Most People know that it is pretty easy to write a PDF via the Preview button in print dialogs. Maybe you didn't know that if you want to save this (temporary) PDF file to your preferred directory, you don't have to go to the menu bar and choose "Save as PDF...". Instead, just drag that little icon from the title bar of the document to your desktop or any open window while holdig down the <alt> key.

Went to a conference this last week, and ran the registration booth. It was a small conference so I only needed to make badges for about 30 late registrants - over three days. That left a lot of time fiddling about. So, as most bored users will do, I fired up fortune in terminal.

But whenever I was interrupted (ahem) for actual work, I was switching back to Filemaker. Realizing that I could probably send output to Filemaker and eliminate the switching, I womped up the following.

In Filemaker, made a global text field, named fortune. Then added a FileMaker Pro script with this AppleScript:

set textResult to [do shell script "/sw/bin/fortune"]
tell application "Filemaker Pro"
  set cell "fortune" of current record to textResult
end tell

I've got a fink installation, so your path to fortune may vary. I set a button on the FileMaker layout to trigger the script and added the fortune field on the screen with a monotype font and a scrollbar (for longer fortunes). It was a great conversation starter; people were actually hanging out just to read them, and we had a lot of fun when I changed the switch to fortune -o. ;)

I know this sounds like a completely useless geegaw, but just think about how much more powerful FileMaker can be reading results from grep with this simple AppleScript syntax. More fun to follow.

Have you ever got unwanted mail from an ex-lover or a spam-provider?

The bundled Mail app has a nice feature hidden in the "Customize Toolbar" option. With the "reply as undeliverable" (or something like that, I use a german system -- it's "Bounce to Sender" on the English systems), you send a fake "The following addresses had permanent fatal errors" mail back to the sender. It looks like a real server-message and you have one problem less.

[Editor's note: This is also available in the menus, under Message -> Bounce to Sender.]

I saw this mentioned at <a href="http://apple.slashdot.org" target=_blank>apple.slashdot.org</a> today, but I wanted to report more extensively.

Watching a DVD on my TV using 10.1.3 is now as simple as it could be on my Rev. A PowerBook G4 (400).

Whereas before I had to boot the PB in "clamshell" mode with the TV connected in order to see the DVD, now I merely need to plug in the connection (I'm using the S-Video port) and start the DVD application. No reboot or sleep required!

The trick is the new "Detect Displays" button in the Displays preferences pane. After connecting the TV, click on that button and the desktop will be mirrored to the TV. Even cooler (though I'm not sure of the danger factor) is the fact that disconnecting the TV with PB on and then clicking the "Detect..." button reverts everything back to normal. Again, no reboot or sleep required.

Since I have the Rev. A model, I cannot mirror the DVD on both the TV and the computer screen. And, with the TV connected the DVD is automatically shown on the TV. Moreover, I can't see the DVD (ie, there's sound but no picture) if I'm in the OS X equivalent of extended desktop mode.

All in all though, the simplicity of watching a DVD on my TV couldn't be any...er...simpler. Very exciting.

myqslBind is an open-source GPL licensed, browser-based C application that uses the great mySQL database to help manage multiple DNS/BIND name servers.

Runs DNS/Bind 8.2+ servers. More powerful and intuitive then the other well known closed-source and expensive software that shall remain nameless.

Large ISP's use it. Why don't you try it out. It's free!

[Editor's note: I figured this may be of interest to some of you, but I'll be the first to admit I know next to nothing about DNS/BIND name servers, so I clearly haven't tried it myself!]

As mentioned in "Make iPhoto imported pictures usable in iMovie", types play a role in importing media into iMovie.

When trying to import an MP3 into iMovie, I noticed that MP3's that had been encoded by iTunes could be imported, while the MP3's that I had downloaded could not. I fired up the GetFileInfo tool found under the /Developer/Tools folder and had a look at a file that would import and one that wouldn't:

GetFileInfo -t song.mp3

The file encoded by iTunes had a type of MPG3, while the imported file didn't contain a type. After changing the type of the imported file to MPG3 with the following command, iMovie imported it properly:

SetFile -t MPG3 *.mp3

So if you're having trouble with an MP3 import into iMovie, check the file type.

[Editor's note: If you don't have the Dev Tool installed, you can also use a third-party tool like Super Get Info to change the file type.]

There is an error in three of the iTunes Applescripts. The script adds new script info to the existing search string, rendering searches after the first search impossible. This applies to the SEARCH CDNOW by ARTIST, SEARCH CDNOW by ALBUM, and SEARCH CDNOW by SONG TITLE scripts.

Here is a change to the scripts provided to me by Paul W:

If you open the script up in script editor there is an easy change. Change line 2 to: property dest_URl : "http:..... from property search_url : "http:.... and change the bit that creates the search (about line 36) to set the search_URL to (dest_URL & encoded_name) from set the search_url to (search_url & encoded_name).This change will work on all three scripts.

[Editor's note: I have not tried this myself.]

Anyone outside the USA who owns an iBook may have noticed that fullscreen applications will switch to NTSC when plugged into a PAL television. The result is your favourite game, etc, runs in black and white on the TV.

I've written a small app called PALifier that will check the video mode when the TV is connected. If any application changes to NTSC, PALifier will change the video back to PAL (at the same resolution and colour depth).

It's free and available through the above link.

[Editor's note: I don't have a PAL television to test this on...]

Even though Apple's compatibility list does not include _any_ Pentax camera, I can tell you it works fine with my EI 200. I held off downloading iPhoto for quite a while because my camera wasn't on the list! Even tho' Apple _says_ the list is updated regularly, I've seen no change lately.

[Editor's note: They are updating the list at least occasionally. My Canon PowerShot now shows up, but it wasn't there when I bought the camera a month or so ago.]

Here's something I found out when playing my new Spiderman game under OS X. The game, like many others, requires you to have the CD in the tray to play the game. This is a pain, and it's a tad slower.

So, to override this, I opened up Disk Copy. Disk Copy allows you to copy a disk and make it into an image file. First select Image -> New Image from Device within Disk Copy. Next, and this is the tricky part, find the CD-ROM drive in the list of "disk..." entries in the dialog box. You're looking for something like "CD_ROM_mode_1" under one of the disclosure triangles. Click the name once you find it, and then click the "Image" button. Choose a destination drive for the image and then wait.

Once the image creation is complete, you can just mount the disk and open the game! Spiderman (and other games) think that it is the actual CD. This is handy if you have another CD in the tray and have enough disk space.

[Editor's note: It's also handy if you travel with a PowerBook and don't wish to carry around a number of CDs during your travels!]