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Setting up a "Writing Mac"
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Internet Tools
I've got a basement full of Macs in various states of repair, which shouldn't surprise you. One of my hobbies is re-purposing those old machines. For instance, there's a G3 All-In-One on my workbench which runs iFixIt.com when I've got a project. Additionally, I use a G4 iMac as a Daylite server.

I've also had a G5 iMac for a while, but nothing for it to do. Earlier this week, I gave it a fresh install of Mac OS 10.4 and thought I'd use it for blogging and other writing. No web browsing, Twitter, iPhoto or the like. Call it a "Writing Mac." Here's how I set it up.

Reduce distractions

The Dock and drives are hidden from the Finder. No Twitter clients are installed, and only a few bookmarks are in place. The home folder contains only the default items and there's no music in the iTunes library. In other words, there's nothing to compete for my attention.

Steamlined for work

I've populated the dock with apps that support writing and nothing more. I've moved it to the lower left-hand corner by choosing "Position on screen > Left" from the Dock preference pane and this little bit of command line editing from Shawn Blanc:

defaults write com.apple.dock pinning -string end
Now I can have the dock tiny yet accessible as I run my writing software. Speaking of which ...

The software

You'll see a few icons in my Dock. After the Finder and Mail, is Scrivener. If you've got a large writing project to complete, Scrivener is the companion you'll want on your side. Research, outlining and organization is a pleasure with such a great application.

I've also got Apple's Dictionary in the Dock because, believe it or not, 'ol Dave isn't so good with the spelling.

Next is Yojimbo (I had to upgrade to 10.5.7 to get this to run. D'oh!). I only started using this app recently, but I can see the appeal. When running, it puts a small tab on the edge of the desktop. It's easy to drop bits of text, images or URL's in there to use as reference. The good stuff, once reviewed, gets moved into Scrivener.

Finally is my beloved ImageWell for editing images for use here on TUAW. It runs on 10.4 and is just the tool for quick-and-dirty cropping and resizing.

At last, iTunes streams Radio Paradise, my favorite Internet radio station.

The best part is that there's almost nothing to back up (other than Scrivener projects, which I drop in my Dropbox). If this machine's HD croaked tomorrow, I'd be able to pick up where I left off with minimal fuss.

So there you have it, my Writing Mac. Aren't legacy machines fun?
TUAW Setting up a "Writing Mac" originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: Apple - Mac OS - TUAW - Operating system - Mac OS X v10.4
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Apple quietly cutting iPod prices ahead of event
Filed under: iPod Family
We've just started receiving tips that Apple is quietly cutting the price of existing iPods ahead of its planned event later today. Thus far, we've seen the following price cuts. All prices given are in USD:
- iPod nano is now $129 for 8GB and $149 for 16GB.
- iPod classic is now $229.
- iPod touch is now $189 for 8GB, $249 for 16GB and $279 for 32GB.
There is no change to the price of the iPod shuffle.

These changes haven't completely gone through the site yet. As seen in the screen capture, some parts of the site still list the iPods at their old price.

Thanks to Scott and Max for the tip!

TUAW Apple quietly cutting iPod prices ahead of event originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: IpodNano - IPod Classic - Apple - IpodTouch - IPod
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Rumors: The Beatles on iTunes? Yoko says yes, EMI says not yet
Filed under: Multimedia, Rumors, Odds and ends, iTunes, Music
So, the friend of a friend told me that the Beatles is finally going to be on iTunes tomorrow.

Not so fast, EMI immediately countered.

In the latest chapter of a saga filled with more "will they, or won't they?" than a shoujo manga, Engadget picked up a 9to5Mac report today stating that Yoko Ono is talking about an iTunes arrival for the Beatles on an already Fab Four-packed 9/9/09. We've already speculated about it once, but Yoko's words caused the Twitter feeds to immediately jump alive with fevered speculation that maybe, just maybe, tomorrow's finally the day.

I'm with Steve Sande. Seeing Paul, Ringo, Julian Lennon and Dhani Harrison (who helped mastermind The Beatles: Rock Band -- my reservation was made for the game six months ago) on stage together to announce the Beatles on iTunes would be fantastic. However, I'd rather see the release be done right than thrown together at the last minute. The optimistic side of me is sure that it won't be long before the Beatles and iTunes will be goin' steady for good.
TUAW Rumors: The Beatles on iTunes? Yoko says yes, EMI says not yet originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: Yoko Ono - Beatles Rock Band - Dhani Harrison - EMI - Ringo Starr
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The beautifully detailed art of Mac OS X app icons
Filed under: OS, Software, Cult of Mac, Odds and ends, Graphic Design, Snow Leopard
Over at his blog Cult of Mac, writer Leander Kahney published a post this morning featuring full-size 512 x 512 pixel screenshots of Mac icons. As he notes, the highly detailed icons are part of a move to make the OS resolution independent, but they're also an indication of Apple's attention to detail.

Many of the icons are works of art when viewed at their full size. The TextEdit icon, for example, is actually a note from "John Appleseed" to "Kate" featuring the text of the "Here's to the crazy ones" ads of the late 1990s. The Jar Launcher app, featuring a cup of hot Java sitting on a paper napkin, reveals miniscule bubbles on the side of the coffee, as well as real Java code written on the napkin.

All of these icons are indications of the fanatical attention to detail of Apple designers. After looking at Kahney's gallery of art, I gathered my own collection of icon goodness from both Apple and third-party apps. Click the gallery icon below to see what I found. If you have found any 512 x 512 icons that are incredibly good, send 'em to us at http://tuaw.tumblr.com/submit.

Gallery: The Art of Mac App Icons
Continue reading The beautifully detailed art of Mac OS X app icons
TUAW The beautifully detailed art of Mac OS X app icons originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: Mac OS X - Apple - Unofficial Apple Weblog - Cult of Mac - TUAW
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