Macintosh Tech Support Since 1995
Articles
Tomorrow’s Keynote Predictions
Jan 26th
1. Apple’s new tablet computer will be on stage the entire time under a black cloth until revealed.
Nailed It (this good feeling doesn’t last long)
2. Demo of iPhone 4.0
Wrong (enter gong sound here)
3. New iPhone hardware, possibly iPhone 3GS2 or iPhone 3GSx.
Wrong
4. New iLife 2010, no demo.
Wrong
5. Apple’s new tablet computer name will be iBook.
Wrong
6. AT&T will be on stage announcing tethering and claiming new performance improvements.
Wrong
7. Apple will announce deals to have college text books on their tablet computer.
Wrong
8. New iPhone specs, 5MP camera, higher res OLED display, forward facing camera, faster processor and a new home screen.
Wrong
9. Apple will announce deals to have full color comic books, and when you turn the tablet horizontally you will be able to view your comics full spread because some comics are drawn that way.
Wrong
10. Music guest will be someone made famous by American Idol.
Wrong
After the keynote I’ll update this article to see which ones I got right.
Update, I did very poorly as did anyone else who thought Apple would mention the iPhone.
Apple’s tablet could be the new iBook.
Jan 26th
The same way Apple used the word “phone” in it’s 2007 handheld computer “iPhone” they want you think of their new tablet computer as a book “iBook” regardless of what else it’s capable of. This puts Apple squarely in competition with all other ebooks and netbooks. Apple has proven that they don’t mind using the same name on completely different products such as iMovie.
Apple can easy use the iBook name again since they stopped selling iBooks in May 2006 when the MacBook replaced it and all AppleCare (3 year) warrantees for iBooks ended in 2009.
Tomorrow we will see if Apple actually has a tablet like product to even release and even though everything looks like they will I’ve seen this exact same scenario end in disappointment for many speculators.
Update: After watching the Keynote I now understand why Apple chose iPad for the tablets name. I assumed the ebooks would be part of the iTunes Store (which they may on your computer), however, on the iPad it will be it’s own app. The iPhone and iPod has The iTunes Store, App Store and the iPad has the iBook Store.
Macintosh Tech Support, Sales and Service
Dec 24th
Macs, iPhones, iPods, PDAs & Accessories. Wi-Fi, Networks & Security

Strengths All My Clients Count On
Honesty. I have no interest in selling you anything you don’t need.
Flexibility. If I’m not with a client when you need me you’ll have my undivided attention.
Patients. I’m willing to discuss your needs until I fully understand your workflow.
Problem Solving. If I don’t have an immediate answer I’m dedicated to educating myself.
Product Research
Don’t know where to start or what’s available? My goal is to provide you with all the answers to your needs.
iPhone and Mobile Devices
Whether you have an iPhone, iPod, Blackberry, PDA or other mobile device, I can set it up to sync with your computer.
Upgrading to a new Mac or Upgrading to a new Mac OS?
I can safely transfer all of your files from your old Mac to you new Mac. I can upgrade your computer to the newest operating system from any previous version and provide training on any new features.
Solving problems for Creative Professionals
From TrueType and PostScript typefaces, I have the expertise to help you get the most out of your hardware and software upgrades. Including your inkjet and laser printers and all of the creative applications that run them.
Office and Home Networking
Wireless Networking. Do you need a network with a shared internet connection but don’t want the expense of having cabling installed, I can install and setup a wireless router that will provide coverage for your entire office or home.
Wired Networking. I can provide answers if your existing wired network needs to be more efficient or have better routing.
Apple Magic Mouse
Oct 20th
Today Apple introduced the new Magic Mouse. Apple continues its attack on the button, todays product is no different. The Magic Mouse replaces physical buttons with a touch based surface. I wrote an article 30 months ago talking about this exact product.
I already know I’m going to like the new Magic Mouse because I too won’t miss cleaning the scroll ball out of the Mighty Mouse.
I’m not the only one to predict a touch based mouse I’m just surprised it took Apple 2.5 years from my own article to release one.
I Was Sick
Jul 1st
Starting on Monday, June 23rd, I was feeling bad. The best description is flu-like symptoms. As each day passed, I felt a little worse. By Friday, my sore throat was bad enough that I could only drink things (mostly sweet tea) that didn’t burn. By Saturday, I sent Karen to the store to get me some throat sprays and anything that would make the pain go away. I thought Sunday would be my recover day, but it turned out to be the worst. I was up late (no surprise there) so Monday I didn’t wake up until noon. Shortly after getting up, I had a headache (pain level 1) and noticed a pressure in my chest. Then I vomited for the first time and a little blood came out of my nose. I called Karen and told her I think I need to see a doctor.
Once Karen got home, we headed over to the Urgent Care Center, where of course Urgent doesn’t actually mean Urgent. They called me back after around 30 minutes. The nurse weighed me and took my blood pressure (187 over 131). Then she took my blood pressure on the other arm (190 over 131). The nurse said my blood pressure was super high and I need to go to the Emergency Room at the hospital right away. A doctor came in and said my blood pressure was super high (which made me laugh) and that I need to go to the Emergency Room at the hospital right away. An aide came in with a baby aspirin for me and I said, “What’s this for?” Karen responded with, “They don’t want you to pass out here!” and we all laughed because it was funny.
We headed over to the hospital but dropped Allyson off at a friend’s house first. We arrived at the hospital Emergency Room and signed in, where of course Emergency doesn’t actually mean Emergency. They called me back after around 30 minutes. A nurse took my blood pressure (167 over 124) and asked if I had a history of high blood pressure, to which I answered, “I don’t know because I haven’t seen a doctor for a decade.” I do know that when in the Army, one of their nurses told my I had high blood pressure but said it was probably a soda I had recently. Then I was wheeled back to an actual emergency room.
It wasn’t long before they started to bring me stuff like this beautiful hospital gown.
They took my blood pressure again (181 over 121). It seems to be all over the place. Then they provided me with an awesome IV. Have I mentioned how much I dislike needles? Just writing about them makes me quiver. There on the floor, that appears to be my blood.
You can see from the following video Karen was enjoying herself a little too much, maybe not.
Even while I was laying there I couldn’t help but use my new iPhone 3GS to check my email, take some photos, shoot some video, provide support to a client (seriously), and Tweet. I’m addicted to technology and the iPhone allows me to do so many things on a single device. Since I was sick, I had a reduced appetite and hadn’t eaten in 15 hours. Les, an ER person, brought me some apple sauce and a fruit cup. No Jell-O because I’m a vegetarian. Neither was organic and the main ingredient in the fruit cup was high fructose corn syrup. Les put a nitroglycerin patch on my chest. I made a joke about being a stick of dynamite.
Still residing in the Emergency Room, they take me for my first chest X-RAY. Karen and I sat for a while. They made Karen leave because they were changing the person who was in the next area. I checked my email, did some web surfing. The doctor came in and talked with me. I figured he wanted to talk about my flu symptoms (which is why I went to the Urgent Health Center) or my high blood pressure (which everyone else seemed to be worried about). Nope. He wanted to talk about the pressure in my chest. He wasn’t convinced it was related to the my sickness and said I should stay the night for observation and have a heart stress test done in the morning. After asking a few questions, I agreed I would stay.
It’s important that you realize the only reason I went to the hospital was for Karen and Allyson. Had I been alone when told about the high blood pressure I would have asked for some antibiotics and went home. However, it wouldn’t have been right to make them worry, so I did it for them. Which is why I also chose to stay the night and have the test.
Karen was still in a waiting room waiting for me to tell her when she could come back in. She sent me this picture of what food was available to her. In my naivety I would have thought a hospital would be a shining beacon of proper nutrition. It turns out that I may have been mistaken about that. As an up and coming food snob this was very disappointing. A short time later I told Karen she could return to the emergency room. She came back and visited for a little while and then said she was going to get Allyson so she could see me before the day was over. I was moved to a room while she was gone.
An aide came into my new room and took my blood pressure (120 over 80) and attached a wireless heart monitor. Karen and Allyson returned and brought me a few things I asked for – iPhone adapter, iPhone cable, USB extension cable, organic snack bars and Allyson thought it would be funny to bring my gnome. The doctor came in and asked how I was doing. I mentioned my headache and a shooting pain down the right side of my neck. He got a little more information and said he would see me tomorrow. Karen, Allyson and I visited for a little while longer before they left. Around midnight I started watching Tokyo Drift but couldn’t remain focused, so I tried to sleep. The nurse came in almost immediately and said she needed to get some throat and nose swabs. It ended up being 2am before I could fall asleep. Unfortunately, I had a headache (pain level 3). At 4am I was awoken up by some young guy who said he needed to take some blood, so I extended my arm with the IV. He said, “I can’t take it from there. I’m going to have to get it from the other arm.” I said, “WHAT?” Just the idea of another needle going in me was enough to make queasy. I extended my right arm and lied there just trying not to think about it. By the time he was done and left, my headache (pain level 4) was keeping me awake. I called the nurse and the aide showed and asked what I needed. I said I had a headache and couldn’t go to sleep. She said she would tell the nurse. The nurse came in about 20 minutes later and removed my nitro patch and left before I realized she never mentioned my headache. Apparently, a side effect of the nitro patch was headaches. I waited about 5 minutes and called the nurse again. The aide returned and I explained that the nurse never mentioned my headache and I couldn’t go to sleep. The nurse returned 5 minutes later and said the doctor didn’t leave a prescription order so they didn’t know what they were allowed to give me. They were waiting for a return call from the doctor before giving me anything. About 10 minutes later I couldn’t lie in bed anymore so I sat in the chair for a few minutes. Then I walked out in the hall and leaned against the wall. The nurse came around the corner with two Tylonol and a little water. I took them and they were gross (uncoated). Then I asked the nurse if I could pace the hall while I waited for the headache to go down. She didn’t have a problem with it.
I spent the next 20 minutes pacing the halls as my headache went down. At the opposite end of the hall was one of those little maps that says, “You are here.” 18 years ago I worked for an architecture firm and one of my jobs was to measure this hospital and put it into the computer. I recognized the map and was quite certain that I had drawn it 18 years ago. While pacing I also ran into Starbucks Debbie. That’s what I call her because she manages the Starbucks in Target and saw me many times a week before I gave up specialty coffees. Do you know how weird it is to run into someone you know while pacing the hall of a hospital at 5am?
At 6:30am I was awoken by a lady who was going to take me to get a CAT scan. I got the CAT scan and was returned to my room. I proceeded to fall asleep many times in between aides bringing things in the room like a fresh gown, bathroom stuff, changing trash bags and checking other miscellaneous stuff.
At around 8am they brought me some breakfast. I took the lid off of it and thought to myself, “You have got to be joking?” At no point did anyone document that I was a vegetarian but even the non-meat products weren’t food I would eat. I very reluctantly ate half of the eggs, most of the biscuit and had a drink of milk. There was no real butter, just butter spread and the jelly was high fructose corn syrup. The milk wasn’t organic which meant it was BGH milk. Are you telling me that hospitals have no idea that this crap is bad for people?
From this point forward, I mostly remained in a sleepy state, where I would sleep for 30 minutes, wake up and sleep for another 30 minutes. My chest pressure had not returned.
At around 1:30pm someone came to take me to get my heart stress test. Once we got in that area, I saw a woman get something from a room that was labeled, Radioactive, and exit that room with some for me. She said she was going to insert it thorough my IV and let it circulate for the heart X-RAYs. Before that started I was taken to a woman who gave me an echocardiogram.
Then I was returned to the room where they were to start the heart stress test which started with me explaining to the person there why he should get the new iPhone 3GS. He put me into a machine that took X-RAYs of my heart. Then I was moved into the next room where I was hooked up to a 12 lead monitor for the treadmill part of the test. That guy got out a needle and injected something into my IV which required me to lie down for 5 minutes because it made me queasy. A doctor came in and got me started on the treadmill. The needle guy said he was going to to have to inject me again and to not look. The treadmill test lasted for about 8 minutes. It winded me but wasn’t hard. Then I was returned to the previous room where they took more X-RAYs to compare to the previous X-RAYs.
I was returned to my room around 3pm and surprised to see Karen and Allyson there with a delicious organic sweet iced tea from Coffee Crossing. The doctor came in a little later to see how I was doing and I said I was ready to get out of there. He said he was waiting on some test results and would release me when everything turned out negative. So Karen, Allyson and I waited for 3 hours before they told me all my tests were negative and I was being released, which is good because I was getting agitated.
An aide came in 10 minutes later and removed my heart monitor. The nurse came in 10 minutes after that and removed my IV and had me sign some papers and gave me prescriptions for blood pressure, antibiotics and stomach pain. They told me to wait until the transporter got to my room so they could wheel me out. After 5 minutes I told Karen and Allyson to go on down. 5 minutes later the nurse said the transporter should be there soon even though she looked surprised to still see me in the room. After waiting another 5 minutes I just got up and walked out. I met Karen in the lobby and we left.
I fell asleep around 11pm and slept 13 hours uninterrupted. I got up, took a shower, drank some tea and Karen returned with the antibiotics which is the only one I was going to take to help get rid of my flu-like symptoms. I took my first antibiotic around 1:30pm. As of the writing of this article I still have flu-like symptoms. Most noticeably is my cough. I’m glad my sore throat is gone.
iPhone OS 3
Mar 17th
Apple gave a preview today of the iPhone OS 3 which will be available this summer. Based on everything in the Keynote this is the best update yet. More features than I expected and each of those features contain options than anyone expected.
You can read all about it everywhere but I suggest you watch the video.
WordPress Desktop Client
Dec 21st
While I spent a lot of time trying to find the best desktop and demoing all the available ones I’ve made my choice.
I’ve decided that with the release WordPress 2.7 I have no need for a desktop client. The new layout and look of the interface is very pleasing. I’m willing to only post when i have an internet connection or from my iPhone.
WordPress 2.7 Upgrade
Dec 13th
I just upgraded to WordPress 2.7, of course this was before all of the plug-ins and themes I’m using have been listed as compatible. Hopefully I won’t see too many problems but I expect a few. What can I say, I’m a bleeding edge kind of guy.









