Lotus Symphony for the Mac (beta)
IBM Lotus Symphony for the Mac is available, in beta. It’s currently at version 1.2 and so far I like it.
It’s quick, I like the tab-based “all applications-in-one approach”, it’s cross-platform (with Windows and Linux versions also available) and, let’s face it, it’s an alternative to MS Office for the Mac. It supports OpenDocument Format (ODF) and it even has a web browser built in but I’m not sure I’ll be tempted away from Firefox.
If you have a Mac why not give it a go; it’s free.
Crunch the Grid to produce better rice
World Community Grid adds the ‘Nutritious Rice for the World‘ project.
Here’s what Business Week has to say on it.
And here’s a video of this new project on YouTube
TeamViewer – Windows and Mac remote access
Free for non-commercial use.
Very easy to install and use.
Client to client encryption.
TeamViewer gives you remote access, VPN, VNC, file sharing and more between Windows PCs and Macs across any internet connection.
I just connected from my MacPro at home to my work ThinkPad (and vice versa) across the Net through various firewalls.
Very nice but, no native Linux support.
New Zealand convicts 18-year-old botherder
18-year-old New Zealander, Owen Thor Walker, pleaded guilty earlier this week to six charges of using computers for illegal purposes. Walker, has been accused of playing a key role in a gang that infected 1.3 million computers around the world, installing revenue-generating adware and stealing information worth US $20 million.
I now have a public calendar
It sounds grander than it actually is. But, I think it’s useful.
I’m now sync’ing my work calendar (Lotus Notes 7 running on my IBM ThinkPad) with my home calendar (Apple iCal on MacPro) and displaying them using Google Calendar. Only busy/free time information is available, not the detail.
The result can be seen at jamesbliss.info
Update 23rd June 08 – I’m doing some tweaks to this so it’s currently off-line.
Google Sites
Spotted on vowe.net … there’s a new addition to the Google Apps Suite.
IM utopia
For Mac OS X, Adium allows users to use one instant messaging (IM) client application to connect to multiple IM services.
For Windows, Linux, BSD, and other UNIX platforms, Pidgin offers the same.
They allow you to connect to AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, .Mac/Apple Chat, GoogleTalk, Lotus SameTime, MySpaceIM, and many more. Both can be complemented with the Skype API Plugin.
Pros
- All buddies/contacts are in one place
- Use only one application to communication cross-IM
- Open source
Cons
- Currently no video or voice chat as you can with Apple Chat or Skype
- Skype must be running if you want to use Adium/Pidgin to IM with Skype accounts (although there is an option to hide Skype so that only the Adium/Pidgin window is in use)
- You must have an account with each service provider to communication x-IM, i.e. you can’t use your GTalk account to IM with Skype users.
- Command-Shift-3: Take a screenshot of the screen, and save it as a file on the desktop
- Command-Shift-4, then select an area: Take a screenshot of an area and save it as a file on the desktop
- Command-Shift-4, then space, then click a window: Take a screenshot of a window and save it as a file on the desktop
- Command-Control-Shift-3: Take a screenshot of the screen, and save it to the clipboard
- Command-Control-Shift-4, then select an area: Take a screenshot of an area and save it to the clipboard
- Command-Control-Shift-4, then space, then click a window: Take a screenshot of a window and save it to the clipboard
- Space, to lock the size of the selected region and instead move it when the mouse moves
- Shift, to resize only one edge of the selected region
- Option, to resize the selected region with its center as the anchor point
Tracking MPG online using Google Docs
Are you a trucker, cabbie, sales rep or, anyone who wants to easily track their MPG? Read on; this tip is useful if you want to use your web-enabled mobile device (smart phone, iPhone, PDA, etc.) to do it.
Up to now I’ve tracked my MPG in an Excel spreadsheet. Because I seldom have my laptop booted-up when I fill up I always get a receipt when I pay for fuel and, I write on it the mileage showing on the odometer. Then, when back at my computer I enter the details into the spready.
I’ve thought of several ways to semi-automate and/or streamline this process, however, now I don’t have to. Why? Because macosxhints.com has the answer and it’s obvious (now that I’ve had it pointed out to me) …
Perfect Password Process
The problem that I’m trying to solve … using a different, strong password for each online account (or more precisely managing it, so that it doesn’t go belly-up when I want to log in to site X, Y or Z).
A quick audit of my (non-work related) online accounts (e.g. banking, DNS, email, FTP, ISP, shopping, social, utilities, web hosting, web services, etc.) reveals that I have 54 accounts. There’ll be plenty that I haven’t counted here, these are the main ones that I use a lot.
Up to now, I used five different passwords across all these accounts. Very bad. If one password got compromised multiple accounts were at risk. But, I can’t possibly remember 54 passwords. And, I don’t want to write them down because it wouldn’t be secure plus I could lose the document and have log-in hell.
How to take screenshots in Mac OS X
In Leopard, the following keys can be held down while selecting an area (via Command-Shift-4 or Command-Control-Shift-4):
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