Prepare for iOS 7

iOS 7 should pop up as an available update on September 18, 2013.

The new mobile operating system from Apple promises to be as new, revolutionary even, as the original iPhone. I, for one, am damned excited about it.

So’s ya know, you do NOT have to upgrade to 7 right away. The safe bet is to wait at least a few days, to see if any debilitating quirks squirmed their way through the testing process.

But for all you early adopters…

Let’s do some simple steps to make sure your iPhones, iPads and iPods touch are all ready for Apple’s latest mobile operating system.

Check compatibility

Your device will need to be compatible. Techcrunch has the skinny on that.

Back it up!

On your device, go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup (at the bottom).

Swipe to the bottom of the page, and tap Backup Now.

Backup to iCloud

You can also be more thorough by doing a backup using iTunes.

Since you’re also going to update iTunes on your Mac, make sure Time Machine or your backup scheme of choice are working.

Update

Run Software Update on your Mac, from the Apple menu. That will get you the latest iTunes.

Also, tap the App Store on your mobile gadget. Tap Updates, and then Update All.

All set

Now you’re ready. On your device, go to Settings > General > Software Update, and let the crayon-colored magic begin!

Who I am, what I do, and why I do it

Who I am

In 1984, my dad and I took the very first Mac model for a weekend test drive. I’ve been hooked on excellent, beautifully designed technology ever since.

All through other paths — as an English major, graphic design and production, writing, and publishing — I really always excelled at helping people understand how to use technology. I’m patient, I’m a communicator, and I like to see people delighted by gadgets. Coincidentally, I realized my calling right about the time broadband made the internet fun, and Mac OS X came into its own.

So in 2003, I left my job at the San Antonio Current to start J2 Consulting, now jjmarcus.

Since then, I started one of the few server-rated, Apple-certified Mac consulting firms in San Antonio and South Texas. In 2014, I got married and moved my family and business to Dallas. I have been incredibly grateful that my whole San Antonio clientele agreed to come with me, and lucky that the tools are now available to help me support them from afar.

I focus exclusively on Apple devices and networks. From small businesses to consumers, nonprofits to public companies, I have been thrilled to help hundreds of people improve their lives through technology.

That was then

I started my own business in 2003 to help people with their Macs. Back then, IT work was still a little complicated. Not every question had a simple answer.

I worked, happily and proudly, in the traditional reactive mode of IT for 10 years, performing hourly service as needed. I have helped hundreds of people work easier and play more.

This is now

Five years later, tech cut loose. People learned to get and use powerful applications on portable devices. We started calling them “apps,” which sounds a lot friendlier than “applications.” Even “smart phone” is better than “computer.” And when the phone doesn’t work, well, just turn it off and turn it on again.

Now we take our gadgets, and their internet connections, for granted. We get informed and entertained, wherever we are, whenever we want.

And we want it to All. Just. Work.

I usually does, and when it doesn’t, it’s so much faster to fix than it used to be. That’s where my managed support comes in. For the first time ever, I can know the health of all the computers under my administration, and take comfort knowing that they are automatically maintaining themselves. So if something goes awry, I can resolve it even before it causes downtime, and all the basic troubleshooting has already been done for me.

So I think the old model of IT is outdated. It’s not about break/fix. It’s about automation and proactive management. And making people happy with their Macs has never been easier.

Gmail tip: Clear your inbox in one swell foop

The number of messages in your inbox is entirely a matter of personal preference. Having more in there does not affect the performance of your email or other any of your devices. The number of unread messages in any given mailbox is similarly left to the user’s habits.

That said, I myself have undergone a minor maturation recently, in that I finally recognize the value of keeping one’s inbox clear. I learned to change my ways because Gmail makes it so easy:

All you have to do is “Archive” your messages. That takes the messages out of the inbox but leaves them in the “All Mail” folder. (In Gmail-speak, it removes the “inbox” label.) Messages are still there, still searchable, but totally out of your way.

The Apple Mail apps are not great for this procedure, but the Gmail web site does it beautifully. You’ll see the Archive button right up top. I select multiple messages using keyboard shortcuts: first, the up and down arrow keys to move between messages, the “x” key to select, and finally I hit “e” to archive.

To Archive all of your inbox, click the Select checkbox — the master one, the little grey square that sits to the left of the “Refresh” and “More” buttons. That selects all the messages on the page, and you’ll see this text at the top of the message list: “All 50 conversations on this page are selected.”

Next to that, click “Select all xxx conversations in ‘Inbox.’”

Then click the “Archive” button that now appears above the messages, the little box with the arrow pointing down.

BOOM: Inbox Zero!

And now, here’s my newest new way of doing things: I’ve now started using an awesome free iOS app called Mailbox. It is one of a breed of mobile apps helps me process email much faster, by giving me a single button that will archive all my read messages.

Keeping track of software licenses

Just say no to spinny thingsSerial numbers, activation keys, product keys…it takes work to keep up with all those CDs and boxes and emails!

Store serial numbers

My favorite place to store my software serial numbers is 1Password. I love showing people how to get the most from it. The new iOS app is really easy to use. And you can purchase the excellent Mac app for $50 from the Mac App Store and install on up to 5 computers. Syncs over Dropbox easy-peezy.

Forget serial numbers altogether

Speaking of the App Store, if you buy there, you don’t ever actually have to remember your licenses! Unsurprisingly, Microsoft has yet to release Office there, but it’s only a matter of time.

Of course, there’s nothing like a good ol’ spreadsheet for shareability and printability. You might set up a simple sheet with all your software licenses. I just did this other post on current options for working with office docs, Microsoft and otherwise.

A reasonable compromise

Here’s a great new deal: Did you know you can now download Mac apps from Amazon now? I just bought Adobe Lightroom 4 that way. At $120, Lightroom has come down to a you-just-gotta-do-it price.

Then again, do I really need an app for that?

I can’t believe it, but if you want to work directly with Microsoft Office-formatted documents, there is still no fully-functioned office suite—word processor, spreadsheet, and presentations—in the Mac App Store. There are, like, 5 good ones for the iPad! But they lack the convenience of file-system access with something like Finder, the thing that makes a Mac a Mac.

I don’t consider Apple iWork fully compatible with Microsoft Office, because you can’t simply open and save Office docs in Pages, Numbers, or Keynote. You have to import and export each time. Who knows why. OpenOffice and NeoOffice have had the ability for years. No way would Apple and Microsoft have colluded to cripple Apple’s productivity suite, right? Right?

What a great time to consider using Google Docs, and ditching Office all together. A Google Spreadsheet is great for something like serial numbers. And Google recently released the excellent Google Drive for iOS. I can finally edit my Google Docs directly on my iPad. That’s a big change!

What are Smart Folders?

What are Smart Folders?

They are super helpful, is what!

On the Mac, Smart Folders in Finder (also Smart Playlists in iTunes, Smart Albums in iPhoto, Smart Mailboxes in Mail, Smart Groups in Address Book, etc.) are containers for files or folders that meet a certain criteria. Think of them as a permanent search.

For example, you could make a Smart Folder that shows you all the documents you’ve opened in the last 3 days, or one for all your PDFs that are bigger than 2 megabytes.

In iTunes, you could have a Smart Playlist that always has the jazz songs you’ve added this week. In iPhoto, I created a Smart Album for all the photos I’ve rated above 3 stars, and I sync that to my iPhone.

You can create a smart container in the File menu of any of these programs. You’ll immediately be presented with a dialog box that lets you pick your search criteria, stacking them with “any” (if this OR that) or “all” (if this AND that AND that).

Smart containers appear in the same list with their manual counterparts, but have a gear icon on them.

Try ’em out. They can really speed up your workflow!

Troubleshoot a slow Mac (short version)

What can I do to see why my computer has become extremely slow?

Yes! Open Activity Monitor (an app in Utilities)

  • In CPU, more black is better. More color = slower computer.
  • In System Memory, more green is better. You want at least 25% of the pie chart to be green.

If it’s not, restart your computer, and open Activity Monitor. See how things look then.

DNS, DoS, and recent cyber attacks

How concerned should I be in light of the recent cyber
attacks? Is my cable modem an “open resolver”? Can it be highjacked?

The short answer: I have configured most of my clients’ routers to distribute addresses for DNS servers provided by the OpenDNS project. Read on to learn how that protects you.

I had never considered the possibility of a hacked cable box, I suppose mostly because I’ve never heard a geek mention it. I just did a googling of “hack cable modem,” resulting only in discussions of how one might rejigger one’s own modem to elevate the connection speed or get free Internet, both of which appear to be quite prosecutable offenses.

I’m no hacker, but I have a decent handle on small-network security, and I have difficulty imagining the purposes to which a miscreant might put a cable modem. It can’t send data by itself, and your own local network is protected by the router that sits behind the modem.

So, onto discussion of the recent cyber attacks against Spamhaus.

As this article explains, the attack is actually performed on vulnerable DNS servers, such as those run by less vigilant Internet service providers around the world.

What’s a DNS server?

DNS is not hard to understand — it can be thought of as the phonebook of the Internet. When you ask your web browser to go to http://www.i-wish-elliot-spitzer-hadnt-been-such-a-schmuck.com…well, let’s use http://www.google.com as a shorter example…your browser first asks your computer what DNS servers it should use to look up the address.

In my house, my computer sends my browser to the OpenDNS Project’s servers 208.67.222.222 or 208.67.220.220. (We always have a second server as a backup in case the first one isn’t available.)

Then my browser asks the OpenDNS server where to find http://www.google.com. It receives a numerical reply, the IP address of Google’s Web server. Then the browser goes to that IP address and asks for whatever web-page information the server cares to give it.

How does this help hackers?

To understand the recent malfeasance, it’s called a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. This is one example:

Imagine someone hijacks one of these vulnerable DNS servers, so that when you ask for Google.com, you actually get directed to some other Web server. Now imagine everyone using that ISP’s servers having every single one of their browser requests directed to the same Web server. The unsuspecting server would get barraged by requests, and would have to start turning some of them away — denial of service.

Service breaks down, customers get angry, service loses money, attack successful.

The big ISPs in America protected themselves against these attacks a few years back. But even before that, when the attacks first reared their heads, I looked into the proscribed ways to protect oneself, and immediately started plugging in the OpenDNS servers into all my clients’ routers. Crisis averted, at least for us.

Hackers employ several methods to affect a DoS. As I understand it, the goal is not direct monetary gain, but perhaps a hobbling of an adversary, or even an expression of protest. DoS is a typical weapon of the hacker collective Anonymous.

As you can see on the OpenDNS page, using their servers offers other benefits and features, including faster replies to queries and configurable web-content filtering for those with tender sensibilities.

Bonus nerdy information

Google actually started its own public DNS service a little while ago. You can use the servers 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 in place of the OpenDNS servers.

They have put up a page explaining DNS security in more depth.

I hope you find this information in any way helpful or reassuring.

CrashPlan might be filling up your hard drive

OK, this is no longer a coincidence: All CrashPlan users should please check the free space on your Macs’ hard drives.
On your desktop, click on “Macintosh HD,” then go to the File menu > Get Info…

If the Space Available looks low, say less than 10 GB, it might be that (pardon the expression) a CrashPlan log has grown unusually large. Open up Macintosh HD > Library > Logs > CrashPlan, and look for engine_output.log. See how big it is. I’ve now seen 30 GB, 80 GB, even 600 GB.

Throw engine_output.log in the trash, and empty your trash (right click on the trash can or Finder menu > Empty Trash…).

If the trash won’t empty, restart your Mac and try again.

Perhaps your hard drive is full for other reasons, in which case the excellent freeware Disk Inventory X can help: http://www.derlien.com/downloads/index.html

Me.com email doesn’t work

> My me.com email no longer works. It asks for my password, but the password no longer works. It was my mac.com account with same password.

The first thing to try is to log into icloud.com with your me.com address and password. That'll give you full mail functionality, and also tell you if your password is correct. You can then determine if you need to reconfig your mail client, perhaps by deleting and restoring your account.

Posted via email from J2 Tech Blog

How do I edit PDFs on Mac/iPhone/iPad?

Do I need Adobe Reader? Or Acrobat Pro? How do I edit PDFs?

Mac

PDFs are like food to a Mac. Whenever you print anything from a Mac, you’re creating a PDF. That’s why, whenever you go to File > Print, there’s a convenient PDF menu at the bottom left, with options like Save As PDF… and Mail PDF.

 

The Mac has an built-in app called Preview, which works with all kinds of image files, including PDFs. With Preview, I can sign PDFs with my signature, or notate the heck out of them.

Depending on what you do to/with PDFs, you might use Preview, or the even more awesome PDFpen, which can change text in a PDF, or the super badass PDFpenPro, which can teach your PDFs to sit up, beg, and roll over.

PDFpen can even read the text in a PDF, or turn a PDF into a formatted Word doc. It’s very powerful, and a fraction of the price of Acrobat Pro (which is still great if you do prepress).

iOS

PDFPen is also great on the iPad and iPhone.

I use GoodReader for my PDF reference library, with all my manuals and training documents and other legibles. It also has robust commenting and markup features.