macintosh tip: Safari - check spelling as you type

Safari (the macintosh's default internet browser) has a great feature that allows you to check spelling as you type on the web just like in Word. This means any text misspelled will automatically get a red dotted line underneath it to let you know you are a bad speller.

1. In the EDIT menu choose SPELLING


2. Click on CHECK SPELLING AS YOU TYPE

macintosh tip: Parental Controls

The mac has actually a lot of really great parental features built right into the operating system. No need to buy any other software.


Some nice features include:

• create an email safe list (kids can only email people that you appove for their address book)
  
• Approve the buddies (kids can only chat online with people you approved to be on their buddy list)
  
• Safari Parental Controls (Specify exactly which websites your children access by bookmarking only those sites on the Safari Bookmarks Bar)
  

More information on parental controls for the mac:
1. Video of how to setup parental controls

2. http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/family/

macintosh tip: Backup your files!

Dear Loopymonkey: When you back up your entire home folder to a back up drive, where inside lies my address in my address book ?

The short answer to the question above is (~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook). This basically means in your library folder of your home area. While in the desktop press (apple-N) and choose your home folder. This is where you will see this library folder mentioned.

What do I use to backup my files?

If you signed up for .mac and are paying apple for their service, I would just use their program called backup.

If you do not have backup, there are a couple free alternatives. LaCie has a program called SilverKeeper that is free and works great for quick backups
Download Silverkeeper

ibackup is another free program that has a more familiar Mac interface and more options.
download ibackup


Below is some text stolen from a great apple tip article within their support site.


What to Back Up

You don't need to back up everything on your hard drive, such as system stuff and applications, but do remember to back up anything that cannot be easily replaced, such as the following:

• Any files you create within an application, such as your resume, movie projects, reports, slideshows, recorded songs, brochures, your prize-winning fruitcake
  recipe, and whatnot.



• Your email account files, including mailboxes, contacts, and account settings. The file locations will vary, depending on the application you use. If you're using Mail, back up the Mail
  folder in the Library folder inside your Home folder (~/Library/Mail).
  For other email clients, check the Documents folder in your Home folder for a folder named after your application, or elsewhere.


• Your web browser bookmarks. If you're using Safari, back up the Bookmarks.plist file in the Safari folder in the Library folder inside your Home folder
  (~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist).


• Your fonts. You don't need to back up any of the fonts that are installed with Mac OS X—just copy the fonts that you brought into the system. Be sure to look in both of these Fonts folder
  locations:
  
  
• /Library/Fonts
  



• ~/Library/Fonts
  



• Your iTunes Music folder in your Home folder (~/Music/iTunes/iTunes
  Music). If you have the original CDs, you needn't back up those albums
  or songs (unless you don't want to rip the files again), but you should
  back up any songs and albums you buy from the iTunes Music Store.


• Your photos. If you're using iPhoto, back up your
  iPhoto Library folder (~/Pictures/iPhoto Library). If you've got image
  files scattered around your hard drive, use Spotlight to search for
  .jpg, .tif, and other image file formats.



• Software that you purchased from the Internet. Yes, we did say not to back up applications, but in this case, you will need to if the application was not installed from a tangible form of
  media. If possible, back up the installer instead of the application
  itself.


• Your contacts. If you use Address Book, back up the AddressBook folder in your Home folder (~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook). If you're using an email client with a built-in contact manager, be sure that you locate and back up the appropriate file.


• Bank records and other financial information.
  


• Don't forget stuff on your Desktop (this area can easily be overlooked).
  



• If you share your Mac with other users, don't forget to log in to their
  accounts (or have them do it) and back up their files (you can't back
  up files from another user account while logged in to your own
  account).

What Not to Back Up
You don't need to back up applications or any files that can be reinstalled from your Software Install disc (Mac OS X system stuff and Apple applications included with your computer). If you ever need to restore or reinstall software on your computer, it's better to install them from the original installer—not a backup copy.

Do Some Housecleaning

Frequency: Once a month or every other month

Even if you have a vast hard drive, it's a good idea to occasionally get rid of files and applications that you no longer use—especially if you've got less than 500 MB of free disk space left, which leaves you close to the brink of running into virtual memory issues.

It's also a good idea to make sure that the files you do keep are organized in some manner (though Spotlight will take care of finding files for those who prefer chaos over control). You can coordinate your backup schedule with a housecleaning ritual to free up space, or do a pruning session when the need arises. Whatever you do, make sure that you do not do any of the following things unless you know exactly what you are doing.

Do not...

* Trash files in the System folder—Many of the items in here are components of the Mac operating system and shouldn't be touched unless you really, really, really know what the file is and what the consequences will be if you toss it. If you don't know what it is, leave it alone.

* Trash files in any Library folder—Again, unless you really, really, really know what the file is and what the consequences will be if you toss it, leave it alone.

Rename or move certain folders or files—Some files and folders need to remain exactly as they are and where they are, or the system won't know how to access them. These items include:

o In general, any iLife application (iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, iDVD, and GarageBand) and their respective media folders
o Your Home folder
o The System folder and all included items
o The Library folders and all included items

this tip was taken from this apple article

internet tip: WIFI and Security

WHAT?
WIFI (short for wireless fidelity) is the common term to describe wireless networking. Getting on the internet without any wires connected to your laptop. Apple macintosh users call wifi 'airport' as thats what apple calls their wireless products. It's a lot easier then saying 80211.g which is the technical term for one kind of wireless signal. Wifi basically is what you want if you want to use your laptop to surf the net on your deck with a cool glass of lemonade. It's as simple to setup as connecting two things:

1. a wireless router (connects to your cable modem and allows the data to be sent wirelessly to your laptop)
2. wifi card for your laptop (this will allow your laptop to receive the wireless signal being sent by the router - if you don't already have one, any current apple laptop comes with the wireless card already installed as do some windows laptops these days).

Some high speed internet providers like Qwest in Seattle actually give you a wifi ready router with your internet service, so all you would need is a wifi card for your laptop. Cal your internet provider and ask if they do this. There are currently two popular flavors of WIFI. G and B. G is the newer and more popular so I would stick with that for now if you're looking to buy. Almost any brand will do, and linksys or dlink are usually good brands.

SECURITIY
After connecting your router and getting it working with your laptop, your next step should be making sure to setup security for your wifi connection. The data being sent wirelessly could actually be captured by hackers that are adept enough, and of course neighbors could easily steal your wifi internet if you haven't setup a few things.

There are three things you should know how to enable with WIFI to make it secure:

1. enable WPA or WEP encryption
2. Turn off Service Set Identifier (SSID)
3. Change the administrator password to the wireless router

This is something you would have to look at your manual on how to do, as it's different for every brand of wifi gear. Basically (1) means you encrypt data sent between your laptop and the wifi router so it's harder for any snoops to see that data. (2) means that the name of your wireless network is not broadcast to the world. So if I'm your neighbor and I do a quick search for wireless networks, I won't see your network as a choice to sign into. (3) makes your router more secure as a lot of the default passwords hackers already know and could use to log into your router if they are able to get onto your network.

There is also another feature called MAC that stands for Media Access Card, and it would allow you to setup a link between your laptop (or any WIFI computer in your house) and the router and ONLY those devices would be allowed onto the network.

You will need to read the manual that came with your wireless router to learn more about these features.

Some additional links to read about it:
About.com Wifi Article
WI-FI.org Article
Worried about Wifi? Cnet.com Article

macintosh tip: smart folders

Ok, so now that you know how to label things, how can labeling make it easier to find things? Smart Folders is one example.

From the finder:

1. Choose 'New Smart Folder'
2. Select a label color
3. save and name the folder



Now this folder will contain any file in your entire computer that's labeled the color you chose in step 2. Smart folders can also be deleted without deleting the files they contain, as a smart folder only contains links to the actual files, not the files themselves. This is a quick way to organize files.


For Example, you could keep a smart folder on your desktop that always contains files labeled blue for 'work'. Then when that work is done, you can turn off the color label for that file, and poof the file no longer will appear in the smart folder.