Once again, the Macalope nails it.
On the passive/aggressive scale, Krebs’s blog post [initially identifying the Apple virus support article] is like your Aunt Edna wondering aloud at the dinner table why you’re having a glass of wine when you’re always on Uncle Larry for his alcoholism.
Apple’s response wasn’t much healthier emotionally, though. They pulled the note.
That’s kind of like glaring at Aunt Edna and pouring the glass of wine out on the floor.
Ach, see, now it’s awkward.
Best Of 2008: Most Popular Top 10’s of 2008
My favorite remains “How To” #7. Fold your shirts in 2 steps. Good times.
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AppleInsider ran an article explaining Snow Leopard still needs a bit of work under the hood.
Although there’s been some evidence to suggest Snow Leopard could hit the market several months ahead of expectations, new information reveals that Apple remains heavily engaged in building out some of the features first previewed back in June.
There were some rumors that it could release as early as January 2009 but I always considered that unrealistic. When it comes to OS software, I’ll take quality over speed every day.
The whole question of virus software on Macs is back the last few days. First Apple put up a page advising users that virus software may not be a bad idea. Then they took it down. I’ve received several emails from readers asking what to do. I’m pretty careful about my computing. I’m anal about data encryption. But to be perfectly honest, I’m not very excited about running virus software. I’ve got no virus software on my Macs. Some day I may decide I need it but at present, I’m just not convinced.
As Apple marketshare increases, things may change and Mac users are probably going to end up needing virus at some point but for me, not yet.
There used to be an application on our vintage Macs that we all used. It served no real purpose, frequently caused system crashes, and was completely irresistible. I’m referring to the Talking Moose. I didn’t realize until recently that the Moose still exists in OS X. It is a lot of fun and nostalgic having the Moose return to randomly crack jokes and insult me. I won’t be running the Moose everyday but sometimes, there is no substitute.
1Password started a promotion today that allows registered license holders to gift a license for 1Password to a friend. If you are a registered owner, check your email and share the password generating, security providing 1Password love.
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As I was downloading the latest update to Default Folder X, I couldn’t help but think about the fantastic work Jon does over at St. Clair Software. It is a small shop but Jon truly is a software craftsman. He has been developing Default Folder X for years and he never stops making it better. I already reviewed it and even screencasted it. If you have found OS X’s default save/open dialogue boxes wanting, head over to St. Clair Software and check out Default Folder X.
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Working on a computer can be very distracting. You are bombarded with a constant stream of email, RSS reeds, and other internet content. If you want an excuse to avoid work, your mac has a big one sitting there, just a click away, tempting you. Sometimes I have enough discipline to avoid that siren song. Other times, I don’t. That is why I really like Freedom. It is like carrying a copy of your mom in your Mac always ready to make sure you get your work done. Freedom is a simple little application that turns off your internet tap for up to six hours.
Once you click “OK”, that is it. The airport turns off and you are officially out of the distraction business. You can’t get back online until the time elapses or you reboot your Mac. This is perfect when you really need to buckle down but don’t trust yourself to avoid checking MacSparky just one more time.
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My friend, Reid Trautz, just published his annual Holiday Gift Guide. It is actually aimed at lawyers and sports interesting products like a pocket projector but it is appropriate for all geeky business types on your list. Check it out.
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As a computer geek, I have been fortunate to live in amazing times. I grew up watching the birth of the personal computer. I saw the internet transform from a college project to a global phenomenon, and I’ve been trying to get my computers to listen to me since the beginning of speech recognition software.
About 10 years ago, when speech recognition was first being introduced to the masses, I tried it out. It was terrible. You … had … to … put … a … space … between … every … word. While those initial experiments were fun, the technology ultimately came up short. I work on a PC at the office and a few years ago I tried again. This second attempt was much more successful. The Dragon Dictate engine on the PC software made huge strides. No longer do you have to put spaces between words. You can speak naturally and, with some training, the computer gets very good at understanding your voice. I write for a living and Dragon Dictate quickly became a regular part of my computing experience.
I was always disappointed that the Apple Macintosh did not have a similarly adroit speech recognition application. The PC beating the Mac with voice recognition is like seeing an old beater car with a killer stereo. It just makes you hurt a little bit. So you can imagine my excitement last January when I discovered MacSpeech Dictate at Macworld. MacSpeech licensed the Dragon recognition engine for the Mac. This was no vaporware. They had working demonstrations and if they had it ready, I would have bought it that day. Going back and reading my Macworld 2008 coverage, I forgot just how much I lusted after this software. As soon as MacSpeech released a few months later, I had it installed on my Mac. The application is now at version 1.2. The question now becomes, was it worth the wait? The short answer is yes.
This product includes both the software and a voice friendly headset microphone and a USB sound device allowing you to plug the headset in. After installing the application, MacSpeech Dictate walks you through a remarkably short tutorial. Once again, my age is showing. I remember when training voice dictation software would take hours. My total set up time on this application was about 15 minutes. Once you’ve done the basic setup and microphone adjustment, you simply load your favorite word processor and get going. Where this application really shines is text input. I can sit down and dictate correspondence, work documents, and even this review as quickly as I can form the words. The trick I found was not to mix typing and talking. In addition to recognizing your voice, MacSpeech Dictate needs to keep track of where the cursor is. If you edit the document while dictating, you’re very likely to confuse the application and cause unacceptable, and sometimes humorous, results. So my workflow with MacSpeech Dictate is to simply talk through my rough draft. So long as I focus on dictating and typing separately, the accuracy is remarkable. You will need to proofread the final product closely and the application will confuse some words but generally that is more a result of me getting sloppy in the dictation process then the application itself. MacSpeech Dictate needs you to articulate your words properly. This doesn’t mean that you have to be extra careful with the way you speak. It simply means you can’t get lazy and began slurring words together like a drunken sailor.
Using MacSpeech Dictate, I can get raw text into my machine significantly quicker and with much less pain to my fingers. It has a built-in editor but I have also used it to dictate text directly into Scrivener, Pages, and Apple Mail.
If you are about to dictate a unique word, there is a spelling mode that allows you to stop and spell a particular word or name. There is also a procedure to allow you to train new phrases. For instance, my day job requires me to use some unique latin words and phrases. If I just start spewing these words into MacSpeech Dictate, it will tie itself in knots. However, if I stop and train these phrases and words, MacSpeech Dictate picks them up no problem.
In addition to inputting text, MacSpeech Dictate includes a command mode that allows you to drive your Mac with your voice. There is even a convenient commands window to help acquaint you. Using my voice, I can launch applications, perform menu commands, switch between applications, and a host of other possibilities. With a little practice using the command mode, you could operate your Macintosh without touching the keyboard. For people with disabilities, this could open a whole new world.
This software is simply amazing and long overdue on the Macintosh platform. This being said, the software is very new and not nearly as mature as the Dragon Dictate software on the PC. The error correction system is not as robust and some of the tools are simply missing. Nevertheless , MacSpeech Dictate represents a huge improvement to voice dictation on the Macintosh platform.
Without a doubt, speech recognition has finally made it to the Macintosh. Harnessing the Dragon engine, and the years of experience in technology that goes with it, was a stroke of genius. I’m easily talking to my Mac. The MacSpeech Dictation package, including the disk, manual, and microphone sells for $199. While this is no small investment, it is not particularly expensive for voice dictation software. The Dragon Dictate software on the PC also sells for $200. If you spend a lot of time typing or have a disability, this software could pay for itself very quickly. It has for me. If you are interested in purchasing MacSpeech dictate, click the affiliate link on the left and you can additionally help me pay for bandwidth.
You can listen to this review on the MacReviewcast episode 187.