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TUAW Tip: Take control of your sidebar
Today's tip is all about your Finder sidebar. I've altered mine a bit from the default setup to better accommodate the way I work. The first thing I do is to remove the Movies, Music and Pictures folders. They're really only a single click away from my home folder, plus I use iTunes to manage my music and videos, and iPhoto handles my photos. So I rarely need to go poking around those folders manually. To remove a folder or other item from your sidebar, simply click and drag it out of the list, then let go and it's gone.Next, I've brought in my current projects. To add an item to the sidebar, simply click and drag it into place. A thin, blue line appears between existing items. Drop it in and you're all set.The four folders you see below my "Documents" folder contain the files that are currently receiving all of my attention. Now they're only a click away, no matter where I've navigated to in the Finder. The "Trash" is actually a super simple Apple Script that reads:on opentell the application "Finder"move the selection to the trashend tellend openI saved my script as an application, moved it to my "Documents" folder, gave it a sweet icon from The Iconfactory and dragged it into my sidebar. Anything dropped onto it will be moved to the trash. Finally, my Quickdrop folder is where I store all the junk that I accumulate during the day (I like a clean desktop). At the end of the day, I decide what I want to keep from in there, move those items to their proper locations and send the rest to the trash.
TUAW Tip: The Importance of File Extensions
I teach a lot of computers users who are new to the Mac experience, or who have only ever known Windows. And because virtually every Windows program names files with extension names already, they have no idea what an extension name is, or that Windows requires files to have file extensions so it can determine what kind of file it is and with which program to open it.And so they move over to the Mac and proceed to name files without extension names. Of course some programs like Microsoft Office and the Adobe suite have been written to include file extension names by default, but there are just as many that still adhere to the old Mac way of naming files--without extension names. And so then they go to open their files on their PC (from their flash drive, or maybe they emailed them to themselves), and Windows goes "huh, what's this?" after double-clicking. They're left thinking the file is damaged or that the Mac messed it up somehow, when the problem is simply that it's not named well enough for Windows to understand what it is.To further compound the situation, Apple has determined that the default way of viewing files in the Finder is to have the file extensions hidden. And so sometimes the file is actually named properly but when the user looks at the file in the Finder, it doesn't show the extension name! And then they get confused and try to rename the file and will sometimes get a warning box (a scary thing for lots of new users) asking them if they're sure they want to change the file name extension.My point is, it's really a mess. As much as I dislike having to adhere to the stupid three-letter-extension name format imposed by the Windows majority, I've decided that it's just easier to teach people to always name their files with extension names. It won't hurt the Mac to have them, and Windows requires them, so it's the least confusing solution.I also set all the Macs I control to have the Finder always show file extensions in its preferences. Trivia: this attribute is actually stored in an invisible file called .GlobalPreferences.plist in each user's /Library/Preferences folder.
Full list of iPhoto's keyboard shortcuts
I'm a keyboard jockey. I want to keep my hands on the keyboard and away from the mouse as much as I can, which is why I appreciate Macsupport's complete list of iPhoto shortcuts. They're divided into categories, including importing, organizational, import/export, ratings slideshows, book creation and more. There were a few I was unaware of, like, "Apply a page design through the end of a book: Select the first page you want changed and press the Option key when choosing a design from the Page Design pop-up menu" and " Switch between portrait and landscape constrain setting when selecting an area: Press the Option key while dragging." Those are pretty good.While you're there, check out their list of shortcuts for iMovie HD and iWeb as well.
On power adapters, PMUs and the new PowerBooks
As I was using my one month old PowerBook yesterday, I was alarmed to see the charging light on the power adapter randomly shift between orange and green. I came up empty handed after some googling and searching Apple's Support pages, so I started plugging the adapter into other outlets in the apartment. No go; my adapter was still putting on its own little glowstick show for me. I then decided to look up Apple's support document detailing the procedure for resetting a PowerBook's PMU (Power Management Unit), which brings me to the first lesson I learned: Apple changed the PMU reset procedure for the most recent 15" and 17" Dual Layer SD PowerBooks, so definitely check it out if you go down this same road.Unfortunately, a PMU reset still didn't solve my dilemma. Getting nervous, I finally decided to take advantage of Apple's insulting "90 days of complementary support" to see if they could bail me out. Fortunately, after some troubleshooting, I learned my second lesson of the day: PowerBook and iBook adapters, if left plugged into a wall for too long, might need to actually be reset. This can easily be done by unplugging both of an adapter's ends for at least 60 seconds. We didn't delve into the inner workings of these power adapters for an explanation, but I've kept one plugged into a specific outlet in my apartment for probably at least a month or two, and I guess that might be just enough to make a power adapter a little confused in the head. So kids, remember: don't be like me. Keep your power adapter happy and light-show free by unplugging it from time to time.
Hints for Playing the Game
Inspired by a forum post that asked readers to quickly list the most helpful hints in the game, both for noobs and hardcores, here's a list:1) the autorun key is set to numlock by default.2) if you're mountless and need to get to Raven Hill, it's faster to fly from Darkshire to Sentinel Hill and run there than it is to run the entire way from Darkshire.3) Roll an alt character and add him to your friends list, and then email this "mule" any items you want to save but don't have space for.4) Repair your gear. You'll lose it if it gets too damaged.5) Murlocks like to mob.6) If you can't see your healer, he can't see you (and therefore can't heal you).7) If you're pre-60, try to log off at an Inn or in a major city to gain the "rested" buff which doubles the XP you gain from killing monsters.Of course, there are many more hints. What are your best hints for playing the game?
Resources for beginning paladins
Defenders of the Light, mace-wielding upholders of justice, and hard to kill; paladins are the only Alliance-specific class, and a great newbie class to play. A paladin can take damage, dish it out (although more slowly than DPS classes like the rogue or mage), all the while healing, resurrecting and buffing their party. With the upcoming 1.9 patch, paladins are going to see some changes, but the first few levels won't change much, so here are a few things to get newbie paladins going:Infoceptor lists all the paladin's spells, including costs.Rampage's guide has a lot of general discussion of paladins, but also walks you through the first few levels as a human pally.WoWHealers has a basic FAQ covering race, talents, acronyms and more.TenTonHammer's guide is a good overall resource and promises a 1.9 update.Hester's PvP guide is useful, although you may want to try different strategies as well.The official forums are rich with 1.9 information and the European forums feature a guide.Paladins seem to have fallen into disfavour at the moment, but as a generally good all-round class they are fairly easy to solo with (if you have the patience to wait through the low damage output) and valuable to groups, as well as easy to get the hang of. My second ever character was a paladin and I really enjoyed taking her through instances and the like. Enjoy.[[Previous classes: Mage, Priest, Druid, Hunter]
20 Tiger Secrets
Macworld is running a seriously sweet two-page collection of 20 tips - most, if not all, of which I haven't seen anywhere else yet. head over to Tiger Secrets: System Settings to learn such gems as how to get the System Preferences' toolbar back, customize Tiger's PDF print services, network with firewire and more.I think these tips are great examples of some of Mac OSX's most potent yet ambiguous allure - all the little things that make it such a fantastic experience. Definitely an enlightening read, so go check it out.
MacDevCenter on 20 Cool Tiger Features
We've covered some of this ground here at TUAW, but make sure you check out 20 Cool Tiger Features You Might Not Have Heard About by Scott Knaster: "Even though Tiger has been out for a while now, many of its major features have nuances that haven't received much press--and there a zillion minor tweaks to discuss. Scott Knaster takes you on a tour of clever, and sometimes even obscure, Tiger goodies."
