New Software Added - 3/28/2010

Added KisMac to my Macbook.

This software is NICE!!  I've used Kismet before (on a Sharp Zaurus SL5500), but the Mac version is VERY nice!

One disturbing thing (that I should put on my security blog) is that I saw a lot of WAPs in my neighborhood still using WEP.  Three of them were Actiontec routers, which show the new rollout of FIOS from Verizon.  Mine also shows up, but mine is set to use WPA2.  There were maybe 5-6 WAPs using WPA (of maybe 10-12), but I was the ONLY one that I detected that was using WPA2.  That's not good, IMO.

I may take a drive around tomorrow to sample the neighborhood.  I'll parse that data and post it on my security blog.

Reported iMac Issue - Won't Wake From Sleep

So, on MacRumors and the Apple forums, there are documented issues with Macs that won't wake from sleep.  The aforementioned links show forum posts of the issue, but in all honesty, this has been going on for quite awhile in the Mac world:  here's an example of ALL Mac machines and not just iMacs.

I've experienced this only once with my new iMac.  It happened on the evening of the 17th of March.  It hasn't happened since.  I know the machine woke because I heard it turn on inside the case.  I think the screen/monitor couldn't recover for some reason, and I ended up rebooting.

Some are suggesting that this is a hardware issue with the iMac.  I doubt it, since it's been affecting other machines (for years).  It almost has to be third-party software being installed, or maybe some recent patch that's been affecting the recent iMacs, but really, again, this has been going on for years.  There's one report that people with G5s have always experienced this issue.  I have personal experience that it was happening with Macbooks, although it hasn't happened recently.

What really hinders the troubleshooting of this is the fact that its happening intermittently.  Some people are reporting that they've fixed this by reinstalling OS X.  Others are reporting fixes by resetting the SMC.  Some are removing widgets and software and seeing results.  Some are reporting fixes by unplugging USB hubs from their machines.  Some are getting internals replaced by Apple, such as graphics cards, power supplies, and motherboards.

Honestly, this is all over the place and could hint at multiple issues.

There's been no official word from Apple (ever).

[ EDIT 4/2/2010:


http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1018 addresses the waking issue. ]

iPhone, Safari, IE8, Firefox all fall on day one of Pwn2Own

iPhone, Safari, IE8, Firefox all fall on day one of Pwn2Own

Link:  http://tinyurl.com/ydhzhwp (credit: Computerworld.com)

Hackers took down Apple's iPhone and Safari browser, Microsoft's Internet Explore 8 (IE8) and Mozilla's Firefox within minutes at today's Pwn2Own contest, as expected.

Of the browsers set up as targets for the contest, only Google's Chrome remained standing on the first day.

More Widgets and Apps

A few more widgets that I've installed onto the iMac:

MightyMonitor - monitors battery life of keyboard/mouse.

A few more apps:

Smultron - HTML editor
Adium - IM chat client

Note that all of the above is free or donate-ware.  I'll always try those types of software first.

MobileMe

Experimenting with MobileMe.  MobileMe is fantastic.  I mainly got it so that I could track and erase my iPhone in case I lost it.  I also wanted to play with it to learn its capabilities while using it on a trial basis.  What really got me was the iCalendar syncing. I am beginning to be heavily involved with teleconferencing at work and am sometimes participating in these three times a day, along with my other tasks, so I really needed to be able to track what I’d be doing in advance of a call, no matter what system I was using.  So, with MobileMe, I can edit or add a calendar entry and no matter which system I use, the other gets updated.  The calendar entry can be done on either my Macbook, iMac or iPhone!

 

I also decided to start trying to evaluate other aspects of MobileMe, such as the blogging and website potential.  Blogging will be first, but I'm also willing to test webpage capability.


The blog looks good so far (only one entry, but linked pictures show up slowly...not particularly good). And, I have to use iWeb to make blog posts...I don't think iWeb is accessible via the web, though...I'll find out soon enough and it may be at MobileMe.


I'll post my evaluations here as I discover the good and bad.

Recent Software Installs

The software I've tried so far:

Adium - multi-protocol IM client (more protocol support than iChat)
mBackup - for backup of mSecure for my iPhone
Firefox - browser for Mac from Mozilla
Chrome - beta browser for Mac from Google
iWork - office suite for Mac
TeamSpeak 3 - voice chat for Mac
Flip4Mac - WMV Components allow you to import, export and play Windows Media video and audio files on your Mac
Hewlett-Packard printer software/drivers - for HP Deskjet All-In-One F4240 printer

The software I still want to install:

Xchat (Aqua) - IRC client for Mac
One of these - DVD/CD burning software for Mac

Time Machine

So, I've got a 750GM LaCie drive that I bought maybe a year and a half ago at Microcenter for the purpose of backing up my work laptop's hard disk.  Instead, I decided to use it for my Macbook.  I've been using it off and on, but after I got the iMac, I decided that I could just activate Time Machine on the desktop.  In fact, I may be able to use it for both the laptop and desktop.

Backing up every hour for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month, and weekly backups for all the previous months is cool as hell when all you have to do is keep it plugged in (and not that this is without configuration).

Sooner or later, though, I'm going to have to get a bigger drive...got a 1TB disk in the iMac.