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Tip: Quicksilver Without the Enter Key
Hawk Wings links us to a thread on the Quicksilver forums regarding a neat little tip for the application no OS X power user can live without. You're probably familiar with the standard Quicksilver workflow for launching an application– Hit Quicksilver key-combo, type the first few letters of the application name, and hit Enter. Pretty darn simple if I do say so myself- yet this tip dares to make the entire process even simpler!Instead of going to all the hard work of pressing Enter, simply hold down the key corresponding to the first letter of the application you want, and Quicksilver will open it. Unfortunately this tip only works if you have Quicksilver to display your desired application as the first result when searching with only the one letter. Now all I have to do is figure out how I'm going to exercise my pinky to make up for all the keystrokes this will save.Update: Matt points out that this works if you need to type more than one letter, just hold the last letter. So for OmniWeb I'd type o-m-n-i-w, and hold W.
TUAW Tip: hold ctrl-cmd-d while mousing for live definitions
Many of you power users know that pressing ctrl-cmd-d in many Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger applications (except Firefox and a few others) will yield a handy pop-up definition window, drawing information from the standalone Dictionary app that sits in your Applications folder. However, if you didn't know that, well, you now have at least one reason to claim the 'power user' (nerd!) throne.I just found that if you hold down that keyboard combo, you can move the mouse over text to receive a live pop-up that keeps updating definitions as you mouse over new words. It seems to perform pretty well, though I am running on a fairly recent 1.83 Core Duo MacBook with 1GB RAM, so YMMV. I'm not entirely sure how handy this will be in daily activities, but I figured I'd post it since you creative readers so often surprise us with finding new uses for tips like this. Enjoy.
Reminder: send us your tips!
We TUAW bloggers use a variety of methods and resources to track down the news, tips, tricks and other forms of Mac interestingness we post, and among the most important of them are the tips from readers like you. However, we've noticed an increase in questions in post comments on how to send us tips, so we thought it might be a good time to post a reminder.Our tips form is linked at the bottom of our category list (pictured here, though yes: it's tiny and hard to find. Rest assured, we're working on it), and its URL is located in the same place as virtually any other blog in the Weblogs, Inc. network: tuaw.com/tips gets you to our tips form, while DVguru.com/tips will let you drop our sister blog on all things digital video a line as well.So if you've found a hot piece of news, a killer tip or someone who turned their PowerMac into a mailbox, be sure to send it our way, and your name just might get emblazoned in the TUAW archives with our post.
TUAW Tip: type a letter to find a menu item
This isn't quite a mind-blowing feature, but it might come in handy to those who frequently need to track down a specific menu item or command. In the menus of any apps (including even menubar utilities), you can simply type the first letter of an item you're trying to find in the currently selected menu. This unfortunately doesn't seem to work across all menus, i.e. - you can't type a command to find it in any menu in the current app, but it should at least help with those "oh I *know* it's in this menu somewhere" moments. This also appears to work across all apps, Carbon (Finder, Firefox) included.Oh a broader scale, this trick works in many apps in various ways. iTunes is perhaps the best example: you can type the first few letters of an item you're looking for in your media list (or in the Sources list on the left), and iTunes will take you to that particular section, based on which column you're currently sorting items by, or which Browse column you have selected.
TUAW Podcast #12: Quicksilver and iCal
There wasn't much podcast-worthy news to chat about last week, so we thought it was the perfect time to do something different and bring you the first TUAW screencast evar! In this podcast (netcast!), I demonstrate that trick we covered last month of how to add iCal events and todos from Quicksilver, and I've ironed out a few details for a much more usable process. I figured this would be a great way to demonstrate some of Quicksilver's unique power with purty moving pictures, instead of the typical non-moving pictures. This screencast clocks in at 7:32, and it's 21MB of H.264 goodness.Speaking of goodness, we're soliciting feedback on this screencast (as if you need to be asked). This is my first screencast, so it's a little rough around the edges. I sound a lot better podcasting-wise, though I'm still working on picking up a Samson USB mic that reader Jules Stoop recommended, especially since I've seen it written up as *the* killer podcasting mic (I'm trying to find a good deal, since $80 is a little steep right now). But let us know what you think: too fast? Too slow? Do I sound like a muppet? I have a lot to learn about moving video between the big suites, as I have some good After Effects skills I could've used to spice this up, but I couldn't find a decent codec to preserve the quality when exporting the edited video out of Final Cut Pro (I especially am accepting workflow feedback on this topic). Rest assured, this is at the top my todos (pun intended!) for the next screencast, so I'll be able to add all sorts of flying text and 3D space aliens.But that's enough chatter for now: here's a direct link to TUAW Podcast #12, another link to our iTS podcast feed, and of course: our good ol' fashioned raw RSS feed.Update: Our iTS feed had a little bug that prevented this video from making the list, but it has since been fixed. Podcast #12 is ready to roll from the iTS Podcast Directory, so head over and grab a copy!
Who needs a Mighty Mouse? Hold shift for horizontal scrolling
John Gruber linked the blog of Mike Rohde, a visual designer who discovered a slick scrolling trick built into Mac OS X: with a standard scrolling mouse, you can hold the shift key in most apps to scroll horizontally. Mike cites his day job apps like Photoshop and Illustrator, but this seems to work in NetNewsWire, Firefox and iTunes as well. I'm not sure if this is a 10.4 Tiger-only thing (anyone care to share?), but it's a handy little trick for those who aren't exactly enamored with the Mighty Mouse.
How To: keep your iTunes library on an external hard drive
For more helpful how-to guides, check out the TUAW Tips, iPhone 101 and Mac 101 topics. After discussing how my iTunes library is set up with a few readers in the comments on my First Impressions/2G iPod nano post, I figured this might be a handy tip for readers who find themselves running out of room to store an expanding iTunes library. My only machine is a MacBook Pro with a 120GB hard drive, but after installing ~ 40GB of the entire Final Cut Studio suite and other various software and projects, I don't have room for my ~ 35GB iTunes library. I decided to do some experimenting a couple weeks back with moving and keeping my library on an external hard drive. There are obvious initial disadvantages to this, but after some tinkering and getting comfortable with iTunes' baked-in library management genius, this can be a pretty useful setup for those who, like me, are cramped for space but aren't willing to trash those albums you're too embarrassed use in a Party Shuffle playlist. This setup also has the inherent, and obvious, advantage of keeping your library on an external hard drive, so it's more or less already backed up - though I, with my paranoid data habits, keep a backup of my library on a second hard drive, and I now also use Scott's iTunes 7 backup tip (instead of a previous Smart Playlist system) to burn my library to DVDs (the lesson from someone who knows: your data can never be too backed up - ever). Getting back on topic: read on for a walkthrough (from a very mobile notebook user) of how to move your iTunes library to an external hard drive. I'll include some tips on how iTunes is already one step ahead of this setup, as well as a few habits you might need to adopt when living la vida external-iTunes-library.
How do we level? Let us count the ways
From reader Luclan comes a very important question: what, in our experience, is the best or fastest way of levelling up quickly?First off, I believe levelling quickly in the "power-levelling" sense, and levelling well, are two different things. Getting a level 60 friend to run you through all the lower dungeons for loot won't help you learn how to play your class in groups; spending five levels grinding in one spot doesn't equip you to deal with a wide variety of situations. The journey through each level should, in my opinion, be savoured and learnt from -- after all, when you end up at level 60, knowing as much as possible about your class is a great start.
Add SMS support to Address Book for some Sony Ericsson phones
Apple's iSync supports a lot of phones (and we don't have time now to get into why it doesn't support all phones), but that support for some phones can be a little wonky - namely Sony Ericssons (and I just happen to own a W800i, one of the victims). For these phones, iSync supports syncing just fine, but Address Book might not be able to talk to the phone for SMS sending or phone number dialing. Enter this article at mobile.feisar.com which offers a simple workaround for fixing this broken support and enabling Address Book with the true Sony Ericsson super powers it deserves.As an added bonus, the article even offers a download link for Apple's Property List Editor, which I believe is a tool that can only be had by installing the Developer tools from a Mac OS X installation DVD. This simple little app can come in handy, however, for all sorts of file tinkering hints like this one, as well as many from the likes of macosxhints.com.Check out the mobile.feisar hint to get Address Book working with your somewhat-supported Sony Ericsson phone, and just in case you're getting any ideas: I have no idea if this simple tip can work for other brands/phones, so proceed at your own risk.
TUAW Tip: enable the AppleScript menu
As I was working on an AppleScript-related post this morning, I couldn't seem to find any TUAW Tips in our vast archives that explained how to enable that AppleScript menubar item (pictured) that is mentioned so often in Mac software circles. This, of course, called for just such a tip.So: the AppleScript menubar item. It's a very handy tool for accessing all those AppleScripts you hear about that automate this or toggle that. As long as you save those scripts in ~/Library/Scripts (where ~ is your Home folder), they'll appear in this AppleScript menu - once you've enabled it. I personally think this menu item should be included in the default set of every Mac, but I'd wager that Apple sees this as a little too nerdy of a feature to drop on brand new users. Fair enough.To enable this menu (nerd) in Tiger, go to /Applications/Applescript and open the AppleScript Utility. It offers a few options for handling AppleScripts, including turning on this menu and the order in which the menu displays scripts from both the default system level /Library/Scripts (in your main hard drive) and your personal ~/Library/Scripts folder. If you're on 10.3 (Panther), I *think* you have an /Applications/AppleScript folder, but instead of a full-blown AppleScript Utility app, it's an AppleScript called 'Install Menu' or something similar. Back on Tiger in the AppleScript Utility - you don't worry about the GUI Scripting option unless you come across a script that specifically needs it, though I don't think enabling this for simplicity's sake can harm anything either.If this process went according to plan, you should now have your very own AppleScript menubar item like I have in the screenshot here. clicking it will offer a simple menu of all the scripts you have between the two directories you chose to display. As long as you enabled your personal Home script directory, any scripts you save there should appear in this menu immediately after saving, ready to carry out your bidding.With that said, why not check out some of our past AppleScript posts, such as one of my personal favorites: an AppleScript from Fraser Speirs that opens iSync, syncs all your devices (such as a phone or PDA), then quits iSync. If you use an application launcher such as Quicksilver, you can tie handy scripts like these to Triggers (system-wide keyboard shortcuts) for even more convenience.
Sunday Survey: iPod FM transmitters - yea or nay?
I recently came upon owning a car again (a '99 Chevy Astro baby!), so what do you think is the first thing I needed to do? Why, figure out how to play my iPod through it, of course! It has a cassette deck, but my wife's new Toyota Matrix doesn't, so I moseyed (yes, moseyed) on over to my local Apple Store to see how the recent crop of FM transmitter accessories match up. In the name of saving money, I decided to try the Griffin iTrip (it was the cheapest).In the words of that old dude from the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: I chose "poorly". It's a cute little transmitter, but - at least in my van - my radio couldn't pick up a clear signal unless I manually held the iTrip up against the face of my radio (and yes, before you ask: I tried nearly every frequency up and down the dial before giving the iTrip the i-boot). I decided that maybe I needed to spend a little more money and exchanged the iTrip for Belkin's TuneBase. Since it has an adjustable arm and base, I figured I could position it exactly where it needed to be for a more reliable signal.The TuneBase proved to be a better choice mainly for that radio proximity factor, but using an FM transmitter in general proved to have too many quirks for me. For one, neither of these units pumped out a strong enough signal, so I always had to crank the volume on my stereo to reach a proper jamming audio experience. But if I switch to the radio, or simply skip a track on the iPod without manually adjusting the volume, blaring static pours through the speakers until the FM transmission kicks back in with a new song from the iPod. Ultimately: it just felt like too quirky of a device and too much of a compromise to pay $50 (iTrip) or $80 (TuneBase), so I settled for a good ol' fashioned $15 (non-iPod branded) cassette tape adapter from Best Buy for now.But what about you, music-loving TUAW readers? Are you happy with your iPod FM transmitters? Which one are you using, and did you need to get creative with any workarounds? I wish I could find a solution for both the Astro and the Matrix (especially since the Matrix's gas mileage is killer), but so far my efforts have failed. Share your thoughts and teach me (and hopefully others) your ways!
Scobleizer hints at "dizzying amount" of new Apple products
As I write this, I'm still contemplating the implications of getting Apple tips from a former Microsoft evangelizer's blog, but check this out as I philosophize for the afternoon: The Scobleizer (yea, the one and only), dropped a huge (yet unfortunately vague) hint of what Apple has up their sleeve: "Speaking of Apple, they are readying a dizzying amount of new products. I wish I could camp out at an Apple store during the World Wide Developer Conference on August 7th". Apparently (we're trusting you on this Ron!), Mr. Scoble's brother actually works for Apple, which is why he also goes on to decline commenting any further for fear of the Wrath of Jobs™.Hey, Mr. Scoble, you can spill some juicy tidbits. Apple gave up on that case for ousting that other blogger; why not give it a shot?Thanks Chris G.
AppleScript to view next unread message in Mail
If you've ever wished for the ability to go to the next unread message in Mail, instead of having to shuffle through all the unread ones, some enterprising AppleScript.net forum members have put together a script that might go well with your favorite app/script launcher, such as FastScripts.I tried this out with my preferred everything-launcher, Quicksilver, and it worked like a charm. I saved the script in Script Editor, then simply added it as a Trigger in Quicksilver with a keyboard shortcut. This has the fortunate side effect of being accessible from anywhere in the OS, so when I press my hotkey, Mail comes to the front and moves to the next unread message in the selected mailbox. Here's hoping Apple's Mail engineering team is listening and has something a little more integrated cooked up for Leopard's Mail.[via Hawk Wings]
TUAW Tip: make friends with Mac OS X's Font and Color palettes
One of the things I'm sure we all love about Mac OS X is how integrated so many of the apps and services are with each other, but did you know that integration can stem all the way down to the fonts and colors you use amongst your apps? In almost any input-based, Cocoa-written app you're running (Firefox, for example, is not written in Cocoa), you can press cmd + t to open a simple, unassuming fonts palette that you've probably seen at one time or another. But if you chose a particular font and size that you like in one program, you can click on the gear in the bottom left of that panel and chose 'Add to Favorites' which places it in a category aptly named Favorites on the left side of that panel. The beauty of this is that any other program that has access to that system-wide fonts palette can also make use of the fonts you mark as favorites. For bonus points, click and drag the dot at the top of that panel to reveal a preview area (pictured) where you can see what your font is going to look like before running with it. Next up is the Color palette, accessible with the cmd + shift + c shortcut. This palette employs the same basic concept: you can use it to find a color you like, and then drag a swatch of that color to the white squares at the bottom of the panel to save a version and share it amongst your other Cocoa-based apps. These little built-in tools can be really handy when working across many apps in Mac OS X. You can set a favorite font in Yojimbo (or your choice of other junk drawer apps), and then use it when chatting with a friend in Adium or iChat. Use a favorite color for highlighting in OmniOutliner? Why not save it for the next Mail message you have to send, or those Final Cut Pro and Motion projects coming down the pipeline?By no means are these a revolution feature of Mac OS X that'll rake in the switchers, but they might just make your daily activities go a little bit smoother.
Safari bookmark tips from macosxhints
The never-failing macosxhints.com is at it again, this time with a series of tips concerning Safari, speed and bookmark management. This tip offers a simple method for using the Finder to sort Safari's bookmarks alphabetically (hint: make sure you hit cmd + j in the Finder and enable the 'Keep arranged by name' option), while this tip points out that Safari can receive a noticeable speed boost if you organize as many of your bookmarks into folders as possible.If you're really looking to speed up Safari, the speed boost/folder tip also contains a roundup from Rob Griffith of quite a few other macosxhints tips that can re-energize Safari's experience.
Use the Nike + iPod Sport Kit on any shoe with help from a Nike accessory
Now don't think we're just trying to pimp Nike's stuff here because we're getting hookups or something (we have to run out and buy our own kits like anyone else), but TUAW reader Mr. Gaskell recommended a tip that could allow you to use the new iPod Sport Kit with any shoes, without the need for awkward lace tying or unsightly duct tape: Nike makes a small wallet accessory (pictured) called 'Nike Run Shoe Wallet S05' for $10 that attaches to the top of any shoe. It's designed to hold small personal items for a run, such as change, but (as I remember) it's too small even for something like a driver's license, but it should be a perfect fit for the shoe sensor. I'd link to it, but I can't find it anywhere at the Niketown site; I've only seen it in a brick and mortar Niketown store. I'm sure they're also available elsewhere on the web, such as eBay or in similar forms from competitors. I have no idea if the kit is still accurate when attaching it with an accessory like this, but we're receiving reports that people are having success with jury-rigging the sensor to their shoes with the aforementioned unique lace tying and duct taping techniques; using something like this wallet doesn't sound like your results should be any different. Any readers out there try this yet?
TUAW Tip: shortcuts for Sleep, Restart and Shut Down
We here at TUAW are suckers for productive shortcuts, and since yesterday's System Preferences tip was such a hit, I thought I'd post a few shortcuts to speed up the Sleep, Restart and Shut Down commands. There's actually quite a few ways to accomplish these tasks, so I'll try to mention all the methods I've heard of. The first: hold the option key while selecting Restart or Shut Down from the Apple Menu to bypass the 'Are You Sure?' dialog, and cut right to the chase. You even get visual feedback in the Apple Menu; click the menu, then press the option key to see the trailing dots disappear from those two commands (as far as I know, this is a typical UI feedback element used throughout the OS; any commands - at least in Cocoa apps - that have keyboard modifiers will change their appearance in the menu if you press the modifier before choosing the option).The second method is my personal favorite: 100% keyboard shortcuts. Here's a list: Sleep = opt + cmd + eject Restart = ctrl + cmd + eject Shut Down = ctrl + opt + cmd + eject The third method, involving the power key, can still be counted as a keyboard shortcut, but since I almost never touch the power key (I Sleep my Macs about 99% of the time via my aforementioned favorite method), I don't really consider it part of my typical keystroke regimen. For you power key lovers out there, you can press your Mac's power key, and at the resulting 'Are you sure?' dialog that contains four buttons (Restart, Sleep, Cancel and Shut Down), you can press the first letters of a couple of these actions. Specifically, 'r' for Restart, 's' for Sleep and Enter for Shut Down. 'C' for Cancel doesn't seem to work, but Esc should get you out of the dialog if you need to keep computing.Here's hoping you don't have a Homer Simpson-like brain, where each new shortcut you learn knocks out an old one. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts on these shortcuts, and enjoy one more trick for working with your Mac just a little bit faster.
TUAW Tip: shortcuts for display, audio and keyboard preferences
This simple tip was actually sent to us by TUAW reader Zoli Honig. It works on my MacBook Pro, and I assume other portables: if you hold the option key while pressing any of the F-key shortcuts for display brightness, keyboard brightness or audio volume settings, System Preferences will open and take you straight to the relevant preference pane. I don't know if this is Mac OS X Tiger only, and I don't have desktop machine to test with, so if you're still on Panther or using some kind of desktop Mac, feel free to share whether this tip works on your machines in the comments.
macosxhints debuts hint-rating system
The 'don't-buy-a-Mac-without-it' macosxhints.com has debuted a hint rating system, allowing both logged in and anonymous users to place a 1-5 star rating on each hint. As you might expect, their stats page now includes a 'Top 20 Rated Hints' section at the bottom. This should allow you to spend even more time you never intended to, learning even cooler ways to use your Mac.
macosxhints gets redesigned
The invaluable macosxhints has received a redesign and feature boost. The site's theme has received a stylistic bump, and legibility has improved site-wide. New functionality and features include more topic categories and a better search (while Rob won't use the term 'better', I will). Registered and logged in users will likely welcome simplified account management tools and more control over what information you include and display for others.Head over and take a look at macosxhints' new look and add your $0.02 to their announcement post.
