I've Got the Music In Me!

Okay, so here is my mini-rant about illegal downloading:

Is it fair to get an artist's music for free and he (or she) gets nothing? Just because you can steal doesn't mean that you should.

Most singers and songwriters work, practice and struggle for years before they get a hit or an album produced. Paul McCartney used to stay locked in his bathroom, as a teenager, practicing the guitar, for hours. It made his family a little crazy. It would be several years before he met that Lennon boy and they started a band. A band that had a couple of good songs...

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (Lady Gaga) began learning piano at age four and started writing at 11, but it would be almost ten more years before her career would really take off. Is it fair to steal her music when she worked so hard to be able to create it?

But, you might say, its easier and more convenient to just download with Limewire, Bittorent, Frostwire or any of the many ways you can cheat. Or you may say, "They don't need the money because they're rich". And, you may also say, it's only wrong if you get caught.

I will say this:

1. Bad guys like to infect music and video files with viruses, just because they can.
2. Don't ignore the illegal part. The RIAA has tracked down, prosecuted and fined some folks thousands of dollars.
3. Didn't you ever watch "Behind the Music"? How many bands and singers got ripped off by accountants, agents and family? For all you know, they are not as rich as you might think and might actually need some money. MC Hammer, anyone?
4. Whether it is easy or hard, socially acceptable or not, wrong is wrong. Do the right thing and Be Good!

If you want to have music at your Internet fingertips and are low on funds, try Spotify. It's free and has ALOT of music.

Or, try Google Music. Right now it is free and it let's you upload YOUR OWN MUSIC to the cloud. If you have songs on your computer, you can upload them to Google (MP3's and Flac).

So, we have discussed morality, empathy and finances. You still don't agree with me, do you?

What Did You Say?

How does a community of folks from various countries coexist and communicate? I dunno...

No, really, I mean, you try find something to translate your thoughts and ideas. Problem is the common translator sites (Google, BabelFish, etc.) are not always accurate (or correct).

But, never fear, there are a couple of sites that do much better at translating, say, German to English, or whatever you might need.

They are:

http://www.linguee.com/

http://www.leo.org/

Now, until somebody invents the Star Trek tricorder that has a universal translator, and YES, there would be money involved. YOU could win $10 million from the X Prize Foundation. See it here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16518171

So, go forth and boldly forge new relationships with your fellow humans and don't let the mere fact of differing languages stop you!

Virus on the Macbook Pro?

So far (knock wood) there aren't many viruses designed to attack the Mac, but there will come a time...

For now, what you have to worry about is a malware attack, like MacDefender or MacProtector. Despite their great names, they are attempts by the "bad guys" to get your personal information. Only by answering their questions and telling them what they want to know will you suffer. If they show up on your computer, lose 'em quick!

Browser, Browser--Why Won't You Play Nicely?

Ever have your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera or whatever you are using) NOT do something that you wanted? You're using a site that promises to open an extra window for a survey, a test, a login window...whatever, and it doesn't happen. I could whinge on about Shockwave and Flash plugins, or how some sites are designed with only one browser in mind (which was very common for years - developers only aimed for IE and Firefox and friends were just out of luck). What you want to know is "How can I get around this stumbling block?".

You might want to try a different browser. Yes, it might be that easy. If it doesn't work in Firefox or Safari, try IE. It's right there on your Windows computer. Maybe you stopped using it because it was slow or didn't let you add Personas or it isn't as cool as Apple's Safari. It doesn't matter. If it will let you do what you need to do on the Internet, then try it.

Of course you may have other issues, like out of date plugins, or corrupted files. But for an easy fix, it is certainly worth trying. Isn't it?

Steve Jobs

APPLE visionary Steve Jobs has died from cancer aged 56, a premature end for a man who revolutionised modern culture and transformed everyday technology.

As Apple confirmed his death today, many learned of his passing through his own inventions like the iPad and iPhone and paid tribute using the same.

"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," Apple said.

"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

With tributes pouring in from around the globe, Apple fans flooded Twitter and Facebook to voice their sorrow at the passing of the man who helped put mini-computers into the pockets of millions.

Jobs was just 21 when he founded Apple Computer with his 26-year-old friend Steve Wozniak in his family garage.

The venture, with its ubiquitous trademark of an apple with a bite taken out of it, has since grown to become one of the world's most valuable companies – one whose second quarter profit in July hit $US7.31 billion ($7.57 billion).

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/world-mourns-the-loss-of-visionary-apple-founder-steve-jobs/story-e6frfrnr-1226160514277#ixzz1abZhuBU8

If you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email rememberingsteve@apple.com

Snip It, Clip It and Whip It!

From Mrs. Scheiring:

To capture a portion of the screen on a Mac (just like using the Snipping tool in Windows), use Command + Shift + 4.

This will allow you to drag a box around an area that you want to capture. It will save it as a jpeg on the computer’s desktop.

This is not intended for an entire screen shot, just a selected area.

PowerPoint and the Mac's!

There seems to be a sweep of Powerpoint programs crashing on the Macbooks.

The immediate fix is to have the students use Powerpoint within their Windows installation. If they are having problems doing that, they should first restart the Windows side, but not the entire Macbook.

If that doesn’t or can’t work, they should come see me . I will need their computers at least 90 minutes to complete the fix, if they need a full install.

Microsoft programs have a history of not playing nicely with Apple, so I cannot say I am truly surprised.

It seems to be confined to the Macbooks that have the new Lion OS. Once again, we see that using the latest and greatest machine or software does not always benefit us. Waiting a little while before adopting a new operating system, just to see how it "plays with others" is usually a great idea!

What do you think?