MacMost: Archives

With RSS reading functionality being removed from Safari and Mail in Mountain Lion, it is a good time to come up with an alternative. Google offers a free, easy-to-use and powerful RSS reader web site. It also works with several different apps so you can read your news on different devices and keep your data in sync.

If your carrier supports it, you can set up a personal hotspot with your iPhone so other devices like a MacBook or iPad can access the Internet. You can also connect with a dock cable or via Bluetooth.

One of the export options in iPhoto will let you export a set of photos as a web gallery, but not tied to any specific Internet service. You get a set a files that can be uploaded to your independent web host to your own site.

If you need to create printable forms that have blank spaces, you should use tab stops instead of underscore characters. Using tab stops allows you to line up blank spaces perfectly, making your forms look more professional.

Google Drive is a new cloud storage system that is tied into Google Docs and your Gmail account. It is similar to DropBox and also offers a reasonable amount of storage space for free. You can use it to sync documents between your Macs or simply keep backup copies. You can also share Google Drive files with others.

By setting a soundtrack to your Keynote presentation and then recording the presentation you can create a slideshow timed to music. You can use Keynote's special transitions and effects to make the slideshow interesting and unique. You can then export the presentation as a video.

Learn how to control which apps send you notifications and how they do it. You can choose how and where the notification appears, whether the app puts numbers in the icon or plays sounds. You can also arrange the order for notifications when viewed in the notifications center.

In OS X you have various ways of setting default applications for files and other actions. You can set your default email and web browser applications with settings in Mail and Safari. You can set what happens when you connect a camera or SD card, or insert an optical disc. You can also set which application will be used to open specific file types.

Learn about all of the different Safari browser preferences that affect security. You can find them in more places than just the Security tab. Learn what each one does to protect you while you surf online and decide what the best settings are for you.

Hidden in your Applications/Utilities folder is the complex graphing program Grapher. You can use it to plot 2D and 3D equations on your Mac. You can also export 3D animated graphs. Very useful for math students or those who use complex equations in their work.

There are many ways to share music between computers and user accounts with iTunes. The one you choose depends on with which devices and computers your are sharing. iTunes Match may be the ultimate method for a single person, but iTunes Home Sharing allows you to share music with other people whom have separate iTunes accounts.

With AirPlay and the help of the Mac app AirServer, you can bring your iPad or iPhone's screen to your Mac. You can then capture the screen using your favorite video capture software. This new method replaces the old method of using expensive HDMI cables and capture hardware.