Mac Tweak

OK, so Steve Jobs has been on a real Anti-Flash crusade for a couple of years now, at least since the release of the first iPhone. But although a web without Flash might be a good thing it hasn't arrived yet. There are still many pages that depend heavily on Flash and without it the page may be rendered useless. But most of the time Flash is used for annoying pup-up ads and for features of a web page you may not be interested in using. This slows down your internet connection unnecessarily and wasts download bandwidth. according to Apple, Flash is also the most common cause of crashes on the Mac.

So wouldn't it be great if you could block Flash from loading and only enable it when you needed it, and only for the specific features of the page you wanted to use, leaving the ads blocked? Well the great news is you can. There are ad-ons available for both Safari and Firefox that allow you to block Flash content. They will even add a place holder on the page where the Flash content is located such as a video or page menu and allow you to enable the Flash content simply by clicking on it.

All you need to do is download and install the plugin below for your specific browser and you'll only have to deal with Flash when absolutely necessary.



ClickToFlash (Safari)




Flashblock (Firefox)

After much searching and many failed attempts I have finally found a way to watch Hulu and all the U.S. Joost content from outside the U.S. It didn't slow down my internet connection so everything still plays really well. Hulu had a few problems keeping up but Joost worked just great!!!

Here's what you'll need to do:


1. Download and install Hotspot Shield.

2. Once installed a Small shield icon will be displayed in your menu bar. Click on it and select connect.

3. Your web browser will open and show you the status of your connection. Once connected you can go to Hulu.com or quit your web browser to free up bandwidth and open Joost.

4. You should now have access to Hulu and all the U.S. Joost channels. To view Joost channels available in your country but not the U.S. you will need to disconnect from Hotspot Shield.

Hope this was helpful and if you have any questions just leave me a comment.

There is a lot of buzz on the net these days about P2P TV and what it will mean for the future of Television. There is a growing number of P2P TV applications out there but trying to find one for the Mac seemed all but impossible.

After spending a few days searching I discovered a program called Joost. It is still in its beta phase at the moment but it's a program with a lot of potential. It's from the creators of Skype and Kazaa and it's the only P2P TV application designed to work natively on the Mac.

Unlike other P2P programs Joost licenses content from networks and video creators and allows you to watch what you want when you want, it doesn't simply stream regular live TV stations. There's not a lot of content yet though and if your wanting a P2P TV client that will allow you to stream live sporting events then this is not your answer.

The only way you can use the traditional P2P TV applications on your Mac is by running the Windows version. But if you don't have Parallels and you don't want to use Bootcamp to install XP then there is a solution! It's called Cross Over.

By using Cross Over it is possible to run certain Windows Applications on your Intel based Mac without the need for a copy of windows to be installed. And luckily one of the applications you can run is Sopcast a P2P TV application. It's a little tricky to do so here is a detailed explanation of the steps required to get it to work:

1. First you will need to download and install Cross Over.

2. After you install and open Cross Over you will need to select the "Cross Over Software Installer" from the dialog box that opens up.

3. You will then need to install Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 from the Software Package list. Cross Over should automate the installation of this program so this step is fairly easy.

4. Now the tricky part. You will need to download Media Player 7 and 9 from the Microsoft Website. It's easiest to do this by using the Windows version of Internet explorer that you have just installed and searching for the files "mp71.exe" and "MPSetup.exe" on microsoft.com

5. Go back into the Crossover Software Installer and Select the "Install Unsupported Software" button. Make sure you install the applications in the win98 bottle that was created when you installed IE6. Start by Installing Media Player 7 and then Media Player 9.

6. Next you will need to download and install the Windows version of Sopcast. Make sure you also install this into the previously created win98 bottle. The version of Sopcast I used was 2.0.4 but I assume any newer versions will also work.

7. Next you will need to open Sopcast and try and play a stream. It won't work because you need a codec, so while it is trying to play click on the second button from the left of the play button. This will open windows media player and prompt you to download a codec. Follow the steps to install the codec and hopefully once this is done it will all be working!

Of course some Sopcast streams say they require you to use VLC instead of Media Player. Instead of using VLC though it's best to use the Mac version of MPlayer as VLC will drop out every 10 - 15 seconds (Thanks to Paul O for pointing this out). Here's wht you'll need to do.

1. Download and install the Mac version of MPlayer.

2. Open up the stream in Sopcast (It will buffer and say it's playing but there will be no video or audio).

3. Next open MPlayer and choose Preferences, under miscellaneous, click use cache.

4. Next, select open location: enter "mms://127.0.0.1:8902" (if 8902 doesn't work, try 8903 or 8912). It could take a little while to buffer but once that's done it should play without a hitch.


If your wanting to watch live sports on Sopcast you may want to check out THIS website as the built in directory on Sopcast is very limited.

I will update this post as I find better ways of doing this and hopefully include some pictures to help make it easier to understand. Let me know if anyone has trouble getting this to work.

I love being able to play video files in Front Row while sitting on my couch using the Apple remote, it's the closest thing I have to Apple TV. The only problem is that because Front Row only plays files that Quicktime is capable of, it's not always possible to play the video files I have stored on my computer as many of them are DivX. But there is of course a solution.

DivX for Mac is a codec that allows quicktime to play any DivX file, and thus allows Front Row to do the same. All you have to do is download the codec from www.divx.com and install it. Once I did this I was able to play DivX files using quicktime, I had to restart my computer before it worked in Front Row so don't panic if it's not working for you straight away.

I was really surpised by the fact that even though iTunes has a large directory of streaming radio stations, there is no radio feature built into Front Row. One of the best things about my MacBook is that I can plug it into my TV and use my Apple remote to watch DVD's Podcast and music without having to leave my Couch. So why is it that I can't listen to the radio? Hopefully Apple will remedy this in the future but for now there is a way to work around it.

All you have to do is open up iTunes, create a playlist called "Radio" or a name of your choice and add your favorite radio stations to this playlist. You will then be able to access these radio stations in Front Row by going to: Music / Playlist / Radio.

Not an ideal fix but it works.

Check out my new blog about "Viral Videos" @: www.because-we-can.blogspot.com

I have decided to focus mostly on this new blog as this one doesn't have many readers.

Check out this video. If you think you can make something just as cool using mentos you could win cool prizes. Just check out the ad at the end of the video for more info!

Here's a list of all the coolest open source software I could find. For all those people who don't want to or just can't afford to pay for Software! But if you can afford to donate a bit of change to help them out I would strongly encourage it.

AbiWord
Word processing software simmilar to NeoOffice but without all the other programs.

Acqlite
Gnutella file shareing app with no spyware or ads.

Adium
This is one of the best IM programs out there. Allowes you to connect to multiple servers including AOL, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ and more.

Armagetron Advanced
A 3D Game modeled off the Movie tron.

Audacity
A simple sound recording and editing program.

Blender
3D modeling Software.

Camino
Web browser similar to Firefox but designed only for the Mac. It's agreat browser but Firefox is still my Favorite.

Cashbox
Personal Finance managing program with some of the same features as Quicken.

CenterStage
Turn your Mac into a Media Center that you can connect to your TV. You'll need at least a G4/G5 processor. and OS X 10.4. I think this would be a great program if you had a Mac Mini but I haven't had the chance to try it on one yet.

Celestia
3D Planetarium software that recreates the experience of traveling through space.

Colloquy
This is a really cool IRC client.

Cube
First person shooter game.

CyberDuck
FTP and SFTP file browser for the Mac.

Democracy Internet TV Player
Built in Channel Guide with over 300 channels. Whatch video from Podcasts, RSS Feeds, Blogs, Web sites and more! All in full screen.

Firefox
Honestly the best web browser I've found for the Mac (or even that other opperating system). Includes Tab browsing, plugins and support for almost all websites (including secure bank sites).

FreeMind
Really cool note taking/mind mapping program.

Gimp.App
An easy to install and use Image and Photo editing program simmilar to Photoshop. I love this program!

HandBrake
DVD Ripping software that also converts into MPEG-4 and other video formats.

iPod Disk
iPod Riipping software that lets you get music off your iPod just like a regular disk drive.

Inkscape
Vector Graphics editing program simmilar to Illustrator and CorelDraw.

Jomic
This program alowes you to read online comic books from comic book archives.

Juice
Listen to your Podcasts when you want.

MPlayer
Play all the media file types you want in one media player.

NeoOffice
This office suite has everything you need including word proccesing and spreadsheets. IT's compatible with Word and OpenDocument file formats.

NVU
Web Site creating program simmilar to Dreamweaver.

Open Song
This is a great alternative to using Keynotes or Powerpoint to display songs in your Church, School etc... It allowes you to select different backgrounds and display Bible verses. I use this program all the time and I highly recomend it.

RSSOwl
This is a great cross platform RSS/Atom reader. If you use multiple Operating Systems but want to use the same RSS reader then this is the one for you!

Senuti
iPod Ripping software.

Smultron
Text/HTML editor.

Stepmania
Dance Dance revolution clone. You can play this game using a keyboard but you will need a dance pad to really enjoy it.

Thunderbird
This Email app is from the creators of Firefox and will meet any expectations you have as a result. It has great Spam Filtering and you can even customize the look and feel to suite your needs.

Transmission
BitTorrent program with an easy user interface.

Vienna
Great RSS/Atom feed reader.

VLC
Media player that will play more file formats than Quicktime.

The Widgets on this list mostly have links to the devlopers site. This is so that you can download the most current version and find other Widgets by the same developer. If you know of any other cool Widgets for OS X that I should have on here just add a comment to this Post.

Air Traffic Control
This widget enables you to scan the area for wireless networks, store network passwords in your keychain, Sort networks by feature and view current connection

Allrecipes.com
Easily search allrecipes site easily and get the recipe delivered straight to your dashboard.

Apple Hot News Widget
Shows you all the latest news and gossip happening at Apple. Automatically updates whenever there is new news.

DashCook
Choose a dish/cuisine (Entree, Dessert, Indian, Vegitarian, French) and have a daily recipe delivered straight to your dasboard. It also includes a search feature.

D.I.Y. Widget
Get building and home repaire tips on your dashboard. Need to fix something around the house? Then use the built in search feature to find out how.

Google Dashboard Widgets
Google has released 3 widgets. Google search, Gmail and Blogger. If you use any of these 3 Google services on a regular basis then these widgets are for you!

Google Top Rank
Automatically opens the site on Googles top ranked search result for your query.

Green Thumb Widget
Get Gardiening tips, Landscaping ideas direct to your dashboard. Also has a search feature if you have a specific question.

Hollywood Widget
Choose your RSS feed provider and get all the latest Hollywood gossip. You can also search Google news for the latest stories.

iStat Nano
Displays system information about your Mac such as memory usage, hard drives, IP and external IP, bandwidth, CPU temperature, battery, uptime and the top four processes.

Lyric Tracker
Find the words to that song you just can't remember. No longer will you just have to hum in the gaps.

NASA Widget
Choose from several NASA RSS feeds and have them delivered right to your dashboard.

Pixel Widget
There's no real point to this Widget other than being able to say you have a Widget the size of a single Pixle.

Pizza Hut Widget
Finds the nearest Pizza Hut to you. Then gives you the directions to get there and the phone number to order delivery.

Quick Time Full Screen
Enables you to watch QuickTime movies in full screen. There's no need to upgrade to the Pro version unless you want all the other cool features t comes with.

Radar In Motion
With this widget you can view animated weather maps from around the world. Learn to predict the weather like a pro and your on your way to being the next local weather reporter!

SMS Widget
With this widget you can send text messages for FREE!!! Works with most US and Canadian phone carriers as well as some in Europe.

Sudoku Widget
If you haven't heard of this latest craze then maybe you've been living in a cave. This game which originated in Japan has taken the world by storm. It may even be more popular than the crossword puzzle.

TV Tracker
Get TV listings on your dashboard with this cool widget. Search by Zipcode or by specific channel.

Whoisdget
Find out who ownes a specific domain name or if it is still available.

Widget Creator
If you want to start creating your own widgets then you'll need this program. Suitable for begginer to advanced users.

Wikipedia Widget
A Dashboard widget for browsing Wikipedia. Search for articles and view them right from the Dashboard, complete with pictures and links.

OK, so Apple seems to bring out new iPods fairly frequently. But it's been a few months now since anything new has made it on the market. I was just wondering if anyone has heard any rumors as to what the next iPod might be? I know that Linux on the iPod has become quite popular for playing games and I'm betting it's only a matter of time before the iPod comes with it's own"Portable Version" of OS X. I think it would be great to have a video iPod that you could not only store your documents on, but even open them and edit them! Let me know what you think the next iPod is going to look like.

I was just wanting to know if there are any Mac clubs around that are looking for more members. If so I am thinking of putting a new section on my Blog for them. So if you know of any Mac Clubs or user groups that you think people should join just post a comment on this post.

So I'm sure every one has heard about the new Macs powered by intel and Apple's claim that some (such as the Mac Mini) are 4 times faster than the original. But I was reading a review in Mac Addict yesterday that claimed their benchmark tests proved that this wasn't the case. They addmited that their was a significant speed increase, but nothing like 4x faster. If this is true why would Apple be trying to deceive us? If their only 2x faster then just advertise that! The Mac Mini is and Mac Book Pro are still amazing machienes!

Mac Tweak Tutorials
Watch Hulu and US Joost content anywhere!!!
Install Sopcast on a Mac using CrossOver
Play DivX Files in Front Row and Quicktime
Play Radio Stations in Front Row

Mac Tweak Video Tutorials
(comming soon!!)

Non Mac Tweak Tutorials
(comming soon!)

Non Mac Tweak Video Tutorials
Convert DVDs to iPod Video
How to open a Mac Mini
Mac tips from the TV show "Screen Savers"

Mac Tweak Tutorials
(Comming Soon!!)

non-Mac Tweak Tutorials
Convert DVDs to iPod Video
How to open a Mac Mini
Mac tips from the TV show "Screen Savers"

Apple Commercials
Oliver Stone - "Think Differently" (1985)
Apple Networking Commercial (1983)
iPod Nano Commercial
iPod + iTunes Commercial
iPod Shuffle
Apple Superbowl Commercial (1984)
Intel/Mac Commercial

Funny Videos
Microsoft redesigns iPod packaging

Top 10
Freeware/Shareware
Widgets

List All
Shareware/Freeware
Widgets
Open Source

It's a bit hard to read the text on this video but you get the idea.