Need

You need to restart your computer.
(You fool).

Well, since we all know that Macs never crash it must be some need that the user has. The user probably thinks he needs to carry on working on his computer, but in fact he needs to restart his computer. Apple says so.

The television stations in the UK constantly repeat programmes about cars and car chases in order to cheer us all up from worrying about climate change caused in part by cars and car chases. One of them is a budget job that recycles old police video tapes of bad drivers and fleeing criminals. Employ a former newsreader to shout over the top and you have a programme. A recent one contained the following declaration.

“THE DRIVER NEEDS TO BE CAUGHT”.

Surely the driver needs to get away? The police need to catch him. No? Hmmm.

Perhaps it is too easy to ascribe needs to others when really it is our own desires and competencies that are the issue. Anyway, Cathy Gilliat needs to make another record. That’s what we reckon.

Canon scanner software: FAIL

Oh, OK! Sorry to have troubled you! Thanks for your help!

(Never forget: the user is there for the software. Don’t give them an inch. It is a privilege for them to be allowed to use your products - if they work, it’s just a bonus!).

Hi, I’m a Mac

I’m a Mac but I’m too busy to listen to the likes of you.

Talk to the spinning wheel, because the keyboard and mouse aren’t listening.

beachballbeachballbeachballbeachball

Please hold. Your typing is important to me.

beachballbeachballbeachballbeachballbeachballbeachball

(It’s probably the showiness of this damned thing that makes it so annoying. A box saying “Wait” would be no more rude, and less ostentatious).

Worried about Firefox

It’s been oh, at least 20 minutes since it last wanted to install an update.

Yes, “20 minutes” is a gross exaggeration. So are most of the
“updates”…

MarsEdit 2

Blogging on WordPress using a Web browser is really quite easy in most respects, but dedicated Weblog editing programs can help make it easier still, particularly when incorporating images.

MarsEdit 2 works as advertised, without fuss, and although you won’t have to spend time reading a long manual in order to start using it, you will find its additional capabilities (such as the ability to set up text macros and templates) as you go along. MarsEdit costs $29.95 but you can try it out for 30 days before deciding whether it’s an asset to you.

NetNewsWire

There are some very good newsreaders available for Mac OS X, including Vienna and Shrook, but the old favourite NetNewsWire is hard to beat, particularly now that it too is freeware: the interface can be configured to be just as you like it, synchronisation of subscriptions works perfectly for those who access RSS feeds on more than one Mac, and, as you would expect, navigation using the keyboard is very fast and intuitive.

They also offer a free RSS client for Windows. Apparently.

It’s hard to believe, but many people who would benefit from the ability to rapidly and conveniently check news and updates from Web sites still don’t use RSS. If you don’t know what an RSS reader is by now, try using a search engine such as “Google”. You have heard of “Google”, right?

Jewelcase

Jewelcase displays the album cover art for tracks in iTunes (Mac only), mocking up the look of a CD jewel case. The case can rotate if you want it to, with the track listing for the album appearing on the “rear” of the case. Jewelcase offers other features including the ability to show the artwork when the track is being streamed from another computer - something that iTunes on its own refuses to do.

To try Jewelcase, download it from Optical Alchemy. If you like it, $10 will buy you a licence.