iSight, iChat, iGlasses & Chax

Q: What do all of these have in common?

A: [singing] “You can’t have one, without the -- oth-er.” [/singing]

Okay, technically you can, but in reality, you can’t. Here’s the low-down.

iSight is Apple’s superior webcam (which now comes standard in the monitors of the new iMacs and MacBooks). As good as it is (and damn, it’s good), you’ll need a few other things to make it work (better). Don’t worry; it’ll only set you back an extra $8.


iGlasses is the first thing you'll need. Why this doesn’t come with - or isn’t built into - the iSight software, I’ll never understand, but this $8 app is absolutely ESSENTIAL. As crisp as your iSight picture is, it’s still dark, so you’ll need to adjust the brightness. iGlasses has a ton of pre-sets that corrects the problem. Once installed, it automatically gets added to the Video toolbar in iChat… but we’ll get to that in a minute.

If you’re planning on chatting with others, you’ll need to sign up for a screen name at either AIM or .Mac. I’m cheap, so I opted for AIM (which is free) whereas a .Mac account, after a free 60 day trial, will set you back a whopping $100 per year(!) Yeah. Fuck.That.

After you have your screen name (if you opt for the AIM route, don't download the IM program, just sign-up for a screen name), open iChat and enter your screen name and password info (I think it actually prompts you for it when you first open iChat). After that’s done, add some buddies (i.e. contacts/people to talk to).

You’ll be pleased at first, but after a while, you’ll start asking questions, like:

“Why isn’t there an option for my video chat window to Always Be on Top?”

And:

“Why can’t I make custom away messages?”

The answer is – you can’t. Unless you download Chax – a free plug-in for iChat that lets you do all those things and more.

Want MORE from your iSight? Check out this highly informative article.

What's that? All your friends are PC-users? No problem. Just follow these instructions and your off!

Good luck!

How To: Customize Your MAC

[Napoleon Dynamite voice] MACs look frickin’ sweet. [/voice] And if you’re a hardcore MAC fan (like my husband) you may not feel the need to customize or personalize your computing experience. Me? I’m all about personalization. (Just ask my Mom; she’s still pissed about the Tony the Tiger rub-on transfers with which, in 1984, I decided to decorate my antique bedroom furniture.)

Your Desktop & General System Appearance

You tried right-clicking on your wallpaper, didn’t you? Yeah, that won’t work. Instead, you’ll need to access your System Preferences by clicking light switch icon in your dock. The first category listed is Personal, and that’s where you’ll find a wide range of customization options including the overall appearance of your system (colours and such), your Desktop wallpaper, and even the size and location of your dock (which, btw, is easily accessible via the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen).

System Sounds

One thing you'll need to know is that MACs use .aiff sound files. (Not .wav like PCs use). Have a .wav or .mp3 you need to convert to .aiff? Just open it in QuickTime, go to File > Export and choose AIFF.

Another difference is you’ll actually need to install a program called Xounds if you want to tweak stuff. I’m sure there’s another way, but I’m also sure it involves tooling around in the bowels of your puter, which, if you’re a beginner, I do not recommend.

Customizing Icons

Begin with the new replacement icon:

1. Click on the icon you wish to use
2. Click on Finder > Edit > Copy

To change the old icon to the new icon:

1. Click on the icon for the application you wish to change
2. Click on Finder > File > Get Info
3. In the Get Info window, click on the icon you wish to change
4. Click on Finder > Edit > Paste

“But how do I change that fugly, blue Finder icon. It drives me nuts!”

Again, instead of tooling around in your system, play it safe and get a (cheap and cool!) program called CandyBar™2 which lets you change any and all icons. Once installed, just launch it and drag and drop new icons. If you change your mind, just drag your new icon out of the CandyBar well and the default icon magically restores itself.

You can find a plethora of free and cool icons at InterfaceLIFT, The Icon Factory and Pixelgirl Presents, to name but a few.

Here's what my current icons look like in Finder:

In the immortal words of one Jerry Springer: "Be safe, and have fun."

An Intro to MAC

If you’re new to MAC (or plan to be), there are certain things that you might “think” are missing, and although most of the computer rules you learned from being a PC-user are the same, there are a few things that MAC does slightly different. I’m not talking about super-geeked out stuff like processors and drivers, I’m talking about the simple, every-day functions you can’t go one day without knowing how to do.

Here are some I’ve come up with off the top of my head.

Problem #1: “WTF!! Ctrl-Alt-Del doesn’t work! Is nothing sacred!?”

One thing you’ll notice right away, is that although you will certainly need to Force Quit an application every once in a while, you’ll be relieved to know that you will no longer see the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” (and in 8 months of hardcore usage, I have only had to reboot once, sans “BSoD”, and that’s when I had my iBook running for more than 36hrs. straight with multiple programs open.)

Solution: Ctrl+Alt+Del = Apple+alt+esc

* Note: the Apple key, as I like to call it… because it has an Apple on it(!) is also known as the “command” or cmd key.

Problem #2: “Where’s the right-click? I *need* my right-click! Lord, help me I want my right-click!”

This freaked me out at first, too, and I also hated the keyboard trackpad, but after only a few hours of tooling around, I was more than comfortable with both. (So comfortable that I even tossed my mouse!)

Solution: right-click = ctrl-click OR just hold down the mouse/trackpad button for 1 second.

Problem #3: “The PrntScrn button is missing, so help me God I need to print my screen NOW!”

This is true. But although the button is missing, you can still easily print your screen with the touch of a couple buttons, only now you have more options!

Apple+Shift+3: takes a screenshot of your current screen and saves the image to your Desktop.

Apple+Shift+4: this will transform the mouse cursor from an arrow into crosshairs. Click and drag the crosshairs over the area of the screen you want to capture. When you’re done, just release the mouse button and “Ta da”! The screenshot will be saved to your Desktop.

Apple+Shift+4+spacebar: this turns your cursor into a camera (yes, a camera!), which lets you select the specific window you want to capture.

* Add the control (ctrl) key to any of the OSX screenshot keyboard shortcuts, and the screenshot is copied to the clipboard instead of being saved as an image file.

Problem #4: "I pressed the “x” in the top left corner of the window, and it closed, but the program is still running… WTF!?!"

In order to quit a program in MAC, you can’t just close the window. Select the program (so you see the program name next to the apple graphic on the toolbar in the top left of your screen) and quit it by...

Solution: ... pressing Apple+Q. Easy-peasy, lemon-sqeezy.

Problem #5: "So I like downloaded a program and stuff, but where the hell's the .exe file? How do I install this bitch?"

When you download a program, a .dmg file (.dmg = disk image) will appear on your Desktop. To install the application, double click on the .dmg file to open it. A new Finder window will open presenting to you the contents of your .dmg file, which will include the .app icon and likely a Read Me.rtf which contains information about the program. Just drag the .app file into your “Applications” folder and your new program is installed. That’s it! You’re done!

Solution: Open the .dmg (double click on it). Drag the .app file into Applications.

After your program is installed, you have no use for the dmg. Just drag it to the trash bin. (Unless of course you paid for the app and want to keep it for future installations.)

“But wait – what do I do with that thumbdrive image thingy that has also appeared on my Desktop?”

Ditch it! When you drag it to your trash bin your trash bin will transform into an eject symbol and voila. You’re all done.

“But then how do I uninstall something?”

Go into your Applications and just drag the .app file into your trash bin. Program: uninstalled. It’s as simple as that!

UPDATE: AppZapper is a much better way to uninstall applications. It's just as easy but, in one step, it also gets rid of all associated application files/folders.

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As I think of more I will continue to update this post so feel free to return to it or bookmark it. And if you think of any that would be helpful to include, please feel free to e-mail me using the form on the right and I’ll add it to the post.

"Welcome to the Family"

It’s official. I’m a geek. As the title suggests, this blog is about MACs.

I started this because I could not find ONE place that had all the information I wanted. I wanted to know about cool (and free) applications, I wanted to know how I could customize the look of my iBook and I wanted a place to go that didn’t assume I already knew everything there was to know about MACs. I hope this can eventually be "that place" for you.

Up until 8 months ago, I was a devout PC-user. I even went as far as calling my husband's MAC, a "CRAP". "Honey, could you boot up the CRAP, I need to check my e-mail?" Then, OSX (Operating System ten) was born, and I have abandoned the PC (and the desktop computer) forever.

Don't worry - I'm not one of "those" crazy MAC users. You know the ones I'm talking about -- the ones who speak in a secret language that only other MAC users can understand (or the ones at the Apple store, who, after purchasing your first MAC, annouced: "Welcome to the Family!"), and having a PC background, I can appreciate one's hesitation to make The Switch (expecially if you have any experience with OS9 - ugh!). I hope we can have a little fun here while sharing some tips and tricks. I should have a few ("best of "-type) posts up within the next week or so, and I hope I'll be able to update this fairly regularly.

Thanks for visiting -- See y'around!