Recently in Part 1 of my post titled A Hearty Welcome to the New Mac Users I Know, I wrote “If you’re surfing the internet nowadays, then you probably have some idea about the importance of security. Internet security is no joke.” Well, if you want to take a peek at just how serious things have gotten on a global scale, click here.
If you remember way back in the beginning of this blog, it was my friend Erik who introduced me to the world of Mac. It was nearly a year ago, around Christmas last year, that I was mesmerized by how well OS X worked in comparison to my Windows machine. Since then, I’ve been driving nothing but Mac at home and I’m glad to say the ride has been, and continues to be great ride. During my learning period, in true Mac community-form, Erik’s always been there to help me out. Nevertheless, he has both a company and family to take care of, so I thought it best to jump off the branch, flap my newly formed Mac wings, and dive into to my Mac, as time permitted, and learn what I could. I’m happy to report I believe I’ve learned quite a bit during this time, and I’m more comfortable than ever now as a Mac user. I have even helped install some Apple hardware, as well as log in remotely to configure a couple of things on a friends new iMac. Learning OS X has been more fun than I expected.
One of the many ways I have been learning about Mac OS X is through podcasts. I don’t know about most of you, but I’m definitely a podcast junkie. I haven’t listened to the radio for about two years (I was using iTunes on my Windows PC as well), and that’s mostly because of podcasts. Podcasts are a very convenient and practical way for me to keep up with news and tech at a pace I have control of. I listen to them on the subway and bus rides to work and back, when I’m walking around town, during a quick trip to the store, at my desk at work, and pretty much whenever I’m alone with a spare 5-10 minutes. Podcasts can range from about a couple of minutes to over an hour.
The following is a list of 8 podcasts I recommend every new Mac user give a try. They cover a pretty broad spectrum of user levels and experiences, so while they all may not fit you, there should be a couple listed that you’re likely to enjoy.
1) Typical Mac User Podcast (TMUP) – This is by far my favorite of them all; hence the reason it’s first. Victor Cajiao’s got a formula that fits me just right. He’s very knowledgeable, patient, and tends to know just what his audience needs to hear next. It helps a great deal that he’s also always upbeat, positive, and sounds like he’s having fun during every podcast. It’s not unusual for me to listen to Victor’s podcasts more than once because of something I wanted to try but couldn’t because I wasn’t near my Mac.
Another interesting part of the TMUP is that Victor does a LIVE call-in show over the internet via Talkshoe every Sunday. By simply dialing +1 (724) 444-7444, you’re bridged into a conference call via a Java chat client allowing you to participate in the show. You do need a TalkCast ID number, and I believe TMUP’s is 3097.
Click here to subscribe to the Typical Mac User podcast.
2) The Mac Attack – Here’s another great podcast by the very knowledgeable Steve Stanger. Steve can go super geeky and discuss the nuts and bolts of firewalls, or help you out with some great life hacking tips. Whatever he covers, it’s sure to be informative, memorable, and at a pace that most everyone can easily handle.
Click here to subscribe to The Mac Attack podcast.
3) The Mac Cast – Here’s the show that is “For Mac geeks, by Mac geeks”, so let there be no doubt these folks love things Mac. Nevertheless, I’m happy to say they’re not your run-o-the-mill Mac zealots who have an axe to grind. They’re a fun bunch who simply, and very obviously love Macs. One of the pluses about this podcast is they’re quite consistent in putting out shows. As you may soon find out, that’s an important thing when you come across a podcast you like.
Click to subscribe to The Mac Cast podcast.
4) The Mac Observer (TMO) – Okay. Now we’re going into the land of the hardcore Mac geek. Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun know their stuff. Now, I’m not trying to short-change the folks I’ve mentioned already, or the ones to come for that matter, but when it comes to things Mac these guys are definitely in that cream-of-the-crop, it’s-freaky-how-much-they-know category. If you have a serious tech geek Mac itch that needs to be scratched, these are your guys. On their site they’ve got an archive stretching back to 1997! THAT, my friends, is pretty impressive. But even more impressive is the amount of info in their heads. If only for the sake of seeing for yourself if they’re this impressive, give them a listen.
Click to subscribe to TMO Mac Geek Gab podcast.
5) Security Now – If you’re surfing the internet nowadays, then you probably have some idea about the importance of security. Internet security is no joke. For those of you who think it is, I strongly suggest you give computer security guru Steven Gibson a listen. Let me warn you though, he can get deeeeep into the subject matter occasionally. Nevertheless, he’s worth lending and ear to if only to see how scary the internet can really be.
Click here to subscribe to subscribe to the Security Now podcast.
6) Buzz Out Loud (BOL) – Believe it or not, even I need the occasional podcast break from all things Mac. One good example would be CNET’s BOL with Molly Wood and Tom Merritt. Molly keeps me grounded on the short-comings of Apple, and Tom keeps me on track as to why I need to be glad I switched to Mac.. Few things crack me up as much as a good Molly Wood-tells-it-like-it-is-about-Apple moment! 
Click here to subscribe to the Buzz Out Loud podcast.
7) Wall Street Journal Tech News Briefing – Here’s the podcast that gets me going in the morning with a quick update of the tech headlines. This twice a day (early and evening editions) podcast normally lasts 5-6 minutes, and is packed with what I need to keep informed with the everyday important tech headlines.
Click here to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal Tech News Briefing podcast.
8) CNET News.com Daily – This podcast falls into pretty much the same category as the Wall Street Journal Tech News Briefing, and is also twice a day. They quickly cover the latest and greatest important headlines going on in the tech world, and sometimes call in experts to help fill out some unclear gray areas. Their podcasts are usually about 5-15 minutes.
Click here to subscribe to the CNET News.com Daily podcast.
Well, that’s pretty much all I have for this time. I hope at least one of the above podcasts adds to your Mac enjoyment. If anything, it should definitely help you stay on top of what’s going on in the world of Mac, as well as the world of tech.
Have fun learning until the next time.
Laterz.
As the title states, I’d like to offer a hearty welcome to the new Mac users I know. Now, I’m not about to call them switchers because I know some of them don’t necessarily fit into that category. One OS is simply not enough for them. Besides, odds are they’re still having to use Windows at work, whether they want to or not. Others, I believe, will find life with Mac a VERY enjoyable experience. Whatever the case, WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF MAC! I’m pretty confident you’ll enjoy the ride.
Without question, one of the first things you’re likely to notice –at least I did– is that the Mac community really is just that, a community. Mac folks are about as helpful a bunch as I’ve ever come across in the tech world. I have plenty of friends who I know from the Windows community, but most, if not all, of them came through professional channels. It’s quite different in the Mac world. You may run across a savvy home user who’s just that: a user who became savvy while tinkering around with their Mac(s) at home. I’m learning that a lot of Mac folks aren’t necessarily IT pros, but just get so into their Macs they become better at getting things done (GTD) than some professional Windows techs I know (not the cream of the crop, mind you!).
Another thing I noticed is the amount female Mac users. From what I’ve seen on both the Windows and Mac sides, there seem to be more female Mac than Windows users (although I have no hard data to back up this claim). Say what you want, but I think ladies know when something looks good, and it gets even better for them if it’s a quality product.
I had planned on writing a quick list on what I think my new Mac user friends ought to try. You know, the usual bit of advice on what to try, what to avoid, etc. However, my list got so incredibly long that I had to break it up into different parts. That reminds me..! Before I start my first list, I’ll offer you one quick nugget to always bear in mind: folks who say there isn’t so much available for Macs don’t know what they’re talking about. I’m sure you’ve heard that said before. I did. Don’t believe it. Hopefully, by the time I’m done with this series of posts, you’ll understand what I mean.The next post’s coming in just a bit. 
Laterz
(Next up, Part 1-Recommended Podcasts)
So all has been just fine and dandy. I’ve been running Leopard and enjoying it for all it’s worth. But yesterday, after tightening up Leopard’s firewall, it dawned on me. I didn’t do any Skype-ing since I tightened things up. So I started Skype. All was fine. Then I logged out. So I wanted to check to see if someone was signed on and:
One bounce of the icon in the dock, t…t…t… No “two bounces”. It simply stopped bouncing after the first bounce. …and Skype never started. After I reinstalled it, it worked just fine. I thought, “That’s odd”, but then I was getting a bit pooped so I went to bed. So I exchange e-mails while I’m at work with Mike the Pirate and he mentions Skype’s breaking Leopard because of the Skype bundle changing itself after it’s been originally signed digitally; a feature in Leopard’s firewall I happen to like quite a bit, btw. Well, as soon as I get home, I hit the Skype Forums. Low and behold I came across this sobering piece by a user named/called Glenn Rempe (hat-tip to Glenn, of course). The news was pretty much as Mike said in fewer words, but the point was disturbingly the same. Here’s the condensed version for those of you synopsis-appreciating types:
OS X 10.5 now digitally signs all applications. The first time you run the app OS X will confirm that you want to run the app downloaded from the internet and will apply a digital signature to the app.
If the digital signature of the app changes (by even one byte) the app will no longer run as it no longer matches the signature originally approved. OS X will prevent it from running. If Skype is making ANY change inside the /Applications/Skype.app bundle when it runs it would cause this issue.
Yep. And clarifying things a bit more, Glenn adds this bit of info from the Ars Technica review:
See the following link for more information:
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/mac-os-x-10-5.ars/11
Specifically the text in the “code signing” paragraph:
“Code signing also means an end to the practice of applications modifying themselves (e.g., saving custom theme files inside the application bundle itself rather than in ~/Library/Application Support/MyApp or another user-specific location). This practice has always been discouraged by Apple, and now there’s another reason avoid it.”
As it stands, Skype simply will not work with Leopard’s firewall unless I reinstall it. No getting around it. The Skype developers, I’m sure, are hard at work on the problem, however, I’m stuck having to reinstall every time I want to use it. It’s a good thing the install process for Macs are so simple. Otherwise, it would be a REAL pain.
Let’s hope those developers get find a solution soon.
Time for me to got to bed.
Laterz.
First of all, hat-tip to my good friend Mike the Pirate for pointing this article out to me.As Mike and I (both obviously Apple fans) suspected, Apple had a reason for the change in their firewall set-up. Why they aren’t talking up the changes is still a mystery to us both. Nevertheless, it’s good to see that there is at least a reason. Whether or not I agree with it being wide-open after after upgrading from Tiger is another matter altogether.
