50th post! Geektool, Butler, Applescript to do lists on the desktop!

Hi,

I love using Geektool for system and network monitoring and other stats and things. I particularly like having my to dos and reminders visible on the desktop so there's less chance of forgetting them. However, although it's easy to set up Geektool to display a txt file, updating said file means having to launch TextEdit (or other text editor), making the changes, saving, closing ... So. I thought it might be simpler to make an Applescript program to enter the text I want to write, triggered by hot keys via Butler; so that's what I did. If you want to do this yourself you'll need Geektool and Butler installed on your mac, then use TextEdit to save a .txt file in your documents folder (call it scrible.txt) and finally you'll need the little Applescript program 'scribler' (which does require Leopard, I'm afraid, but if you'd like to use this in Tiger let me know and I'll do a version for you). 

1. Once you've got Geektool, Butler and scribler installed, create a blank .txt file and save it in your Documents folder as scrible.txt (the next version of scribler will do this automatically, but for now you'll have to do it yourself).

2. Launch System Preferences, click on Geektool, and create a new entry like so:

3. Launch Butler, add a new file, and give it a key combination like so:

And that's it. hit your key combination, enter your text in scribler, press return, and you're done; your to do/reminder, etc., will soon appear on the desktop.

Cheers,

Kev.

Huddy featured in this month's Macworld magazine cd

Hi,

Just saw this month's Macworld mag, and huddy's featured on the included disc; excellent.

Cheers Macworld,

Kev.

simple sync now at version 1.2

Hi,

I've updated simple sync to include support for Mac OSX 10.4 (Tiger). 

Cheers,

Kev.

blue faced monkey

Hi,

Just a bit of fun this, to help decision making ...

Cheers,

Kev.

Simple sync now at version 1.1

Hi,

Just updated simple sync to version 1.1 (just added an activity indicator, so you know it's working).

Kev.

new program – simple sync

Hi

I've been working on backup systems for a while now (mostly applescripts performing duplicate functions), which led me to start playing around with 'rsync'. Although there are a number of cloning apps out there, and the very good ARrsync program, I felt they were all to feature rich and complex. All I needed to do was to pict a source folder, and a destination folder, and have the first cloned to the latter. I thought being able to chose to have the program delete files from the backup when deleted form the source might be useful, as would an auto run feature; so both are included.

It's simple, useful, but like all scripts you have to be careful, as thre's no going back when a file's been deleted or overwritten. Although it's been well tested I'd say use at your own risk.

Hope you find it useful,

Kev.

huddy 1.3

Hi,

Just made a few changes to huddy (smaller footprint, keyboard controls for the colour labels and file ratings). I think that's it now, I don't reckon I'll be making any more changes.

Cheers,

Kev.

New version – huddy 1.2

Hi,

I recently saw a posting on Macscripter about applying file ratings (like the star ratings in iTunes), and thought that this would be an excellent feature to add to huddy. So, I did ...

Cheers,

Kev.

Hiyama – video preview number 2

Hi,

We recently posted a new preview of 'Hiyama', our new graphic novel on YouTube. Like the last one (see below) it was made on a Macbook (Garageband and iMovie).

Cheers,

Kev.

New program – 'huddy'

Hi,

Just knocked up a little Applescript program for making it easier to access the icon zoom function in Finder icon view, and for applying colour labels too. Great for browsing folders of pictures, etc. Pop it in the Finder window toolbar for quick and easy access. It's very simple, andcould do with a little polish, but it's quite handy.

Cheers,

Kev.

The end of the road ...

Hi,

It's with mixed feelings that I announce the end of the road for 'the mac guy'. I'm afraid that family responsibilities and running Tabella Publishing are taking up an increasing amount of my time, and I'm finding it harder to stay up to date with all things 'mac'. To all my clients I'd like to say a big thank-you, and I can still be contacted for help and/or advice if you find yourself stuck.

Although I won't be taking on any new tech support work, my addiction to Filemaker and Applescript remains as strong as ever, and I'm happy to accept new challenges in these areas.

If anyone's interested in taking on the mantle of 'mac guy' I'd be happy to discuss transferring the business, and I've also put my domain – www.themacguy.co.uk – up for auction.

Cheers,

Kev.

Hiyama promo video

Hi,

Just thought I'd post this promo video I made for our other company Tabella Publishing. The whole thing was made on a Macbook; using the keyboard to play the music in Garageband, and stills added to iMovie. 

Great fun.

Kev.

RapidWeaver

Hi,

Just had to make a mention of how easy it is to build a website using RapidWeaver. I've just spent a couple of days doing the website for my other company (www.tabella.co.uk). I've used Dreamweaver, GoLive, and iWeb in the past, but I have to say that RapidWeaver beats them all hands down. In terms of cost, ease of use, the variety of themes and usefulness of the plugins (particularly PayLoom and Collage by Yourhead Software) RapidWeaver really is excellent.

Cheers,

Kev.

New company – Tabella Publishing

Hi,

Because of the interest we've had in our new publishing venture, we decided to set up a new, dedicated company to take care of that side of things. Tabella Publishing is now up and running: www.tabella.co.uk. We're keen to hear from anyone with an interest in graphics and/or art (traditional or digital) with a view to getting their work/ideas into print. We've still got a lot of work to do with the website, but we've made a start.





Cheers,

Kev.

cast off calculator available for download

Hi,

Cast off calculator (demo version) is available for download (just click the post title/link). I've gotta make a few changes to the website for hosting the full version, but I'll get to that in few days. The full version costs £10, and you can pay via Paypal on my website (once payment has been received I'll send a download link for the full version).



Please send any feedback/bug reports/queries/etc., to info@themacguy.co.uk.

Cheers,

Kev.

2.8 gig imac power supply failure

Hi,

Well, despite being only 4 months old, the power supply died on my new imac. I'd left the machine on all day while I was at work, and when I tried to wake it up later, it wouldn't. Powered it down, then up again using the power button, and it seemed OK, but really, really sloooooooow. Disc utility found no problems, tried rebooting again, but this time it got as far as the grey apple logo, and the spinning wheel, and just powered off again.

As it's only 4 months old, I phoned Apple and they agreed to have it repaired ... but only after I'd tried erasing my hard drive and reinstalling the OS. I'm particularly annoyed about that as the cause of the problem hadn't even been ascertained by that stage! However, the chap said that Apple wouldn't sanction a repair until I'd formatted the drive and tried a reinstall (needless to say, that failed, and Apple said OK to the repair). As the fault turned out to be the power supply, I really do feel that this 'policy' is incredibly cavalier and disrespectful of people's data. OK, I've got a backup (Time Machine, but I'll get to that in a minute), but I meet a lot of people who don't – they trust the myth Apple has created about the reliability of its products.

Anyway, I got the imac back after a week or so, reinstalled the OS, and set about transferring my data back from my Time Machine backup. This is where things took a rather odd turn. First off, one of the accounts on the backup (luckily it was my wife's and there wasn't much on there) was unavailable for recovery – the transfer assistant sat for about 4 hours calculating the size of the files (my 180gig was accounted for in less than an hour). Anyway, I had to cancel recovery of my wife's account and go ahead with everything else.

Once 'everything' was transferred and the OS updated, I started investigating the machine. First thing I noticed was that I had to re-enter lots of license details again (no worries, but puzzling, nonetheless). The next unexpected thing I found was that the 'new' imac didn't seem to recognize my Time Machine backup. It could see it, of course, but treated is as a new hard drive, yet to be set up. Basically, in order to use it as a Time Machine backup, I had to reformat it, then start again (losing the Time Machine 'history' of the past few months!).

So, the moral of the tale:
1. Make a backup (Time Machine if you have to, but at lease a clone of your mac).
2. If the Apple guy tells you he can't sanction a repair until you've erased all your data, lie to him/her. Protect your data at all costs.
3. When recovering from a Time Machine backup, keep your fingers crossed!

Cheers,

Kev.

New programme – cast off calculator

Hi,

I've you're already employed in publishing then you'll know what a cast off is. For those who don't, then, a cast off is a calculation, based on the number of words and pictures in each chapter, for working out how many pages a book/magazine should have. 'cast off calculator' is a Filemaker runtime programme for doing just that.

'cast off calculator' will be available very soon (price to be confirmed).

Cheers,

Kev.

New widgets

Hi,

I recently noticed that my Macscripter.net rss widget was not working under Leopard. There's a new version (1.1) available via the downloads page of my website. (I redid the Filemaker today one, too).

Cheers,

Kev.

Animals on the loose – available now

Hi,

Marilyn Allis' book, Animals on the Loose is finally available for order from all the usual places (Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith, etc.). Alternatively, you can buy the book directly from us (www.themacguy.co.uk).

Cheers,

Kev.

Coming soon! Animals on the Loose – A guide to painting animals

Our first book will soon be available. Animals on the Loose (ISBN 978-0955808807) is a step-by-step guide to painting animals in a loose, impressionistic style. Easy to follow projects, illustrated with dynamic images, guide and inspire the reader to creating their own vivid and exciting works of art.

Marilyn Allis, a professional artist working in mixed media, is the author of a previous book on painting people, and has produced a training DVD. Her work can be viewed at her studio at Mill Lane Gallery, Wimborne, and also at galleries throughout Dorset, Wiltshire and Surrey. She has had a number of articles published in Paint magazine, and was also published in the International Artists UK section.

See some of Marilyn's work on her website: http://www.marilyn.allis.btinternet.co.uk/index.htm

You can view sample pages and purchase Animals on the Loose from our website (www.themacguy.co.uk) via Paypal. The book is also available from Amazon and all good bookshops.

We've already got a number of other titles in the pipeline, but are keen to hear from artists/authors interesting in getting their work published.

Cheers,

Kev.