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Networking over AC

jjmarcus — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:05:00 +0000

Heard of this? Instead of running Ethernet, and when wireless isn’t an option, you run IP over your power lines. I’ve known about it for a while, and I keep forgetting it’s available.

Scan IP addresses on the local network

jjmarcus — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:16:00 +0000

In Terminal, type "arp -a" (no quotes) and hit return. Thanks, LaCie!

A sort-of fix for Leopard Server

jjmarcus — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:30:00 +0000

Duane Maas posted this on his blog:

Unfortunately, I have tried to use Leopard as an Open Directory Master, Calendar Server, and AFP server at one account since 10.5.2 was released and in stops functioning under very light load at least once a week. The server starts refusing connections and complains and incorrect user:password combination was entered. After troubleshooting, I have not determined the cause, but I did find out the problem can be solved by stopping and starting the AFP server. Hopefully this will be fixed with the 10.5.3 release.

I have been having this same AFP problem with Leopard Server. The issue is unfortunately epidemic. I was myself hoping it was going to be fixed in 10.5.2. I have had to convert one graphics lab’s home folders to NFS (not secure), and they have to connect to file shares over [shudder] SMB! Blech.

I finally, however, discovered this: If you first install 10.5 Server with the “Simple” settings, even though it doesn’t initially turn on many of the features one might eventually want, it does do some automated configuration that a) takes some of the nitty-gritty hassle out of setup, and b) seems to make AFP work right!

After you’ve done Simple, you can config and test the basic features using the new Server Preferences, and then eventually go into Server Admin and Workgroup Manager to get more detailed.

Now, admittedly, the AFP bug is still a stupid thing for Apple not to have fixed yet, or provided a kbase article to solve. And the solution I’ve just described might not work for every environment. But I was at least heartened that AFP will in fact work on 10.5 Server, and I got to glean some Apple-sanctioned configurations for other services, too.

MacBook Air hacked in under 2 minutes

jjmarcus — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:39:00 +0000

Mark wrote:

Interesting…

http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_002570DE00740E188825741A001037EB.html?nl=tech&emc=techa1

This is an important cautionary tale, and one that has always applied: One should assume that if someone can lay their hands on your computer, they can get at your data.

Airport Express is now Extreme!

jjmarcus — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:55:00 +0000

Finally, Apple has put the faster 802.11n in the Airport Express, so
now you can mix an AXP into your Extreme network for AirTunes and not
reduce the speed of your network.

New iPhone plan: UNLIMITED minutes, text, & data

jjmarcus — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:20:00 +0000

$140/month! I just saved $720 a year!

Blogged from my iPhone

Transferring files from PC to Mac

jjmarcus — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:16:00 +0000

I want to do a quick Word file backup on my wife’s PC. Can I use a DVD? – Thanks, JW

You sure can, JW. I don’t know what DVD burning software you have on the PC, but it should be easy enough.

For what it’s worth, however, several slightly easier, and perhaps cheaper, ways to do this are:

~ Email those files to your Mac.

~ Use a flash drive (also called thumb drive, RAM stick, memory stick), which might be cheaper in the long run if you plan to do a lot of this.

~ Turn File Sharing on on the Mac and just drag the files across your home network.

Please call me for any additional explanation on that one, or here’s one quick explanation on the web.

Here’s a longer one.

Then, backing those files up, to a DVD or exteral hard drive is, like everything else on the Mac, easier to explain.

Videos on tech "in Plain English"

jjmarcus — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:08:00 +0000

Love this: Common Craft has created videos to explain things like RSS & Twitter to non-techophiles. I’ve tried my explanations, almost entirely unsuccessfully, so these will come in handy!

Forget FTP

jjmarcus — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 15:13:00 +0000

Following up on the question about FTP software: I just listened to net@night, when they interviewed the creators of Drop.io, a nifty new web-based file-sharing service. It’s impressive. Some of the cool benefits & features:

~ free! ~ very simple ~ requires no sign-up, no login, and thus no personal information is collected ~ you can send in files via the web, email, SMS, by phoning in an audio message, or even with a free fax number anyone can use to fax a doc into your box ~ free conference calls ???

Thought y’all who were needing FTP might want to check this out. Graphic designers can of course use this to share proofs … you get the picture.

100MB is free, and you can upgrade to 1GB for a tiny $10 a year.

Pogue on "How Dangerous Is the Internet for Children?"

jjmarcus — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:33:00 +0000

People ask me about parental controls from time to time, and while the new Leopard has better ones than previous Mac systems, my answer remains the same: “If you need it, then you probably have bigger problems than the internet.”

David Pogue recently cast a really good look at the subject. He also references a PBS documentary. All parents should probably take a look at both.