Posts By: Gary Rosenzweig

Sick of looking at the same desktop background all of the time, but too lazy to go in and change it every once in a while? You can set the Desktop background to change automatically in System Preferences, Desktop & Screen Saver. Select the types of images to show on the left, then check “Change picture” and set the frequency.

Besides helping you find new apps to install, the Mac App Store also has screens that show you your past purchases and lots of information about app updates. On the purchases screen you can re-download apps you have purchased in the past or on another Mac. On the Updates screen you can read detailed information about updates and decide when to install them.

A lot of people have been asking me what I think of the Apple Watch. I actually have some strong feelings about it. Here’s my review after using it for a month.

If you love organizing your photos, then you want to learn to use the keywords functions in the new Mac Photos app. Keywords allow you to organize your photos in many ways without cluttering up your library with albums. It is easy to create keywords and assign them to photos. Then you can search for photos that use that keyword, or create Smart Albums that update automatically.

When you log into an account on your Mac with Yosemite, you’ll see a fuzzy background behind the login prompt. This image is at /Library/Caches/com.apple.desktop.admin.png. You can replace this image with any png you like. Note that the image is shown with reduced brightness, so some experimentation will be needed if you want to get it just right.

One of the weak spots of online security is the security question. These are questions like What was the name of your first pet? or Which high school did you attend? Using real or even fake answers to these questions will make it easier for your account to be hacked. However, there is a way to make this weak spot more secure.

The 3D Flyover feature of Apple Maps on the Mac and in iOS is a fun way to view a city. By using the 3D textures of buildings rendered from actual flyover photography, you can get a little tour of the major sights.

By default, OS X hides filename extensions, like .jpg or .doc. If you’d rather see these, you can force the Finder to show them by going to Finder, Preferences, Advanced. Then check the box next to Show all filename extensions.

Chances are you regularly get fake email claiming to be from companies that you do business with. However, these scam emails are trying to trick you into giving up your passwords and other information. It is important to be skeptical of every email message you receive and to learn to recognize the signs of phishing scams. Even email messages that seem to come from friends and relatives can be scams.

You can use the Keychain Access app on your Mac to create secure random passwords for things that are not necessarily online. For instance, you can create random ATM pins or passwords for apps and other services. You can also store these passwords in your Keychain so you have a backup in a secure place in case you forget the password later on. Check out my book The Practical Guide to Mac Security at http://macmost.com/j-macsecurity

If the Photos app launches when you plug in your iPhone or other device, and you’d rather it not launch automatically, you can change this easily. Simply connect the device and let Photos launch. You should see a “Open Photos for this device” checkbox near the top go Photos. Uncheck that to turn this off. If you don’t see it, then choose View, Show Sidebar. Then select the device on the left. The checkbox should appear near the top.

There are two primary ways to create slideshows in the the new Photos app on your Mac. The first is a quick slideshow that you can start by simply selecting photos and pressing the slideshow button. But you can also create a slideshow project that has many more options. With a project, you can order the photos, add text, set transition options and more. You can also export a project as a video to share on YouTube, Facebook or elsewhere.

Many apps in iOS 8 created by Apple and third parties have a share button. You can use this button to share what you are currently viewing, such as a web page, photo or other information. You can customize which options appear available for sharing. You can also perform other actions with the content depending on what is available for the app you are using, and which other apps you have installed that will work with it.

With iOS 8 on the iPhone or iPad, you can customize which buttons appears when you swipe left or right in the Mail sidebar. Go to Settings, Mail, Contacts and Calendars, Swipe Options. You can settle middle button for swipe left or the only button for swipe right. Options include things like Archive, Flag or Mark as Read.

The Mac Photos app has lots of different functions that make viewing and editing your photos easier. Learn about some of the hidden tricks in Photos such as the sidebar, viewing photo titles, editing dates, adding keywords, copying editing adjustments, exporting the original file and much more.

There are many settings and hidden features of your Apple Watch that you should know about to get the most out of it. Learn about things like taking screenshots, saving a playlist on your Apple Watch, putting calls on hold to answer on your iPhone, removing apps from the main screen, using your Apple Watch to take pictures with your iPhone, and much more.

If Safari sometimes seems sluggish when you are typing in the address field, try turning off Safari Preferences, Preload top hit in the background. When you have this feature on, and you type the name of a website you have bookmarked or that is in your history, Safari will start to load the page even before you hit Return. For most people, this will speed up web browsing. But if you have a slow connection or often type similar searches looking for different results then it can be useful to turn it off.

Take a look at the editing controls in the new Photos app on the Mac. You can use automatic settings and filters to quickly change the look of your photos. You can also rotate and crop photos, and use precise color adjustments. Some controls only show you limited settings until you reveal more controls. You can also remove imperfections or whole objects from photos.

Learn the basics of the Apple Watch. See how to use the various controls like the crown, side button, screen and microphone to navigate through the Watch's controls and apps. You can also use your iPhone's Apple Watch app to configure the screens and app on the Watch.

A brief look at the new Apple Watch. Hear about the basic setup procedure and take a look at the interface. See what some of the apps look like and how they work. Hear Gary's first impressions of the long-awaited Apple Watch.