07/30/2008
If you're in any way associated with the web industry, you probably already know about A List Apart (ALA). You probably also know about The Survey. If you haven't taken the 2008 survey, you might want to.
Unitech MS210 USB Barcode Scanner Setup
I had the pleasure of setting up a Unitech MS210 USB scanner for a Mac reading Code 39 bar codes into a FileMaker Pro solution. The bar code reader is really very simple, inexpensive (less than $60 from MacConnection), and it's quick and accurate. The challenge came in when we found we needed to add custom preample and postables for the solution. The printed manual that comes with the scanner includes some configuration bar codes to scan in, and covers quite a few options. Unfortunately, it didn't include the information we needed, so it took a little work to figure out. I hope this might save someone else some time, so here goes.
First, this scanner uses "Apple Make" and "Apple Break" codes to surround an ASCII character to emulate typing a command key. This is pretty simple, but it's not in the printed manual, at least not explicitly. The bar codes are there, but no explanation on the Mac Control Characters Appendix. You should be able to figure that out anyway, right? I did and scanned everything in right sequence, but the results were wildly incorrect. Well, what you need to know is that with the USB interface version of this scanner, you have to use "WinMake" and "WinBreak", which aren't in the printed manual at all. So where do they come from?
Ah, well the manual does tell you that you should probably download the Scanner Configuration Manager program from their web site. The URL in the manual is not accurate. You can find the program at this URL...http://www.ute.com/downloads.php?product_id=19. (Look at the bottom of the page for the Scanner Configuration Manager.) You'll need it. Oh, and it's PC-only.
So I tried it on my Mac Mini running Parallels and Windows XP (SP2), and the program ran great, but it wouldn't communicate with the scanner. I figured this was a Parallels thing, so I dug out an old, actual PC and installed the software. It ran but wouldn't communicate with the scanner. So, it wasn't Parallels, it was something about the scanner and software. However, in the software's online help is a note pointing out that Apple Make and Apple Break codes are only for use with the ADB Mac version. OK. Got it. Next is how to get the computer and scanner to communicate.
Buried in one of the menus is a command to allow you to print the configuration info in barcode form. The printed manual does mention this, so it's not something you might have to guess about. Doing so worked great and finally got the scanner working perfectly for my purposes.
Overall, I'm really happy with the scanner's performance. The setup was bit more challenging than it needed to be but all's well that ends well.
06/26/2008The folks at Take Control Books have relased the 3rd edition of Joe Kissell's "Take Control of Mac OS X Backups." If you don't have a backup strategy for your Mac, or you're not sure if your current approach is what you need, I strongly recommend reading this one. It's especially good for it's coverage of Leopard's Time Machine and Time Capsule and alternative options. It's well-written, authoritative, and to-the-point. You'll be glad you did.
03/13/2008
My email address apparently was used as the reply-to in spam email, and I have received bounces and server challenges all day as a result. I report this so you will know that "christian@m3web.com" did not send you any email about getting a university degree or buying software at cheap prices and referring you to a Yahoo Geocities address.
I sincerely hope your email address is never used by a spammer.
Perian is a plug-in for Quicktime which will make lots of additional digital video formats available, most notably .avi and DivX. And best of all, this is open source, and free software. If you watch lots of video clips, you might find this interesting.
01/23/2008Here's a great article predicting life as we might have known it, in the future of 2000. Click here for what might have been...
01/03/2008FileMaker 9, Bento and a New Year
Why I love FileMaker, the company and the software. The company plans and executes sound product, business and market strategies. FileMaker, Inc., idenifies emerging technology features and incorporates them into the ease-of-use and powerful feature combinations that make FileMaker Pro software extremely versitile and useful for all kinds of database development projects. Check it out at www.filemaker.com. And, fyi, FileMaker 9 is great, and DevCon 2007 was great. I really should have blogged all that, but I missed that opportunity. Will try to do better this year.
About Bento: you will need Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" to run Bento. If you have it, you can download the free, pre-release version of Bento from the FileMaker site. Play with it, create stuff. It is fun and useful. And ... for all you folks that miss your Palm-like interface for iCal and Address book, you can have that with Bento, including exporting a tab-delimited file of that data (and the crowd cheers ;-). FYI, if you try www.bento.com, you get a neat "Tokyo Food Page," a "complete guide to Japanese cuisine."
Now we start 2008, and I suggest that the world is not small, after all; it is huge, and we see more of it in one day than most of our forefolks saw in a lifetime. Make the most of it. Aloha :-)
With New Year's approaching, it's the traditional time to start thinking about the resolutions we're going to make or not make. One interesting twist is David Seah's suggestion to switch to Groundhog Day as the point of resolution making. It's an interesting idea. Check it out.
12/13/2007TEDtalk by Amory Lovin on energy policy
This is a TEDtalk everyone should watch.
11/30/2007I'm fascinated. The idea is that you design your product in a drawing program, and then send it in. Ponoko's laser cutter cuts out what you designed, and they send you the parts. Or they'll sell your plans or your products. If this sounds even a little interesting, you should visit their site. www.ponoko.com
11/15/2007We've been running Leopard in the office for a little over a week now and I have to say it's been great. It's a very nice upgrade. If you're running an Intel-based Mac, go a head and upgrade. If you're still using a PowerPC-based Mac, you'll probably want to upgrade, too, but check to make sure your Mac meets the requirements. Most of our software worked fine with Leopard, although many programs have updates available. If you do decide to upgrade, be 100% positive you have a backup of your work files. Ideally, you should have a complete, bootable backup of your system. (If you don't already use SuperDuper! from Shirt Pocket software, you should start, but that's another blog entry.) So, go ahead and put Leopard to work!
XO Computer - Give 1 Get 1 Program
You've probably heard about the "$100 Laptop project". The idea was to develop an inexpensive laptop for kids in the developing world. If you haven't heard about it, you should check out the web site. (And this article by David Pogue in the New York Times.) If you have heard about it, you have a few days left to get involved. The project is running a "Give One Get One" promotion that ends Nov. 26, 2007. As the title implies, you pay for 2, one goes to a child in a developing nation and another comes to your house. These are pretty remarkable machines, born from a remarkable idea. I hope you'll take a few minutes to consider the program and learn more about the XO. Click here to learn more.
07/25/2007PC World article -- First Look: FileMaker Pro 9 vs. Alpha Five 8 Pro
"Alpha Five offers more choices for extending functions with scripts and Web software, but most users will likely want to spend the extra money for the more-intuitive FileMaker." (Becky Waring, PC World, Friday, July 20, 2007 4:00 PM PDT). This is an interesting article, but I have to say that the reviewer may not have had the opportunity to be introduced to FileMaker web capabilities, because FileMaker has _all_ the Alpha 5 web capabilities she described (and more!). Here's the article: http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,134864-c,databases/article.html
07/24/2007"Take Control: The Mac OS X Lexicon" Published...
It always seems there are more new terms when you talk about your computer. To help answer some of thequestions about these terms, there is a new dictionary for Mac users from the Take Control... folks. You can download the "M" chapter for free to see an example of this ebook. We highly recommend that you check it out. And while you're at it, be sure to browse through their other great, highly focused titles.
07/23/2007The Soliant Guys have done it again!
Many thanks to Bob, Steve, and Scott (www.soliantconsulting.com) for their "FileMaker 8 Scripts and Functions Desk Reference"; and I trust their "FileMaker 9 Developer's Reference" will be greatly useful, too. More than an index, it has clever custom functions you can use and learn from. Looks like you can get it online, and I bet you can buy it at DevCon www.filemaker.com/developers/devcon. Here's the book info: "FileMaker 9 Developer Reference: Functions, Scripts, Commands, and Grammars, with Extensive Custom Function Examples," by Bob Bowers, Steve Lane, Scott Love. Publisher: Que. Pub Date: August 01, 2007. Print ISBN-10: 0-7897-3708-6. Print ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-3708-3. Pages: 600. http://safari.oreilly.com/9780789737083
07/17/2007New Anti-Theft Option for iPods
Check out the ingenious Hide-A-Pod...
Check out this year's Apple Design Awards recipients. There are some very nice, innovate programs you might find useful.
07/16/2007PocketMod Personal Organizer Supreme
I've been a Hipster PDA user for the last year or so. It's worked great, and it has evolved for me in to folding a few 3x5 cards, which are small, easily divided, and flexible. This morning I came across PocketMod, which is a Flash-based application that allows you to make a very personalized pocket organizer out of a single piece of paper. You make a few folds and a single cut ( yes, you will need scissors), then a couple more clever folds and you're off and running. I've seen this folding approach before for mini comics and instructions, and in this case, it's put to very good use. The PocketMod app has enough page types that just about everyone should find something useful, enough to fill eight pages, anyway. PocketMod is free to use, and the author has provided desktop versions as well. If you like it, a donation might be a good idea. Give it a try and see what you think. The price and size are hard to beat.
07/12/2007
It's Fantastic! Here's the official announcement: New FileMaker 9 Product Line Delivers 30 Ease-of-Use Breakthroughs including Live Connections to SQL Data
Innovative new FileMaker 9 PHP Site Assistant enables non-programmers to create PHP-driven websites
SANTA CLARA, CA - July 10, 2007 - FileMaker today announced the
immediate availability of FileMaker Pro 9, ...
a major new version of the most award-winning desktop database for Windows and Mac OS.
The new FileMaker 9 product line, which the company called its most dramatic new offering in years with over 30 ease-of-use breakthroughs, is available today, and includes FileMaker Pro 9, FileMaker Pro 9 Advanced, FileMaker Server 9 and FileMaker Server 9 Advanced. ...
More at FileMaker web site, www.filemaker.com
Mini Organizer Pouch from Tom Bihn fits the iPhone
Saturday, while preparing to take the iPhone on it's first trip into the wild, I was looking for something to put it in. By chance, I grabbed a Mini Organizer Pouch from Tom Bihn that was on my desk. It was a perfect fit for the iPhone. It also has enough space to hold the headphone adapter (borrowed from my old iPod Shuffle water resistant case), which makes it good for taking along in the car. Anyway, if you're looking for a not-so-traditional case for your iPhone, check out the Tom Bihn Mini Organizer Pouch. And yes, that's my iPhone in the photos. (http://www.tombihn.com/blog/node/338)
06/30/2007First Impressions of the iPhone
We purchased an iPhone today. It's for the business, you know. We have to keep up on these things. OK. With that out of the way, I have to say this is the coolest piece of technology I've held in my hands since the Newton came out in Boston so many years ago. But any comparisons of the actual devices would be way off base. The iPhone is a highly polished, highly usable gadget and I don't think it needs any apologists. I've played with ours, a 4GB model for a few hours and I'm more impressed than I expected to be. I'll add some of our observations later. I should point out that if you have NikonView and NikonTransfer on your computer, you'll need to turn off Auto-Launch, which interferes with iTunes seeing the iPhone. This could be a point of frustration while you attempt to Activate the iPhone (which went quickly and smoothly for me.)
04/09/2007Getting Things Done with Inbox from Midnight Beep Software
Over the last 9 months I've really gotten a lot out of David Allen's book, "Getting Things Done", using his productivity methodology, often called "GTD". If you haven't heard of GTD, there are lots of resources online in addition to Allen's book. There are lots of ways to approach GTD, too, which is one of it's strongest advantages. For a long time, I used the file-card approach. Lately, I've become more interested in using my Mac to manage my GTD system.
Outliners and text editors work pretty well. After all, you're just managing a list. If your GTD life is fairly simple, outlines and text-based lists may be all you need. If you want more, check out Inbox, from Midnight Softworks, Inc.
Inbox closely follows the GTD process, with specialized functions all along the way. To start, it includes several smart ways to get information into the workflow from Mail.app, iCal, the Finder, and even a QuickNote and QuickEvent function that's always available (as long as Inbox is running.)
Once an item is in your Inbox collection, you need to process it. Processing is key to GTD, and is handled nicely by a special dialog box in Inbox. It walks you through all the possibilities for collected items with the result being all your items are nicely organized or completed. This is a nice touch. It also helps keep you focused on processing, a step during which it it easy to go off on a tangent.
Inbox also makes organization and review painless and smooth. But where it really works for me is in the "Work" phase. You tell it where you are, or what context you're in, and it serves up your next task to work on. Complete it, and you're on to your next task. Stray a bit, and you'll be asked if you're shaving a Yak. (Read the book.) This feature helps keep you focused, and, theoretically, productive. We'll see.
I spent about an hour this morning learning how Inbox works. It's not immediately intuitive, but it's very easy to learn. If you practice GTD already, it will make a lot of sense as soon as you see the sidebar. If you don't, the author included a lot of good example items and very usable online help to get you going. I have a 14-day trial period to decide if InBox works for me. I'll check back then. So far, it looks promising.
Click here for more info about InBox, by Midnight Beep Softworks
þÿ N o t Q u i t e D r e a m w e a v e r , b u t . . .
N V u i s a n O p e n S o u r c e , i . e . f r e e , w e b s i t e b u i l d e r a n d e d i t o r . I t ' s n o t q u i t e D r e a m w e a v e r , b u t i t i s r e a l l y n i c e , o f f e r s g o o d C S S s u p p o r t a n d d o e s n ' t s e e m t o m e s s w i t h y o u r p a g e s a s b a d a s F r o n t P a g e . I ' v e s t a r t e d p l a y i n g w i t h i t , a n d I ' m i m p r e s s e d . I ' m n o t g i v i n g u p D r e a m w e a v e r , b u t t h i s i s a r e a l l y n i c e o p t i o n . I t r u n s o n W i n d o w s , L i n u x a n d M a c O S . < b r / > < i > < a h r e f = " h t t p : / / w w w . n v u . c o m / " > M o r e I n f o . . . < / i > < / a > < b r / > J o e l S m i t h
NVu is an Open Source, i.e. free, web site builder and editor. It's not quite Dreamweaver, but it is really nice, offers good CSS support and doesn't seem to mess with your pages as bad as FrontPage. I've started playing with it, and I'm impressed. I'm not giving up Dreamweaver, but this is a really nice option. It runs on Windows, Linux and Mac OS.
More Info...
Joel Smith
We've decided to start a 'blog to post news about things going on at m3 Consulting & Services, opinion about issues that migght be of interest to our clients and friends, and information you just can't live without. We invite you to check back occasionally to see what's new. If you have any suggestions for content, please contact us.
03/23/2007Bruce Sterling Video on The Future of Cities
Here's an interesting 8-minute video on YouTube by Bruce Sterling. He talks about the future of cities, as exemplified in Belgrade. Bruce is always thought provoking, and this is no exception. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7os_UPGl-Q
01/28/2007Mac Back-Up revisited in "Take Control of Mac OS X Backups, Second Edition"
Are you backed up? Are you sure? If you're interested in the current options and best practices backing up your Mac, you might want to read the newly updated "Take Control of Mac OS X Backup" from TidBITS Electronic Publishing. It's the newest release in the Take Control series. They now offer print-on-demand editions as well as the electronic, PDF-based version.
Check this one out.
And if you want some help reviewing or implementing your own backup strategy, please give us a call.
FileMaker Offers New Optimizer Kit for Microsoft Office
Kit helps small businesses and corporate workgroups integrate FileMaker Pro database with Microsoft Office applications. More at: http://r.vresp.com/?FileMakerInc./2b8c03df6c/812284/f44bb605e4/b038009
10 Leading FileMaker Developers to demonstrate business and education
solutions running on FileMaker Pro 8.5 in the FileMaker Pavilion. More at: http://r.vresp.com/?FileMakerInc./ff6dc4a508/812255/f44bb605e4/b038009
SAN FRANCISCO, CA., January 8, 2007 (Macworld Expo and Conference) - FileMaker today announced a new download that demonstrates how FileMaker Pro 8.5 users can view information from their databases as dynamic Flash-based HTML charts. The FileMaker Web Viewer Charting Example Database gives extra "visual punch" to better understanding such business reports as product sales by geographical and year-to-year comparisons -- downloadable now at http://r.vresp.com/?FileMakerInc./3b28471ac9/812300/f44bb605e4/b038009
09/11/2006Kinston Indians Win 2006 Mills Cup
It's not computer news, but congratulations to the 2006 MIlls Cup Champion Kinston Indians. It's been a great season. Congratulations to all involved. Thanks for another great season of baseball in Kinston! Now it's back to work until next April.
08/29/2006FileMaker 8.5 Demos at Apple stores nationwide
www.filemaker.com/news/business_days
SANTA CLARA, CA, Aug. 9, 2005 - FileMaker Pro 8.5, will be demonstrated
live by FileMaker experts in over 50 Apple U.S. retail stores throughout
this month and next, FileMaker announced today -- for store listings and
further details go to: http://r.vresp.com/?FileMakerInc./539ff3c9c8/664907/26f1de6dc9/b038009
"SANTA CLARA, CA. -- July 10, 2006 -- FileMaker today announced the immediate
availability of FileMaker Pro 8.5, the first desktop database to provide
built-in integration with live web data..." Read all about it at http://www.filemaker.com/fmp85pr. Version 8 users can buy the upgrade to FileMaker Pro 8.5 for $99.00.
And get your FileMaker 8.0v4 updaters (free up_date_ of your 8.0 software to keep things nice and tidy) at http://www.filemaker.com/support/downloads/index.html.
Google Spreadsheets in Beta Testing
If you're a lite user of spreadsheets and wish you didn't have to shell out big bucks for features you'll never use, you may be thrilled to learn that Google is testing a web-based spreadsheet. It's pretty nice and offers a surprising number of features. If you're interested in learning more, and you have FireFox or Internet Explorer 7, check out the Beta page...
04/13/2006Google Calendars - Gotta Get It
Google calendars are free, online and really useful. You can subscribe to your Google calendar in iCal. You can show a published iCal calendar in Google Calendar. The uses are pretty obvious, and not particularly new, however, given the ease of use and ability to share with others, this looks like a winner. There are several other nice features as well, including notification choices. All things considered, this is a really nice service. Check it out at http://www.google.com/calendar/.
04/12/2006Free Knowledge from FileMaker !
FYI this press release -- "FileMaker Pro 8 Great Book Giveaway Begins: Eight winners each week will win free FileMaker Pro 8 books, magazines http://www.filemaker.com/sweeps406 -- SANTA CLARA, CA, April 11 2006 -- FileMaker, Inc. announced today its FileMaker Pro 8 Great Book Giveaway. Each week, eight entrants will be selected to win a best selling FileMaker Pro 8 book or magazines." Isn't that really, really great ?! There will be 8 winners each week for 10 weeks. It will only take you 20 seconds to enter your name and email address to enter. Go do it! Get free stuff!
04/03/20062006 FileMaker DevCon Topics Are Posted !
Hello! You probably marked your calendar months ago for this year's DevCon 11, but now you can read the agenda of topics: "New tracks for fundamentals, advanced, and Web developers; Register now to save $200. Register at http://www.filemaker.com/devcon -- SANTA CLARA, CA, April 3, 2006 - Registration is now open for the FileMaker Developer Conference, Aug. 13-17, 2006, at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, Florida, FileMaker, Inc. announced today. This year's conference is themed "Bringing FileMaker Solutions to the Web." It is expected to draw more than 1,200 corporate, education, government, non-profit and independent FileMaker database developers and customers, from more than 30 countries. The conference features more than 60 sessions -- the most ever -- grouped for the first time into four tracks." Click to read the whole press release. And -- let's all say a big "Thank You!" to Advisor Media, publishers of "FileMaker Advisor," for being such a great partner and host for this event every year! Check out FileMakerAdvisor.com
03/24/2006
Last year, flip4mac offered an inexpensive Quicktime plug-in that allows users to play Windows Media Player video files (.wmv) in Quicktime. It workked really well and only cost about $10.00. Then Microsoft announced they would no longer develop Windows Media Player for Mac. Normally, one might expect a product like flip4mac to go up in price. Not in this case. It's now free to download. Here's a link.
www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/wmcomponents.mspx
Every Mac user with Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later should have this plug-in. It won't support movie files protected with Microsoft's DRM, but for most movies online, this will work. Give it a try.
Sony DRM Rootkit Settlement Info
Did you have a computer trashed by Sony's DRM-infested music CD's? If so, you might qualify for part of the settlement. Here's a link to help you find out more...
First Trojan for MacOS spotted in the wild
While this isn't a major threat, you should be aware of it. Here's clip from Andrew Welsh's posting about the malware...
A file called "latestpics.tgz" was posted on a Mac rumors web site http://www.macrumors.com/ , claiming to be pictures of "MacOS X Leopard" (an upcoming version of MacOS X, aka "MacOS X 10.5"). It is actually a Trojan (or arguably, a very non-virulent virus). We'll call it "Oompa-Loompa" (aka "OSX/Oomp-A") for reasons that will become obvious.
The complete write--up from Andrew can be found on his site at New MacOS X trojan/virus alert, developing.... We'll keep an eye out for this. Just to be safe, don't open any attachments titled "latestpics.tgz".
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