The Ultimate Old School Apple Keyboard Hack

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I recently upgraded my MacBook Pro and I love it completely (almost). There is one problem. There is no Apple key. Now I know there was a lot of hubbub about Apple removing the Apple key from its keyboards last year. There were online petitions and a general nerd uproar. I have to admit the whole thing seemed silly to me until I got a Mac without the Apple key. Then I found I really missed it. I’m old enough to remember when the Apple key was everywhere in the Mac OS. It was not only on the keyboard but plastered all over the menus. Heck, I even remember when there were two different kinds of Apple keys. For me, the Apple key is an old friend down there on my keyboard and “part” of my computing experience.
So as I was using my shiny new Mac I found myself pining away for that Apple key. A good friend (who also happens to work for a certain fruit company) showed mercy and got me two slightly used Apple keys from an old MacBook Pro that just happen to be exactly the same size and design as the current “Command” key. It was sort of like receiving an organ donation, but for computers. With a little wiggling and a lot of help from said fruit-empoyed friend the command keys came off and the Apple keys found a new home. All is right in the universe once again.

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The now discarded “Command” keys sit in a drawer sadly like a discarded kidney, with full knowledge they will never get the geek affection bestowed upon my Apple keys.

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Steve Jobs Admits MobileMe Problems

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Ars Technica reports tonight on an internal email at Apple where Steve Jobs admits the MobileMe launch was “not up to Apple standards.” The email reportedly goes on to explain how Apple has learned several lessons from the problems involved with the MobileMe launch. Lets hope these lessons are applied as MobileMe and other Apple based web services are expanded and launched. It’s nice that Steve is internally addressing the MobileMe issues. I still wish they had been more public with their challenges from the beginning for us paying members.
I have to say that while the first week was pretty useless, the expanded over-air syncing has been very useful to me. The web apps also fit nicely into that portion of my day where I’m driving a windows box.

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iPhone Apps – Appeal to Readers

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Okay gang, I’ve been swamped the last few weeks between a very heavy load at the office and a little mini-vacation trip to Las Vegas. As a result, (Except for OmniFocus iPhone) I haven’t had time to go very deep with the iPhone App Store. Thankfully, I’ll be able to catch my breath this weekend but rather than wonder blindly through the AppStore, I’d like to hear from the readers (via comment or email) what your favorite applications are. Help me sort the wheat from the chaffe. Let me know and I’ll put together a post on it in a few days.

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Sending Large Files with SugarSync

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One of the features I was looking forward to with MobileMe is the ability to send large files without bothering with FTP. There is supposed to be a feature that allows you to easily email a link to a friend that allows them to download the file directly from you MobileMe storage.
Unfortunately, Apple has yet to flip the switch on this feature. However, this is already available on SugarSync. You can even send a file from your iPhone. That is actually an impressive trick over the lunch table.

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Screencast 15 – email sorcery

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I just published my longest screencast yet. This one weighs in at 32 minutes and covers email management from top to bottom including such subjects as:
1. Pop v. iMap
2. Gmail v. MobileMe
3. Best Practices (managing your inbox and smart folders)
4. Spam
5. Archiving old mail
I put a lot of work into this one and I hope it is helpful. As usual, it is in Apple TV format. So what are you waiting for? Head over to my iTunes feed and download it.

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All Is Well at MacSparky Headquarters

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We had a pretty good shaker here at MacSparky HQ today. The epicenter is about 25 miles from my home. A few things fell off the shelves but overall there are no complaints. As a native Californian, this was an “easy” one.
Regardless, I’m really touched by the emails that have been coming in from readers asking how we are doing. Thanks everyone for thinking of me and my family. We are just fine.

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Cuil – The New Take on Search

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Did you think anyone would try to take on Google search? I sure didn’t. Well it turns out a few former Google employees have exactly that sort of spunk. Their new search engine, Cuil.com, (pronounced “cool”) went live today. It claims to search more pages than Google (although Google probably disputes this). What is most interesting is the way in which it displays results. They’ve dropped the traditional “long list” paradigm for something a little more graphic and three column. It will be interesting to see if this gets any traction.
I did a few Cuil searches and the results were mixed. When I tried to search my wife’s business, eclecticpaperie.com, it gave me several accurate results along with a few others that were sort of … well … disturbing.
Regardless of whether Cuil becomes a “force” or not, I like the fact that people are coming up with different ways to display search results. The current method has been the same since the days of Compuserve and, in internet terms, that is positively Neanderthal.

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