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Mac 101: 7 tips for Data Privacy Day 2009
Today is Data Privacy Day, a global initiative to highlight information security rights and practices, especially among teens, professionals, corporations, and the government. As part of the celebration, TUAW (along with our sister blog Download Squad) has seven good ideas for you about how to keep your data safe and away from prying eyes with Mac OS X Leopard. Also, be sure to browse TUAW articles filed under Security for other tips and alerts about keeping your data safe. 1: Turn on your firewall Leopard, as we all know, comes with a built in firewall to prevent other computers from connecting to internet-facing ports on your computer. But: Did you know it's turned off by default? To turn on your firewall, open System Preferences, and click the Security icon. Then, click the Firewall tab. Make sure either "Allow only essential services" is selected, or you can choose to "set access for specific services and applications" yourself. You can also use "Stealth Mode": when enabled, computers that send data to blocked ports won't even get acknowledgement that the data was received. To enable Stealth Mode, click the Advanced button on the Firewall tab of the Security preference pane, and click the check box next to "Enable Stealth Mode." 2: Set a screen saver password A feature popular with Windows users, Mac OS X can also lock your screen when your computer sleeps or when the screen saver comes on. Simply open System Preferences, select Security, and choose the General tab. Click the check box next to "require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver," and you're all set. If you have automatic login enabled and click the "require password" check box, Mac OS X will recommend that you disable automatic login. This means you'll have to enter your password to turn your computer on, too; nefarious nogoodniks won't be able to restart your Mac while the screen saver is on to circumvent the need for a password. Good thinking.
Get into the Halloween spirit with a screen saver
With Halloween only a couple weeks away, it's time to get your Mac into the holiday spirit ... with a screen saver! The free Jack-o-Lantern screen saver from Killer Robots does just that -- without the mess of carving a pumpkin. It has over 25 pre-made designs, but you can also create your own pumpkin designs in Photoshop using the carving template provided by the developer. The screen saver features a very realistic pumpkin that rotates against a black background. You can control many settings including: seconds between pumpkin design changes, camera rotation, quality, and screen glow. In addition, you can select which designs you want shown. Check out our gallery of screenshots to get a feel for the quality of this awesome screen saver. You can download the screen saver from the developer's website. If you want even more customization, check out the Icon Factory's Halloween section for free icons (compatible with Candybar from Panic). Do you have another favorite holiday screen saver or icon set you like to use? Let us know in the comments! %Gallery-34299%
Save your screen with movies and SaveHollywood
Got a folderful of movies of your kids? It'd be delightful to have them playing on your Mac as a full-motion family album. Or, suppose you're setting up a kiosk Mac where people are going to walk up, use it for a while, then wander away -- it would be nice if you could revert to an 'attract loop' of a QuickTime movie when the machine went idle for a few minutes.Enter the handy (and free/open source) SaveHollywood screen saver module from developer Stéphane Sudre (also the force behind the indispensable Iceberg packaging utility). Select an individual movie to play back, or a folderful of clips -- you can choose to show the movies in fullscreen mode or at the original size of the source material, and you can adjust the sound to a custom level (or mute) if desired.SaveHollywood is a 144K download and a Universal Binary. It's compatible with Mac OS X Tiger 10.4 and later.Thanks Laurie
Terminal Tips: Make your Screensaver a desktop background
Have you ever wanted your screen saver to appear as a background image? Probably not. But if you like to show off to your Windows-using friends, then this tip can definitely help you out. By typing the following command into Terminal (Applications > Utilities), all on one line, and hitting enter, you will instantly see your screen saver displayed as a desktop background:/System/Library/Frameworks/ScreenSaver.framework/Resources/ScreenSaverEngine.app/Contents/MacOS/ScreenSaverEngine -backgroundTo get things back to normal (which you probably will want to do, as many screensavers will put undue load on your processor), either close the Terminal window, press control + C, or restart your computer. If you are running Leopard and have the clock overlay active, it will appear above all windows, which can get a little annoying.Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 and Terminal Tips sections.
Word Clock screen saver has the time for you
If you're in the market for a new screen saver, and enjoy things like tha's DropClock, check out Simon Heys' (less processor-intensive) Word Clock. It's a wonderful typographic screen saver that shows the time in a clever way, and is enjoying a meme echo among designers right now. It's extremely flexible: you can customize the colors, position and typography of the clock. Plus, it's available in 18 languages. There's a Flickr pool showing it in action. If you're worried about burn-in, you might want to take a pass, but if you love (a) clocks, (b) typography, and (c) screen savers as much as I do, this might be your lucky day. Word Clock is universal binary, and freeware.
Status Screen Saver 1.0
Are you so addicted to RSS, Mail, and Twitterrific that you just can't stand when your screen saver launches? Status Screen Saver might just be the screen saver for you. The awesome thing about this screen saver is that is displays your current unread Mail count, unread NetNewsWire feeds, and even unread tweets from Twitterrific. You can select a screen saver that you have installed in the Status Screen Saver options.Even better, Status Screen Saver allows you to (with some AppleScripting) create your own "modules" which opens up unlimited possibilities to what can be shown in Status Screen Saver. So, if you use something other than the supported applications, you can (if the application is scriptable) make an AppleScript to give a number, then place it in the Screen Saver.saver/Contents/Resources/ directory. Overall, this is a really cool screen saver which can be expanded upon by the user. You can download this free (donations accepted) screen saver by visiting the developer's website.
A dynamic screensaver, DIY style
Glenn Franxman at HackerMojo just put up a Python script that makes pictures pulled from MetroPulse into a screensaver. It's a mere 17 lines of code (which you can easily modify without knowing Python) that run as a cron job, downloading the images into the directory that you specify for the "Choose Folder..." screensaver. It's a simple, fun way to keep your screensaver interesting using a minimum of tools. There have been similar applications for services like Flickr, such as FlickrSavr or the screensaver that comes with 1001, but the simplicity of just updating the pictures in the screensaver folder is appealing. And a screensaver seems like a perfect application for my previous ideas involving mdfind and sips. By using the simple method Glenn applies in his Python script, and making a few modifications to the "Spotlight Gallery" Perl script, you could make your screen display the last 20 or so images added to your own system. That could truly be a practical use for the idea, depending, of course, on where the most recent images on your system come from. Yes, my mind just went there.
Mac 101: get a floating clock on your screen saver
Welcome, once again, to Mac 101, TUAW's continuing series focusing on tips and tricks useful to new Mac users. Mac veterans might learn a thing or two along the way, but these tips are aimed squarely at our new Mac friends.Today's tip is all about knowing what time it is. If you're running Leopard you can have your Mac display the time when the screensaver is running.Simply do the following: Launch System Preferences Click on 'Desktop & Screen Saver' in the 'Personal' row Choose 'Screen Saver' You'll then see the options to the right. All you have to do is click 'Show with clock' and a clock appears on your screen saver. This clock can be overlaid onto any screen saver that is included with OS X, as well as those made by 3rd parties. Pretty neat, huh?You can't actually customize the look of the clock, but if you're looking for some customization (or you're not running Leopard yet) check out the Big Time screen saver. It lets you change the look of the clock displayed, as well as set alarms though you can't overlay the Big Time clock screen saver onto other screen savers.Read on to see what the clock looks like on the Arabesque screen saver.
Red Baron screensaver for those with strong stomachs
If you're the sort who rides roller coasters for fun, who takes cruises through the North Atlantic in wintertime and laughs at the green pallor of your fellow passengers -- maybe the Red Baron screensaver is for you. Join the OpenGL party as the Baron sails through a simulated sky and over the (presumably French, definitely pixelated) countryside. The Baron himself looks more like a Fisher-Price person or a Weeble than a WW I flying ace, but who's complaining? (Actually, if they had an Easter egg to put Snoopy in the cockpit, that would be awesome.)The screensaver is a promotional item for the upcoming Red Baron movie from Warner Bros., which opens in Germany soon. With any luck the audiences will be over their dizzy spells by then.Update: Developer Chris Kent is over his bandwidth limit, so you can get the saver via our alternate download here.[via Macenstein]
New PS3 screensaver to utilize PlayStation Eye
While LocoRoco Cocoreccho wasn't necessarily the interactive screensaver we were all expecting (it was much more!), it looks like Tori-Emaki will fill its shoes nicely. Additionallly, the screensaver will put the PS3's upcoming PlayStation Eye to use by allowing gamers to control a flock of birds around ancient Asian settings with a wave of their hand.Developed by PlayLogic, it's hard not to compare the "game's" art direction to Okami – arguably one of the very best PS2 titles of all time. There's no word yet on when it will be available, but we can only cleverly deduce it will be after the PS Eye's Oct. 23 release date.
TGS07: LocoRoco Cocoreccho trailer flutters to the internets
While Andrew has already given us his hands-on impressions of LocoRoco Cocoreccho (try saying that fast three times!), everyone knows a pictures is worth a thousand words, and by my calculations, a video is worth four hundred billion eleventy thousand. Unfortunately, Andrew was rather disappointed with the interactive screensaver, blaming inconsistent and overly complicated controls, which makes the game lose much of what we loved about the first - simplicity. The game hits the PlayStation Store this week, so how about you try it out and let us know what you think.
Confirmed: LocoRoco PS3 is a screensaver
Rumor has it LocoRoco Cocoreccho is not a game, but a downloadable PS3 screensaver. Now Sony says it true, according to IGN. But the pseudo-sequel isn't characterized by passive voyeurism, rather it's a fully-interactive, uh, 'game' -- complete with objectives and an online leaderboard. Contrary to previous observation, SixAxis tilts will be used to manipulate the gameworld and guide up to 200 on-screen blobs, and Cocoreccho, the butterfly, is actually an automated guide (not the player's character). The real mystery now is what makes LocoRoco a screensaver. Will it launch automatically when the PS3 is idle; when a game or movie is paused? Could this be the start of a new initiative to knit PSN games into a seamless PS3 experience in which taking a "casual" break doesn't mean quitting to the XMB? We certainly hope so.LocoRoco will be available on Japan's PSN September 21st. North American and European release dates have yet to be assigned.Update: MTV's Stephen Totilo has gotten his hands on LocoRoco, and, while he's equally puzzled about the screensaver functionality (and even unsure it's true -- his demo launched from the XMB), he is able to clarify the core gameplay controls: Players do control the fluttering Cocoreccho and use the left analog stick to guide the butterfly -- titling the gameworld with SixAxis motions was not possible during Totilo's playtest. However, shaking the SixAxis when hovering above a key object does trigger certain gameworld alterations. According to Totilo, LocoRoco is almost "an old-school point-and-click adventure game. We used the butterfly as a mouse pointer and utilized shakes of the Sixaxis controller in place of probing mouse clicks."
Leopard screensaver, Help menu video leaked
When I posted the new System Preferences pane in Leopard earlier this week, I was a little disappointed to see that while the desktop had changed (here it is online, if you want to make it your own already-- thanks, Ryan D!), the screensaver had not. I figured this is because Apple wasn't bringing any new screensavers to the fold in Leopard, but that was premature-- here's a "Falling Photos" screensaver sent to us by Christian BS (thanks!). I would be very, very surprised if it didn't automatically pull photos from iPhoto for you, as apparently "you can display any photos this way." Also notice the clock-- we're told that it can be displayed on any screensaver you choose.And he also sent us this video of the new Help system, which has a Spotlightesque bar in it that will actually let you search for clickable options. That's terrific-- no more browsing through a Help system to find a tutorial about how to increase the text size: in Leopard, you'll be able to type "text size" into the bar, and automatically get the commands right within that menu.
Keeping time with Aurora and PolarClock
Here's two more cool ways to figure out what time it is, because sometimes you just can't look out a window.First off, Aurora (which we've written about in the past) is an free and easy little alarm clock that will play almost any media you've got, including any playlist in iTunes or even channels from EyeTV. There's an amazing number of options that go along with it (including setting the fade-in time and even waking your Mac from a power-off state), and with a little configuration, you can actually use it to get your Mac ready for you in the morning (one example even has the program starting up NetNewsWire for you after the alarm goes of. Pretty slick).And second, Evan sent us a tip about PolarClock, a new screensaver from pixelbreaker. It features a visual clock (wait, aren't they all?) that consists of a number of circles rotating around each other. It's hard to explain, but the implementation looks really nice, and this one also offers a lot of customization. I'm not sure it'll replace your other clocks in terms of being easy to read, but as a screensaver, it looks good, and can be pretty functional as well. PolarClock is free, and can also be installed in widget form (or in Windows, if you happen to know someone who swings that way).Never wonder what time it is again! As for showing up on time, that one's still up to you.Thanks, Evan!
Chemicalburn: a transportation network-simulating screensaver
So this past weekend I realized that I still had the great Skyrocket screensaver on my Powerbook from the Fourth of July-- no, not this year's. Last year's. It was time to get a new screensaver.Fortunately, FreeMacWare was featuring Chemicalburn, a screensaver by Michael Ash (who also created GPULife, a Game of Life screensaver) that not only looks cool, but actually simulates a transportation network. Nodes get created randomly, and little colored packages fly around between them, as frequently used routes get stronger and stronger. When a route is destroyed, the network eventually fixes itself, by creating more routes and nodes. Not only is it aesthetically cool, but it's a great thought experiment, and it's fun to watch a little network get created and destroyed when your own work goes idle for a bit.Chemicalburn is open source and free. You can get it on Ash's website.
Celebrate Independence Day with your Mac
Tomorrow is Independence Day in the US, which we celebrate by drinking alcohol, eating outdoors, and blowing things up (in that order). Here's how you can get your Mac in on the fun:Mix the DrinksBargenie puts 24,000 drink recipes on your Mac. Set it up next to your bar (being careful not to spill, of course), and amaze your friends with your skills. If you prefer a more portable option, you'll be glad to know that Bargenie works with your iPod as well.But there's more to it than preperation. You can add your own concoctions to the Bargenie database, add photos with your iSight (commemorate that perfect Black and Tan you poured) and even make use of the blood alcohol level calculator. It costs $19.99US and requires Mac OS 10.4 or later.Spend a little less money on Pocket Bar & Grill ($10US), which lets you choose from hundreds of drink and grilling recipes.Finally, the simplest solution has got to be the Bevy Bottle Opener ($15US). This combination keychain/iPod case/bottle opener will have you popping beers with the best of 'em.Grill the MeatMacgourmet is a recipe organizer that we've written about a number of times. Create shopping lists, pair food and wine, backup to .Mac and even share with your friends. A single license will cost you $24.95US. Macgourmet is universal and requires Mac OS 10.4 or later.YummySoup! is another recipe manager for the Mac that features .Mac backup and restore, photos, wine reference and Smart Groups (think Smart Folders). You can pick up a copy for $20US. YummySoup! requires Mac OS 10.4 and is universal.Fire up the FireworksThe Fourth of July means flashy explosions. Skyrocket is a screensaver for Mac OS X that renders explosions and smoke quite nicely, and even lets you zoom in on the action. Skyrocket is universal and free.Finally, you can create your own virtual fireworks display with Virtual FireworX. Generate 3D particle animations, smoke and sound effects, plus streaming tails, adjustable settings for the "sky" and more. Virtual FireworX is universal and comes with 5 free effects ($5US unlocks more). Virtual FireworX REQUIRES Mac OS 10.4 or greater, and the following graphics hardware: NVIDIA GeForce2 MX and later, or any AGP-based ATI RADEON GPU. A minimum of 16MB VRAM is also required.And above all, have fun!
The Twittervision and Flickrvision screen saver
Twittervision and Flickrvision are sister projects that mashup their respective communities in real time with Google Maps, providing a (somewhat summarized) play-by-play world map of what's happening on Twitter and Flickr. While watching either of these services can easily become a hobby, of sorts, or even a great reason for your boss to hire you - why not blame all that wasted time on idle computing cycles instead? Dave Troy - creator of Twittervision - tweeted Chris Bailey's release of a Mac OS X screen saver that can display either of these services. Simply download, install and go into the Desktop & Screen Saver System Preferences pane to chose which service (or even 'Random') to display for your screen saver. Now you can allow either of these services to completely dominate your desktop, instead of living comfortably side by side with anything else you're doing that might actually be productive.The screen saver is fun and all (though I personally don't use any screen saver), but I was surprised to see that the scrolling animations were pretty choppy on my MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo with 2 GB of RAM. I don't know if this is a performance issue with Chris's screen saver or the web services themselves, but I still found it to be an enjoyable unfortunate distraction from finishing this post.
Engadget's 3rd Birthday Giveaway - Engadget screensavers!
You know we had a lot of fun judging this one: for day two of Engadget's 3rd Birthday Giveaways we tasked you fine people with creating the best Engadget screensaver you possibly could. The overwhelming majority were Mac RSS reading screensavers, but we got some very different, really great entries as well. Again, big ups to the WMExperts store for providing the Wii and 10,000 Wii points to the grand prize winner! Now, on to the screensavers.
Mac OS X kernel panic screensaver - let the pranks begin
What's better than a Dashboard widget that can display a Mac OS X kernel panic? A full-on screensaver that can simulate one, of course! Mark Johns of Doomlaser has built an eerily realistic kernel panic screensaver, right down to the slowly dropping grey shade of despair, that will surely induce panic in the hearts of its victims in the way that only the haunting question of "oh crap, did I save?!" can. For a nice touch of style, it can even pause iTunes to really stop the show.Watch a demo of the screensaver here in this post, or head over to YouTube for the original. Finally, you can snag your own pranktastic copy from Doomlaser.
The Apple TV screensaver is hot
Sure, everyone is looking inside the Apple TV and at it, but check out what it does on screen when it's twiddling its thumbs and waiting for you to command your library! Now I don't have mine just yet; it's still hanging out in a local FedEx distribution center, so I made a friend shoot this for me (thanks John!). I heard the Apple TV just powered down after a couple minutes of inactivity, but apparently it has a screensaver mode that you're seeing here. Pretty slick for a little box, eh? For those who aren't into the Netscape player above, here's a link for the original.Now: who's up to the challenge of getting a 3rd party screensaver on one of these?
