Tokyo and tech through the eyes of a split pea

Duplicating (aka “Backing Up”) Your OS X Leopard DVD

Took me a few searches, but finally found a decent explanation on how to duplicate your OS X Leopard DVD. The key is not to choose “New Image” in Disk Utility, but to go through File > New > Disk Image from …
Remember, you’ll need to use a Dual Layer DVD.

Stardom Decktank

Picked up one of these on my birthday:

My previous mass-storage device took only older IDE disks, which was proving to be a bottleneck. iMacs don’t come with eSata yet, so the fastest interconnect is FW800. The Stardom Decktank houses two SATA disks and comes with a FW800, FW400, USB2.0, and a bunch of [...]

first iTunes iPhone App bill arrives!

My first iTunes bill since purchasing the iPhone arrived today. The long list with company-name details and the final total gave me a chuckle. All this excitement – for free!

So far my favorite apps have been Exposure, Bloomberg, and Midomi. Exposure’s “Near Me” feature of showing photos taken in your current vicinity is [...]

Leopard Spaces tip: move a window!

I’m really digging Leopard’s features, in particular Spaces. I’ve got a 24″ monitor sitting in front of me and haven’t touched it in the weeks since I’ve upgraded from Tiger. Among other usability merits, Spaces means my line of sight stays consistent.
One Spaces tip I recently discovered for moving windows among spaces – click and [...]

IndieHIG

With only an increasing user base, Mac development has an exciting future.  The IndieHIG hopes to bring some consistency and clarity to one of Apple’s biggest strengths: clean and meaningful UIs.  Check out their IndieHIG Wiki and IndieHIG blog.  This is a great idea!

Nobi on the ‘net

Friend and freelance journalist Nobi Hayashi is interviewed on O’Reilly’s MacDevCenter.  I did not know that past WWDC gatherings used to have sessions for developers on market entry techniques – valuable information for a significant and difficult market such as Japan’s!  Apple should definitely consider re-introducing a few of these sessions.  The Aozora bank’s adoption [...]

MacBook Random Shutdown – Fixed!

For many MacBook owners, the acronym “RSS” had a different meaning for the past 6 or so months.  The most commonly accepted definition refers to the syndication protocol Really Simple Syndication (for version 2.0, with slight variations on the theme for previous versions), as popularized through blogging.  But for the past 4 or so months [...]

Nike+iPod impressions

While in San Francisco a few weeks ago I decided to pick up the Nike+iPod kit built for runners. Purchasing the receiver (which connects to an iPod nano) and shoe-insert set also meant I needed to buy a compatible pair of running shoes – possibly the first time I’ve bought shoes to complement an [...]

Stanford IT Recommends …

I was visiting the Stanford bookstore today and saw a sign over in the computer section that amused me. Here’s a section from Stanford’s new student “getting started” guide with the quote which was on the sign:
4. Should I buy a Mac or a PC? Should I buy a laptop or desktop?
Both Macs and [...]

Swap PB Batteries – Live!

Well, almost live. From the new 15″ and 17″ PB product page:
Swap Batteries Without Shutting Down
Running low on power? Your 15-inch or 17-inch PowerBook is so accommodating, you can swap out batteries with minimal interruption. Put the PowerBook to sleep. Remove the current battery. Pop in the new battery. Wake up your PowerBook. You [...]