This is on a 2011 iMac 2.93 GHz Intel i7 with 8GB of memory. Encoding one disk. While the MacBook Air is very nice, I think I’ll still keep a desktop machine around for times like this.
Hardware
5
Oct 11
The Best Camera Is The One You Have
There’s plenty of coverage for the latest Apple iPhone announcement so my round-up is not needed. However, there seems to be very little excitement about the new camera. Most of the press seems to be disappointed. I look at it differently. If Nikon announced a new point and shoot camera with f2.4 and 8 megapixels that could remotely post to any photo service and generate greeting cards, the media would probably go nuts.
I use my iPhone 4 as a music player, camera and GPS unit. I rarely use it as a phone. I plan to get the 4S just because it’s a better camera and a faster GPS device (A5 dual core). I don’t think I could ask for much more than that out of a new iPhone.
The Camera
I have a DSLR and an iPhone 4. 90% of my photos and videos are taken with the iPhone. It’s the device I carry everywhere. It’s not bulky and awkward to carry. I can edit and send photos directly from the iPhone. It’s the best camera I have. I only use the DSLR for special occasions and when I want to use my f1.8 lens. The iPhone 4s camera will give me more options and probably take over even more of my photography work. An f2.4 lens in a phone is just amazing. If a future iPhone gets an f1.8 lens then I doubt I will ever use my DSLR.
Photo Quality
I recently digitized a large number of my childhood photos. One thing that stuck me was how bad photo quality was in the 70′s. Many of the photos were Polaroids and either did not age well or were never very good. Here’s the thing: they’re still great memories. What makes great family photos are the memories not not the camera. Of course blurry and out of focus photos are still bad, but grainy and washed out photos of my 4th birthday are still nice to show my daughter. My iPhone camera has enabled me to capture a lot more of those memories for my daughter.
29
Sep 11
Jambox Update
I really do love my Jambox speaker from Jawbone. It sounds good for its diminutive size. Jawbone just updated the firmware (how many speakers have a firmware?) and added a new audio mode. The only real pain int he update process is that I am required to download and install a menubar application. I then need to connect the Jambox and launch a Web site. I then must login to the mytalk.jawbone.com Web site and update the firmware. That’s a lot of steps to update a speaker.
On the bright side, there are actually some nice options for the Jambox. The new audio mode, called LiveAudio, adds a bit more separation to the sound. It does sound a bit better, but this is still a small speaker. Additionally the Jambox has another option for increasing the sound quality but at a reduction to the maximum volume. I have not noticed a difference with this mode.
Most of the other “Extras” are just pumping third party apps and services that are not specific to the Jambox. The Web site feels cluttered and awkward. I would have preferred a standalone application rather than a bunch of ads for cheap junk. Honestly, this is not an inexpensive piece of kit and the up-sell feels a little unseemly.
31
Aug 11
A Tale of Two Keyboards
I work on a windows machine during the day and generally connect to a half dozen unix and windows machines throughout. I toil away in front of my monitor for many hours without direct sunlight. Needless to say, I do everything I can to lessen the irritation of working on Windows. To that end, I’ve been using the Das Keyboard for about 18 months.
I really like the feel of the keyboard and appreciate the heft of the object. I can pound away in fits of rage at the Microsoft experience and the keyboard stays put and the mechanical keys snap back responsively. However there is one downside to the Das Keyboard. It’s LOUD. I mean loud like an old typewriter. I don’t have the “silent” version of the Das. I have the original Model S which clanks like a steampunk piano. The problem is, our work environment is a travesty known as an “open layout.” That means for 18 months, I’ve been wearing away the good-will my colleagues have for me.
So I decided to retire the Das Keyboard. I’ve been looking for alternatives and even considered the Silent model of the Das. However, this article from Macworld caught my eye the other day. The Logitech K750 keyboard looked nice and the lack of batteries was a real bonus. No cables, no batteries and nice look. So I ordered it off of Amazon. After my first week with the keyboard, I am happy to report that it’s a good replacement. Importantly, it stays solidly grounded (yes, I type very hard) and is silent
19
Aug 11
The Home Base
On the recent episode of the B&B Podcast, Shawn and Ben had a lengthy discussion about the optimal home computing setup. They got pretty close to what I settled on a couple of years ago. I think this post describes my ideal setup until Thunderbolt is ubiquitous. At that point a MacBook Air could instantly connect to an array of devices through one cable and replace my desktop. I would still keep the MacMini server though.
The Setup
My primary home machine is a 2011 27″ iMac. Prior to that I had the first edition MacPro that was loaded with internal drives and 8GB of RAM. I also have a 2010 MacBook (not a MacBook Pro). My post about my backup system pretty well describes the overall setup but I will add some details below.
Network
Last Fall, we renovated a room in our basement and converted it into a luxurious home office. One key design element that was central to the entire project was a Cat6 Ethernet network that would penetrate every location in the house.
I have a network closet in the new office with an SMCGS16 Ethernet switch. This has proven to be a great 16 port switch. The router is rack mounted along with my Verizon FiOS router. My entire house is routed through this switch via Cat6 and I get some pretty impressive local transfer speeds.
If you are only using WiFi, then you will never understand the speed boost you get with copper wires. It’s like the difference between walking and a car. Walking is way more convenient for getting up and going but a car sure will get the trip over with faster (unless you drive on I-93 in Boston).
Another benefit of ubiquitous Ethernet is that I don’t need to share my WiFi password with guests as much. They can just sit down at the couch with their laptop, reach down and grab a hidden Ethernet cable. Prior to that, I kept a separate 902.11G router running just for guests to use. It’s still running but it rarely gets used now.
For WiFi access on the mobile devices, I have an Apple AirPort Extreme router and a 902.11G router that is built into my FiOS network access point. We still use WiFi for our iPads and iPhones and ocassionally a laptop at the kitchen table. We primarily connect to the network through copper wires though.
Primary Machine
27″ iMac (2.93GHz Core i7) with a 30″ MultiSync LCD (3090WQXi from NEC) connected through DVI.
- Lion OS
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB SSD boot disk
- 2TB internal secondary disk
- 3TB external drive (MyBook Studio LX)
- Apple Bluetooth keyboard
- Apple Magic Mouce
- Apple Magic Trackpad
- Fujitsu ScanSnap s1500m
Extensions
- Dropbox
- Keyboard Maestro
- TextExpander (on it’s way out)
- 1Password
- ChronoSync
- BetterTouchTool
- iStat 3
- Knox
- Hazel
- Moom
- DefaultFolder
- Growl
MacBook
- 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo
- Lion OS
- 4GB RAM
- 500GB boot drive (self installed)
Extensions
- Dropbox
- Keyboard Maestro
- TextExpander
- 1Password
- Hazel
- iStat 3
- GeekTool (disabled until fixed for Lion)
- BetterTouchTool
- Moom
- DefaultFolder
- Growl
- SpiritedAway
Mac Mini Server
- Lion Server
- Drobo with 4 X 2TB drives WD Green drives
- Canon Ink Jet Printer
- No Mouse, Keyboard or Monitor
Extensions
- ChronoAgent
- Hazel
- Growl
- Dropbox
- Keyboard Maestro
iOS devices
- iPad 2
- iPhone 4
- iPhone 3G (stationary Pandora player)
Why So Many?
An Always on Mac
There are a number of benefits to running an “Always on Mac” at home. Here is a quick list of what my Mac Server is good for:
- Mail filters
- Media Server for the AppleTV
- Folder Monitoring Scripts
- Sync Utilities
- Network Backup Server
- Self hosted FTP server
Those Mail filters and folder monitoring scripts are huge. For example, I have OmniFocus Mail rules that perform several functions. If I email myself a file with a specific tag in the subject line, the file is moved to Dropbox and a new OmniFocus task is created with an embedded link to the shared Dropbox file. That way, I can easily access the file from OmniFocus on the iPad or iPhone.
I also have Dropbox folders that trigger events for files. If I put a file into a specific Dropbox folder, then it will be sent to an FTP server automatically. I also have a folder that looks for PDF files. When a new file is identified, it will open it in Preview. When I get home and login to my machine, I am greeted by a full-screen view of the PDF. Subtle.
Finally, and this is an important one for me, with NVAlt running and Syncing with Simplenote, I can have access to my notes through Simplenote and Dropbox simultaneously. I know Simplenote premium accounts already have that option, but I find my solution more reliable and predictable. This means I can edit notes on my iPad via WriteRoom or Nebulous Notes and also on the web through the Simplenote interface. The best of both worlds without having to think about it.
A Portable Mac
So why have a portable Mac like a MacBook? Well, I have a daughter that I REALLY like to be around, even if she’s just watching Ponyo. A MacBook allows me to sit next to her and work, but still play and generally be present. There are other benefits that a portable machine provides:
- Coffee shops
- Working in class
- “Vacations”
- Couch work
- Loaner for guests
I am generally pretty satisfied with the home base now. I’ve built it out for years and it now requires very little maintenance and provides a lot of benefits. Many of the benefits were not planned but were fortunate opportunities that came out of having a broad network and multiple machine profiles. Building it was fun, but using it is more enjoyable.
5
Aug 11
Satellites Saved My Marriage…A Review
I bought my first dashboard GPS unit in 2006. My wife had been against the idea for the prior year. Every time I suggested buying one she suggested that we were smart enough to use a map. But then one Saturday we went on a road trip to Ikea that nearly ended at divorce court.
We managed to take the right exit, but on the wrong highway. Because it was an industrial park on a Saturday morning, there were few options for getting local directions. After over an hour of trying to figure out how to get back on the “right” highway, we finally gave up and returned home without our unpronounceable Swedish furniture or inscrutable Swedish junk food. The mostly-silent drive back gave us both plenty of time to reflect on the turn of events.
The next day I went to our local BestBuy and bought the Garmin StreetPilot 2730. It was pricey (I believe it was >$500) but it came preloaded with maps for North America and spoken word directions. In spite of containing a hard disk the unit was surprisingly robust and reliable. It also changed they way we drove together.
The GPS instantly changed our trips from “missions” to leisure activities. Instead of sniping back and forth about which way to go or dreading the inevitable Boston Big-Dig detour we simply followed the GPS instructions. The Garmin GPS provided nearly flawless directions and we became totally dependent on it. We also started to enjoy each other’s company more while driving. Without the added stress of missing an exit or getting stuck on a 10 mile stretch of highway going the wrong way we just talked and listened to music. We enjoyed the ride. We also enjoyed our KANELBULLAR very much, thank you.
Hello Navigon
This year someone stole the GPS unit out of our unlocked car. We were disappointed but I figured it was time to move to a more modern and smaller unit. After browsing Amazon reviews I planned to buy another Garmin dedicated unit. Then it hit me. I own an iPhone 4 and my wife owns a 3GS. Both units have GPS chips. Why not try one of the appstore alternatives. The Navigon offering fit our needs the best so I plunked down the purchase price and installed the app on both devices.[1]
That was almost a year ago. We are happy with the Navigon application. It is very smart about routing. A recent update also added integrated Google search. This makes it much easier to find locations than using the standard POI search interface. If you can find it on Google, then you can get directions to it.
Pros
- Accurate
- Great route detections
- Advanced notice of turns (like 3 reminders before you actually need to make the turn)
- Favorites
- Integrated POI system
- Integrated Google search
- Maps are always up to date
- Integrates with Address Book
Cons
- The iPhone speaker is too weak
- That’s it!
Add-ons
I’m not talking about some of the in-app purchases for Navigon because you could buy the entire software package and all add-ons and still save a couple hundred dollars over a dedicated GPS unit. I’m talking about physical add-ons that make the iPhone a better GPS unit.
Car Mount
Any sensible use of a GPS unit requires it to be on your dashboard. I chose the Scosche Universal Windshield Mount. The unit is solid and has some great options. It supports all iPod/iPhone units. That means an iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 work equally well. Secondly the unit can also be mounted on an AC vent if there is no room in your windshield. I have not tried that configuration though. Finally, the whole package was less than $20.
External Speaker
The iPhone external speaker is far too weak for Navigon to talk over the car radio or an open sunroof. I tried a couple of external speakers that fit a 1.8mm jack but none were satisfactory. Fortunately my wife was kind enough to get me a JamBox as gift. The Jambox is small enough to keep in a glovebox or throw in a carry-on bag. Crucially, as long as you remember to turn the power off between uses, the battery lasts for many, many trips.
The audio is not as good as an in-dash GPS system that is integrated into the car stereo, but the Jambox has one additional feature that makes it a great iPhone GPS companion. Bluetooth speaker phone mode automatically kicks in if you tap the answer button on the top of the unit. It’s convenient and easy to use if you’re in a rental car.
Conclusion
The Navigon app is great. As good as any stand-alone GPS unit. There are also added perks to using an iPhone as a GPS.
- It’s also a handheld GPS for walking around the city
- My wife and I can have different favorites and address books on separate iPhones for one price[2]
- It’s always backed up through iTunes
- It has an always-available Internet connection and Google search (or as close as can be had with AT&T)
- It’s easy to travel with and use in a rental car
- Get a Jambox and a good window mount and it’s audio and display beat any GPS unit on the market
-
Navigon was purchased by Garmin. I think that was recognition that Garmin missed the market by holding their breath and waiting for the iPhone fad to go away. The quality of Navigon has not (yet) declined due to the acquisition. In fact, Garmin recently released their own iPhone app with downloadable maps.
-
Of course you have to purchase two iPhones and use the same MobileMe account
21
Jul 11
i7 Air [Link]
The Difference Between the Dual-Core i5 and i7 MacBook Air — Shawn Blanc
I’d add that the i7 is also better if you virtualize other OS’ through Parallels or VMware. Also remember, Handbrake is CPU intensive and benefits from Hyper threading.
25
Jun 11
The Power of Backup [Hardware]
I’ve been using rudimentary Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) on my machines for several years. I picked up a few cheap-o UPS units at Costco and just hooked them up. They did their job, as long as I was home. You see, a cheap UPS is basically a big battery hooked up to a surge suppressor. It will protect your hardware and give you 30 minutes of extra power, but when the battery dies, it’s like ripping your computer plug out of the wall.
I recently replaced my old and cheap UPS with a Cyberpower CP1500AVRLCD UPS. It came highly rated on Amazon and wasn’t going to cost more than the iMac it would be connected to.
The Hardware
The Cyberpower unit is nice. It has a solid feel and an attractive design. Then again so did my cheap UPS unit. The big win for a more advanced unit is the direct integration with the Mac power management.
The Cyberpower ships with a USB cable that provides enhanced power management features when connected to a Mac (or PC with the provided software). OSX comes with integrated UPS management so no additional software is needed.
The Software
As shown in the screenshot, the UPS can tell the Mac when power has been lost. It can also tell the Mac how much back-up power remains. The Mac will respond appropriately and cleanly shutdown. The hard drives will spin down and applications will quit.
The Mac will even sense when power comes back on and power-up again.
Once the UPS is connected and configured, there is an additional menubar item visible that can be used to show the overall charge of the UPS. This status can be displayed as a percentage or as minutes left.
What’s on the UPS
The value of a UPS is to give you a bit extra time to save your work and properly shutdown the computer. If I have a power outage, I seriously doubt that my Internet connection will still be active. That means NO DROPBOX. So I need some quick backups of my data and to put it somewhere I can get it off. I have the following items connected to my UPS unit:
- My 27” iMac
- 8 port USB-2 hub
- WiebeTech USB DriveDock
With this setup, I have a few options to backup my data. I can quickly pop in a small SD card (built into the iMac) to archive a small project. I can also stick in an 8GB USB thumb-drive to get a larger set of files. Depending on where I plan to work, can also connect my iPad to sync files through iTunes. Finally, I can connect a bare 2TB drive to the DriveDock so I can perform a ChronoSync backup of everything.
In all likelihood, I’ll simply grab some working files with a USB thumb drive so I can continue working on my MacBook.
17
Jun 11
The Speck iPad 2 SmartShell [Review]
I’m always interested in Macworld’s iPad accessory reviews. I don’t always agree with their take, but they do a wonderful job rounding up what’s available. Their recent update on iPad 2 cases was no exception.
I was intrigued by the Speck SmartShell and decided to drop the $35 to try it myself. I was not disappointed.
The Good
- It works with the Smart Cover. There is a cutout that fits the Smart Cover hinge. I didn’t want a whole new case, just something to protect what the Smart Cover does not.
- It’s very thin and light. It only adds a bit to the otherwise sleek iPad 2.
- It has cutouts for everything, including the diminutive speaker and camera.
- Rubberized coating. One of the reasons I use vinyl decal is add a bit more “stick” to the iPad body. A nude iPad 2 is very slippery and can easily slide off of a lap or seat. The rubberized surface of the SmartShell increases the coefficient of friction slightly which makes it easier to hold on to.
- MAGNETS!!!! There is a magnetic strip on the back of the shell. That means the Smart Cover will fold back and stay in place. In fact, it works better than without the shell.
The Bad
- The price. $35 is a bit steep for half of a case. I expected shells to be cheaper. Then again, it does have MAGNETS!
- The cutouts now make the volume and mute switch more recessed and harder to use. This is good and bad. I was forever accidentally adjust the volume when hold it in landscape, but the Smart Shell has solved that problem. Now, it’s a bit difficult to adjust the volume on purpose.
3
May 11
Date the SSD but marry the HDD
Following up on the SSD post from Jeff Atwood, I love my SSD boot drive but I keep the majority of my data on a secondary HDD. My primary home office computer is a late 2010 iMac with a 256GB Apple SSD and a secondary 2TB “data” drive. Here’s how I have configured this setup to maximize the speed of the SSD but the storage capacity (and maybe reliability) of the HDD.
The SSD
- The OS and all OS dependencies are installed on the SSD. I don’t mess around with symlinks that can break during an upgrade.
- All applications are installed on the SSD. Applications launch instantly. It’s almost unbelievable when you launch an application and it is immediately available to use.
- Developer tools are installed on the SSD. This is for the same reason as other applications. I want the speed increase for building and searching documentation.
- My User Folder exists on the SSD boot drive but it is not used for much.
- iDisk. Oh the disappointment of youthful fantasies. How I wanted iDisk to live up to it’s potential. It has not. I have abandoned the use of iDisk for all but the must fundamental use cases. Preference, contact, keychain, mail account syncing is about all I use iDisk for. Everything else is kept in sync through Dropbox.
The HDD
- Dropbox is on the HDD. Dropbox sync is limited by network speed so drive throughput makes little difference. It’s also impossibly rare that I would need a file instantly accessible.
- All of my Documents live on the HDD. Working files are kept in Dropbox.
- My entire iTunes library is on the HDD. That includes Movies and TV shows. My iTunes library does a lot of heavy work but none of it is limited by disk reading. It powers two AppleTV 2′s which are limited by network streaming. I also have a small child that loves Pixar.
- My Aperture and iMovie files are all on the HDD. The performance is fast enough for my needs. If I intend to do a lot of work in iMove I will start the project on the SSD to receive a modest performance bump. I don’t have any real data, so that could be my imagination.
Now with this setup, backup is pretty crucial to schedule since each drive has a different class of data. My SSD boot disk simply gets cloned to a small 500GB laptop drive. This happens once every weekend. If I lost my boot drive, the biggest problem would be that I could not immediately boot my machine. No data would be lost though.
My secondary “Data” HDD is backed up every night and also configured to use Time Machine. I also have a drobo that is configured through ChronoSync to be the recipient of a secondary backup of my data files.
In general, it’s the larger, cheaper and more reliable drive that is my primary data store. The HDD is dependable and I can grow into it. The SSD is just for fun.
2
May 11
Live fast and die young
I would love for this data to be added to product reviews and packaging. I’m with Jeff, and would still buy an SSD drive. An SSD is the single most significant upgrade you can make to your computer. It’s quite surprising how much the OS is limited by disk read/write speeds. Computer “speed” used to be limited by CPU cycles, then it was RAM. Now it’s disk throughput.
At least data like this puts data backup into the proper perspective.
21
Apr 11
A Use Case For Bluetooth: The Sony DRCBT30 Review
I purchased the Sony DRC-BT30 Bluetooth Headphone Adapter about a month ago from Amazon. After a month of heavy use I thought I’d share my experience with it. Be warned, it’s an unsatisfactory ending.
Why?
I listen to podcasts and music all day. My sole music player is my iPhone 4. I generally switch between a couple different headphones based on the working conditions. If I am stationary for awhile and need to concentrate, I will wear my Beyerdynamic DT 770 headphones. These are closed cup headphones that provide fantastic sound isolation and superb audio quality. They are also pretty large. The rest of the time, I use the apple headphones that came with the iPhone. Well, actually, I am on my third pair since I seem to destroy these things in the most bizarre ways. I also use my iPhone for occasional phone calls. Crazy, right?
The problem with both of these headphones is that they are tethered to an expensive piece of glass encased circuit boards. Several times a week the headphone cord will catch on something and violently rip the headphones off my ears or drop the iPhone to the floor. So I did the math and it seemed worth a modest expense to purchase a bluetooth transmitter for my headphones.
What?
I have not been a fan of Sony products for quite some time. The last high quality Sony product I owned was a Discman 350 from the 1990’s. Since then, Sony devices have not held much allure for me. After reading numerous reviews it became obvious that the options for good Bluetooth adapters would lead down the Sony path. I eventually settled on the Sony BT30 Bluetooth adapter.
Quality
As I anticipated, the build quality of the BT30 is less than impressive. It is entirely plastic. The prototypical shiny black plastic. The buttons are mushy and feel fragile. Accessing the mini USB connection requires a finger nail and a fair amount of force.
Usage
This is where I make all of my complaints moot. The BT30 changes my usage of my iPhone. For example, I would rarely listen to music while I worked around the house. This was learned behavior from accidentally yanking my iPhone out of my pocket after catching the headphone cord on a bush or some other nefarious environmental hazard. The difference in sound quality for MP3 or AAC files is imperceptible to me. I have not experienced interference or random un-pairing that I have with other unnamed bluetooth audio connectors.
Phone calls are as clear as with the Apple iPhone headphones. I have no complaints from the other end of the call either. The mic seems to be a bit more sensitive to wind or external noise. Perhaps this is a result of the greater microphone distance from the mouth. After all, the Apple mic is typically just an inch or two from the mouth.
Controlling the audio playback can be a little hit-and-miss. Since the buttons are imprecise, several times a week I will inadvertently forward tracks when I intended to pause playback. However, the buttons are responsive. I have had problems with other Bluetooth devices not immediately responding to button presses. This is not a problem with the BT30
Finally, the battery life is not impressive, but usable. I typically get about 8 hours of continuous use over a day. I have not done exhaustive battery life testing but I can say that I have not been limited in my use of the device. Fortunately, recharging is very fast. Typically, a recharge for an hour or two gets me through the rest of a long day.
Conclusion
Sadly, Sony has discontinued this product as well as the slightly cheaper BT15. They do not list a replacement product but the BT30 and BT15 are still available through Amazon (see links above). I highly recommend grabbing one while they are still shipping. It’s unfortunate that this is the end of the product line because this is one area where Sony is over achieving and filling a need.
Notes
While I have an Amazon associates account, I chose not to include those links in the body of the review. I do not want to give the impression that the review was written to generate revenue. If I ever decide I need the additional support, it will be done outside of a review post.
13
Apr 11
More Dropbox Fun (FTP Access)
Tinkering
Dropbox is incredibly useful and I enjoy extending it’s utility whenever I can. I also enjoy choosing projects that will teach me something new about my Mac. My latest project was to provide SFTP access to my Dropbox account. For security reasons, I am not allowed to install Dropbox at work. I considered several options for direct access to my files (email, webdav) but FTP is the most simple and universal access I could develop.
The Mac Mini Setup
There are many advantages to having an always on local server. In particular, it means the various Apple TV’s in the house always have a movie library available without having to go to another room and start a computer. It also means I can tinker with server projects locally with a Mac rather than strangling myself with a remote unix server on Amazon or my web host.
To create a Internet accessible Mac server you will need to make some minor changes to your Mac and your broadband router.
Open the System Sharing Preferences and turn on Remote Login. I limit access to a single user account for a bit of added security. I’m the only one that needs to access the server, so this works fine for me.
Open the Network Preferences and locate your IP address.
The Router
Connect to your broadband router and locate the Port Forwarding configuration settings. This will be different for every router. The main point is that this needs to be configured at the router that connects your home to the Internet. If you have additional routers between your computer and the broadband router, you may need to enable additional settings. My Mac Mini is directly connected to my router through a LAN.
Configure the SSH port forwarding on the router to go to your Mac Mini IP address. The SSH port is generally set as port 22.
While you are in your router’s admin portal, write down the IP address of your router. This WILL NOT start with “192.168″ but rather will be a unique IP address that your ISP is providing to your router. You will need this for the next step of this tutorial.
The Secret Sauce
Getting to your Mac Server on your local LAN is easy. Getting to it over the Internet is a bit more complicated but there is a very easy way to enable a DNS alias to your home Mac.
Go over to DynDNS and sign-up for a free account. From within your free account you can configure up to TWO new hosts. Importantly, you can choose host addresses that are memorable, rather than 10 digit IP address. For example, “myawesomeserver.dyndns.org.” I use the “Host with IP address” option. This is where you will enter the IP address of your broadband router. Once complete, you should have a static IP address that now maps back to your Mac server at home. The only problem is, when your ISP changes your home IP address, everything will break.
DynDNS has a nice solution to help resolve this issue. Go to the DynDNS Update Client page and download the Mac Updater. Install this on your Mac Server and enter your account credentials. That’s about it. Make sure this application always starts up with the server. Now when your local IP address changes, the DynDNS Updater will notify the name server of the new address.
Finally, install Dropbox on your Mac Server.
Connecting
There are several options for connecting to your new server. SSH terminal connections give you direct access to the shell of the Mac. This is quite powerful. Unless you are accustom to using the terminal on your Mac, I do not recommend experimenting from a remote location. However, SFTP is a fairly safe way to access files on your Mac Server.
On windows, I use Filezilla for SFTP. It’s far from the quality available on the Mac with Transmit, but it is free and simple to use. From within Filezilla, create a new server connection using the DynDNS host name you set up. Provide the user credentials that are defined for the Mac Remote Login settings. Finally make sure to use port 22 (which you mapped in the router settings). This port is generally reserved for SFTP connections.
That should be all you need to connect to your Mac. Now you can navigate to your Dropbox directory and manipulate files until your heart is content.
Voilà, Dropbox FTP access.
References
These are links I found useful or interesting while building this service.
http://www.macinstruct.com/node/152
http://www.maclife.com/article/howtos/how_build_your_own_online_cloud
http://www1.maclife.com/article/howtos/how_enable_ssh_your_mac
http://www.dyndnscommunity.com/questions/3849/mac-osx-snow-leopard-bt-homehub-2-and-ftp-server.html
23
Mar 11
Apple's Streaming Service Already Exists
I’m surprised there has not been more buzz about this. There has been a lot of speculation that Apple will stream iTunes media some time in the future. The future is now on the AppleTV 2.
Apple is already streaming podcasts for the AppleTV 2. If you setup some favorite pdocasts on your little black brick, Apple registers those favorites with your iTunes ID. Now any other AppleTV 2′s that are using the same iTunes ID have the same favorites available for browsing and streaming. Apple even attempts to track the played info for the podcast. If you stop watching or listening half way through and move to another AppleTV, you can pick up where you left off.
I suspect that this is a sneak peek at how they will use streaming with iTunes and all Apple devices.
5
Mar 11
The Stylus Matters
Ben Brooks recently wrote about the using the Griffin stylus for handwriting on the iPad. I agree with much of his post, but one thing I have discovered is that the stylus really makes the difference. I’ve tried several (but not the Griffin). A nice comfortable stylus is much better than using your finger for taking notes. Additionally, a stylus with a rubberized tip is key. It provides a subtle resistance against the glass that feels more like writing on paper. It’s still much more slick than the sensation of writing on paper but better than the foam end on some stylus devices.
My personal favorite is the The Acase Capacitive Stylus (associate link). There are several versions. Most come with an attached plug that fits in the headphone jack of the iPad that attaches the stylus to the device. My personal favorite is the combo stylus that includes a ballpoint pen. It’s also slightly longer than the standard version. I am still baffled as to why no one makes a full pen-sized stylus though. The biggest downside is the small size of the stylus in the hand.
