Nameserver Issues and the New Confession

Well, it seems that the site won’t be launched untime soon like I thought it would. I’ve been having nameserver issues with the new URL, which as made a mess of my release date.

I’m going to push back the release of the site until June 6th, so I can iron all of these issues out. It’ll also give me a chance to smooth out all the other issues I’ve been having (like a small WordPress problem that I had to iron out over the weekend).

I’ve been battling with the idea of giving out a subdomain URL, but decided against it, since it’s not the actual URL and wouldn’t deliver RSS feeds properly. I’d also have switch everything over to the new URL once the nameserver issue had been ironed out.

Anyway, sorry about the delay. This is not going anywhere near how I planned. See you on June 6th… hopefully.

Update

Slight update. I had a problem with my internet over the weekend, so I wasn’t able to open up the new site. It’s ready to go, but I want to release it on a Friday, so it will be going live this Friday. I apologize for the inconvinence.

A Bluetoothing Future

Picking up a bluetooth headset for gaming recently, I realized, for the second time, that connecting bluetooth devices to Macs was a simple procedure. iMac owners have known this since the moment they unpacked their computers, but Macbook and Macbook Pro owners might not have experienced this yet. Here’s a handy guide to getting that Bluetooth device connected.

Go to System Preferences and, once there, click on the Bluetooth option under Hardware. You may want to show Bluetooth status in your menu bar. It’s actually a very helpful way to see if you’re having trouble with your Bluetooth devices and gives you the ability to turn them on and off at will. I’d also advise disabling the Discoverable option, since you don’t want the Macbook picking up other people’s Bluetooth devices by accident (or allowing other people to control your computer, as some are apt to do in today’s world).

Under Advanced, make sure to check everything but internet connection sharing. If you’re on a laptop, you’ll be mobile and the last thing you want is for other people eavesdropping on things you’re doing.

At the first Bluetooth menu, click the add button and follow the setup windows. It’s such a simple procedure that it really needs no explanation. Once everything is setup, you’re good to go.

I have a Bluetooth mouse, which I adore beyond all reason, and my newly purchased headset. As far as connection time, it only takes a few seconds for the mouse to connect after my Macbook wakes up or starts up, and the headset experiences a bit of interference but not much.

OSX handles Bluetooth connections admirably and it’s one of the smoothest experiences I’ve had with the connection type. Do yourself a favor and get a Bluetooth device. It’ll save you a lot in batteries and headaches.

OSX Language Options

Studying a foreign language? Need quick access to that language while still being able to do your other business in English? Ever wanted to more easily switch between languages on the fly? OSX makes it simple!

Go into your System Preferences folder and click on the International preference under the Personal section. This will bring up the International options, where you can change what native language OSX displays as well as what language you type in (these can be two different languages). We’re interested in the Input Menu section, so click on that.

Once there, select the languages you’d like to enable, then the “Show input in menu bar” option. This will more easily let you get to your language options and switch between them. Remember, this works in every program, so it’s a handy, unobtrusive way of switching between languages.

Once that’s all done, you’re ready to go. がんばって。Good luck!

OSX’s Labels

One of those little features that OSX has to make quickly recognizing folders easy is the ability to assign various colors to different labels.

Simply Ctrl + Click a folder, surf down to the Label section of the pop up menu, and select the color you’d like to use. It’s as simple as that!

This is handy for grouping your financials, business, family, and pictures together without sorting through them. Try it out and see how easy it is to organize your life.

 

Dual Monitors

Dual monitor setups on OSX are exceedingly simple to setup. Actually, there is no set up involved. Simply grab the correct convertor type (typically VGA to mini-DVI) and plug the extra monitor into your Macbook or iMac.

Once this is done, OSX will detect the monitor automatically, set the resolution, and extend your desktop to the extra monitor. You can further customize your desktop by changing which monitor will have your toolbar and dock, mirroring the desktop so that both monitors display the same thing, and more.

Extending your desktop is just one of the easy ways to get OSX on your TV screen or get more screen real estate while working on big projects.

Macbook Sleeping Problems

I’ve been having a few problems bringing my Macbook out of sleep mode as of late. When I open it back up and enter my login details, because I have the login screen pop up whenever it goes into sleep mode, it will sometimes hang with a black screen. The mouse moves and it’s responding to something, because my active corners give me the bright, happy error sound, but I can’t get into my actual desktop.

Typically, it occurs after keeping it in Sleep mode for roughly four hours or more, or the time between lunch and my arrival at home. It happens at random and generally closing it and opening it again fixes the problem. I don’t know if other Macbook line owners have been experiencing the same problem. Ironically, holding down CMD + Option + Eject to put it into sleep mode and pull it out works flawlessly, so it seems to be a product of closing the Macbook and letting it go to sleep by itself.

It may also have something to do with the way the Macbook sometimes “wakes up” whenever the top is closed. Generally, when this happens, the the next time I open the Macbook and login it will have the problems stated above. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this. Let me know!

Airport Extreme Base Jumping: Day Three

I’m on my third day of using the Airport Extreme Base Station and I can’t complain. Thus far, I’ve fiddled with the options a bit, but made no major changes besides closing off our network. We don’t live in a crowded apartment building (I can only count five other wireless networks from my apartment) and it’s highly unlikely that anyone will be able to guess our password to get on the network, but it’s just nice to have that extra little layer of security. It’s the same reason I still have my personal firewall enabled on my Macbook, despite how great I’ve been told the Airport Extreme Base Station’s built in firewall works (the logs also seem to suggest the same).

We’ve had no problems with the Windows machine either. Previously, the Macbook could access the internet upon start up, but the Windows machine took anywhere from thirty seconds to five minutes before it could access the network. Sometimes only a full reboot of the router would let the Windows machine gain access. This was a source of a lot of headaches. Now the Windows machine connects to the network upon start up, meaning the problem wasn’t Windows nor the USB wireless adapter by Buffalo, but the Buffalo router we were previously using.

I haven’t put the Airport Extreme Base Station through its paces just yet but this weekend is another story. I plan to transfer as many files as I can between the two machines and our external hard drives in an attempt to see how well it operates when put under a little stress. It should be a lot of fun!

Wii and the Airport Family: Connections Made Easy

Looking through my statistics on WordPress, I notice that there’s been a number of people looking for things about the Airport Extreme/Express and the Wii. Since there haven’t been many comments asking about this, I can only assume that people are wondering how to get their Wii to work with the Airport family of products. Luckily, I own both and I can attest to how easy it is!

First things first, make sure you have your Airport product set up correctly. Apple’s easy to follow included booklet will walk you through the process. Once that’s all set up, make sure to write down your Airport security password, the one you created for network access.

Once that’s taken care of, start up your Wii and go into the configuration settings. You want to browse over one screen to the right (it should read Wii System Settings 2 at the top) and click on the Internet option. Under there click on Connection Settings and then one of the Connection Options.

There’s no reason for you to be using a Wired Connection with the Airport Extreme or Express, though there are those who might want to do that. If that’s your cup of tea, then select Wired Connection. This, however, is a Wireless Connection walkthrough. Click on Wireless Connection, then Search for an Access Point. Your Wii will find several access points in the vicinity and you’ll want to pick yours. Once you’ve done that, input your router security password and click Ok. Click Ok to save the savings and then Ok again to test them.

If there are any errors, then the Wii will notify you. Make sure you’ve written all your information down correctly and put in the correct password.

The Wii should come back and tell you that the connection was successful. Perform a system update, let the Wii download the latest firmware updates, and let it reboot. You’re all set!

Airport Extreme Base Station: How I Love You!

Sunday, I was forced to buy a new router. Up until that point, I’d been using a Buffalo Airstation Wireless G WHR-G54S router and my experience with the hardware is best summed up as such: at least it didn’t try to kill me.

I may have talked about my problems with this router in passing, but I feel it necessary to explain why I chose to purchase a new router, in case someone out there wants to buy Buffalo. When we went wireless about three years ago, I wanted to get a solution that didn’t cost us an arm and a leg. Unfortunately, D-Link, Linksys, and the like cost an arm, leg, and torso, and outfitting three computers with wireless cards wasn’t an option. Thus, I turned to the internet to find a solution to my problem, and I did: in the form of Buffalo.

Buffalo was a name I knew and trusted. They were responsible for the Wi-fi I used to play my Nintendo DS, and since the hardware used for that is pretty resilient, I figured it only made sense that their other products would be as well. We ordered two key chain USB adapters and the Buffalo Airstation Wireless G from Newegg.com and waited for them to arrive.

Now, I’d like to differentiate the difference between the router and the adapters, because it’s the router that’s given me all my problems. The adapters are excellent. If you’re looking for a solution in that regard, don’t hesitate. They install their drivers automatically and work with any router on the market. If not for the built in wireless card in my Macbook, I’d still be using my adapter.

From the start, however, the router was giving me problems. Random disconnects that forced us to restart it, signal degradation over time, and a lack of signal power was only the beginning. We soldier through, however, because we didn’t want to pay through the nose for another router. Honestly, we should have. But Wireless N was coming around and I knew I could wait it out until then.

But this weekend was the culmination of everything we’ve experienced with this router. Ever since we moved into our new apartment, we’ve been having even more problems. In our old place, things weren’t so bad. We’d experience problems maybe two or three times a week. However, once we moved into our new apartment, we started having problems every other day. Over the last couple of weeks, things have gotten even worse, most especially during sessions of World of Warcraft. Since I play on the Macbook, I don’t have as many problems, as my built in card retains a signal a lot easier, but my fiancee plays on our Windows desktop machine and the router loves to disconnect her.

On Saturday, in the span of fifteen minutes, it disconnected her ten times. That’s unacceptable. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

That’s why I’m now the proud owner of an Airport Extreme Base Station, courtesy of my local Apple store.

When we got it home, I ran through the installation book pretty fast. A quick install of the new Airport Utility software and I set up the new router in less than five minutes. I then proceeded to add my fiancee’s computer and our Wii, which took no time. I familiarized myself with Airport Utility and even set up my external hard drive (though I did take that off again, since I want our iTunes drive to be portable). Everything seemed to be going all right.

The real test, however, was playing World of Warcraft. After an intense three hour gaming session, I’m happy to say that we experienced zero disconnects, zero spurts of lag, and 100% pure enjoyment.

What I like most about the Airport Extreme Base Station, aside from the fact that it was simple to set up and works as advertised, is the fact that it is an uncluttered piece of machinery. It doesn’t look techy, which is a boon, as I can put it inside my entertainment cabinet without it being too distracting. It also doesn’t contain a half dozen blinking lights, only a single green status light that glows warmly into the night. However, if you have a problem, that green status light will turn amber or blue, depending on the situation, letting you know at a glance what’s going on.

The Airport Extreme Base Station’s throughput is also stellar. Transfers from my external hard drive to the Macbook and even the Windows machine were speedy. Computer to computer transfers were even faster. I can’t wait until we get the iMac and put the Windows machine on its own separate G network.

I’m only one day in, but I can report that the Airport Extreme Base Station is behaving as it should thus far. Then again, no news is always good news. This purchase was definitely worth it and anyone in the market for a new router should pick one up, if not for the throughput and extra features, then for the fact that at the end of the day you won’t be pulling out your hair.