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Unsolicited Advice for Life, Work, Work/Life and Lifework
Alpha Lim
Life is flux, but one thing I keep returning to is the Word. I play with words for fun and profit.

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pic: one before I go to bed - a typical Mac app installation screen :).

Just for your information, in case you didn't know what the typical Mac app installation process requires ;). 

Filed under  apps   Mac   screen shot   work  
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Posted 23 days ago

Spammy PCs. Or, buy your friend a Mac, @thisissethsblog.

I just set up a friend's PC. I haven't done that in a while.

Wow.

Apparently, a computer is now not a computer, it's an opportunity to upsell you.

First, the setup insisted (for my own safety) that I sign up for an eternal subscription to Norton. Then it defaulted (opt out) to sending me promotional emails. Then there were the dozens (at least it felt like dozens) of buttons and searches I had to endure to switch the search box from Bing to Google. And the icons on the desktop that had been paid for by various partners and the this-comes-with-that of just about everything.

via sethgodin.typepad.com

You get none of that crap when you switch on your Mac for the first time.
(Which is what the "installation process" consists of.)

Filed under  computers   funny   Mac   marketing   PC   recommended   spam   work  
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Posted 7 months ago

"How Fanboys See Operating Systems"

via joeydevilla.com

Heheheheh...

Someone do one for phones!

(via @guykawasaki)

Filed under  computers   fanboyism   funny   Linux   Mac   marketing   operating systems   Windows  
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Posted 7 months ago

Screen-grab like a Mac with Digeus SnapIt! (Sort of.)

In a previous post, I wrote: 


It's super smooth to do a screen capture in Mac: 

1. command + shift + 3 to capture the whole screen. 
2. command + shift + 4 > click + drag to capture part of the screen. 
3. command + shift + 4 > spacebar > click to capture a window.

In all cases, a png image will appear on your Desktop. 

The people at Digeus provided me with a copy of SnapIt Screen Capture Software to review. This is what I learned. 

1. SnapIt is snappy. It starts up quickly (after a hassle-free typical install). It doesn't slow down my machine. It runs in a little Taskbar icon. 

2. It can be set up to mimic behaviour 2 above: 

2.1.Press Prt Scrn and your mouse pointer will change to crosshairs. Click and drag the portion of the screen that you want to capture. 
2.2. Right-click the SnapIt icon in the Taskbar and click Save As. 
2.2.1. Or, set up the Preferences to autosave the image wherever you want - I save mine as pngs on my Desktop, mimicking my Mac. 

3. And that's about it. SnapIt doesn't do 1 and 3 like the Mac does. 

3.1. But I'm happy - SnapIt allows me to capture my Twitter Serendipities well enough! Give it a go - it's free to try. 

Filed under  apps   computers   Mac   recommendations   recommended   screen capture   software   Windows   work  
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Posted 8 months ago

Is there an easier way to screengrab in Windows?

It's super smooth to do a screen capture in Mac: 
1. command + shift + 3 to capture the whole screen. 
2. command + shift + 4 > click + drag to capture part of the screen. 
3. command + shift + 4 > spacebar > click to capture a window.

In all cases, a png image will appear on your Desktop. So easy, so intuitive! (Once you remember the key combinations. I think to myself, "capture + screen + x...") 

On Windows, I press the Prnt Scrn key, open Paint, paste in the image, save as jpg, then crop as needed. Very messy. Is there an easier way? Maybe I'm just being a Windows n00b and doin it rong. Feel free to correct me, if I am. 

In the mean time, I'm going to review SnapIt Screen Capture Software. I'll see how it goes and let ya know. 
Filed under  app   Mac   screen capture   software   Windows  
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Posted 8 months ago

Win & Mac are sisters born of divorced parents! @redsheep @chrisleow @geminianeyes @joycescapade

It started with this tweet yesterday from @redsheep: 

- : #win7my does this to you for staying free for the trial period. Sigh. Hard to keep the romance. 

I replied: 

Windows has had a hard life and finds it hard to give himself fully to a relationship. #win7my 

@chrisleow responded: 

RT @alphalim Windows has had a hard life and finds it hard to give himself fully to a relationship. #win7my - WIndows 7 is a HE? Since when?

@geminianeyes chimed in: 

@chrisleow #win7my is a girl la! http://is.gd/4LPf8 RT @alphalim Windows has had a hard life & finds it hard 2 give himself fully to r'ships

@redsheep commented: 

@geminianeyes To be fair, #win7my is an IT (sexless). @alphalim @chrisleow

I tweeted this explanation to @chrisleow: 

Windows is androgynous. I use he/she as situations warrant ;). E.g. when comparing Win & Mac, I think of em as sisters.

... 

To expand on my reply to @chrisleow, this is how I think of Windows and Mac: 

I think of the both of them as sisters born to the same parents, who divorced, made up and maintain a tentative friendship with occasional spats. Not surprisingly, Win and Mac had traumatic childhoods. 

As often happens, people compare siblings: This one has the looks, that one has the brains. But with Win and Mac, one of them inherited looks and brains, while the other was born plain but streetwise. So, although not as gorgeous as her sister or as good at maths, she did pretty well for herself, earning worldwide acclaim. Her fame spread farther than her sister's, and she got to travel the world. 

Yet, annoyingly, everywhere she went, people kept asking her, "So what is it like, having her as a sister?" "What's your sister really like at home?" "Does your sister share grooming tips with you?" "Those are her hand-me-downs you're wearing, aren't they?" 

All this made the more-travelled sister only try harder. She kept bumming invites to all the cool parties, she tried her hand at doing her own make-up - though she tended to put on too much. (The brand she used was Luna, I think.) 

The well-travelled sister has garnered such a following all over the world, that every time she loses weight, updates her look or gives birth to a child, everyone stops what they're doing and pays attention. (Sadly, many of her children did not survive past adolescence; some were even stillborn. I think genetics are to blame for that.) And despite her success in the eyes of the world, I suspect that deep down she wishes she could trade some of that acclaim for a bit more of her sister's natural beauty and wits. 

... 

When I began to think of Win and Mac in this way, it gave me more compassion for Win. You don't criticise a girl when she's trying her best. You encourage her to be all she can be. 

Nevertheless, if friends need a good mind and natural charm, I won't recommend they hire Win just because I feel sorry for her. (Although, Mac can be a bit snooty at times. Still, she always gets the job done, and with such flair!) 

... 

Finally, I will forever be indebted to @geminianeyes for opening my eyes to the world of OS-tans! OS-tans are anime-style personifications crafted by fans of operating systems. (Trust the Japanese...) It's a bit comforting to me, that I'm not alone in thinking of operating systems as girls. 

OS_Tan-540x376.jpg
via forevergeek.com

(Though, considering the weirdness that comes out of Japan, I'm not sure how comforted I should feel! :P. ) 

Filed under  anthropomorphism   apps   compassion   funny   Mac   operating systems   OS-tans   software   Windows  
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Posted 8 months ago

I love this Dropbox blog post announcing the arrival of the iPhone app!

From http://blog.getdropbox.com/?p=102 

Keep a 2 GB folder automatically synced on all your computers - Mac, Windows and now, iPhone too! (Get more than 2 GB when you shell out the clams.) 
Filed under  app   blogging   cloud computing   Dropbox   iPhone   Mac   recommendation   software   Windows   writing  
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Posted 10 months ago

I've used 273 Mac, Windows & Web applications in 3 months!

This is why Peter Drucker says that the only way to self discovery is by tracking your usage. 

He was speaking in terms of time usage, but the principle applies to all consumption of resources. 
We always underestimate our consumer footprint. 

If you had asked me how many apps I use, I'd have said, "6". 
That's what it feels like I use! 

See more at http://wakoopa.com/alphalim and add me as a contact! 

Aside: If this thing tracked iPhone OS, I bet my Platform Usage stats would be very different ;). 
Filed under  applications   apps   Mac   Peter Drucker   productivity   software   tracking   web   Windows  
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Posted 10 months ago

"There is no step 2."

I suppose I take this for granted, by now. 

But for those who aren't familiar with it, this is the install procedure for Firefox (and most apps) on Mac. 

"Drag app to Applications folder." 

;). 

(Uninstall? "Drag app to Trash.") 
Filed under  app   bragging   Firefox   funny   Mac   OS X  
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Posted 10 months ago
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