again. Miracle! Fixed it all with existing extra parts on hand. I still do not understand how the removable prongs could go bad. I just stumbled on the solution through sheer dumb luck.

  • Jackie’s Chan: The Myth

    iTunes is selling Jackie Chan’s: The Myth for $9.99. However, a better deal is watching the film on Hulu for free. Preferably sometime within the next 48 hours because streaming rights expire on 12/31/2009 at 11:45 PM PST.

    Sure, Hulu can run its Cadillac ads, but I think something is missing in the equation. Why isn’t Hulu selling complementary products like the soundtrack from the movie? I’m looking for a copy of Endless Love (美麗的神話):

    If you are going to let me watch your movie for free on Hulu, at least let me pay you for a copy of this song on iTunes or Amazon.

    Apple launched iTunes back in April 2003. 6 1/2 years ago. Why isn’t every song in the world already on iTunes? Totally frustrating.

  • California Road Conditions

    The California Department of Transportation offers a fast-loading page for looking up road conditions. If you plan on making a ski run to Lake Tahoe this winter, you could select “Add to Home Screen” to create a button for that page on your iPhone. For example, I-80, which runs from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe, currently shows the following alerts:

    This highway information is the latest reported as of Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 23:35 .




I 80  
    [IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA] 
    A HIGH WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT AT THE SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE  
/IN SAN FRANCISCO/ (SAN FRANCISCO,ALAMEDA CO) - TRAVEL IS NOT RECOMMENDED  
FOR CAMPERS, TRAILERS OR PERMIT LOADS  

    [IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA & THE SIERRA NEVADA] 
**FOR EASTBOUND TRAFFIC: 
    CHAINS ARE REQUIRED ON ALL VEHICLES EXCEPT 4-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLES WITH SNOW 
TIRES ON ALL 4 WHEELS FROM 1 MI EAST OF BAXTER (PLACER CO) TO THE  
DONNER LAKE INTERCHANGE (NEVADA CO) 

    EASTBOUND TRUCKS ARE BEING SCREENED AT APPLEGATE (PLACER CO) - DRIVERS MUST  
HAVE MINIMUM CHAINS IN THEIR POSSESSION IN ORDER TO PROCEED - PERMIT LOADS ARE 
PROHIBITED 

**FOR WESTBOUND TRAFFIC: 
    CHAINS ARE REQUIRED ON ALL VEHICLES EXCEPT 4-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLES WITH SNOW 
TIRES ON ALL 4 WHEELS FROM TO THE DONNER LAKE INTERCHANGE (NEVADA CO) WHITMORE  
(PLACER CO)  

    WESTBOUND TRUCKS ARE BEING SCREENED 5 MI WEST OF RENO (WASHOE CO) - DRIVERS  
MUST HAVE MINIMUM CHAINS IN THEIR POSSESSION IN ORDER TO PROCEED - PERMIT LOADS 
ARE PROHIBITED

    Unfortunately, after you search for a particular highway, the website displays the results without changing the URL. So, how can you bookmark a particular highway?

    http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roadscell.cgi?roadnumber=80,280,680,101,580,680

    This covers all the major routes from the San Francisco Bay Area to Lake Tahoe. You can manually enter any highway numbers into the URL string and bookmark that page. Better than typing in a bunch of highway numbers into the search field every time.

  • Sierra Snow Pack

    This winter, we’ve already had quite a few major storms. So, out of curiosity, I wanted to see whether this winter will be the season that brings all talk of droughts and water rationing to an end. The good news is that we are ahead of last year. The bad news is that we are still below average. You can find the latest snowpack reports at the California Department of Water Resources website.

    If you are traveling over the holidays, install the The Weather Channel and WeatherBug iPhone apps. Both offer significantly more weather data than the default Weather app.

    snow-survey

  • iPhone Camera Quality

    I’ve been using the iPhone 3GS for a few months now. This past weekend was the first time that the quality of the iPhone camera has impressed me. So, what opened my eyes to the possibilities of this handy camera?

    Well, I finally took a photo worth printing. Chase Jarvis is absolutely correct that The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You. And, while the Nikon D50 remains my primary camera, I only have it with me when I plan on taking photos. On the other hand, the iPhone is the camera that is always by my side. So, for my favorite photo, the kids were dressed and seated next to a small pumpkin on the front porch. The lighting was naturally and wonderfully diffuse with no hot spots. When I saw the kids naturally posed, I grabbed the closest camera available to capture the moment. If I ran inside the house to get the Nikon, the kids would have probably dispersed. Anyways, fortunately, the kids remained perfectly still. From looking at the 5×7 print, I would not guess that photo came from the iPhone. It’s that good.

  • Happy Thanksgiving Google

    A stuffing recipe that I am attempting calls for 8 ounces of cremini mushrooms. I don’t have a kitchen scale. However, I have three packages of mushrooms. One package lists the weight in pounds and the other two weight in pounds. Instead of grabbing pencil and paper, I grabbed the iPhone:

    .8 lb + 8 oz + 7 oz in oz

    Google says:

    (.8 pound) + (8 oz) + (7 oz) = 27.8 ounces

    Thanks!

  • Photoshop: Could Not Write the File. The File is Being Used by Someone Else.

    photoshop

    Argh! I’ve been plagued by this recurring Photoshop error message for months now. I cannot find anyone else experiencing this same problem online. As I recall, this problem first occurred after I “upgraded” to Photoshop CS3 Extended. So, years would probably be more accurate than months. Anyways, I’m saving to a local drive so no one else could possibly be using the the same file. And, the only application using the file is Photoshop. I haven’t been able to figure out what specific sequence of events triggers this error message.

  • MacBook Pro 8 GB Memory Upgrade

    I’ve been using a MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009) for a few months now. The 4 GB memory that comes standard is usually more than enough if I stick to the Mac side of things: Safari, Firefox, Photoshop, iTunes, iPhoto, Mail, etc. I can open and run as many Mac applications as I want without a hitch. However, if I ever have to use VMWare Fusion and Windows Vista, the MacBook Pro painfully slows down. I finally decided it was time to install more memory. Of course, the falling price of DDR3 memory didn’t hurt. Basically, remove 10 screws and the bottom case, swap the memory, and replace the bottom case. Technically, not a difficult procedure. However, like the 500GB Hard Drive replacement on a different MacBook Pro, I did encounter a few “stuck” screws that required a bit more patience. The bottom case also didn’t exactly pop off as easily as I was expecting. I had to gently pull and tug the bottom case to completely detach it. Now, I’m humming along with 8 GB and no longer dread launching Vista.

    memory

  • Snow Leopard and Fujitsu ScanSnap Manager

    I finally came across an application that does not play well with Snow Leopard. The ScanSnap Manager application that came with the Fujitsu ScanSnap S510M can crash under certain circumstances. For example, if I scan a document and select the Scan to Folder option, I will consistently see this unpleasant message:

    scansnap-manager

    Fujitsu has a patch of sorts that disables the ScanSnap Manager and routes the scanned document to Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader if installed. I had installed the patch, but thought that Acrobat slowed down my workflow. So, I uninstalled the patch and tested ScanSnap Manager some more. My preferred solution is to select Scan to Print, then Save as PDF, which then prompts me for a filename. Better than the overhead of launching a separate application just to save a scanned file.