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iWork, iPhoto and Safari Updated With New Mountain Lion-Powered Enhancements

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

If you’re a frequent iWork user, you might want to update to the latest version, which lets you to sync your docs with iCloud (so that you can view and edit on other Mac and iOS devices), and includes full support for the MacBook Pro Retina display (no more blurries!). 9to5mac says the update also includes support for dictation, which a new core feature of Mountain Lion.

But iWork isn’t the only app to be updated. Cult of Mac says iPhoto also received a shiny new Mountain Lion upgrade, allowing users to share photos to Messages and Twitter directly from the app. Safari meanwhile, now has a unified search and address bar (just like Chrome), offline Reading List support, and compliance with Do Not Track, according to the Verge. The Mountain Lion version also allows for the use of iCloud Tabs. [9to5mac, Cult of Mac, The Verge]

Posted in Apple, Apps, Breaking News, HowTo, Interesting, iOS, Tech, tips | Leave a comment

The Evolution of English Language Over the Last 500 Years

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Unsurprisingly, a lot’s changed since the 1500s, not least of all language. But now a physicist has crunched through 5.2 million books published over five centuries in order to analyze the way the English language has changed over time.

There is, of course, one constant: by far and away the most popular word throughout history is the humble definite article “the”. No surprise there, as it’s an indispensable classic.

Dig around into short phrases, however, and things get more interesting. Back in 1520, the most popular three-word phrase was “of the Pope”. Not so these days, because it’s been superseded by the more useful, but rather more boring, string “one of the”.

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A Cheap and Simple Add-On to Keep Your iPhone Charger Blessedly Untangled

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Like earphones, the iPhone’s charging cable seems pre-disposed to becoming a knotted tangle of cable whenever it’s placed inside a bag. But you can fight back—and save yourself several unpleasant minutes of untangling—with this no frills cable wrapaccessory.

Simply and appropriately called The Wrap, this $10 plastic accessory secures itself to the USB end of your iPhone charger and provides a duplicate set of prongs that can be used for neatly wrapping the USB cable when it’s not in use. It’s another one of those simple ideas that most people will scoff at and claim they could have invented. But you didn’t, so just go buy one and stop complaining. [The Wrap via Notcot]

Posted in Apple, Hacking, Interesting, iOS, Tech, tips | Leave a comment

The OS X Mountain Lion Survival Guide

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is here. Youre probably going to read a lot about all the new features and how Apples out of ideas. Heres a guide to what will make using all that ML stuff easier—and whats going to make the new OS a pain.Last year, OS X 10.7 Lion took a lot of us by surprise. “Back to the Mac” was the claim. Instead, we got an identity crisis wrapped in a Unix shell. This year? We know what were in for. Mountain Lion is basically just Lion with a speed boost a dash more iOS in its veins.Heres how to make the transition as seamless as possible. Only after backing up your system, of course.

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iPad Sales to Education Market Nearly Double – John Paczkowski – News – AllThingsD

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

With a growing number of schools across the nation embracing the iPad, the device is gaining significant momentum in the education market. And while it’s still early in its history, it’s beginning to look like the iPad could be the biggest thing happen to the classroom gadget market since the overhead projector.

Consider this: Apple’s third quarter was the second consecutive one in which the education market purchased twice as many iPads as Macs. And Mac sales to education for the period were at an all-time high.

Discussing Apple’s third-quarter earnings during a conference call Tuesday, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer said that iPad sales in the U.S. education market had set a new quarterly record, nearly doubling year-over-year to just under 1 million iPads. A key driver of those sales: The reduced-price iPad 2. Evidently, the device’s $399 price point has really helped to unlock demand in the sector.

“The reason that we [adopted a lower price point for the iPad 2] was because we believed that sales would be incrementally larger if there was price elasticity,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the earnings call. “We knew there were buyers that really wanted the best product, but needed it to be a little less expensive. … So I think the lower price did help our sales. And I think it’s particularly helping in K-12. The adoption rate of iPad in education is something I’d never seen from any technology product in history. Usually, education tends to be fairly conservative in terms of buying or K-12 does and we’re not seeing that at all on the iPad.”

via iPad Sales to Education Market Nearly Double – John Paczkowski – News – AllThingsD.

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Paint That Sucks Up the Dangers of Chemical Warfare

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

For soliders out in the field chemical warfare is a very real threat, but while they can throw away their clothes and decontaminate their bodies, large equipment is more difficult to clean. Now military scientists have developed paint which literally sucks up the fallout from chemical attacks.

The Engineer reports that the UK-based Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has been working with paint company AkzoNobel to make the amazing substance. The system is comprised of two parts. A top coat, which contains silica gel and can absorb nasty chemicals like nerve gas, is painted onto a subtly sticky base coat, not dissimilar to the adhesive part of a Post-It.

via Paint That Sucks Up the Dangers of Chemical Warfare.

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Calc.exe Is Dead, Long Live Google’s Calculator

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

Google’s search-based calculator is a bit of a God-send when it comes to impromptu math, but now the Big G has gone and extended its functionality by rolling out a full-on, 34-button scientific calculator.

It’s got everything you really need in a calculator, numbers aside: trigonometric functions, logs, powers, pi, Euler’s number and even factorials (that’s the exclamation point, if you dropped out of math classes early). Just type in any calculation—something as simple as 2+2 will do—and up it pops.

via Calc.exe Is Dead, Long Live Google’s Calculator.

Posted in Interesting, tips | 2 Comments

The Science of Power Naps

Posted on July 25, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

The concept of the power naps divides opinion: some people firmly stand by them, while others think they offer no tangible benefit at all. If youre a doubter, this video may be enough to convince you that they really do work.The problem is, of course, getting the timings right: dont sleep long enough and youll feel no benefit, sleep too long and youll feel worse than ever. Fortunately, practice makes perfect.

via The Science of Power Naps.

Posted in HowTo, Interesting, Science, tips | Leave a comment

What Does a System Administrator Do?

Posted on July 23, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

What Does a System Administrator Do?

What is a system administrator? Well, look at the title. Administrator of systems. A system administrator takes care of systems.

Now, most people read “system” to mean an individual computer, and think that all asysadmin does is clean viruses off your computer and replace your monitor. That’s not wrong — but it is only one page of the whole story.

A real computing system is larger. Very few computers work just on their own anymore; when you use the web, play a game online, share files with a friend, or send email, you’re using a complex and intricate collection of computers, networks and software that come together to do the job you’re asking.

A sysadmin manages these systems — they figure out how to bring storage from one server, processing from another, backups from a third and networking from a fourth computer all together, working seamlessly. For you.

A sysadmin is a professional, with complex skills, ethical challenges, and a daunting job. Many, if not most, people find computers difficult to use, and sometimes they’re unreliable. Being a sysadmin doesn’t absolve someone of dealing with unreliable computers. Oh, one can dream of such a day, but the opposite is true; no one sees more dead computers in a day than a sysadmin. No one sees them doing truly baffling things, and no one has more stories of computers failing, acting possessed, or even catching on fire.

Read

more via Sysadwhat? | sysadminday.com.

Posted in iOS, Tech, [ STR ] | 1 Comment

July 27, 2012 13th Annual System Administrator Appreciation Day

Posted on July 23, 2012 by StevenTorresRamos

A sysadmin unpacked the server for this website from its box, installed an operating system, patched it for security, made sure the power and air conditioning was working in the server room, monitored it for stability, set up the software, and kept backups in case anything went wrong. All to serve this webpage.

A sysadmin installed the routers, laid the cables, configured the networks, set up the firewalls, and watched and guided the traffic for each hop of the network that runs over copper, fiber optic glass, and even the air itself to bring the Internet to your computer. All to make sure the webpage found its way from the server to your computer.

A sysadmin makes sure your network connection is safe, secure, open, and working.

A sysadmin makes sure your computer is working in a healthy way on a healthy network.

A sysadmin takes backups to guard against disaster both human and otherwise, holds the gates against security threats and crackers, and keeps the printers going no matter how many copies of the tax code someone from Accounting prints out.

A sysadmin worries about spam, viruses, spyware, but also power outages, fires and floods.When the email server goes down at 2 AM on a Sunday, your sysadmin is paged, wakes up, and goes to work.

A sysadmin is a professional, who plans, worries, hacks, fixes, pushes, advocates, protects and creates good computer networks, to get you your data, to help you do work — to bring the potential of computing ever closer to reality.So if you can read this, thank your sysadmin — and know he or she is only one of dozens or possibly hundreds whose work brings you the email from your aunt on the West Coast, the instant message from your son at college, the free phone call from the friend in Australia, and this webpage.

via sysadminday.com.