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Dear Aunt TUAW: My Mac had a kernel panic. Now what?
Dear Aunt TUAW, My Mac has been experiencing kernel panics. I managed to grab an error log. Now what? I'm not sure how to use this to figure out what's going wrong... Please help! Your loving nephew, Esteban Dear Esteban, The preponderance of the time, kernel panics are hardware related and not software. Looking at the error log can help you figure out what issue may be causing it. Look for the last loaded and last unloaded kernel extensions as well as the items named in the extension backtrace. They can provide good indication of what's going wrong. For example, you might see the following. Here, the issue seemed to have been with a FireWire Drobo system. last loaded kext at 266503428590760: com.apple.driver.AppleFireWireStorage 3.0.1 (addr 0xffffff7f80920000, size 16384) last unloaded kext at 266064709148465: com.apple.driver.StorageLynx 3.0.1 (addr 0xffffff7f808ce000, size 8192) Or you might see the following trace, which was tied into the local USB system. Notice how the names of each item here gives you a sense of the role. IOKit is responsible for many of your system's device drivers. Names like IOUSBMassStorageClass and AppleUSBComposite tell you that you're probably working with USB issues. Kernel loadable modules in backtrace (with dependencies): com.apple.iokit.IOUSBMassStorageClass(2.0.4)@0x593bd000->0x593c6fff dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily(2.0.5)@0x7ba000 dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(3.1.5)@0x596000 dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily(1.5.5)@0x7d3000 com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite(3.0.0)@0x953000->0x956fff dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(3.1.5)@0x596000 com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(3.1.5)@0x596000->0x5bdfff Kernel panics aren't limited to hardware. For example, emulators can also cause kernel panics. VirtualBox can be quite nasty this way. If you pinpoint the cause of your issue (emulator or mass storage), you can usually work through the problem yourself. If not, you may want to book an appointment to take your unit to the Genius Bar or to an Apple Authorized Service Provider (ASP). Hope this helps! Hugs, Auntie T, who thanks cousin Josh Carr for his assist on this write-up
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me support my mother-in-law's iPad
Dear Aunt TUAW, I currently provide remote support for my mother-in-law's 15 year old PC, frequently using TeamViewer to watch what she is doing rather than try to decipher garbled descriptions of what the screen is showing. This Xmas we are planning to buy her an iPad and so I wonder if there is an equivalent program that will allow me to continue supporting her and retain my sanity. Your loving nephew, Dave A Dear Dave, There are similar apps, but they aren't remote and only offered on jailbroken systems -- not a good match to your MIL's needs. On the other hand, most cats can operate an iPad. I'm pretty sure your MIL is smarter than a cat. Hugs, Auntie T. Dear Auntie, My MIL is smarter than a cat but most cats do not insist that she is incapable of learning something new ;-). We shall see. Love, Dave Dear Dave, You cannot solve relationship problems with technology. Your devoted, Auntie Auntie, Indeed, although the iPad has broken through my wife's resistance on the subject, I now have to ask permission to use it. Just hoping it does the same with MIL. Hugs, Dave
Dear Aunt TUAW: Does Siri work well in the office?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I am still debating about updating to an iphone 4s from an iphone 4. As someone overwhelmed at work (corporate life). I was wondering if there has been feedback on how someone has been using the iphone 4s' Siri function on a day to day basis at work to help stay organized? I know Siri can be used to check meetings by checking calendars. But how has reminders been effective in your work life? Can it sync with other systems to create to do lists? Has it changed the way any of you operate at work? Thanks. Sincerely, Matt Your loving nephew, Matt M. Dear Matt, Auntie is strongly of the opinion that Siri is the perfect accessory to corporate life. Between scheduling meetings, setting reminders, and placing calls, Siri works magnificently in the office environment. Auntie believes that most of the "does it work in the enterprise" question lies in how your iPhone has been configured by your IT department. If your unit is set up to work with Exchange, and otherwise office-ready, Siri will only expand its utility, not limit it. Just be aware, that with Exchange contacts, the iPhone has a limited ability to respond to relationships (like "my wife", "my assistant", etc). But that's the only drawback Auntie knows of. Other than making your non-virtual personal assistant jealous. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Is the new TUAW app age-appropriate?
Dear Aunt TUAW, Why does the new version of the TUAW iPhone app have a mature rating warning? I thought this was a family friendly site! Your loving nephew, Hugo Dear Hugo, In case you're worrying that the TUAW team is tippling on the liniment, playing pool, and buttoning their knickerbockers below the knees, fear not. TUAW remains the same upright and steadfast fount of proprietary dignity it was before the recent 2.1 application upgrade. From what Auntie can tell, the AOL development team submitted the latest version using the most cautious approach possible. The TUAW app provides unfiltered access to webpages via a built-in Webkit browser. Because of that, a user could potentially navigate to websites that are not child-appropriate. While the app itself has no direct objectionable content, it retains a 17+ rating. This is in-line with Firefox Home's and Opera's app ratings, just for context Auntie reminds you to get your flu shots, and take plenty of vitamin C and D this cold season. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me find a cognitive behavioral therapy app
Dear Aunt TUAW, I'm the dad of a high-needs child. We're doing cognitive behavioral therapy with him. Is there an app you can recommend that will help me track day-to-day progress on specific goals, and help my boy work towards rewards? I'm looking for an app that can show progress over time and that can work with multiple goals. One that's geared towards CBT would be ideal. Thanks in advance! Your loving nephew, Dave P. Dear Dave, We reviewed CBT Referee ($4.99) a couple of years ago here on TUAW. It's not exactly the kind of progress app that you're talking about, more about evaluating one's thought process, so we kept on looking further. Auntie and the TUAW crew searched the App Store but failed to find any other app we could strongly recommend. We took a brief look at "Gold Stars" ($0.99) but found it too flaky to use. It seems to have a lot of the right ideas, but kept crashing as we tested it out. It probably hasn't been updated recently. So Auntie decided to turn over the search to her TUAW braintrust of nieces and nephews. Do you have any apps to recommend for Dave? One that helps do daily progress tracking, with user-defined goals? Hugs and thanks, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Could Siri appear on Macs?
Dear Aunt TUAW, Why can't I have Siri on my computer? My laptop has a mic and while its not as new as a 4S its still gotta have more horsepower and bandwidth, yes? Seriously, more opportunities to use it can only help Apple. Your loving nephew, Andrew Dear Andrew, As for Siri on computers, yes, there's no technological limitations as to why the service could not be deployed to Macs and PCs. After all, Dragon Dictation / Nuance does. The reason is more likely limited to the following factors. First, Siri currently defines Apple's flagship product, the iPhone 4S. It's exclusive to that platform and is rolling out slowly to additional languages and countries. Second, Siri is already encountering occasional service interruptions. That might be due to load (which would require scaling) or initial rollout quirks. Either way, Apple is unlikely to extend the service to desktops until those issues have been resolved. Finally, Siri's strength lies less in its voice interpretation (which is superb, but so is a lot of the Dragon technology), but in its OS integration. Siri ties in directly to the address book, to the reminders app, to your calendar, and so forth. To move to the desktop, Apple would have to re-engineer major portions of its operating system to support this kind of tight Siri integration. So will we see Siri on your computer? Auntie thinks "yes." Will we see it soon? Unlikely. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me with bilingual dictation
Dear Aunt TUAW, I just bought your Talking to Siri book on Amazon. Congratulations! I found very useful. I have a problem though: I mainly use Siri in French as most of my messages and email messages are in French. Sometimes I like to ask Siri Wolfram questions, so I must switch it to American English. My question is the following: Is there a way of telling the French Siri that my next query will be in English? That would avoid the hassle of having to go to preferences, activate English, perform the query and then go back to preferences to switch Siri back to French. Your loving nephew, Andre Dear Andre, Unfortunately, there is no in-Siri command for voice assistance that switches languages. The only way is to hop out, switch in preferences, and hop back in. There is, however, a work-around for multi-language dictation. Settings > General > International > Keyboards allows you to add keyboards, enabling the globe button. This button toggles directly between keyboard languages. A simple tap takes you to the next language setting, including dictation. You can easily move from French to English and back as you dictate into any text entry element on your iPad. Hopefully, Siri will support "Speak to me in French" requests in a future update. Hugs, Auntie T.
Little lost iPad arrives home: From Italy to Australia to the US
Remember our lost iPad story? Greg from Australia was vacationing in Italy. He found an iPad in his hotel room. He tried to send it back from Italy, but when that fell through he brought it home to Australia with him. When Apple said they wouldn't help repatriate the iPad and Greg discovered the insane shipping charges involved due to the unit's built-in battery, he turned to TUAW for assistance. TUAW put out a call for help, and soon offers were pouring in. We can't tell you how many people opened their hearts and offered to donate to help see the unit on its way. The most promising offer came from Brisbane-based Michael Williamson. He wrote that he supplied parts to Epilog Laser, a Colorado company that manufactures laser engraving and cutting systems. Many of their laser tools are used to custom engrave the backs of iPhones and iPads. We put Michael in touch with Greg, who handed off the unit for its trip home. It arrived back via a couriered shipment of tech parts. Here in Colorado, James Stanaway of Epilog contacted the owners of the iPad, who picked it up and brought it home. The picture above is of Dave, the husband of the original owner. Dave told James that they assumed the iPad had been stolen in Italy. They didn't realize it had been left behind in the hotel. Now, thanks to Greg, Michael, and Epilog, the iPad has returned to its owners, ready to pick up in their daiily lives. This was a very happy ending indeed, and one where TUAW was privileged to play a small role.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Can I use bluetooth with Siri?
Dear Aunt TUAW, Auntie, you did a great job on the Siri book. I plan to work my way through it to maximize the use of Siri. You indicate a Bluetooth headset can be used to communicate with Siri. I've never had one but I'd like to keep the iPhone in my pants pocket and be able to talk to Siri as well as hear her responses. Is two-way communication possible with Siri in this situation? If so, do I need a certain type of headset or headphones? Are you allowed to make recommendations? You're assistance is greatly appreciated! Keep up the good work! Your loving nephew, Ken B. Dear Ken, Auntie has used both a Bluetooth earpiece and iPhone earbuds with Siri, and has found that the Apple earbuds were far better performance-wise. They worked very well in dealing with a pocketed-or-backpacked Siri, ambient-noise permitting (if the guy jogging next to you can't hear you over traffic, Siri won't either). Auntie tested Siri with a Jawbone ICON and had a great deal of trouble getting Siri to recognize it consistently, even when using the Jawbone in the recommended touching-the-cheek-bone position. Auntie thinks it's probably because of the particular brand and mic pick-up and not because of the Bluetooth technology. Obviously, this will also vary by noise conditions and the quality of the Bluetooth pickup. Unfortunately, Auntie didn't have access to any other BT devices to test with, so all she can report is that yes, it does work as long as you have a better audio pickup than the Jawbone provides. Does anyone have a really good BT earpiece to recommend? Let Auntie know! Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me find Spotlight items in the Finder
Dear Aunt TUAW, There's plenty I like about Lion - but lots of pointless change for the worse. Top of my hate list is that Spotlight no longer gives me the location of the items I'm searching for. Sure, the preview on cursor hover is nifty, but why oh why can't Spotlight give me (for example) the location of a long-lost document that's become embedded in multiple folders, the way it did in Snow Leopard ? Can Aunty help find a solution ? Your loving nephew, Jack, Cheltenham, UK Dear Jack, Use your up and down arrows to navigate through the Spotlight results list. (Do not click on items, that will open them). When the highlight is over the item you want, press Command-Enter. Hugs, Auntie T. p.s. Thanks Uncle Brett
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help Siri pronounce Dutch names
Dear Aunt TUAW, I am a great fan of your articles on all Apple-related products. I have a question for you about Siri. I am Dutch, live in Switzerland and work in a international company. How will this reflect on my Siri usage? Even with Voice Control I have a problem. My iPhone is setup in English (working language) but Dutch or Swiss/German names are not picked up well. So, did anyone try this out so far? Thanks for an answer. Your loving nephew, Hester B. Dear Hester, Here's a quick answer, courtesy of the "Talking to Siri" eBook: You can enter phonetic names in the Contacts app. These help with both pronunciation and recognition. Auntie created a contact for "Sergio Jones" in her address book, making sure to add a phonetic pronunciation field for the first name of "Ser hee yo" (Edit > Add field). Sure enough, once added, Siri was able to interpret Auntie's request to "Call Ser hee yo" to the right contact. The secret lies in using English-sounding phonemes. When Auntie pronounces Sergio correctly -- with rolled R, and the non-English-sounding "e" like "air" -- Siri will not pick it up. You need to English-ify the way you say it, so you better match what Siri expects. Auntie's friend Sjoerd van Geffen regaled her this morning with hilarious stories about trying to make a C-64 pronounce the Dutch "eu" sound. For some names, Auntie is afraid, you're just going to have to sacrifice the proper vowels. When talking to Siri with US-English set as your default language, you have to adapt the way you speak: unnaturally enunciated word endings, longer pauses between words than you're used to, and flatter English-y vowels. Try using "Choord" for "Sjoerd" and "Leak ah" for Lieke. Your Mac offers a great way to build these up. Use the "say" command from the Terminal app's command line, e.g. "Say leak ah". Fortunately Siri is even a little better at the "sounds like" translations than "say" is. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Why am I in Atlanta?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I recently upgraded to iOS 5 on my 3GS. Oddest thing happened yesterday. I am sitting on board a jet in NH waiting to take off for Atllanta. I pull up Find My Friends to see where a few people are at and it shows me on the tarmac at the Atlanta airport. Thinking it might be an app error, I pull up Google Earth and it showed the same thing. I was on a Delta flight with wifi but had not connected to the network. I felt like I was in a Star Trek time warp. Any thoughts? Your loving nephew, Chad Dear Chad, Auntie thought this might have to do with the plane's onboard WiFi system, so she turned to Uncle Steve to explain the situation. Steve replies, "Just because your iPhone wasn't connected to the network doesn't mean it wasn't using the airplane's Wi-Fi for geolocation. I had the same thing happen on a cruise last year. The ship had a home base of Port Canaveral, Florida, so all of the onboard networks were set so that any device locally thought they were sitting at port in Florida -- even when we were in St. Petersburg, Russia! "Chances are that all of Delta's aircraft Wi-Fi systems are set to show Atlanta as their "home base" location and that's what you were seeing. Bizarre, isn't it?!" Auntie hopes this helps explain what may have happened. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Are iPad 2 mic issues causing Siri holdbacks?
Dear Aunt TUAW, This isn't a scientific analysis, but I switched to the Mac in 2004 and have owned every product since without issue. Today, however, I am on my third iPad 2 because the mic keeps dying. It seems statistically unlikely to receive two consecutive iPads with defective mics. The only reason I notice the issue is because I rely on Skype and FaceTime on my iPad. If this is a non-public but real defect then no wonder they don't want to put pressure on using the mic. Is the hardware different by chance? Design issue? Your loving nephew, Brian E. Dear Brian, The fail rates on the iPad 2 have been astronomical. Auntie is on her 3rd iPad as well, but for other parts (specifically the bits that do video out mirroring through the cable connector port). Basically, Auntie doubts that it's hardware limitations holding back Siri deployment on the iPad 2. She believes Apple wants to maintain an exclusive feature on its premiere product. Plus, Siri is still in beta and its capacities are already being strained by iPhone 4S owners alone. Nor does Auntie think that the noise cancellation bits on the iPhone (that aren't on the iPad) play a role here. Does Auntie think Siri will make it to the iPad? Yes. Is it due to microphone issues? Probably not. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Can I disable those battery alerts?
Dear Aunt TUAW, Maybe I'm the only one this bothers, but Apple made a big deal about their whole new notifications in iOS 5. Then one day I was playing Canabalt, and I'm up to over 15,000! My high score is 17, so my heart really starts beating as I draw in. Suddenly I got a big pop-up on my phone alerting me that I have 20% Battery remaining. Maybe there was a glitch or something but my game kept going for about a second (maybe even a second and a half) before pausing. Obviously long enough for my poor little man to plummet to his death. I looked but couldn't find a way to set that type of notification to "banner." Maybe even go away completely? Please help if you know. If not, let's all complain and maybe Apple will add that in a future update! Your loving nephew, Adam Dear Adam, Oof. That must have hurt! Unfortunately, power level notifications are not controllable through user settings, the way that reminders, appointments, and messages are. You can always try submitting a feature request to Apple. Unfortunately, those tend to be popularity contests -- Apple tends to pay attention to the most requested items, and this is a wee bit, shall we say, niche. Unfortunately, Auntie doesn't really have any advice other than play games on a fuller charge where possible so you don't run into low-battery warnings. And yes, she knows how lame that advice is. Got other suggestions for Adam? Add them to the comments. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: My iPhone won't stop talking to me
Dear Aunt TUAW, While playing around with his new iPhone 4S Monday evening, Tim's phone started responding to every touch to the screen -- identifying vocally everything he touched and giving instructions about what to do there. He can't figure out how he turned the function on -- and he sure can't figure out how to turn it off. Your loving nephews, Jim and Tim Dear Jim and Tim, Accessibility enhancements open up the iPhone to users with a range of disabilities. iOS features allow users to magnify (or "zoom") displays, invert colors, and more. VoiceOver provides a way that visually impaired users can "listen" to their GUI. The VoiceOver service converts an application's visual presentation into an audio description. Don't confuse VoiceOver with Voice Control or the Siri Assistant. VoiceOver is a method for presenting an audio description of a user interface and is highly gesture-based. The latter two terms refer to Apple's voice recognition technology for hands-free interaction. As this Apple tech note details, you can control accessibility settings either from iTunes (easier for most visually-impaired users) or directly on the iPhone. To disable VoiceOver on the phone itself, navigate to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver. Switch the VoiceOver option from ON to OFF. Unfortunately, with VoiceOver turned on it can be tricky to get into Settings in the first place. If you have the triple-tap Accessibility setting turned on, you can try pressing the home button three times quickly, then double-tapping the "Turn VoiceOver Off" button. If triple-tapping does nothing, just push the Home button once. That will get you to the main page with the Settings app. Then use a series of tap-followed-by-double-tap selections to launch Settings, and then to move to the correct Settings page. Use triple-finger swipes to scroll the screen if needed. Once disabled, the mysterious voice will be gone. Auntie hopes it wasn't too traumatic for you. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: What is this "Voice Control" thing?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I discovered by accident that I can hold down the home button on the iPhone 4 and it brings up Voice Control. I don't remember this being there before. Is this some sort of Siri light functionality for the iPhone 4? I can use it to makes calls and FaceTime someone, but not much else. Your loving nephew, Douglas Dear Douglas, Think of Voice Control as Siri's, well, not Mom...maybe Siri's Aunt? Yeah. Exactly. Voice Control is basically an older, less stylish version of Siri -- far more approachable, slightly less sexy. And with a worse sense of humor. First introduced on the iPhone 3GS, Voice Control offers hand-free dialing and basic music controls. As with Siri, you can press and hold the Home button to bring up the assistant. There you can say "Call Dave at Home" or "FaceTime Steve" or "Next Track" or "Play Songs by Parry Gripp" (Auntie is a huge Parry Gripp fan). When Voice Control is running, recommended, speakable phrases scroll across the screen. You can use Voice Control on the 3GS and later and on newer model iPod touches. If you disable Siri on the 4S or haven't gotten around to enabling it, the 4S uses Voice Control instead. Apple has never really done the whole hands-free thing on the iPad, which is a shame because Auntie thinks that Siri would rock on the iPad, but that's the topic for a whole different post. Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me use punctuation with Siri
Dear Aunt TUAW, I've had an iPhone 4S since Friday and I love how Siri is making my life easier, and hands-free. However, what's troubling me is that when I use Siri to send or reply to my friend using SMS, I can't figure out how to add commas and periods. This makes the message looks odd, and Siri doesn't allow direct editing on the message either (at least I haven't found out). Is there a way to add punctuations while sending a message using Siri? Thanks! Your loving nephew, William Dear William, Just dictate the punctuation you want to use. For example, you might say: Message Aunt TUAW. Hey comma cap Auntie exclamation point. How are you doing question mark. I asterisk really asterisk love this whole punctuation thing full stop. Love comma William Hope this helps! Hugs, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me drive with Siri
Dear Aunt TUAW, I was super-excited about Siri, especially for use when driving. But I was very surprised to discover that the "Maps & Directions" feature of Siri is sneakily labelled "U.S. Only" - (look really, really closely). As a Brit, does this mean Siri won't provide me any location services? Why? I thought it just pulled data off Google Maps, which is international? The Apple UK iPhone 4S page has identical screenshots to the US one, but minus all references to location features... Why this injustice, Aunt TUAW? Your loving nephew, Jack Dear Jack, You guys in Blighty already get fried Mars bars, Phil & Kirstie, Marmite, and the staggeringly wonderful "The Fades". All this, and you worry about turn-by-turn directions? Unfortunately, it seems like full world-wide deployment of Siri features is going to be delayed as Apple adds both language support (sorry non-English/French/German-speakers) and full Maps and Directions over time. Remember, Siri is in beta for now as Apple points out emphatically on their website. Auntie thinks that Siri is going to be knock-your-knickers-off (is that a Britishism? Auntie can't tell) successful. If so, Apple will surely roll-out these options as they can. In the meantime count your blessings. You speak a language that already has iPhone 4S support. The poor Central Siberian Yupik speakers probably never will get any Siri support at all. Hugs, Auntie T. p.s. Did you know that Siri is a highly endangered Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria? Auntie didn't.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me snag a 4S
Dear Great-Aunt TUAW, Hello. I will be 16 on the 15th of October and am getting an iPhone 4S for my birthday. I'm worried that the shops in London won't have any, so I was wondering if you know if they will. Do they sell a certain amount on Friday and then save some for the rest of the weekend, until a new batch arrives? Please help. Your loving nephew, Oliver G Dear Oliver G, Would your parents seriously consider adopting Auntie? She doesn't make a lot of mess and takes up very little space. That aside, Auntie suspects that stores will continue getting stock. However, if you can't line-wait at the store, you should pre-order from the website or add yourself to the reserve list, which typically appears a week or so after launch. Remember the iPad 2's introduction? Customers lined up week after week, hoping for available stock. Banking on a weekend reserve isn't very practical. Finally, Auntie would like to remind you about wearing warm sweaters and cleaning your room. Please do both. Hugs to your folks, Auntie T.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me iMessage my wife
Dear Aunt TUAW, One iMessage "feature" is that messaging can be started on one device and picked up from another device, like from iPhone to iPad. My wife and I share an iTunes account so that we don't have to pay for apps twice, or worry about signing into different accounts. Will sharing an iTunes account across two iPhones mess with our ability to text to each other with iMessage? Thanks! Your loving nephew, Toby Dear Toby, Fear not. Your store account is distinct from your iMessages account. You can create separate Apple IDs for iMessage so you and your wife can pseudo-text back and forth. You will, however, require two email addresses. Select Settings > Messages > Receive At and create a new Apple ID specific to those addresses. Hugs, Auntie T.
