Entries tagged with “Apple” from streamline/online

Despite the lack of activity here, quite a bit has been going on with respect to my technology goals.  Several detailed posts—on applications, web apps, and syncing, among other topics—are forthcoming.  But now, a fun diversion.

Knowing there are many ways I could streamline my productivity at the computer, I recently purchased books on AppleScript and Automator.  Back in the day, I learned AppleScript in conjunction with the HyperCard development I was doing.  The many demands life seems to throw put the kibosh on programming—I haven't developed much of anything since Apple killed off HyperCard half a decade ago—and any AppleScript proficiency I had acquired quietly slipped out my ear.

As I was browsing at the public library this week, I grabbed Andy Ihnatko's "The Mac OS X Tiger Book" and placed it into my stack for checkout.  I wasn't certain why I'd picked the book up, other than the fact that I've enjoyed Andy's commentary for many years and wondered why I've never read a book he authored.  After some casual browsing, I stumbled across chapter 17 and realized why the fates had compelled me to grab the book.  Andy's exuberant cheering of these built-in tech marvels set me to work.

I had struggled with Automator when I first purchased Tiger last year, and quickly gave up.  Without the benefit of documentation, the software seemed limited.  I am glad Ihnatko's ringing endorsement convinced me to take another look.  This morning, I developed several useful workflows, one of which I find amazingly cool and will describe here.

Instant Podcast
Most of my favorite news sites and blog authors don't create podcasts.  This means I have to spend time reading these web pages (when I should probably being doing other work).  Enter the Instant Podcast workflow (click the thumbnail for a full-size image).

This little marvel hits your favorite web site (Step 1) and grabs the text from the page (Step 2).  It then converts the text to audio using Mac OS Text-to-Speech (Step 3 - I've selected Victoria, but choose your preferred voice).  Steps 4 and 5 append the date and time to the file name, just so we're clear as to when this recording was made.  The workflow finishes up by using iTunes to convert the raw audio file to MP3 (Step 6 - Using MP3 compression will save considerable drive space over the original recording's AIFF format) and adds it to a playlist I've created just for these files.  The workflow even cleans up after itself, deleting the original audio file it created.

I plan to use several copies of this workflow, each creating an audio version of a different site.  And because Automator workflows can call and execute their brethren, I can create a master workflow that will run each of these in sequence, then can either add the new files to my docked iPod (via Automator's Add Songs to iPod action) or just update the iPod outright.  This master can be saved as an iCal plug-in and set to execute each day at some ungodly hour (say 4:00 AM).  Fresh content for my drive to and from work every single day... and increased productivity once I'm there.  My boss and I could both be happier.

The workflow should be easy to recreate, but I've still decided to link to a downloadable version, if you're especially lazy.  You'll still need to make some modifications of course: inserting your URL of choice, selecting a base file name, deciding on date and time formats, and choosing a playlist for the new audio files.

So, based on all I've deduced, a review of what the iPhone has and what it needs before I will make a purchase (see my previous posting for more details):

Needs
True 3G technology (e.g., UMTS) -- Not yet, perhaps next generation?
Vibration for ringing and alerts  -- Yes, confirmed with docs.
A user-removable/replaceable battery -- No, and that may be a deal-breaker.
Increased memory capacity -- 8MB is still the max.  This will likely change with 2nd gen.
Seamless syncing of to-do lists, along with the ability to add new items -- No, a definite deal-breaker.
Seamless calendar syncing with iCal, along with the ability to add new events -- Yes, confirmed with docs.
Chat software (preferably multi-client, like Adium) -- Not yet, but will have to be added with user demands so high.
Voice memo recording application -- Unknown, but seems unlikely.
Alarms (one time and repeating) -- Yes, confirmed with docs.

Wants
Four+ megapixel camera -- No, but user demand is high and negative comments on photo quality are everywhere.
Video chat -- Honestly, this seems impractical with the current camera position.
Support for streaming (e.g., internet radio and video) via wifi -- YouTube and Safari seem robust, but essentially unknown.
On-screen notation with handwriting recognition -- No, but not that important to me.
Bluetooth compatibility -- Works with standard Bluetooth headsets, but otherwise unknown.
FM radio -- Don't know if iPod FM Radio headphones are compatible or not.
Timer and stopwatch applications -- Yes, confirmed with docs.

So, things are not so grim as I had suspected, but Apple still has a way to go.

Well, the recent hard drive debacle forced me to reevaluate my backup strategies.  I have developed a three-phase plan.  Two are off-the-shelf Backup 3.1.1 plans, and I created the third from scratch.

Plan One: Personal Data & Settings
This daily plan works in two stages.  It backs up my Address Book, iCal calendars, Keychain, Safari settings, and application preferences to two locations: first to my iDisk, then to my local Firewire drive.  The backups are scheduled 30 minutes apart, though each only takes a few minutes, max.  The purpose(s) of this plan are (a) to keep vital settings in multiple locations, and (b) to keep the number of archived files low for quick recovery in the event of file corruption or accidental deletion.

Plan Two: Home Folder
As you may recall from the previous entry, the loss of my Home folder was the most catastrophic aspect of the event.  Innumerable documents and all the associated man-hours were lost.  This daily backup will hopefully prevent any such future tragedy.  Some of this is overkill, in that many of the files archived in Plan One will be copied again, but this is meant to be a comprehensive backup for a simple, one-step restore of my Home folder, should the situation arise.

Plan Three: Weekly Comprehensive: Users, Applications, Library
This is the plan I attempted to create last Saturday.  This weekly archive will contain the bulk of my hard drive (minus System files) in case of severe catastrophe.

Let me hear feedback, if you have any.

Well, this weekend was certainly a mess.  I am not even certain where to begin.

The hard drive on my laptop--which is my primary computer--had been acting suspicious since I upgraded to Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) a while back.  The SBOD would start as the drive went through repeated and rapid chug-chug-chug-chug-pause cycles for up to several minutes.  The computer was unusable during this time.  The Activity Monitor provided absolutely no clues. Occasionally, I would have to force the Mac to shut down by holding the power button for several seconds.  I didn't know what was going on; it was an intermittent, new, and extremely frustrating problem.

I considered the following possibilities:

(1) I had acquired some sort of mal-ware without my knowledge (this seemed highly improbable);
(2) Some new third-party app or extension was poorly written or too drive-dependent (this also seemed unlikely, as I was disabling software left and right with no improvement);
(3) Something--software or the new OS--was wonking up the drive on a regular basis (verifying the disk, repairing permissions, and clearing the cache files regularly seemed to help things);
(4) The new OS implemented more background processes that required intensive hard drive access (for all I knew, Spotlight was busy indexing files, or virtual memory was swapping scratch files, or... you get the idea);
(5) There was a hardware problem (which I was very reluctant to admit, since I had just replaced the laptop's hard drive about two years ago).

I had been investigating possibilities with little success (see 3, above) when the annoyance caused me to do more searching Saturday morning.  Unhappily, I discovered the problem was symptomatic of a disk that is developing bad sectors.  I read lengthy trouble-shooting documents and decided to implement a cure, of sorts:

(1) I used Backup to (I believed) transfer all of my apps, library items, and user folders over to the 0.5TB G-Drive I added to my system a while back (nearly half a million files, so this was no short task);
(2) I attempted to erase the drive and Zero Out All Data on the drive.

Both of these were catastrophic.  Erasing the drive did not work.  Disk Utility estimated 16 minutes to completely zero out the entire 40GB drive, but apparently wasn't anticipating all the bad sectors.  From what I had read, when erasing a drive with bad sectors in this manner, Disk Utility is supposed to mark the bad sectors as unusable, allowing the remainder of the disk to function as normal.  However, I left the computer to this task all night and by morning (more than ten hours after I had started the process), Disk Utility still had not made it through half the disk.

It was at this point that I decided the drive was a lost cause and needed to be replaced.  No problem; I ran over to Best Buy, grabbed a new 80GB drive for just under $100, popped it in, and set Backup to restoring my files.

Oops, Backup didn't copy my entire Home folder.  What makes the matter worse is that I specifically checked after Saturday's backup to confirm all the files I had intended to transfer were copied into the archive.  But there it was, staring me in the face: the applications were there, my son's directory was there, but my entire Home directory was missing from the list of files.  I rightly began to panic.  Then it occurred to me that I could probably salvage some of these files from the other backup plans I had been running.  So I started restoring, plan by plan.

When all was said and done, I managed to recover (probably) about half of my files.  You see, Backup has this odd scheme for selecting what will be archived.  For example, you can select the packet titled (something to the effect of) "Back up all Keynote presentations."  I assume Backup scans the entire drive for Keynote files, then archives them.  As a result, I have some complete folders saved (folders that I had specifically marked for backup), and all the files of a certain type (for instance, all my Word documents).  But many things were never backed up at all, apparently.

To compound the issue, Backup apparently hadn't run a scheduled nightly/weekly back up of my files since a month ago.  This one still has me scratching my head.  Of course, when I purchased the new drive and installed the new OS, I also installed a new version of Backup, so I will assume the new plans I've created will run as scheduled.  For now.

Anyway, all of this basically boils down to the fact that I have lost innumerable files (many of which I certainly won't realize have been lost until I need them and go looking) totaling perhaps hundreds of man-hours of work.  Currently, I am most angry over the loss of my new web site design, which I had hand-coded in HTML and CSS but not yet copied to my server.  Poof.  Gone.  Am I kidding myself believing that anyone's life can actually be made simpler by use of technology?

Along with the rest of the world, the iPhone has me intrigued.  At first glance, it has real potential to simplify my life.  It would reduce the number of gadgets I need to carry around; currently, I take my cell phone, iPod, and PDA with me to work every single day.  (And don't bother telling me this is supposed to be a phone, not a PDA.  Apple is positioning this device as a competitor to other smartphones, all of which are used like PDAs by most businesspeople I've ever seen.)  Because a life goal is simplification, this could be a real joy, if it lives up to the promise.

However, I've decided that--if they hope to get my cell phone budget--Apple will need to beef up the phone's hardware and the included applications.  I won't be buying an iPhone until they include all of my needs, as listed below.  This means (barring any surprises with the June 2007 release), I won't be buying the phone until its second or third iteration in 2008 or 2009; you'll see why when you read the list.  If Apple were to throw in a few of my wants (below the needs), they will get my money even sooner.

Needs--Apple must provide these
True 3G technology (e.g., UMTS)
What good is having Safari if we must wait for downloads at 56k modem speeds?  The current incarnation of the web is designed for broadband, not dialup.  My current cell phone has EDGE and, even with images turned off, web browsing is infuriating--hence, impossible.

Vibration for ringing and alerts
I spend my days in meetings and other quiet environments; as such, my phone's ringer is hardly ever on.  Come to think of it, I can't even tell you what my ringtone is.  I need a vibrating phone, which was mentioned neither in the keynote nor on Apple's website.

A user-removable/replaceable battery
I am not paying Apple $99 to replace my battery, a la the iPods.  'Nuff said.

Increased memory capacity
True, the 4/8GB models are leaps and bounds over all cell phones available now.  The problem with this argument is that those phones also aren't designed to be video iPods.  Flash memory improves daily.  Apple needs to ship 16/32GB models as quickly as possible.

Seamless syncing of to-do lists, along with the ability to add new items
On viewing Apple's web site, I don't see an icon for a to-do list/tasks application.  As has been mentioned previously on this blog, lists are how I get things done.

Seamless calendar syncing with iCal, along with the ability to add new events to any calendar
I see an icon for a calendar application on the phone, but the iCal standard is terribly limited.  I need multipoint access to all my calendars, not simple "subscription" services.  If I can't add new events to each calendar from all my devices (as well as from my web-based calendars), usability is severely impaired.

Chat software (preferably multi-client, like Adium)
iChat-like SMS is all well and good, but I also need chat functionality.  Apple certainly has made a mess of things in forging all these disparate alliances: iChat linked with AOL, Safari/iPhone maps linked to Google, iPhone email linked to Yahoo.  Now is the time to capitalize on these alliances and move ahead with enhanced, less proprietary integration.  For example, Safari's search box should be usable with any service of choice (a la Firefox).  An iPhone (and honestly, OS X) chat client compatible with all the available formats is required.

Voice memo recording application
I drive very long distances (14+ hours) several times per month.  There is little to do during this time besides think.  And I do.  A lot.  I often scribble notes on paper as I drive 83mph down the interstate.  I would prefer something less idiotic.

Alarms (one time and repeating)
These should transfer when doing my daily iCal sync to alert me of upcoming appointments.  Additionally, setting new alarms should be simple; I need a reliable alarm clock when I am on the road, for example.

Wants--Apple should strongly consider these
Four+ megapixel camera
After all, we're Mac users.  We expect more than what the other guys provide.

Video chat
Speaking of the built-in camera, it may as well be linked into the Adium-like chat software.

Support for streaming (e.g., internet radio and video) via wifi
And by the way, the included wifi should be the new 802.11n standard.  Anything less is a step backward.

On-screen notation with handwriting recognition
After all, the Newton had this ages ago.  (Also, see the PDA disclaimer, above.)

Bluetooth compatibility
Not just for the headset and syncing with a Mac, but for portable keyboards, the ability to use it as a remote, etc.  Trick it out.

FM radio
My Sony Ericsson cell phone provides this, and at much less than a $600 price tag.  Since the iPhone provides iPod functionality, this seems like a reasonable extension.

Timer and stopwatch applications
I need these occasionally, and it's nice to have them on-hand.  Again, my current cell phone provides these, so I am sure they would be no big deal for Apple.

G-Drive
I am so far satisfied with my 500GB drive purchase.  My iTunes library, weekly backups, and assorted large files (installer disk images, primarily) are safely tucked away on the corner of my desk.  This has freed a sizable chunk of my laptop hard drive, improving performance (things were too tight before, and the computer would spin its wheels as it choked to swap memory for scratch files, etc.).

New Airport Extreme
My next technology purchase will most likely be the new Apple Airport Extreme base station, due out next month:

(A) My old wireless router went FUBAR several months ago, so I've been using wired Ethernet with my laptop.  Not so bad for now, but I plan on adding another laptop and a desktop computer to my home network soon, which will require a new high-performance wireless router.  With the new "802.11n" standard, this base station should keep our household happy bandwidth-wise for several years.

(B) The new base station can manage any attached hard drive via USB 2.0 and use it like network attached storage (NAS).  This means I will be able to plug my new G-Drive into the router and access it from any computer on the network.  The new base station can even auto-mount the drives in the Finder (regular NAS can't manage this).  At first I was hesitant because of the "USB" connection.  Some review of the stats, however, revealed that USB 2.0 is actually faster than the FireWire 400 connection I am currently using.

OS X Update
I finally bit the bullet and purchased a copy of OS X Tiger (at a steep education discount).  I know, I know--Leopard is supposed to come along any day now.  The problem is, Apple hasn't been releasing any details on the new operating system lately; the pundits say this means it won't be ready for its anticipated summer 2007 release.  Add to this my reluctance to ever add a "new" operating system until its been tested by the masses (and appropriate patches applied), and I figure I won't be moving to OS 10.5 for at least 18 to 24 months.

So, I am now running OS 10.4.8 and loving it thus far.  Spotlight and all of the associated "smart" objects alone (folders, lists, mailboxes) make it worth the purchase price.  And with the convenience of Safari RSS, perhaps I can finally put away Firefox for good--I know everyone swears it's faster, but Safari has always been snappier on my laptop.  Dashboard is eye candy, but I haven't found any real need for it yet; perhaps it will grow on me.

Scrivener and SOHO Notes
Be sure to check out these promising organizational apps.  Scrivener is a tool for writers, a place to organize your project, including your text and all the assorted reference materials you need.  SOHO Notes is a data collection utility for keeping all of your information in a single searchable database.  Now that we have Spotlight, I would imagine most say "why bother?", but I am a fan of collection apps.  Perhaps it's simple nostalgia, as I am often reminded of the packrat, my own app which was apparently very much ahead of its time.