The Terminal is the Mac OS X analogue of the Windows command prompt, or CMD. It’s a tool, as you probably already know, that allows you to control your computer using text commands, as opposed to a graphical user-interface. Although using the Terminal can seem a little daunting at first, it will pay off to get familiar with it.

When writing articles, I never seem to cease making screenshots. But even though there’s a good dozen third-party screenshot tools on the market, the built-in Mac OS X screenshot tool always seemed to suffice for me. It’s simple, elegant, and it just works. A replacement screenshot utility is still far from the horizon, but you will want to augment your workflow with Snappy.

Mac OS X is already a very beautiful operating system. Perhaps that’s why it’s so hard to customize its interface elements, especially compared to other operating systems. It’s easy to understand where they’re coming from, if you want to keep the average Mac computer from looking like one of the old MySpace profiles. On the other hand, sometimes it’s nice to be able to put your own touch on the look of your computer.

Working together on a project for work or school, looking at a computer screen over someone’s shoulder can grow tiring very quickly. The same goes for trying to help someone with their computer. If we’re only talking about a minute or two, you can take a breath and get it over with, but for longer timespans it might pay off to look into alternatives.

Wireless networks may not have the reliability of wired networks, but being able to walk around with your laptop, or to connect your mobile devices to the Internet affordably also has its perks. That being said, maintaining uniform network signal strength throughout your house isn’t always easy. Other wireless devices, the position of your wireless [...]

Big gaming blockbusters with guns a’blazing are great fun, but sometimes you need a simple, fun game to unload or to play when you’re on the go. For those situations, a good tower defense game is the perfect candidate. You’ve probably had some fun with tower defense games in the past, strategic placement of jaw-dropping, automated weaponry intended to stop a continuous stream of bad guys.

Learning to play an instrument can be pretty hard, but it’s never too late to get started. At these times, the best way to keep going is to facilitate those engagements; make them accessible and fun. One way to do that is to make use of modern technology. In this article, we’ll be looking at iPad applications that are aimed at starting musicians.

Dropbox has long been considered the main player in cloud data synchronization, but services like Google Drive and Microsoft’s SkyDrive are busy making a comeback. With a big and familiar user base, and more competitive pricing, it’ll be hard on Dropbox to maintain its current position in the market. Personally, I’ve always been a Google fanboy, so when Google Docs changed into Google Drive, I was naturally very excited.

The menu bar on my Mac gets more attention these days than the Dock. The reason for this is quite simple – it’s incredibly compact and dynamic in comparison. One menu bar application will show you an unread count of your email inbox, but remain unobtrusive. That application is accompanied by numerous useful tools and system settings that are within easy reach without taking up a lot of screen real-estate.

With cellphones and tablets gaining in processing power, we are seeing a slow but steady convergence of mobile and desktop computing. Usually, this means you get to enjoy software similar to desktop applications on your mobile, but the reverse is possible as well – using mobile software on your home computer. With close to half a million applications in the Google Play store, there are bound to be a number of apps to complement your desktop computing experience.

The new MacBook lineup is upon us, and the hardware is delicious, albeit with a hefty price tag. Perhaps you’ll use this chance to get a new computer. Since Mac computers have great resell value, you’ll want to put your current computer back on the market.

However, before you hand over your laptop to a complete stranger, you’ll want to make sure it’s been scrubbed clean of all personal and confidential files.

It’s hard to say where the gaming industry is heading, but freemium games are likely playing a big part in it. Where traditional games ask for your sixty dollars up front, freemium games take their cut through micro-payment, and advertising systems. It’s shown to be a popular business model, and although the overall quality of these games is not always on par with their big-budget counterparts, they’re quickly catching up.

Replacing local files and software with online applications can be a smart move. It makes your files available on the go, preserves them if your computer decides to go haywire, and makes it easier to share and to collaborate. One of the most important downsides of relying on the cloud is that your data and your online relations can become fragmented across different services.

In the beginning, Facebook integration was bliss. It allowed you to skip the often tedious sign up process by pressing that single blue button. But like almost every other interesting invention to date, there’s potential for misuse and abuse. Mind you, it’s nothing that should keep you up at night. Rather, the abuse I’m talking about comes in alternating doses of annoyance and discomfort.

I’m all in favor of paper conservation and keeping our collective environmental footprint in check, so naturally I understand why some people feel obliged to print two ‘pages’ side by side on one physical page; a phenomenon I like to call ‘double-print’. But even though PDF’s are often destined for print, the fact is they are just as often distributed digitally.