Posts By: Gary Rosenzweig

A new update to the Gboard keyboard app from Google allows you to type using the dots and dashes of Morse code instead of a traditional keyboard. While this may be nothing more than a novelty for some people, others may actually be able to learn to type faster than using a regular touch screen keyboard. Google also has a nice little mobile website to teach you how to use Morse code.

In System Preferences there are several keyboard-related accessibility features that can be useful for anyone. You can set modifier keys to remain active so you can use keyboard shortcuts without needing to hold down multiple keys at the same time. You can enable typing sounds and a slight delay to prevent keyboard errors. You can also bring up an on-screen keyboard to use if you are having hardware issues.

When you look in List View in the Finder, you'll see a file size for every file, but no size listed for any folders. You can still view the total size of a folder using one of several methods. You can Get Info on a folder to see the size and number of files. You can also use the File Inspector. Quick Look also displays the folder size. If you want to see the sizes of all folders in List View, you can enable that by changing a setting.

Most fonts can either be called Serif or Sans-Serif fonts. The difference is that Serif fonts have extended strokes at the ends and corners whereas Sans-Serif fonts do not. The use of this term predates computers, and the existence of serifs even predates modern printing. Today it is useful to know the difference when choosing a font for a document or graphic element.

You can set your Mac to not require a password when you start up, wake up or log in. However, you should never use this function. Doing so leaves all of your information vulnerable to anyone who gets physical access to your Mac. Even if you are using a Mac that is stationary and locked up, it doesn't make sense to take the risk. Entering a password every time you use your Mac is a small price to pay for good security. You can mitigate the number of times you enter your password by setting the Require Password time to something reasonable, such as 5 minutes.

You can't always take a picture from the vantage point you would like. But with image editing tools like Acorn or Photoshop, you can adjust the perspective of your photo afterward to make it look like you shot the photo straight-on.

When you triple-click the iPhone's Home button, a variety of things can happen. This can trigger the magnifier, screen zoom, a type of dark mode, other screen filters and a few of types of touch assistance. You can have a single function activate instantly, or choose from a menu of more than one function.

In System Preferences you can select from a variety of voices that are used when you have text read aloud to you on your Mac. You can also set a keyboard shortcut to read selected text. Another option will automatically read alerts out loud after a delay. This can be handy for recognizing when there is a problem or warning.

Spam robocalls are getting more and more common. They can be quite a nuisance. Some of the methods that people use to deal with these, such as blocking and reporting, are ineffective because the caller ID is fake. However, ignoring them, using custom ringtones, or using services from your mobile network can help alleviate the problem.

My problem was that I had to change the permissions on some files almost every day. The files were created by one admin account on my Mac, but I had to then modify them on another admin account. Instead of Command+i and lots of clicks, I came up with a simpler solution using a script.Here's the code: <blockquote>set pathWithSpaces to "/Users/username/Documents/whatever"</blockquote><blockquote>do shell script "sudo chmod -R 775 "&amp; quoted form of pathWithSpaces with administrator privileges</blockquote>

When you are browsing web pages you are using either HTTP or HTTPS. The latter is the more secure way to view websites. HTTPS uses TLS and certificates to insure security, privacy and integrity.