I have recently become the father of my first child and in the process I have been evolving the way I use my Mac and other technology. Here are a few quick tech tips that have become very useful for me.
1. An iPod shuffle and a set of speakers are invaluable. I have my shuffle loaded with lullabies downloaded from iTunes (more on this coming up). We put it on shuffle mode and let it run and the baby loves it. I use these fantastic Miglia speakers which I reviewed for MyMac.
2. Lullabies are great, but traditional lullabies are boring. Did you know there are actually lullabies to the tunes of famous rock groups? There is an entire collection call Rockabye Baby! and you can get songs from U2, The Eagles, Green Day, The Beach Boys, and more. Would you believe AC/DC is part of the collection?
Another collection which includes Jimmy Buffet can be found here.
3. My iBook has become my main computer for the past week. I have barely been on my iMac. I don’t have my camera cables hooked up to it, so my SanDisk card reader that looks like a USB thumb drive has become invaluable for downloading photos. These are available in many different brands, and one reader can read multiple card types. They are also very inexpensive (around $10).
4. If your main computer becomes your laptop a great way to get your photos onto your main computer is through photo sharing. You turn sharing on in iPhoto on the computer with the photos, and tell the other computer to look for shared libraries. I prefer to set a password for access so the neighbors don’t get my images. Now when you open iPhoto on your main computer the laptop will show up in the library. Click it and your photos will load. Just drag and drop them into your library where they will be downloaded into this computer.
The computers can have two different versions of iPhoto for this to work. You don’t need the same version. You can also burn photos to a CD to get the files back to the other computer. Just add the photos to your library.
Here’s another two computer tip. If you haven’t done so already turn printer sharing on in your main computer to give the second computer access.
If you don’t have DVR or Tivo, EyeTV and an adapter for your computer is the way to go. You can record shows through your computer and watch them on the computer, your iPod, your iPhone, and more. I have reviewed EyeTV 3 earlier this year, and a review of the EyeTV 250plus is coming soon.
7. If your computer does not meet the requirements for EyeTV, or you don’t want to buy a new device, or you missed your show for another reason you can still catch up with one of the following (in many cases):
iTunes for many shows
Hulu.com
or watch the program from the network’s website
8. I use iWeb and .mac for sharing photos and video. However, a great free option for sharing photos is Kodak’s kodakgallery.com. Not only can you share photos for free, but people can order a print if they really want to. You can even upload to your Kodak account straight from within iPhoto with this plug-in. Of course, there are other services out there like Snapfish, Shutterfly, FLICKR, and more. I prefer Kodak. Most of the photo processing services will give you free prints for signing up.
9. If you start using a laptop more often, like I have, get a second charger to keep in different locations of the house. This is especially useful if you have multiple floors.
10. If you have a MacBook or any Mac with a camera learn how to video chat. It is very easy, and your family and friends will love it. You can also do one-way video in iChat if the person on the other end does not have a camera. For video chatting from Mac to Windows I have been told Skype is the best option. I haven’t tried it yet, but I am looking forward to trying it out.
11. Since I am using my iBook as a temporary main computer I found it easier to move my iWeb site to the iBook. To do this I had to copy the Domain file from my iMac to the iBook. You can find the file in Users/Library/Application Support/iWeb. Move it from one Mac to the other. Of course, you have to have the same version of iWeb on both computers. Also, don’t forget to move the website back to the main computer once you start using that again as your base of operations.
12. Photobooks in iPhoto are a great way to avoid making hundreds of prints on your printer. We started making books instead of prints last year, and love it. The 3 1/2 x 2 5/8 book is $3.99 for 20 pages and fantastic for the grandparents to carry around and show off their new grandchild. You have to order that size in packs of three.
13. Not a tech tip, but do you need a good pacifier for your baby? Check out www.hawaiimedical.com and their Gumdrop pacifiers. My cousin turned us on to these when a “regular†pacifier was irritating the baby’s chin. I found them at Amazon.com also.
14, and 15 This tip is a big one, and worthy of more than one spot on the list, probably more than two spots on the list. Here goes: GET SOME SLEEP!!!
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