MacMost: Video Podcast

If you use a Mac to browse the Internet, you should be using 1Password. This third-party utility lets you create, save and use secure passwords on every site you log in to. You can also store bank information, notes and files inside 1Password's encrypted database. In addition, it will protect you from dangerous phishing attacks.

Login Items are applications that launch automatically when you log in to your user account on your Mac. Utilities supporting some of your applications may be found there. You can also add your own applications, scripts, folders, documents and even web bookmarks.

Flickr is another service that you can use to share photos with friends and family. It is a better option than email large files. You can share directly from iPhoto with Flickr, but have to pay a small fee for unlimited use.

Another great way to share photos is with Google's free Picasa service. You can use the Mac application to upload photos and then share them with friends or embed a slideshow on your own web site.

MobileMe photo galleries are one of many ways to share photos with friends. You can create them directly from iPhoto. They can be shared publicly or password-protected. You can allow your friends to download the photos or even add to the gallery.

Learn how to use Styles in iWork Pages. You can apply styles to paragraphs or characters, redefine styles already in place, and select all text that uses a specific style. Styles are an important tool for document creation in Pages.

Update: This technique also now works with the iPhone 4S.
Update: See episode 702 for a new method of doing this.
Learn how I capture the iPad 2's screen to use in presentations and video podcasts. You must use the iPad 2 plus the HDMi adapter. Then bring the HDMI in to your Mac or recording device using special hardware and software.

You can assign rules to keyboard shortcuts with the Mail extension Mail-Act On. This makes it easy to send messages to folders without your hands leaving the keyboard. You can also assign rules to outgoing messages and alter how Mail sets the read status of messages.

Ever wanted to know what goes into creating iPhone cases? Learn how iPhone and iPad cases are designed and tested at OtterBox, a maker of rugged protective cases. See interviews with designers and technicians and look at some of the equipment they use.

Many new Mac users have some common misconceptions about their Macs and how they work. See if you are operating under any incorrect assumptions. Add to the list of common misconceptions below.

You can have Pages automatically create a table of contents based on the styles you have assigned to paragraphs in your text. With a little more work you can also have the table of contents automatically insert numbers and subchapters.

With the most recent iOS on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch you can use AirPrint to print a document from some apps to some printers. Find out which printers are compatible and how the printing process works.

Learn how to find information on the web by bypassing search engines and going right to information-rich sites like WIkipedia, IMDB, AllMusic and Twitter. You can also use map searches and site-specific searches to find information.

You can record multiple microphones each into its own track in GarageBand. First you must set up an aggregate device using the Audio MIDI Setup utility. Then you need to enable multitrack recording in GarageBand and give each track a channel from the aggregate device. To get all microphones working well it takes some trial and error.

If you must browse the web using your MacBook, iPad or iPhone on a public wifi network, you will want to use https whenever possible. Many major sites allow you to force https using an account setting.

Many U.S. libraries will let you borrow electronic versions of books using your Mac, iPhone or iPad. But using an app on the iPad you can check out e-books and audio books.

While you can't add text or shapes to a photo in iPhoto, you can do it using either Pages or Preview. Pages allows you to add a variety of shapes and even other photos. Preview allows text and simple shapes.

Learn about a few simple April Fools jokes you can play on your friends with Macs.

There are three simple steps you can take to protect your iPad against being lost or stolen. Use the passcode feature to stop someone else from accessing your data. Set up Find My iPad with your MobileMe or free Apple ID. Put a message on your lock screen to help someone return your lost iPad to you.

A common problem for new Mac users is to find an application missing from the Dock. Or, to find that it only appears when the application is running. Items can also go missing from the Finder sidebar or the desktop. This video explains why these can disappear and how to get them back.