Trim down the size of your Mac application

Ever wondered why applications on your Mac are so big? Is it possible to reduce the size of some applications and gain some oh so valuable hard drive space? Well, chances are that the application has many languages and binaries that you don't really need for the application to do everything you want it to do. Here's how you can get rid of these extra languages and binaries.

Getting rid of extra languages packaged with the application

Getting rid of excess languages that come along with the application is really easy, and you can do this on your own without investing in any third party application. Here's how:

1. First find an application that you think might contain extra languages. Most Apple applications and applications developed by big software development companies probably have several languages packaged with the application, so I suggest you perform the following steps on these applications first.

2. Once you find the application, right click (or Control + Click) on the application and click Get Info. Alternatively, you can press the keyboard shortcut Cmd + I after highlighting a specific application.

3. Under 'Languages', select the languages that you don't usually use or don't know and click on the '-' sign (negative sign) button below the languages box. This will get rid of the language.4. When OS X asks you if you are sure, just hit OK, and all the files will end up in trash.

Getting rid of PPC/Universal Binaries with Xslimmer

If you are using the latest version of an application, chances are it is a universal application. This means that your application will work on the newer Intel Macs as well as the older PPC macs. However, the problem that arises is that the application needs to have the files for both the CPU architectures, which obviously results in larger file sizes.

So, the best way to reduce the size of an application is to get rid of the additional binary without harming the original files designed for he CPU architecture that is present in your Mac.To do this all you need is an application called Xslimmer.

Currently it costs about 13 dollars, but it is well worth the money if you want to save on a lot of hard disk space. Xslimmer also claims that it will make your application launch and run faster, but the changes made to an application after running Xslimmer hardly affect its speed. Therefore, it is mainly a tool to trim down the size of a Mac application.Xslimmer also deletes unnecessary languages from the application, so you don't have to find an application with languages and go through the tedious process of weeding out languages that you don't need manually. All you do is drag and drop applications into Xslimmer and let Xslimmer do the rest.

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21 Killer Tricks to Increase Your Productivity on your Computer

Ever wonder why some people get their work done faster than others? I do. In fact, I'm amazed at the fact that of how many often get their work and projects finished in a fraction of the time it takes others to complete the same tasks. So I set off on an adventure to find the best tips to turn myself into a lean mean working machine. With a little help from the great not so ol' computer of course.

1. Use Voice recognition - If you don't use it, I'm afraid, you're missing out on a lot of productivity. USE IT! If you don't know how then take a look at an article that tells you how. Bear in mind though that it isn't fully developed yet, but it should be in a couple of years time.
2. Get Organized (Put files in appropriate folder and delete files you don't need) - I can't believe how much time I've saved by not searching as much for the stuff I need.
3. Work Offline - Just because you don't have Internet on your way to work, it doesn't mean that you can still do work
4. Use a Dual Monitor setup - Invest in another flat screen LCD monitor of a considerable size and start using two screens. This is especially useful if you are a developing, researching, writing and even playing Counter-Strike.
5. Follow the do it now policy - don't leave anything for later. If you need to e-mail some one pictures of your vacation, do it now.
6. Stop using youtube, digg, facebook and the like - Yes, I realize how addictive this can be, but in order to focus on the task as hand, it is impossible to check what's happening on digg and do your work properly at the same time. Close your web browser, and keep only the necessary windows open and limit the time you spend on social networking sites.
7. Become and expert in using search engines - Once you become an expert, you will be able to find information more quickly and easily, without wasting any valuable time.
8. Turn off IM and Quit checking your e-mail. Do it once every couple of hours at most and keep and eye on the time you spend going through your e-mail
9. Make your computer faster - If you're using an old computer, or a computer that runs Windows, then you might be loosing a lot of time
10. Use an organizer - Use something like WordPerfect Lightning to quickly jot down notes onto your computer
11. Prioritize and Make sure to follow the schedule
12. Use sticky notes - the real ones more than the ones on your computer. And once your write/type something make sure to read it once in a while too.
13. Use RSS instead of visiting each and every single website that you'd like to read regularly
14. Brainstorm on PAPER. Use the PC only to prepare your final draft once you're certain of what you'd like to do. You'll save much more time that way
15. Upgrade your peripherals to suit your needs. Invest in a good chair and table if you tend to do a lot of work on your computer
16. Speed up your Internet connection and network
17. Proof read your document the smart way (if its small of course) - use Microsoft Word/Adobe Reader/Your Mac to read it out to you. You'll most likely find more mistakes that way.
18. Get a small pocket size notepad to make changes on the go. Cell phones don't really do the job right. Get a portable electronic device to record voice notes if necessary. Once you have access to your computer, transfer it all to your computer.
19. Become a e-mail ninja! Learn how to get rid of e-mail you don't really need to read.
20. Let the computer open your applications - I usually almost always have one of these set ups running on my computer so what I do is create a separate account for each configuration and then use the start up folder trick to kind of copy Apple's Spaces in leopard. Here are the following 'spaces' I use regularly:
    1. Word processing mode - I usually have Microsoft Word, my web browser and my music player open
    2. Blogging mode - 2 web browsers, windows live writer and my speech recognition application.
21. Tweak your software - Get a decent browser like FireFox, that is going to run faster and not crash as much. Use Macros in Microsoft Word to do the tasks that you perform regularly. Disable distracting applications and free up space on your computer. Keep only the windows that you need open.

And one final tip - Make sure you actually remember this list and stick to it.

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Opening IE 6 redirects you to IE 7 website

Has your homepage automatically changed to the "Internet Explorer Get it Now" download webpage? Well, you're not alone. Many others who are on Windows XP (or like me are using it on a Virtual Machine) and still using Internet Explorer 6 are getting the same message. Is this a virus or something you ask? Well, not really it's just that IE is letting you know that an upgrade to Internet Explorer 7 is ready because of you're settings. Before you change these settings, I would like to point out that it would be a good idea to update your browser or get Firefox, and make sure you have the latest in order to ensure the best security and proper standards.

Ok, I don't really care about updating - how do I change it back to my normal home page?

Well, going back to your normal home page is quite easy. Simply click on Tools in IE, then click Internet Options. Once the window pops up click on the Advanced Tab. Under Browsing, uncheck Automatically check for IE updates.
Once you do this, your normal home page will magically appear when IE is launched. Keep in mind though that by using IE 6 you are depriving yourself of a better experience on the web and putting your data at risk. Make sure your upgrade or let your nearest IT guru know that you want to upgrade to a better browser.

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Top 10 ways to secure and improve your wireless network

A while ago I posted a couple of tips on how to speed up and improve your wireless network, and one of the tips in that was to secure your wireless network. Well the truth is, it's extremely easy to secure your wireless network, but most people do not secure their networks!

That's bad, very bad, because anyone who decides to 'tap' into your wireless network can easily steal your information (especially if you happen to do a lot of online shopping) and even steal your Internet (did I mention they can use your Internet connection to download songs illegally and get you into trouble?).

So follow this article and secure your wireless network! It is imperative for everyone who has their own wireless network in a home or small business setting to take the following steps to ensure the well being of the network.

1. Give your router an admin password - Learn how to change the admin password for your router by reading the manual or checking the manufacturer's support website.
2. Change your routers SSID - Your router's SSID is like its name. If you set this to default, your neighbour might be accidentally using your wireless connection or you might accidentally use your neighbour's connection (which is a crime). You want to be sure that you can distinctly identify your router and prevent others from accidentally connecting to it, which will make your Internet slower.
3. Use at least WPA2 Encryption - Not using encryption is like yelling your credit card number out loud. Anyone paying attention and snooping in on your wireless network can intercept all data that goes between the wireless router and the computer. Make sure you use at least WPA2 encryption. If your router doesn't have a WPA2 option then you might want to upgrade to a newer router or check for a firmware update.
4. Use a hard to break pre-shared key - Make sure it is 63 characters long and make up of random letters, number and characters. Since you don't have to remember anything (you only need to set this on your router and computer/console once) A great way to generate good passwords is to use the GRC Passwords Page. It generates a key for you automatically. I recommend you use WPA2 and use a 63 character random ASCII string. Remember, once you use the key on your router, you'll need it for your computer too, so making a text file of the key might be helpful.
5. Disable SSID Broadcast - Once your set up your router and initiate the wireless network, it is a good idea to turn off the SSID so people might not get tempted to try and use your network.
6. Enable MAC Address Filtering - MAC in this case means Media Access Control, not a Mac. It allows you to specify the machines (i.e. only your machine) that can connect to your network.
7. Try to broadcast only in Wireless G - If possible try and broadcast only on a 802.11 G band so that people with 802.11 B hardware will not be able to connect. If you have a laptop or device that needs 802.11 B, then obviously this isn't an option.
8. Make sure to turn off any extended range functionality if living in a small house. Extended range mode will only make your router send out more powerful signals and make your network susceptible to attacks.
9. Change Miscellaneous settings - Disable features such as gaming mode, and enable features such as discard PING from WAN side. This will prevent an attacker from compromising your network by repeatedly pinging your router to death.
10. Update Update Update - If you haven't ever updated your router's firmware, then it's high time you do so. Make sure you stay informed about the latest developments in the wireless world too.

Do the tips above make me sound like a security freak? I think not. Better safe then sorry, right? You be the judge.

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5 ways to download free MP3 music from the Internet - Legally!

Ever wanted to be able to just go on the Internet and download the new song everyone was talking about? Sure, your friends will probably tell you to go get limewire or start using bittorrent (both these ways are highly illegal if copyrighted material is being passed on), but taking that route will only result in your computer getting infected with viruses and spyware. Here are 5 ways you can get free music and guess what - they are totally legal!

To be honest, there aren't a lot of ways you can really get free (DRM free as well) music on the Internet. However, here are a couple of websites that offer free music downloads, so if you have a mp3 player that is just waiting to be filled with songs (that weren't downloaded illegally), this is the best place to start.

1 million Free and Legal Music Tracks - Tracks created by independent artists can now be downloaded from their websites. The Red Ferret Journal provides a comprehensive page that features the websites of such artists from where their music can be downloaded. Bear in mind though that these artists aren't prominent artists, so you probably won't find Akon or U2 tunes on there.

SpiralFrog.com - A website where you can download a lot of the latest music content, completely free. It will be in the WMA format wrapped with DRM restrictions though, so you will have to convert it to .mp3 or AAC (the act of removing DRM is illegal though) before you transfer those songs to a portable music player such as an iPod. The catch is that when you go to their website, you'll be bombarded by loads of advertisements so that they can pay the artist's royalties. Although their business model is a bit sketchy, it is legal and totally free.

The good thing about this website is you get to download all the latest hits and music all for free. The only downside of downloading music from this website is that it is DRM protected. So you'll have to figure out how to get rid of DRM (which is illegal of course) in order to use it freely. You also need to sign up in order to use spiral frog's service.

Download.com Free MP3 music downloads - Another website where you can get free music, One thing you need to keep in mind is that the music they offer isn't necessarily popular. It's very unlikely that you'll probably find the latest Gwen Stefani song on here and the same goes for other popular artists. But if you are open to new kinds of music then why not give this website a try! If you are into other stuff like instrumental music, it's quite a great website.

Freeplaymusic.com - This is a great website for getting mostly instrumental songs. It's also a great site if you are looking for intro/outro music for your podcast. According to their site, all music is for personal use only, but I'm sure they'll let you use it in a podcast if you put in a plug for them.

Ruckus.com - A great way for students to download free music from up and coming artists. You'll need a .edu address from universities that have an agreement with Ruckus, and you can find a list of universities signed up on their articles page.

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Firefox does not start up or crashes as soon as it starts

Have you been having problems with Firefox not playing nice with your system? Chances are, you probably installed a Firefox add-on that is causing Firefox to act up and not load. Well, let me assure you that this is normal, especially for people like me who love to install a plethora of add-ons. Sometimes, Firefox might even crash right right after you open it, and give you an error why it could not open. This too can be fixed quite easily. By using the method I mention below, it is also possible to fix the Firefox search bar, get rid of any add-on that might be causing the browser to crash etc. I'll try to cover the most common scenarios below, but if any of them don't work, be sure to drop me a line and I'll try my best to help out!

Open Firefox in Safe Mode and Disable Add-ons

Chances are that Firefox is suffering crashes because of an add-on you installed. The first thing you should try is diable any add-ons that you installed recently. If it is not possible for you to even access the add-ons window, then you'll have to open Firefox in safemode and disable add-ons.

Instructions on how to use the safemode are properly documented on this MozillaZine wiki page. Once you start up Firefox in safemode you should see the following window pop-up.

Simply check disable all add-ons and then click Make Changes and Restart. This should disable the add-on that is causing Firefox to crash. Then if Firefox starts up fine, you can access the add-ons window and experiment a little bit in order to find out the culprit. Once you find the extension that is behaving badly, simply uninstall it and Firefox should work perfectly find from then on. If not, read on.

Create a new Firefox Profile

If the above method doesn't fix the problem the problem probably exists in your user profile. Firefox maintains a user profile of every user and chances are that it has gone corrupt. If that's the case then simple follow the managing your profiles guide and create a new one. If the new one works perfectly fine, then you might have to export your settings from your old profile to the new one with the backing up your information guide.

Apart from that there isn't much you can do except back up everything, and start a new with a fresh install of Firefox (and hopefully not a fresh install of Windows if you happen to be on Windows).

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Reopening accedently closed tabs on Firefox

How often have you accidentally closed a tab on Firefox only to realize that you needed again? In my case, it seems to be a very common problem. Luckily, the designers of Firefox anticipated the need to add a feature that will allow absent minded people like me to reopen a tab that was closed without any forethought on the necessity of the tab.

The method to open a 'recently closed tab' as it is called is fairly simple. First click on 'History' in the menubar. Then scroll down to the Recently Closed Tab menu item and as soon as you hover over it, Firefox will reveal a list of tabs that were recently closed by you.


Simple enough isn't it? Remember though, that if you close a tab and reopen it, the page is loaded again, so you might loose any changes made to a page that uses heavy ajax or loose all the contents of a filled a form. However, if you accidently close a tab at least you can reopen it without having to search for the page again.

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Insert symbols on a Windows Computer

Ever wonder how your friends have those cool symbols their MSN names or how to add special characters in your forum posts, emails and messages? Well you con do so by using the character map, and a couple of other key combinations that you can memorize!

Method 1: Using the Windows Character Map to insert special character symbols in e-mails, messages, documents, letters, posts, MSN Nicknames....

Using the Windows Character Map is the easiest, not as easy as doing it on the Mac though, but nevertheless easier then memorizing something.

1. Click on Start
2. Click on All Programs
3. Click on Accessories > System Tools > Character Map
4. You can then choose the symbol and then copy and paste it into the desired place

Tip: You can click the Advanced box and search for character too!

Method 2: Inserting special symbols through keyboard shortcuts

Sometimes, it is easier to memorize how to add in the heart symbol ♥ rather than using character map to find it.

To add the heart symbol to something you'll need to do the following (yes, you can use character map, but this way will save you a whole lot of time!):

1. Enable (turn on) numlock... you can do this on most computers
2. Hold down Alt (DO not let go of it) and simultaneously press the number 3 on your numpad (the laptop number pads are bit harder though, so you'll need some practice to do this quick... don't forget to turn off numlock after you're done!)

Viola! Instant ? symbol!

Similarly, the following key combinations give you the following symbols

Alt + 1 = ☺
Alt + 2 = ☻
Alt + 3 = ♥
Alt + 4 = ♦
Alt + 5 = ♣
Alt + 6 = ♠
Alt + 7 = •
Alt + 8 = ◘
Alt + 9 = ○
Alt + 13 = ♪

Of course, there's more, but its best if you experiment, and then only remember the symbols that you like the most.

One other note about using these in web-pages -- The page that you are using this on needs to have UTF encoding. So if you're trying this out on your own webpage and it isn't working you'll need to specify it in your DTD (doctype definition). So you're document should begin with:

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How to insert symbols on a Mac

Often it is necessary for us to use symbols, especially if you tend to do a lot of stuff in the field of Physics and Math. Most people using Windows XP or Windows Vista already know that they can access the character map to insert symbols. On a mac though, things are a bit different and as usual a bit easier too if you know what to do. In fact, depending on the application there are several different ways with which you can insert symbols or even equations if you happen to use Microsoft Word into letters, documents, blog posts, spreadsheets and so on.
As always there are a lot of options that can be used. A couple of them are mentioned below.

Option one: Be patriotic and use the character palette

Note: Using the character palette is the quickest way to insert symbols in any application.

1. Click on the system preferences icon in the dock
2. Click on international
3. Switch to the input menu tab
4. Check the checkbox beside "show input menu in menubar"
Doing so will place a flag that pertains to your region in the top right-hand side of your screen in the menubar.
Once this appears, click on it and then click on show character palette. And from the character palette you can simply choose the symbol you want to copy and then paste it or insert it (make sure the cursor is in the correct place before hitting the insert button) inside the application of your choice. On a mac, you can even search for symbols if you don't know where to find it.

Option two: Use the application itself to insert symbols

If you're working in an application such as Pages or Microsoft Word, it is possible to insert symbol directly from the application itself although I much prefer the first way, especially since I can show of the Canadian Flag on my desktop. Yes I'm Canadian, eh.

Inserting symbols if you're using Pages or any other application created by Apple:

1. Click on Edit in the menubar
2. Click on "Special characters"
3. Use the Characters window in the same way as stated above.

Inserting symbols and Microsoft applications (not recommended):

1. Click on insert in the menubar
2. Click on Symbols
3. This will open Microsoft's Symbol window... which is not as extensive as the one that comes with the operating system. Therefore, it is advisable to use the first option if you tend to use symbols often.

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Restore missing recycle bin icon to desktop in Windows Vista

If you use the computer a lot you probably need to use the recycle bin a lot as well. But sometimes you might find that the recycle bin is missing from the desktop because you have accidentally deleted it. This can be quite bothersome if you want to keep your desktop neat and clean and get rid of all the unnecessary files on your computer. This wasn't much of a problem in Windows XP, however things have changed in Windows Vista and it is possible to accidentally delete the recycle bin icon. Here’s a quick and easy way that you can use to get it back.

How to put the recycle bin icon back on your desktop

1. Right-click on the desktop and click Personalize
2. Under the 'Tasks' list on the left hand side click Change desktop icons
   
3. In the window that pops up check the checkbox beside 'Recycle bin' and click OK.

Now the recycle bin icon should be placed back on your desktop. And in case you accidentally delete the recycle bin icon again now you know how to fix it.

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Taking screenshots of web pages

Ever wondered how people can take a screenshot of a whole web-page without having to take multiple screenshots of your browser windows and patching them up together? Well the technique of taking screenshots of web pages is very simple. The most simples method involves using extensions with FireFox, however other methods do exist out there.

Method 1: Using Firefox

Firefox is a very versatile web-browser that can do most things better than other browsers can. However, the most important thing that sets it apart from using is its capability of having extensions that can be added-on to the browser to customize it even more and allow you to do much more than what an ordinary browser.

1. Page Saver - As the name implies, this extension allows you to save a page onto your desktop as a picture. Pearl Crescent offer a Pro and Basic version of the extension, although the basic version should suffice for most users. It is also available in many languages.

2. Screen Grab - This is a nifty little extension that although doesn't have as many features as Page Saver has, it does the job quite nicely. Also, it doesn't have as many options as Page Saver has in terms of choosing a file format to save it as.

Method 2: Using a Downloadable Application

1. Paparazzi (Mac Only!) - A downloadable application that allows you to take screenshots of web-pages and has a user interface. If you want to use a command line interface instead (or rather show of your uber cool typing skills) you might want to check out webkit2png.

2. Webpage Capture - A free little tool that allows you to capture HTML as BMP, GIF, JPG or PNG images and at the same time allows you to create thumbnails of web pages too. The free version does place a logo at the top though, however that can easily be removed with a image editing program.

3. WebShot - A user interface oriented application that goes to a website, captures the screenshot and saves it in a specified location. Not exactly intuitive but it works never the less.

Method 3: Use an Online Website

1. Browser Shots - A great service used mostly by web-designers to verify if their website design works in a specific web browser. You too can use this to grab screen captures of web pages. This site allows you to choose many different options such as the screensize, colour depth, disabling javascript (so that no 'funny things' pop up while your screen capture of the website is being taken) etc.

2. BrowsrCamp - This website, also primarily created for web designers allows one to see a website as it is displayed on Safari. It is usually used for testing purposes by poor designers who can't afford to buy a mac (like me) to verify if their website works in safari properly, but who says you can't use it to get a screenshot of a website for posting it onto a blog. Plus you can choose between high quality / low quality JPG and PNG formats.

As you can see, there are a lot of choices to pick and choose from. So next time if you see something interesting on a web-page and would like to show it to the world. Take a screenshot of the whole page instead of just a window like I did once. And just may be they won't say that it was 'Photoshopped'.

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Enable/Disable low disk space error message in Windows

Are you tired of Windows XP or may be even Vista asking you over and over again to free up space on your hard disk drive? Then you can either do one of two things, clean up the junk on your computer or disable the message that pops-up at the most inopportune time altogether. This article deals with the latter, if you want to clear unnecessary files that you computer doesn't really need then refer to the remove junk from your PC post.

The most critical fact that you need to keep in mind is that what you are about to play around with is a very powerful tool. This article tells you how to back up your windows registry. Keep in mind that one wrong click in the Windows registry or even a little typo can render your system incaple of even starting up. So BACK UP THE REGISTRY!.

Oh and you'll need an account with administrator privileges in order to do the following:

1. Log in with your administrator account
2. Press the Windows Key along with the R letter key on your keyboard. Alternatively you can click on Start and click Run.
3. Type in Regedit in the box that opens
4. Using the column on the left hand side click on the little plus sign to the left of HKEY_CURRENT_USER, then Software, followed by Microsoft (you'll have to scroll down a little bit) > Windows > Current Version > Policies> Explorer
5. Double click on NoLowDiskSpaceChecks
6. If low disk space checking is enabled, then the value in the box that pops up will be 1. Change this value to 0 and click OK.
7. To enable the option again, go back to the same area listed in step 4 double click NoLowDiskSpaceChecks and click ok.

At this point your screen should look something like this:

If it does then go ahead and restart your computer. Once you restart, say bye bye to low disk space errors! But remember, windows will function a whole lot better if you get rid of the junk on your PC.

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Free up disk space and get rid of junk on your PC

It is a well known fact that computers tend to get slower as time goes by and so does the hard drive space. If you're in such a situation then here are a couple of things you can do to get rid of all the junk on your Windows XP or Vista computer. Additionally, the speed at which the computer will run at will also significantly improve. These tips area also especially useful if you're getting those low disk space errors.

Option 1: Using Disk Cleanup

The first and foremost thing that you can do to clean up the junk on your system without downloading anything is use the appropriately named built-in utility in Windows (both XP and Vista have this) known as Disk Cleanup.

To access this click on Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. A window will pop-up saying that it is looking for Junk in your Hard Drive. If you have one or more hard drives or partitions, Windows will then ask you a partition to choose.


Once Windows finishes doing this, it will show you an overview of the junk/unnecessary files on your PC. You can then pick and choose the things that you dont need and click OK. I usually delete all the files Windows thinks is not necessary for normal functioning. However, sometimes doing so is not a good idea. So, my advice is that if you are running this tool for the first time, go through all the options and read what it says in the box below.


If you want to delete more things, switch to the More Options Tab where you can delete system restore files etc. But don't get too excited that you'll be able to reclaim a lot of space and delete all the restore files, if you do so then you might not be able to recover your system to a working state in case of a problem.

Option 2: Using Crap Cleaner (CCleaner)

Crap Cleaner (also known as CCleaner...) is a much more powerful application that can delete a whole lot more from your system. And, if you use browsers such as Firefox, it can help you even delete the cookies that are associated with Firefox, which of course Disk Cleaner is incapable of doing.

Using CCleaner is dead simple. All you need to do once you download the application (you can download it here is open it and choose the things you would like to delete. One thing you might want to keep in mind during installation is that the CCleaner installer at one point asks you if you want to install the yahoo toolbar. If you blindly click yes then it will install it for you, so if you're like me and don't want any additional toolbars you might want to pay attention while installing it.

As you can see from the screenshot above, the interface is very trivial. Simply click Analyze for CCleaner to take a sneak peek at your data and then click Run Cleaner to delete the Junk on your system. You can also use CCleaner to delete unnecessary registry entries for more information on doing so refer to my post on the real way to keep the Windows registry tidy. Also, please BACK UP THE REGISTRY before you use the delete unnecessary registry features.

BONUS TIP: If you have just invested in a new windows computer, especially if it is a Dell or Sony or a computer from an OEM you might want to get rid of the junk that comes with it. To do so please take a look at my post on how to delete junk that comes with a new computer.

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