40Tech

Right now, I’m up to 128 snippets in TextExpander. There are several that I have committed to memory, but even more that I hardly ever use. This is because I can’t remember the shortcuts to launch them, so it is just as quick for me to type normally as it is for me to open TextExpander and find a particular shortcut. I recently learned of a quicker solution, however.

If you come from the Windows world to a Mac, you may be surprised to find that there is no readily apparent way to lock your Mac if you step away from it. There are some ways to do this, such as forcing your Mac to the screensaver and requiring the password to unlock the screensaver. The quickest method I’ve found, though, is by using previously discussed BetterTouchTool.

Lately, I’ve been on a “streamlined desktop” kick. More on that in a future post. For now, though, I want to talk about how to address one minor annoyance if you want to keep your desktop clutter-free. When I first made the switch to a Mac, I noticed that all of my external drives were displayed as icons on my desktop. That wasn’t a big deal with my MacBook Air, since I rarely connect drives to it. With my iMac, though, I keep my TimeMachine drive and a SuperDuper drive connected 24/7. Here’s how I removed them from the desktop, while still keeping them hooked up to my Mac.

If you’re like me and many other tech geeks, you’re overloaded with content to consume, tricks to try out, and gadgets to play with. Throw all of that into a busy life, and you might lament not having time to pursue your interests. I’ve felt that way recently. Lately, the time I’ve had to listen to podcasts and other audio content has decreased. In the past, I had a long list of podcasts I enjoyed. I wrote about them a few months ago, but since that time, I don’t even listen to half of the podcasts on that list. I just don’t have the time. I enjoy those podcasts, so I want to get back to listening to them. Coupled with a desire to listen to more books on Audible, I thought about how to consume more of the content that I enjoy. I think I’ve come up with one way to do it.

You’ve got your new Mac, and want to take a screenshot. Where’d that Print Screen key go? Things work a bit differently on the Mac. You could go with a third party solution, such as Skitch or Littlesnapper. Or, you could use your Mac’s built in ability to take screenshots. There are three different ways to take a screenshot on your Mac, by holding down key combinations. All screenshots go to your desktop by default.

As I continue my now year-old journey as a Mac user, I’ve blogged about a few tips that I’ve stumbled upon, such as how to drag text onto your desktop and change it into a text note, how to reveal the dock and menu bar when using full screen apps in Lion, and how to add folders to the Finder sidebar. Many of these tips are probably “Duh!” moments to seasoned Mac users, but for those of us who come from the Windows world, they aren’t so obvious. It’s time to add another simple but important one to the list – how to change your Mac’s default email client and web browser.

So I’m in Winnipeg now. Winnipeg, affectionately referred to as Winterpeg, and thought by some (possibly me) to be a window into the truth behind the colloquialism “when Hell freezes over.” Okay, so I’m being a bit dramatic — but it can get freaking cold here in the depths of winter, man! Minus 75 degrees Celsius in the wind isn’t uncommon here. I have no idea what that is in Fahrenheit, but I’m sure you Americans will agree that anything north of Fargo has got to be cold.

In any case, my new location has me continuing my investigation into how to use my tech while freezing my butt off. Previously, I talked about winterizing smartphones, tablets, and laptops. My latest quest has been how to use my capacitive touch screen devices without having to take my gloves off just to answer the phone. And we all know I’m into doing things on the cheap, so we can squash any thoughts about buying those fancy-schmancy touchscreen gloves. It’s DIY or die, baby! This is what I found:

OS X is full of little shortcuts that can save you time. Some examples of that include adding folders to your sidebar,  revealing the dock and menu bar when using full screen apps, and determining at a glance whether your current document has any unsaved changes. That doesn’t include all of the trackpad gestures that can really speed you up. Now it’s time for another one. How would you like to automatically create a new text note, without doing any copying and pasting?

Here’s a quick tip for you Lion users out there. If you’re a fan of full screen apps, you may miss having quick access to the dock and menu bar. They appear to be gone, but they’re really not. Here’s how to use them.

The beautiful thing about Android OS, over iOS,  is the open platform. The annoying (and potentially dangerous) thing about Android OS, over iOS, is… wait for it… the open platform. It’s a double-edged sword. Say what you want about Apple’s proprietary madness, but the likelihood of a scam or malware app making it through to the iOS App Store is pretty slim — at least in comparison to Google’s Android Market. Does this mean you should never buy Android and jump headfirst into Apple products? By no means! According to the learned fellows over at Tested.com, with a little common sense, some permissions checking, and a dose of healthy skepticism, you can avoid the sneaky apps. Main points after the jump.