I often get asked what maintenance should be done for mac computers.  People coming from the PC world are used to defrags, virus scans, and other routine maintenance tasks on their computers, but once they move to the Mac they aren’t sure what’s best.

I saw this post over on TUAW today with an easy solution and it’s free, IceClean.  While you don’t need to do as much as on your PC, there are still some simple things you can do to keep your computer running it’s best.  It also includes some great utilities for making some little system tweaks.

If you have been looking for some help it’s definitely worth checking out.

TUAW LINK: IceClean does system maintenance and optimization for your Mac for free.

Last summer I signed my daughter up for one of the free day-camps they do at the Apple store and she learned all about photography.  She had a great time.  I was excited to get an email this morning about this summers program.  It’s all about making movies this year.  I’ve already signed her up because spaces go fast.  Did I mention it’s FREE?  I thought I’d pass it along to any of you who may have kids between 8-12 who would love a fun activity for a few days this summer. They are even having a film festival for all the films the kids make. Should be fun.

If you’re in San Diego we are doing the early session at Fashion Valley on July 19 – 20. Maybe I’ll see you there.

Find a location in your area.

Peter Krough has written an excellent article on backup in which he suggests the 321 system.  It says that you should have three copies (one primary and two backups) on two different media with one off-site.  Not only is this incredibly easy to remember, it really helps me sift through the myriad of backup solutions to get what I need and not a lot more.

For my on-site backup, I have mentioned before that I like to use Chronosync to automatically backup selected files whenever I mount a specific hard disc or thumb drive though Apple’s Backup (free with Mobile Me) or Time Machine will meet most mac user’s needs.  On the PC side of things, I have heard good things about Paragon Drive Backup and NovaBackup.

For offsite backup, I use and am really satisfied with Carbonite while Chris has written a bit about his preferred offsite backup service: Mozy.  Both are great and both support Mac and Windows.  The point is that you need to have your mission critical files and irreplaceable memories (photos, videos) stored somewhere that fire or flood will not cause you to lose money or memories.

I think Peter Krough said it best in his article, “There are two types of people, those who have experienced hard drive failure and those who will.”  Do yourself a favor and get your 321 system in place today.

It seems that although everyone makes their forms downloadable online as a PDF, almost no one formats the files as editable forms that can be filled out within acrobat reader. This means I have to download the form, print it out, fill it out by hand, and then either walk it over to whoever needs it or scan it, save it, and attach it to an email. Sounds like it would be easier to just stop by the registration table and fill it out on the spot.  Formulate Pro fixes that problem.

I should say, that if you have Acrobat Pro, there is a typewriter and annotation tool that works relatively well, but at $449 from Adobe’s site, or $378 from Amazon, it is a little pricey just for filling out forms. That is where Formulate Pro comes in. This tool does one thing, and does it well. It allows you to type, draw and make check marks on top of the PDF.  Then, you can save it with those edits as a PDF of print it out. And, it’s free!

After downloading and installing the app it is as simple as opening the PDF, clicking the “T” (text tool) for typing, the squiggle tool for drawing, or the checkmark to check a box, then save or print. Right now, it’s only for mac, but the source code is available at GitHub.

We’ve all heard about the devastation in Haiti following the earthquakes there, and it’s exciting to see so many people rushing to help.  Here’s a way you can help, but it’s for today (Jan 20, 2010) only.  Visit Indie+Relief and buy any of the software from their partners and the proceeds will all go to help those in Haiti.

It’s a great line-up of programs, both Mac and iPhone / iPod Touch titles.  Some that I use on the list are Acorn, Things, Instapaper, Rowmote, Tweetie, and there a couple I’m going to pick-up today.

Or if you would just like to donate money click on the Compassion banner in the sidebar.

Check out Indie+Relief.

I don’t know what my problem is, but I have WAY too many e-mail addresses to deal with. Many of them I have forwarded to/checked by gmail, but that still doesnt solve the problem fully because, for one reason or another, I still have multiple gmail accounts. I have used plugins for firefox over the years, but am irritated at having to constantly have a browser open sucking up resources I’d rather have being used somewhere else.

Finally, an easy app has been released to help monitoring multiple gmail accounts easy.  The app is called Notify, and is produced by a company called Vibealicious.  They describe it best when they say it’s “like a menu bar app, but better.”  Like a menubar app, it lives in the menu bar and changes slightly by adding color and a number when new messages arrive, but once you click, TADA!  It pops open a tabbed window showing your accounts with new messages and previews.

It is not without its issues like the fact that it opens some odd google error page when you double click on a message, and it doesn’t automatically log you into the appropriate account when opening up gmail, but it is 1.0.  The developers have already slated a .1 release for mid September to include support for google apps and possibly imap which shows a thriving development.  It boils down to this: Notify is an amazing tool that seems to be a pretty good answer to my (and your?) multi-account email dilemma.

I recently bought a new computer on which I did not install the normal pro apps I use.  That meant that I did not have quicktime pro, and I quickly realized what an incredible deal it is!  For a whole lot of common tasks, you do not need to buy or open up a huge, expensive program.  If you need to trim a bit of the beginning, rearrange the order of events in a clip, or quickly change a file’s size or format to upload to the web, all you need is the $29 upgrade to quicktime pro (on the mac).

My favorite feature has nothing to do with editing video files.  One of the handiest little preferences that shows up is the ability to play a movie on your secondary monitor or projector.  Instead of having to do some wonky dragging of the window to the other screen (which doesn’t work in many players), or use a presentation program like keynote or pro presenter, you can simply plug in your laptop, switch the display preference over to the secondary monitor, and voila!  Like I said, the $29 is totally worth it.  Click here for a link to it in the apple store.

UPDATE: Thanks to Luke for the comment about Quicktime X.  Apparently, with the release of Snow Leopard, many of the pro features will be included.  Which means it’s time to preorder Snow Leopard for $29 instead!

Mac friends, I know what you are thinking, not another software bundle, I was thinking the same thing, until I saw what’s in this one.

One of my favorite all time techy tools kits has been the amazing Tech Tools Pro. I’ve used it a number of times to diagnose problems on my computers and on friends machines. I’ve been meaning to upgrade my copy, and now I can get it, plus more. In addition to Tech Tools, the bundle includes: Parallels, Notebook (another piece of software I use everyday), RipIt, and NetBarrier just to name a few. At only $49.99 it’s well worth the cost.

I must make a confession, I love jokes and playing pranks on people, but unfortunately for me I’m one of those people that always has stuff backfire. I was reminded today about an Aprils Fools joke I tried to play on my office a few years back that didn’t work out like I thought it would.

I was working as a network administrator for a small company, and we had just started supporting Macs as option for users. Those that had them loved them, and those that didn’t were split into the “I wish I had one” and “don’t make me use one” camps. I didn’t really realize how strong the feelings on both sides of this issue were. I thought it would be funny to send out an email detailing out our plans to transition the entire company over to Macs. I included a time line and schedule for when the transition would take place. I figured it wouldn’t take long for people to realize that it was April 1st and it was all a joke. But no, people didn’t catch on very quickly. After the email, some departments began to celebrate, and I immediately got responses back from people that were not going to switch and they wanted me to know it. Even some of the company executives that would have had to be part of the decision were taken in by it and wanted to setup meetings about how this would effect their departments. Even my boss was taken in by it.

I quickly had to confess that it was just joke. April Fools everyone. For many it was a relief, but those that were celebrating the switch were not as amused.

Oh well, I thought it was funny.

Anyone else have any pranks that backfired?

For all the Mac users out there, one of the best Mac bundles is back.  Mac Heist unveiled their bundle tonight.  There some great stuff in there. I really recommend it.  At only $39 you can’t miss.  There some great image software that I know I will use a lot.  There is also an application to access files on your iPhone or iPod touch.  There’s also some fun games that I’m sure my kids will enjoy.

I’m hoping they get enough people to unlock Boinx TV, if you can get that for $39 it’s an unbelieveable deal.

It’s over a $550 value for $39.  You can’t beat it.

Check-out it out: MacHeist