The Worm Speaketh

Other than the occasional sports event I don't watch TV, but what I do watch is YouTube. To feed my Mac obsession every so often I do a search titled "What's on my dock." I truly enjoy seeing how other enthusiasts have organized their OS X dock and I always get an idea or two for new software.

My most recent discovery from watching a "What's on my dock" video is a utility called Window Tidy. Now, I have two 27" monitors, and I find that I'm most efficient when I have all the software I use regularly open in front of me. Window Tidy works by allowing you to "preset" sizes and locations for different windows. When you select a window the preset sizes appear on the screen -- just drag to the one you'd like. Viola! The window is immediately sized and placed where you want it.

If you prefer, you can assign keyboard shortcuts to various layouts. Plus, there is a "Quick Layout" feature for using a temporary layout.

During my workday, I like to keep six programs open that I use constantly. It used to take a lot of time each morning to position my windows just right, but now I can do it in a jiffy with this utility. The cost is $7.99 and you can watch a demo video by clicking HERE.

I'm obsessed with computer organization, maintenance, and backups. So, here's how I roll:

Projects Folder I organize all of my work by projects, so I created a "Projects" folder within my "Documents" folder. I then dragged the folder in my sidebar. Things that are static, like clipart or letter templates, do into "Documents." Anything that involves ongoing work, like making a website, goes into "Projects."

Weekly Maintenance Here is my weekend ritual: - Download all iPhone 5S updates and sync. - Two SuperDuper clone backups on different external hard drives, in different parts of my house. - Run CleanMyMac2 - Run "Repair Permissions" in Disk Utility - Run TechTool Pro.

Software Backup - I have a folder in "Documents" that contains all the software I download, still keeping them as DMG files. I put copies of any receipt, email confirmation, etc... in the folder. - I then immediately go to the "Software Licenses" section of 1Password and enter the license number and as many details as I can, such as the email I registered under, invoice, number, company contact, info, etc...

Last week I started a series on the incredible TechTool Pro 7, which retails for $99 and can be purchased from Micromat Inc. This week I'll begin talking about the tools.

Now, the most important tool is TechTool Protections, and you need to turn that baby on. Why? It's better to catch a problem ahead of time than to take the risk of losing something during data recovery. There are several components to TechTool Protection: Volume Usage lets you know when one of your drives has less than 15% of free space. This is a handy feature because many computer problems are simply the result of nearly full hard drives. The protection feature also makes regular directory backups. This is another great feature because if your directory is damaged during a catastrophic drive failure you have a better chance of recovery.

Trash History gives you a "second chance" if you've emptied the trash and decided that was a bad idea. You can still retrieve the file, provided that something else didn't write over it. SMART Check keeps a regular eye on your drive's SMART registry to ensure that things aren't going amok. If signs of trouble develop, you'll get an alert. You can configure the system to send you an email if any of the aforementioned tools discover trouble. So, while you're vacationing in Cancun, you can get an email saying that your hard drive at home is frying.

The next tool I shall discuss is eDrive, which allows you to create an emergency startup partition containing TechTool Pro on one of your hard drives. The system creates a new partition WITHOUT reformatting the complete drive. Now, I'm not so sure I need eDrive since I make two clone backups each week using SuperDuper. But what the heck -- it would be just one more safety feature, so I am going to try it. Should my normal startup volume ever become corrupted, I know that eDrive will boot me up, and then get me to TechTool so that I can start doing diagnostics and repairs.

Next, let's talk about the Volume Rebuild tool. Volume structures are like big trees and sometimes the branches get lopsided, causing overly complicated data structures and reduced performance. You can increase efficiency by running Volume Rebuild, which creates new structures from scratch. And, of course, if your volume structures are corrupted, this tool can save the day.

Alright, I've rambled enough for this week but there are more tools ahead. I will end my column by stressing the importance of backups. Before you start going crazy with TechTool make sure you've made two clone backups of your hard drive, using either SuperDuper, Carbon Copy Cloner, or Carbonite. With any of these tests it's always possible for things to go horribly wrong, and when they do you must be prepared.

After lusting over the ads for many years I finally broke down, forked out $99, and purchasedTechTool Pro 7. I justified the cost by saying, "That's simply a month worth of Starbucks." Okay, maybe a week.

One reason I bought the software is because people occasionally ask me questions about it, like, "My computer is smoking and making a clunking sound, will TechTool Pro help?"

Unlike my beloved CleanMyMac 2, the software doesn't clean. And unlike DiskWarrior, it doesn't just repair drives. Rather, TechTools is a suite of tests, tools, and reports. I'm so enamored with this program that I'm going to spend the next few columns talking about it.

I know the first question you'll ask is, "Why do I need it?" I wanted it because I've become obsessive compulsive about computer health and running CleanMyMac and repairing permissions each week just wasn't enough high. I needed Nirvana. Now, I run the complete suite of tests twice a month and I have peace knowing that my 4-year-old iMac is in optimal health. These tests include a "deep" memory check, surface scan, SMART check, volume structures, file structures, and video memory. Perhaps the most important test is the SMART Check, which checks the parameters of your hard drive and detects error messages. If your SMART results fail that means a drive failure is imminent. TechTool can give you an early warning of problems and save the day.

Next week I'll talk about Tools, but for now I wanted to share an amazing bonus surprise — the manual! The manual is written in easy-to-understand language and contains numerous colorful images. What thrilled me is that TechTool is more than just testing your computer, it's a learning experience. By reading the manual you'll learn how to narrow down and diagnose computer problems. In effect, you'll become a computer tech. Suddenly, you'll get dates and your mother will start talking to you again.

Reading the manual first also helps you to better interpret, understand, and respond to your test results. For instance, you may not know that bad RAM can cause strange problems that you may otherwise attribute to software or the hard drive.

My favorite part of the manual was learning how a hard drive manages bad blocks, which are actually physical problems on the drive. I learned that most hard drives do have a few bad blocks, which are mapped out at the factory. Occasionally, during the life of your drive a good block will go bad (peer pressure, no doubt.) If you do find a bad block on your hard drive you will need to do a low level reinitialization, using Apple's Disk Utility. You should then run TechTool's Surface Scan a few times to ensure that all is well. If you find that new bad blocks are developing that's a sign of a dying drive and you should consider replacement.

Image Capture is a cool utility that resides in your Utilities folder. I always knew it was there but didn't appreciate its greatness until I saw an article about it in Macworld.

I love this utility because it fires up much faster than iPhoto and it allows me to do a variety of housekeeping chores. Now, I don't know about you, but many of the photos I take are just for temporary reference and they are not something I want in iPhoto. I think of Image Capture as, well, purgatory, or triage, or pre-filtering. It allows you to manage photos before going to iPhoto in a far more nimble environment.

To make Image Capture your default application for managing your iPhone or iPad pictures open up iPhoto, go to Preferences, and then General. Where it says, "Connecting Camera Opens" choose "Image Capture."

With Image Capture you can view all the photos on your tablet or phone and then decide what to do with them. You can Preview, Delete, send to iPhoto, email them, or send to a specific folder. You can also rotate them using the arrow command at the bottom left of the dialogue box. In addition, you can pick and choose which photos you'd like to import by selecting an image, right clicking, and then selecting "Import."

But, wait, there's more. Use the slider at left to enlarge the image for a quick preview. Oh, and there is a surprise, bonus feature. You can change the default import option on your iPhone or iPad by clicking on the other little arrow at far left and you can make Image Capture your default photo app there, and you can also change the settings to automatically delete a photo after import.

Virtualization - Running Windows on a Mac

I will jump ahead and say that I'm excited about Tom Baley's April presentation on virtualization. One of my secret joys in life is getting other operating systems and examining them. I purchased the OEM versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8 and run them on Parallels. I then study them like captured greys in Area 51. This bizarre obsession paid off last week when I was working at a conference. I was able to help an exhibitor get his display working on Windows 7 by playing with the display wizard, wiggling cables, and bopping the monitor on the side a few times. Then I was able to help a board member print from a flash drive, via his Windows 8.1 laptop. He was amazed that there was a feature called "Eject." "I would have simply just pulled it out," he said. I showed him how to hit the eject selection and wait for the message, "It is now safe to remove your device." He smiled, slapped me on the back, and said, "You're going places, son." 

Anyway, there are several other ways to run Windows on your Mac, including VMware Fusion, Boot Camp, VirtualBox, and CrossOver. I have no particular loyalty to Parallels other than having used it since the early versions in 2007. In those days it was slow as molasses, but with the last few versions I don't even notice any performance hit. 

$49 Roku Streaming Stick Comes Out In April

It looks like little Roku is getting in a good swing at Google with a little device that comes out next month. For $49 you can buy a small stick that plugs into your TV's HDMI port. It competes with Google Chromecast and Apple TV. The devices comes with its own remote and will carry more online services than the Google device. Some of these services include Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, Amazon Instant Video, and VUDU. And you'll be able to stream from your tablet or smart phone. So, for just $15 or so dollars more than the Chromecast you get the wand, more features, and many more services. Plus, it's purple and cool looking, which will really impress the maid when she's dusting behind your TV. To learn more about this stick and to see a full list of services, visit the Roku website. 

At our February general meeting we had a lively discussion on Google Chromecast, which is a dongle that plugs into the back of your TV set. As I was driving home I thought about the old, spare monitor that I have in my bedroom. "What if Chromecast would work on my monitor? That would be so much nicer than watching programs on my iPhone every night."

For Chromecast to work you need two things — an HDMI port for the dongle and a USB port to provide power, or a nearby electrical outlet. Sure enough, hidden behind the base of my monitor was an HDMI port.

The next part of my mission was to purchase the device. It was late and I knew most places would be closed, but how about Wal-Mart? I went to the nearest store at nearly 10 p.m. The store was empty and surreal. The electronics section was dusty and merchandise was in disarray — it reminded me of the last days of CompUSA. Aisle after aisle I walked past assorted electronic gear, ripped boxes, lost children, and a few stray Johnny Cash CDs. Right when I was about to give up I found the Chromecast next to some mutilated Roku boxes. After sifting through the stray wires and empty popcorn bags I slowly lifted the box off the shelf and into the air with both hands. "YES," I said out loud, and carefully caressed my merchandise as my shout echoed to the far corners of the store.

I immediately paid the $35 and sped home. Now, was it going to work with a monitor or did it need a TV? I plugged the device into the back of my display, hooked up the power via a USB cable, and sat back. Once I turned on the monitor it made a few crackling sounds and I started smelling burnt dust and fried bugs, but then, all of a sudden, the Chromecast start screen appeared.

The next step was to install the Chromecast app on my iPhone. The Chromecast app serves as an overlay between your favorite media apps and the device. Right now, Chromecast supports six popular services, including Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, and HBO Go. You can operate it from from any iOS or Android device, and, in fact, your smartphone becomes the control wand. In addition, there is an extension for the Chrome Browser that allows you to beam content from your browser to your display.

Okay, I know that some of you are saying, "Apple TV and AirPlay already sort of does all this." But I can't afford a $99 Apple TV for every room in my house. Plus, Chromecast has a powerful advantage. Once you get a video, show, or movie started on your display, Chromecast will then get its feed directly from the source, instead of using up the processing power on your smart phone, tablet, or laptop.

To work, Chromecast will need to access your home wi-fi network. It will apparently work on any TV or computer monitor that supports HDMI.

Now, I can enjoy YouTube and Netflix every night on my big screen, instead of my iPhone. The only negative I've found is that adjusting the sound is clunky. The volume buttons on the side of my iPhone, the iPhone's sound bar, and the app's software sound controls seem to all be at war with one another. After some fidgeting I can eventually get the volume control to work. I know there's a trick to it, which I will hopefully figure out.

If you surf the web you'll see a variety of hacks available for the Chromecast, which will stretch the capabilities of the device. For instance, using your Chrome browser there is a way to beam any videos on your laptop to the big screen.

In recent months I've had several of my Mac-owner friends ask, "My computer is running slow, what should I do?"

Tips

Well, here are my famous tips:

1) Go outside and make sure a giant obelisk craft is not hovering above your house.

2) Shut down all programs and turn your computer completely off. Count to 30. During this time, reflect on all the mistakes you've made in your life. Then reboot. It's amazing how many people never shut down their computers.

3) Check your hard drive space. In the old days you could use the utility called Activity Monitor to check your drives, but Apple re-wrote it for Mavericks and downgraded it to uselessness. To see available space you now need to go to "About This Mac," then "More Info" then click the "Storage" icon at the top. Recommendations vary, but my rule of thumb is to keep at least 10-15% of my drives empty at all time, to allow for disk swapping.

4) Check for misbehaving programs. Go to the Activity Monitor and click on "CPU" and "Memory" to make sure no one program is dominating your memory and causing problems. This procedure works with both the old Activity Monitor and the awful one that comes with Mavericks.

Recommendations

1) Adding more RAM is always a winner. It's like feeding warm oatmeal to a baby. Once installed your machine will coo.

2) Add a larger hard drive. The company OWC (Other World Computing) has some great kits for upgrading Mac hard drives.

3) I encourage everyone to use the latest operating system that will run on your machine, and make sure you've installed all the updates. While you're at it you may want to "cleanse" your machine with a clean install, but make sure you are completely backed up first.

Warning

Okay, after saying, "My computer is running slow," the second question folks ask me is, "Should I buy MacKeeper?" My answer is NO, NO, NO!!!!!! MacKeeper probably resonates with people because they heavily advertise on the Internet. I will just say that I am deeply suspicious of the product and feel that is deeply invasive malware. For more information, there is a good article on this topic in the Apple Forums.

When not reading Justin Beiber tweets or reverse engineering string theory, the thing I like most is seeing how other users organize their computers and the software they use. Here are some cool tips:

Dock Tours Go to YouTube and in the search field type, "What's on my dock." You will then see several dozen videos of geeks showing what's on their dock.

Desktop Tour Type in "What's on my desktop" and you'll be treated to more desktop tours. Some of these are PC tours, which you can view to appreciate how much better your life is.

Room Tour In the search field enter "room tour" and you will see how teenage girls decorate their rooms. So, enter "mac room tour" for better results. These videos will give you ideas on how to set up your computer room, which is something every AMUG member has (sometimes they are hidden behind secret panels).

Setup Interviews My latest discovery is the website usesthis.com, which spotlights various professionals and shows how they organize their work, mainly on the computer, and mainly using Macs. Each interview has tags, so hit the "Mac" tag to find Macintosh users. Interviewers are asked three great questions: What hardware do you use, what software do you use, and what is your dream setup. Already, I've gotten a handful of great ideas from this website and learned about some new software. It is truly addictive.

Just when I thought I would earn respect in the Apple fan community by ordering a Mac Pro it was made clear to me that that wasn't enough — I'd have to get a 4K monitor to go with it. In fact, the Mac Pro supports three 4K displays.

As you know, Apple has not rolled out a standalone display since the Thunderbolt Display in 2011. So, to be cool, and I mean to be Tom Rector level cool, you will need to purchase a third-party 4K display. I am now wondering if Apple is getting out of the display business altogether or just behind in updating their display technology. There are a handful of 4K models on the market, and the one that makes me salivate the most is the ASUS 31.5" display. Cost: $2,767.

The Technical Stuff

4K is also known as Ultra HD, and features a resolution of 3840 x 2160. The term "4K" comes from the number of horizontal pixels. Note that this terminology is different from FULL HD displays, also known as 1080p, which counts the pixels vertically.

If you happen to get a rush from pixels, you will love 4K, since, when you do the math, that comes to 8.3 million pixels, as opposed to just over 2 million in a conventional HD display. When your fanboy and fangirl friends come over for wine and cheese, you can show them your 8.3 million pixels and you will be respected.

Things To Know

Before you run out and buy three 4K displays for your Mac Pro I highly recommend that you read Apple's technical bulletin on this topic. Note that right now the new Mac Pro supports the Sharp PN-K321 and ASUS PQ321Q displays. However, you will need a Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable or a High-Speed HDMI cable to connect to your Mac Pro. Note that these displays default to 30 Hz (instead of 60 Hz) and need to be manually configured to 60 Hz using the display's built-in controls.

Last week I showed how to run old programs in the 2000-2007 era (PowerPC & Rosetta). But what if you want to go back further in time, to the 1994-2000 range? 

In my last column we talked about virtualization by running OS X Leopard Server under Parallels. Now, it's time to install an emulator. The emulator of choice for 1994 to 2000 is SheepShaver, which will run software requiring MacOS versions 8.1 to 9.0.4. Since SheepSaver isn't updated for Mavericks yet I have to run it within my Leopard Server installation. Now, that's pretty cool -- I'm running an emulator inside my virtualized operating system. It's sort of like a reality within a reality.

When following the instructions below, please follow everything exactly or you may turn the Universe back into an atom:

1) Go to Emaculation.com and download the latest version of Sheepsaver.

2) Now, go to Redundantrobot.com and download two files: 1) The New World PPC Rom and the Mac OS 9 Boot Image.

3) Now, go to YouTube and follow this excellent tutorial -- Sheep Shaver Tutorial for Mac. Follow the instructions precisely, including the exact spelling of the names.

By downloading the three files above and following the video tutorial, you will have Mac OS 9.0 running in no time at all. 

Going Back Even Further...

If you want to run programs in the 1991 to 1996 range you need an emulator called Basilisk II, which supports MacOS versions 7 to 8.1. To go back ti the 1980s you'll need yet another emulator called Mini vMac, which can run systems 1 to 7.5.5.

Now, you don't ever have to worry about a new Apple operating system making your software obsolete again. I suspect software companies secretly like obsolescence, but now you're the one in control. Plus, if you enjoy some of the old classic games that you find relaxing, now you can play them again. Macintosh Gardenshas a huge library of old software call abandonware. Enjoy!

With the release of Lion in 2011 we saw the end of Rosetta, which is a binary translator that allowed old PowerPC applications to run on Intel chips. For those of us who enjoy old programs there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth when Lion rolled out.

But fear not, for Parallels created a magical way to access your old programs. Many people think of Parallels as a way of running the Microsoft Windows operating systems, but the application also runs Linux AND it runs two old OS X versions — Leopard Server and Snow Leopard Server. Parallels can only run the server editions of these two environments because of the fine print in Apple's licensing agreement.

So, here's what you do:

1) For best performance, make sure you have the latest edition of Parallels, which is version 9.

2) Obtain a copy of Leopard Server or Snow Leopard Server. You can purchases these pretty cheap on Amazon or eBay, or you may have a friend who has a copy.

3) Download Parallels' tech bulletin that gives you step-by-step instructions. You simply need to add one string of code in Parallels' hardware settings.

4) Once the operating system is installed you'll need to install a combo pack to get your system to the last version. For Leopard Server, the final version was 10.5.8.

5) You'll then need to run Software Update several times to get other various updates and all the security patches. When Software Update says you are "up to date," you are done.

6) Next, install Parallels Tools, which vastly improves your video, allows you to drag-and-drop between operating systems, and gives you other features as well.

7) Now, you can start installing your old PowerPC programs, and you should be able to run most programs created in the 2000-2007 era.

Turn Your iPhone Into A Flash Drive

There's nothing worse than having spare space on my drives — after all, isn't it just being wasted. It is with this philosophy that I consternated for days on how to use my 32 GB of memory on my new iPhone 5S. I usually lay in bed worrying about a meteorite coming through the ceiling, but this was far worse. One sleepless night it occurred to me that my iPhone, in addition to all the other things it does, could also become my primary flash drive. In that way, I wouldn't always have to keep track with those little USB drives, which I am constantly losing (I believe my cat hides them under the couch).

So, I began to search for a solution in the iTunes store. In no time at all I found a variety of apps suited for the task. My first choice was USB Flash Drive Pro, but quickly found a fatal flow — it does not support folders. That's a big problem when you want your iPhone to hold hundreds of files. The next step in my journey was to read the various forums and get some recommendations. Before long, I stumbled on what appears to be the ultimate, super-powered storage app for the iPhone and iPad — it's called Documents by Readdle.

This amazing, free app is truly the kitchen sink. It not only supports folders but it supports and reads a wide variety of formats, including mp3, pdf, zip, jpg, png, txt, and pages. Plus, you can annotate PDFs and edit text files. For media, you can play videos and music, and view pictures.

But, wait, there's more -- you can sync with Dropbox and iCloud, you can capture items from web pages and email attachments, and you can transfer files by Wi-Fi or USB. My preferred way to transfer documents is through iTunes, by going through Apps and then File Sharing. My only complaint is that getting files from your Mac to your iPhone or iPad is clunky. You must first create the folder using your iPhone or iPad, then you must drag your document into File Sharing, and then use your app to get it into the folder. These steps are necessary because the File Sharing feature in iTunes is rather primitive -- you can simply drag documents in or copies of them out, and that's about it.

RSS Reader

I always love it when AMUG members ask me questions. I recently received this question: "What RSS reader do you recommend?"

Yippie, I was so excited to get a question that I nearly fell out of my chair. So, first, let me explain what RSS is. Quite simply, RSS allows news to come to you, instead of you going to it. Better yet, you then use an aggregator to pick just the items you want.

Now, in my opinion, there are two kinds of content - blogs and news articles. For me, the best way for reading my favorite blogs and news articles is through the Google Search App. This app is full of powerful features, but today we are just going to talk about RSS.

So, to get your news through the Google Search App, you simply click on "Apps" then the "News" icon, and from there you can adjust the news feeds to your liking.

For blogs, there are a few more steps involved, but it works so wonderfully.

1) First, you'll need a Gmail account, and you'll need to create that from your desktop or laptop. Of course, you'll be selling your soul to corporate America, but what the heck, it's free.

2) Once you log into Gmail, click on the apps symbol (it's a square with nine dots). You'll see a page of apps. Click on "More."

3) Click on the Blogger app. You are encouraged to create a blog, but you don't have to. Instead, go down to "Reading List" and then "Add."

4) Add the blogs you like. The beautiful thing is that a) they DON'T have to be Blogger blogs, and b) you don't have to do any fancy RSS programming - just enter the URL of the blog you like.

5) Once you've added your favorite blogs go back to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and click on the "Google Search App" and then "Blogger."

Bingo! Like magic you'll see the latest entries of all your favorite blogs, plus the first paragraph or so of text, plus pictures!. I absolutely love this. I subscribe to 16 blogs and I enjoy reading them in bed using my iPhone.

I know there are many RSS aggregators in the app store, but I find Google's free apps to work the best.

Enjoy!

Some people don't like the fact that Parallels upgrades once a year and hits you with a $49 fee. It's almost like a subscription. Well, in their defense, both Windows and OS X are regularly upgrading, and this requires big Parallels upgrades. One of the cool things about Parallels is that it has built-in support for not only Windows versions, but also Ubuntu (Linux). After Jay Cann gave a mini presentation on Ubuntu I've been intrigued by it and installed it on my machine. I've enjoyed playing around with it and find it a nice operating system (and it's open source and FREE!). I recently learned about another Linux operating system called Elementary OS, which apparently even rivals OS X.

- Time Machine Secret - When Mountain Lion rolled out last year, one of the under-publicized features is Time Machine's ability to support multiple drives. If you go to Time Machine and want to select a second backup drive, there's no visible button for doing this. The way to do it is to simply choose "Select Backup Disk" again. Holy cow, it works! Now, Time Machine will rotate its backups between the two drives. Time Machine makes backups hourly, but only keeps the hourly backups for the past 24 hours, then it keeps a daily backup for the past month, and then a weekly backup is archived as far back as disk space allows. If you do ever need a backup, you need to read the small type to see which drive was backed up most recently, and then use that data. I recommend two Time Machine backups -- one can be to an external drive on your desk, but the other should be at another location, such as your Airport Extreme Time Capsule.

Efficiency Tips

I'm a big computer efficiency nut, and here are some of my favorite tips:

- Extra Screen - By far the best way to increase efficiency is more screen real estate. I've operated with two displays for years and couldn't function without the second one. I currently have a 27" iMac and a 27" Cinema Display. I use the Cinema Display as my main monitor and keep my mail program and whatever project I'm working on open. On my right display, I keep Chrome, Finder, and DEVONthink Pro open at all times. DEVONthink Pro is a powerful document manager that is ideal for managing a paperless office.

- Magic Trackpad - I love Apple's Magic Trackpad and I'm disappointed to see that it hasn't caught on more. I am left-handed and a little ambidextrous, so I keep my beloved Magic Mouse on the left of the keyboard and my trackpad on the right. I use the trackpad for scrolling, zooming, and flipping through photos in iPhoto. Plus, with the right motions I can quickly open Mission Control or Launch Pad. But, best of all, many programs now come in "Full Screen" mode, and with the Trackpad I can sweep my fingers across the pad to quickly move from one full screen app to the next. For instance, if I'm working on my website at work I use Parallels to see how my changes will look in Windows. So, I make a change on my site, and then sweep to Windows to see how it looks in Explorer. I keep a sheet of gesture commands on the wall next to my computer - clickHERE to download.

- TabLauncher - If I have many windows open there is no one quick way to pull the one I need to the front. I either have to find it in the dock or hit Command-Tab and cycle to the open app that I want. Both of these methods are time consuming. Instead, I use a utility called TabLauncher, which organizes frequently used applications and documents on the right side of my main screen. This utility is a great time saver, plus it saves a lot of wear on my wrist.