Macgasm

We all have fallen victim to software rot from time to time. If you have the same operating system installed for a long period of time, you’re bound to run into problems eventually. Your apps and/or operating system will either stop working properly, or they’ll just grind to a stop. When this happens, your best bet is too simply back up your data, and then wipe the computer completely.

First of all, get yourself SuperDuper!. The free version will do for the purposes of this post, but it is the best $27.95 you could possibly spend for your sanity. After having tried Carbon Copy Cloner and Apple’s Time Machine, I am the most pleased with SuperDuper!.

Next, do a complete bit-for-bit copy of your drive. Set SuperDuper! to back up all files from your computer’s internal hard drive to your external hard drive. Let this run, and don’t fiddle with it. It’ll take quite a bit of time.

When you’re done, you need to test out your backup. Restart your computer, and hold down the option key. Chose to boot from your external drive. If everything comes up normally, you’re good. Make sure your important files work, and then insert your Snow Leopard DVD.

Launch the program from the disc, and then boot into the disk. At this point, I think it for the best to unplug your external drive. There is no real reason to do this except for my paranoia, but your data is worth it. Now, follow the on-screen instructions to install a fresh operating system. This really is the scary part. Let the installer do it’s magic, and then open the migration assistant. There are different points in which you can migrate your data, but that doesn’t really matter.

Plug your external drive back in, and then move back your data as you like it. The migration assistant really has gotten much better over the years. Don’t expect this to go fast, though. Even if you’re working with FireWire 800, it will take a long time.

Now you should have a spanking new OS install with all of your data back into place. Whew! Now it’s time to make sure your OS is up to date. Head over to Apple Support, and download the latest patches. Alternately, click the Apple logo in your menu bar, and then select “Software Update.” Now you’re good to go!

Have you ever done this before? Run into any snags? Let us know about the pitfalls you’ve discovered. Comment on this port or hit me up on Twitter.

Photo Credit: CarbonNYC

Those with an IPhone OS based device probably likes to play casual games every once in a while. Well, I have one you should check out: Demonless by Nanotalons.

Demonless is a Dr. Mario like game that requires you to get four of the same color stones in a row or column and eliminate all of the demons. Once you clear a level, you move up, and that becomes increasingly more difficult in each level.

There are two versions of the game: The Free ‘elimination’ only version, and the $1.99 in-app upgrade. The two other modes included with the upgrade are ‘Chain Buster’ and ‘Time Attack’.

Chain Buster is a mode where you have to eliminate four or more of the same color demons. This is much like elimination with a slight variation. Within Chain Buster you just have to eliminate the demons by connecting four together in any way possible. This could be in row and columns, but it could be a square or any other shape. There are three levels of difficulty within Chain buster, you can either have 3, 4 or 5 different color demons to try to bust.

Time attack is a mode where you try to eliminate all of the demons as fast as you can. This is essentially the same as the elimination except that you’re timed.

There is one thing to note: The demons are just that — demons. They can play tricks on you by not allowing you to always turn the stones. I’m not sure if this is a bug or a feature, but it does allow for some interesting gameplay.

Overall, Demonless is definitely a game to try. If you like what you see you can grab the extras. If you would like to download your copy, head on over to the App Store and download it today.

Photo Credit: Herman Rhoids

Hot off the heels of my excitement about a possible Episode 3 announcement at PAX East, the folks from Penny Arcade had to go and crush my dreams.

They will be tying up the loose ends of the story, but Hothead Games was too busy with their upcoming game DeathSpank to continue the series in video game form. Instead, they will be finishing the story on Penny Arcade’s website.

I’m very sad to hear this news, but I’d like to remind you that the two completed games are still worth your time. You can purchase the first episode here, and the second episode here.

Article Via: Joystiq
Photo Credit: Megyarsh

Traditional media outlets are slowly letting everyone know what the iPad versions of their publications are going to cost, through the time-honoured channel of subtle press leaks.  This raises the question of whether paid news content on the iPad is going to be the “killer app” some hope it will be—or die on arrival.

Engadget reports that the Wall Street Journal is likely to be available on the iPad for $17.99 / month, a tangible savings on the print subscription price of $29 / month (prices in US dollars).

The problem is, an awful lot of people are used to getting their news for free these days, particularly in the iPad-purchasing demographic.  With a few minor exceptions, the world’s major news providers flood the Web with free content, relying only on advertising revenue for finance.  Where people pay for their online news, they expect an advertising-free experience, something that is apparently not in the cards for iPad editions.

Then again, the news industry is edging steadily away from providing content online for free.  Setting aside the bias of a writer who likes to get paid, when something usually available for free suddenly costs money, it becomes less popular.  People complain when they have to pay more money for things.  Take iPhone tethering, for example; most people object fiercely to having to pay twice to use their mobile data plan.  The “culture of free” has become deeply entrenched, and it’s going to be a hard sell to move people back to paid news content.

Still, the overlap between the iPad demographic and the Wall Street Journal‘s readership is not exactly poverty-stricken.  It’s doubtful that anyone would buy an iPad just to subscribe to an electronic version of one newspaper or magazine, so the cost savings will probably appeal to people who are getting the device in any case.  They’re not going to object that strongly to advertising, which would still be present in the higher-cost print edition anyway.

That being said, publications like Men’s Health, that aren’t planning on offering their iPad version for less than the newsstand price, are clearly just going for the cash grab—and likely to find their hands empty at the end of the day.

Photo Credit: Kevin Dooley

Extract is a free Mac OS X application that plays web video in a separate window. Instead of watching that YouTube video with the surrounding banner ads and inane comments, you can just paste the embed code for the video, and then paste it into Extract. Here is what it looks like:

Here is the interesting part for me: If you have ClickToFlash installed, Extract will respect that. Right clicking, and then selecting “Load Flash” will play your video in that case.

If you prefer to watch your web videos in a clean interface, extract is something you’ll want to install right away.

Article Via: Cult Of Mac
Photo Credit: Olga_Dietrich

New York City trio Love and Logic has created a music video for their cover of Lady GaGa’s “Bad Romance”, which plays itself on four iPhones. Check it out:

It’s a more sophisticated take on GaGa’s original (missing the “rah rah ah ah ah oh la ga ga ga” refrain), and the most creative use we’ve seen for the iPhone’s video capability. However, did Love and Logic create four separate videos, meaning one was played on each iPhone? Or was Final Cut/Premiere used to overlay video on a static image of four iPhones? We demand answers!

In the meantime,  you can get really meta and watch on your own iPhone.

Editor Update:

We heard back from the band, and with their permission we’re adding their email response below.

From: Love and Logic
Date: Fri, Mar 26, 2010 at 4:38 PM
Subject: 4 iPhones vid
To: lisette
Cc: redacted@loveandlogicrock.com

Hey! Thanks so much for posting about our video!!! That is so so so so so so cool of you.

As for your inquiries, there’s no trickery– that’s old-fashioned press play on the count of 3. We did a million false-starts until they finally lined up and then we just let it run. Manual sync!!

Thanks again. We’re hoping to do some more tech-lovin’ vids in the near future, so we’ll keep you posted.

=)
Paul + Love and Logic

If it wasn’t for these guys, we’d have a hard time paying our hosting bill. We’re truly blessed to be able to do the things we love, and not have to shell out of pocket for our hosting.

If you’re not aware of how we run our advertising program on the site, let me elaborate a little bit. We don’t just take anyone. We actually go out and track down the advertisements ourselves, and we only approach companies that we love. We think of our advertisements more as paid endorsements for products we love. It’s a little naive, but we really believe it’s a more effective form of advertising.

Were not sure how it’ll play out in the future as our expenses start to balloon, but it’s how we plan on doing things for a while.

That being said…

Huge props goes to Avatron, as well as the AirSharing Pro team.

I not only love this app, but I’ve been using it since it was first released. It really has been the goto application for getting documents and files to my phone. If you’re looking for an application that lets you use your iPhone as a file storage device you need to check out their app.

I’ve always loved playing chess. My dad taught me to play when I was a kid, and ever since I’ve been hooked. Black vs. white, historic enemies locked in mortal combat, fighting for eternal supremacy of their 8×8 universe.

I’ve also, historically, stunk at chess. Mac OS X’s Chess program would regularly beat me up and steal my lunch money without even breaking a sweat. Like a huge sucker for punishment, I kept on doddering back to it — ready to take my medicine like a champ.

No, not this guy.

Times have changed now. I’ve got Shredder on my side.

Shredder is the name of a chess engine that’s been handily beating the tar out of other chess programs since 1993, and is now available to beat the tar out of you on your iPhone or iPod touch. Shredder Chess is a Chess application built using the Shredder engine, and it flat-out kicks ass. Rather than being just a chess game, it acts much more like a chess teacher. The program is intelligent enough to detect your ELO ranking (a measurement of your skill level) and adjust it’s own ELO to equal yours, making for very even matches. It occasionally makes deliberate mistakes to more closely resemble a human opponent. And, like any good teacher, gently gives you a little smack on the back of the head when you’ve done something stupid.

Takesies Backsies

Not content with merely being a simple game, Shredder Chess also comes complete with a huge library of chess puzzles. You’re shown a board setup and asked what one side’s next best move is. You’re awarded points based on how quickly you solve the puzzle and how many mistakes you made (or hints you requested) in the process. Any chess player worth the locker they were stuffed into during middle school will tell you that solving chess puzzles is one of the best ways to improve as a player, and Shredder Chess is packed with them. The app says it has 1000 puzzles contained within, which should be plenty enough for anyone. If any puzzle you come across strikes you as an interesting point to play from, with one tap of a button you can start playing from that set-up as either side.

Choose wisely, grasshopper.

A few other bits added on top make this program all the more worthwhile. Getting slaughtered and want to switch sides mid-game? G’head. Need a hint? Just ask. Want to make a custom board setup and start the game with the White Rooks flanking the Black King? It’ll make for a short game, but Shredder will let you.

Do I have any complaints about Shredder Chess? Not many. For one thing, it’s only a single-player game, so if you want to play against another human, you’ll need another app. There are also no Timed matches, so if you want to practice playing against a clock, you’re out of luck. And finally, though this is pretty much entirely my own stupid fault, the prominently-placed Hint button is just way too tempting to use repeatedly, which likely results in both my ELO and my ego being a bit artificially inflated.

Overall, this is an extremely well-built app that has done wonders for my chess game and caused me to miss my stop on the train home from work on more than one occasion. It’s a bit pricey as iPhone apps go, checking in at $7.99, but considering Shredder-based games for OS X and Windows start at $40 and go up into triple-digits, it’s not so bad.

FATALITY.

Final verdict? Let me put it this way: Shredder Chess replaced “Phone” as one of the 4 icons in my iPhone’s Dock last week. Think about that for a second. I can no longer access the Phone functionality from any screen, but I sure can start a chess game any time I please.

Photo Credit: nestor galina