One of the apps that I used to use a lot on my WallStreet PowerBook was BetterTelnet. This is an application that I used to connect into various networks for work and personal use.
With MacOS 10, you don't need BetterTelnet because you have the terminal to do any Telnet activities. Besides that, most sites now only have SSH enabled - secure telnet.
Official Product Description
BetterTelnet is a Telnet client for Mac OS prior to X (7/8/9), based upon the final release of the classic NCSA Telnet. The final BetterTelnet release is 2.0fc1. Jean-Pierre Stierlin maintained MacSSH for some time after BetterTelnet development ceased, and most users who happen to be stuck on a Mac OS 7/8/9 machine should probably look there instead. This page may eventually have some updates for MacSSH.
I (Rolf) don't support legacy BetterTelnet in any way at this time. The only reason you would want to use it is that it uses somewhat less memory than MacSSH when a lot of scrollback lines are stored. You can work around this issue in MacSSH by turning off "Store attributes in scrollback" in the terminal settings. However, for historical interest, the BetterTelnet downloads are below.
Some of the Sessions Commands and Perferences
Five Things I Learned
Application was written by Rolf Braun and compiled using CodeWarrior Gold version 10.
MacSSH is based off BetterTelnet it brought much-needed SSH tools for Mac OS Classic users.
According to Rolf Braun's official website, the final version is BetterTelnet 2.0fc1, FAT (68k and PPC combined binary). This is weird because the screen shot I have shows it version 3.0 Fat ( 3 Jan 1999)
When I was using BetterTelnet frequently, I created settings files that I would use to launch BetterTelnet with my predefined keys and telnet location.
If you want to fix a bug or add a feature to BetterTelnet - you can! You can download the source code and compile the software.
LUTS are a tool that Filmmakers use to enhance a video to a particular grade. In movies, some scenes have to look a certain way to produce the desired effect - think horror movies by the lake.
LUTS are great when your camera didn't really focus on the right colors and you end up with a pale shot.
Wouldn't it be great if there was a tool that could spice up a video clip and you can save it as a LUTS and use Apple Motion to create an effect?
You can. Camera Bag Pro makes it happen.
You Can Create LUTs from Affinity Photo but Camera Bag Pro is the only App that I know of that accepts videos to touch up and export the LUTS.
Camera Bag Pro
CameraBag Pro lets you instantly apply one of hundreds of beautiful presets to your photos, and then dive deeper with ultra-intuitive professional adjustments.
You use the application to create a custom LUT from your final design.
Sample of some of the Presets in Camera Bag Pro.
Creating a LUT from a Touch Up
Once you touch up a scene in Camera Bag Pro you can save the touch up as a LUTs. Now you can apply this same touch-up to other videos clips.
Once you satisfied with the touch-up, go to the File menu and select "Export Filter LUT..."
Creating your Own Color Preset using Apple Motion
Here are the steps to make your LUT as a Color Preset in Final Cut Pro - using Apple Motion:
Create a new Final Cut Effect (You can keep the default settings
Select the Effect Source
In the top menu bar, select Filters, then Color and find Custom LUT
With the Custom LUT selected in the Layers pallet, click on Inspector and then go to Filters.
Use the pull down menu to the right of LUT to "Choose Custom LUT" and select the file that was generated in the Camera Bag Pro app.
Save the Final Cut Pro Effect and Publish it to Final Cut Pro. ( You may want to create a new category so its easy to find in the Effects menu.)
Where to Find the Custom LUT Filter
Usability
Creating LUTS is a great way to help clean up shots that are done multiple times at the same location.
Code Slush, sometimes called Code Chill, is when you take a snapshot of the code in the Main/Master branch and test the stability of the release. It occurs usually before code freeze so QA to get a quick assessment of the release.
Difference between Code Freeze and Code Slush
Code Freeze occurs when no new code can be committed to the current release cycle. This is the code that is ready for Production.
Code Slush is just a snapshot of the release - developers could still commit code to the release branch. However, Developers should use caution when adding code as the code base as there may have been a lot of code changes for QA to validate.
When to Do Code Slush
In the past, we have done Code Slush when we skip a release week - usually because of a holiday or at the end of the quarter. QA will test the stability of the release branch at a certain point of time - usually by running automation or simple Acceptance Testing.
Code Slush is also done when a couple of major changes are added to the release that requires full regression - such as a third party API update. QA may need add
There have been times where a Code Slush would be implemented right after a long weekend - just to see how things are.
Five Things I Learned
It's good to announce that a Code Slush is going to occur. Developers that might have been waiting to commit code may do so before Code Slush.
It's good to have a specific set of Acceptance Tests for Code Slush. The test should be quick. A code slush is performed to make sure a specific component is working before a code freeze.
Code Slush worked great between long release cycles. It gives QA a heads up on how stable the release is before the code freeze. Useful if you do midnight code freeze and there's no developer around.
We have done several schedule Code Slush when Google released a new API. This allowed QA some extra time to do some testing - especially if you have to wait 24 hours to see specific results.
Sometimes when a developer makes a very risky change, they will request a Code Slush immediately after merging the code in - just to make sure that the changes aren't producing some unexpected changes.
Today, every business has to have a website. And it can't be just any old website. You have to put time and effort into it to make it unique and exciting. If you don't go that way and leave your site in poor shape, you'll lose customers. On the other hand, when running a small business, you want to keep the control in your hands, so you might want to have input into how your business website will look. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as you don't stand in the way of your site's good web design. And to help you out with it, we've got a list of-common web design mistakes small businesses make. Read it throughout, and you'll know what you need to avoid.
A Word About Web Design
In essence, web design combines art, marketing, and psychology. So,-there are some rules-that web designers must follow to make the site usable and interesting. Follow the proper practices, and your site will-generate more business leads-than you could imagine.-
On the other hand, if you don't follow all the spoken and unspoken rules, the website won't bring you much good. On the contrary,-it'll harm your reputation. Your site represents your company on the web, and if it's bad, it'll turn people away from doing business with you.-
Here's how to make sure your site isn't a-bad one.-
Too Much Going On
Believe it or not, getting people to click on your site isn't the tricky part.-Making them stay on it-once they're there is the hard thing. And if visitors don't understand what your site is all about in the first couple of seconds, they'll leave.-
Of course, you want them to stick around, but you won't do that by cramming as much info as possible above the fold, which many small business owners do. Do it, and-you'll get a countereffect. You'll make your homepage look crowded, and you'll confuse people.-
So, don't go overboard with text, images, and other things that'll bloat your pages. You want them to look-clean and concise. That said, don't push it too far in the other way either. The goal is to give your visitors just the right amount of information.
-
People in the office talking about common web design mistakes small businesses make.
Confusing Branding
Recognizing a ''confused website'' shouldn't be that hard. These sites use different fonts, colors, and themes, and none of them seem to work with each other. It-makes your business look unprofessional, and even if you're a top-notch expert, people will have a hard time trusting you.
-
So, if you want your visitors to convert,-you need good web design. Your site's-appearance has a meaningful impact-on how people perceive your business, and you can't disregard it. The more sorted your pages look, the more authoritative you'll seem.
To make things right, pick one theme, one logo, and one font to use all over your website. As soon as you start mixing and matching -- you're sliding towards confusion.-
Bad CTAs
Your website is your online store. Even if you don't sell online, people should get encouraged to contact you or visit your physical store when they see your site. And you do that with a Call To Action.-CTAs tell your site visitors what you want them to do.-Here are some examples:
Click here
Call us now
Get discount
Learn more about this product
For your CTAs to work, they must be clear, concise, and easily noticeable. Still, you don't want to put them in front of your audience's eyes at any cost. It's good to-let them browse your site for a few minutes before the CTA pops up. This way, you can be sure that they'll care enough to read it, and if it offers some value, they'll click on it.
Bad CTAs are one of the most common web design mistakes small businesses make. Don't let this ruin your site.-
Bad Use of Content and Whitespace
It's a well-known fact that-content marketing can benefit a small business. Through content, you-tell your visitors what your business is all about, and you show off your expertise. However, even if your blog posts are excellent, they won't bring you much good if no one reads them.-
Spend some time picking out the ideal font for your blog and pay attention to how you lay it out. Furthermore, don't make the mistake of leaving long chunks of text everywhere. Instead, use whitespace to make your articles more appealing to the eye and less intimidating. You want to-make your text scannable-so that people can go over it quickly and find what they want to see.-
On top of that, make sure to-update your content regularly. Both Google and your customers will be happy about you keeping them in the loop.
If you put time or money into your content, you want it to bring results.
Ugly or Irrelevant Images
People love looking at pictures and graphics, and, of course, they're a vital part of web design. Using them correctly will help you get your message across and interest visitors faster. Unfortunately, however, many small companies use low-quality or irrelevant images on their websites, and these don't do them any favors.-
A-blurry image will make your site look cheap-and turn people off. Similarly, a picture with little or nothing to do with your business will only confuse people and make them wonder what you're trying to tell them.-
Thus, always use highly relevant and high-quality pictures and graphics. If you want to save some money, you can always download free stock images.
Missing Your Target Audience
Most small business owners know who their customers are. And if you know your buyer persona as well as your best friend, you're on a good track. However, not thinking about your ideal customers when creating your website is a more common mistake than you might think.-
One of the best ways to increase your conversion rate is to make your site look and feel the way your clients want. So, think about that. Do they want to see something highly professional, or are they looking for something hip and trendy? Give them what they want, and they'll keep coming back for more.-
Creating a website for your target audience is vital.
Conclusion
Now you know all common web design mistakes small businesses make and how to avoid them. Hence, it won't be hard to create a website for your company that'll bring you great results. Focus on giving your site visitors the best experience, and Google will award you for it.-
If you do anything with Bootstrap, bootsnipp.com is a great resource. Its a place where you can design your own bootstrap page from drag and drop elements.
You can find templates for Jumbotron, Lando landing page, Album, Blog, Carousel, Offcanvas, Pricing, Product, eCommerce Homepage, and a blank canvas.
Even if you are a seasonal Bootstrap expert, this is a really cool builder that helps you plan the front end to your project.
Website Description
Bootsnipp is an element gallery for web designers and web developers, anybody using Bootstrap will find this website essential in their craft.
If you're on the hunt for the best gifts to buy an Apple fan this year, we've put together a helpful guide to point you in the right direction. While personal preference always plays a part in gift-giving, sometimes it can be hard to come up with any ideas for someone in your life who loves tech and Apple products.
The gifts in this guide largely relate to products created by Apple and third-party accessories that work well with Apple's devices. We've divided things up by Apple Products; Cases, Skins, and Screen Protectors; Charging; Audio; TVs; Smart Home; and Miscellaneous. Be sure to save this guide and browse it throughout the year whenever you need to buy a birthday gift or other present for a loved one.
Apple Products
If your budget allows for it, Apple has numerous devices that make for solid gift-giving ideas. If the person you're buying for subscribes to Apple Music, AirPods and HomePod mini are great companions to the streaming music service. For anyone active on your shopping list, the new Apple Watch SE is a great workout companion at an affordable price point.
HomePod mini - A smaller version of the HomePod at a much more affordable price perfect for holiday gift-giving.
AirPods 2 - The cheapest AirPods are getting on in years, but still make a great gift for the holidays, particularly at lower prices.
AirPods 3 - Redesigned in 2021, AirPods 3 are the latest version of Apple's most beloved accessory.
AirPods Pro - This model of the AirPods Pro now comes with a MagSafe Charging Case.
Apple Pencil 2 - Pair a new Apple Pencil 2 with the latest iPad Air and iPad Pro models for a smooth illustrating or note-taking experience.
Apple Watch 7 - The newest Apple Watch has an always-on Retina display and 20% more display area than the 6.
10.2-inch iPad - If you don't want to spend as much on an iPad Pro, Apple's entry level iPad got a 2021 update as well thanks to the A13 Bionic processor.
iPad Air - The new iPad Air with an edge-to-edge 10.9-inch display and Touch ID power button.
MacBook Pro - The all-new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are the best all-around notebooks on the market, equipped with Apple's M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
Cases, Skins, and Screen Protectors
With their cheap prices and small sizes, iPhone cases and screen protectors make for great, quick gifts. Of course, if you're looking for MacBook protection, companies like Pad & Quill and Twelve South offer solid options, and the growing popularity of AirPods has caused third-party brands to introduce some case options for the wireless headphones as well.
Cases for iPhone:
Apple's Leather and Silicone Cases with MagSafe - Apple's newest iPhone cases, now enhanced with MagSafe.
Nimble's iPhone Cases - Stylish, sparse cases that protect your new iPhone 12 from drops, with proceeds going toward eco-friendly causes.
iPhone LED Cases - Phone led phone case is a case with multiple built-in LED lights. LED back panel blinks when you have an incoming call or notification.
BodyGuardz Pure 2 EyeGuard - Protect your iPhone from drops and your eyes from harmful blue light effects.
MacBook Covers:
Incase Hardshell Case for MacBook - Incase is well-known for its hardshell MacBook cases, which provide durable protection to Apple's laptops.
Twelve South BookBook - Twelve South's BookBooks make your MacBook look like a vintage novel.
Pad & Quill Leather Valet Case for 13-inch MacBook Pro ($160) - Fit your MacBook Pro, iPad, iPhone, Apple Pencil, cables, and more in Pad & Quill's leather case.
iPad Cover:
Logitech Folio Touch for iPad Air - Logitech's keyboard comes in under the price of Apple's and has a bunch of useful features like a touch pad and backlit keyboard.
AirPods Cases:
Elago's Cases for AirPods 1 & 2 - Stylish dual-tone protection for your AirPods.
Elago AW6 AirPods Case - Protect your AirPods in a case that looks just like an iPod.
Elago AirPods Pro Slim Case - A sleek case to protect your AirPods Pro.
Charging
Portable chargers are one of the best go-to gifts since most people can relate to needing a quick charge on their smartphone at one point during the day. Anker's popularity and reliability in the market remain strong, so you can't go wrong buying from them, but look to Choetech, RAVPower, and the new brand Nimble for a few other notable charging accessories options.
USB-C:
Kingston Nucleum USB-C Hub - Expand your MacBook's ports with Kingston's USB-C Hub.
OWC USB-C Travel Dock - Add up to five ports of expansion onto a MacBook Pro or iPad Pro.
Portable Batteries:
Anker PowerCore 10,000 mAh Battery - Anker's PowerCore batteries are a backpack and travel necessity, and 10,000 mAh is a perfect mid-range size.
Mophie powerstation USB-C XXXL - Mophie's powerhouse portable charging station offers a 26,000 mAh portable battery.
Wireless Chargers:
Anker PowerWave Wireless Charging Mat - Wirelessly charge an iPhone 8 and newer on Anker's cheap-but-reliable mat.
Belkin Boost Up Wireless Charging Dock - Wirelessly charge your iPhone, along with your Apple Watch, on Belkin's convenient and useful dock.
Twelve South HiRise Wireless - Wirelessly charge your iPhone on the stand, then pop out the puck for an on-the-go Qi mat that perfectly fits the AirPods.
Moshi Lounge Q Wireless Charging Stand - With an adjustable-height design and aesthetic inspired by Danish furniture, this Moshi charger fuels up your iPhone in style.
Roy Hart
Web enthusiast. Enjoy writing tech reviews. All-around dev & writer, an on-air contributor to various websites & magazines. My job entailed show prep, YouTube management, writing segments, running tests on different tech.
Using old computers can be fun. There are lots of old games and media files to play. (Wouldn't it be great to play Dark Castle again? )
One of the problems with my "WallStreet" Powerbook G4 is that it's hard to move files from the computer. For example, if I want to take screenshots and share them it can be tricky:
I can't connect a USB thumb drive - there's no USB port.
I can't burn a CD/DVD as the optical drive isn't a super drive - it wasn't available when Apple shipped the Wallstreet laptop.
The only way to move files is to connect the computer via Ethernet. The best way I found is to use a local ethernet hub. I have an old switch that allows me to connect all my computers to a local network.
This works perfectly as I don't need to have a crossover cable between two computers. I can network multiple computers and move files around.
This is the setup that I have
Some Things I Learned
In System 9 and early, the only way to connect using Ethernet is to use Apple Talk. When you enable Ethernet Apple will require you to enable AppleTalk.
Apple removed AppleTalk in 2009 with the release of macOS v10.6. This means that you can't directly connect to a legacy computer via Ethernet. There's no way to directly connect an iMac to the PowerMac G4 computer running AppleTalk.
In order for me to move files from my PowerMac G4 laptop to my iMac, I use my old Dual G4 computer that has MacOS v10.5.1 as a gateway computer. See the image above.
The iMac isn't able to connect to the PowerMac G4 laptop. I had no problems connecting the Dual G4 to the PowerBook G4 laptop.
I was able to move Macintosh Classic Apps that I had stored on my iMac through the Dual G4 and on the G4 laptop. The apps executed just fine.
While this is a bit annoying to have to use three computers to move files around - it's not something that I would do every day.
Basic Setup for System 9.1
These are the basic network setup that I used on my PowerBook G4.
MacOS 9 Computer
Enable Appletalk through the Appletalk control panel on the Mac OS 9 machine. (Apple Menu / Control Panel)
Make sure it is setup to run via Ethernet.
Open the TCP/IP control panel.
Connect Via Ethernet
Configure via Appletalk
Give it a static IP of 192.168.0.105
Give it a router address of 192.168.168.1
Give it a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0
Save the settings.
Open the file sharing control panel and setup file sharing over TCP/IP using the checkbox to enable it. It should then give you an afp://192.168.0.105 address.
MacOS 10.5 Computer
Boot up the X machine that has 10.5.
Enable Appletalk in Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Network -> select Ethernet, and click Configure. Then Appletalk will appear and selecting that will give you a control to enable Appletalk.
On internet service providers that use PPPoE that means disabling PPPoE for the connection.
Select Go in the Finder's Go menu and hit Connect to Server.
Type in afp://192.168.0.105 and click on Connect. It should now give you the option of connecting to the MacOS 9 machine.
Apple Motion comes with 45 unique font styles. These make it easy to create text styles without having to know complicated setups.
The text styles come in two categories - 2D Styles and 3D Styles.
The nice thing is that after you defined the style you can change everything - from font face to color - even use the material background to customize the style for your needs.
These countries were selected based on the popularity of using - especially for e-commerce testing.
Why Would You Need Flag Stamps?
If you're doing any type of international testing, you may want to highlight the locale of certain screenshots - especially if you are doing a side-by-side comparison.
This is just something nice to have when you need it.
Image Size
There are two image size sets - one width is 250 and the other is 500. The thought is that there are times when you may need a big stamp and times when you would want a smaller stamp.
Just import what you think you would use. Obviously, you can always downsample the image - but why do that every time you use it?
Snagit Limitations
Snagit doesn't take the file name as part of the search term. I thought by having the name and width in the name, it would appear as part of the search term.
This means that you will have to add the search term if you want to search for these flags at a later date.
This week's Media Monday features some commercials I found on a VHS tape that had content from November 1999. I pulled off some commercials from that recording.
Watch the Commercials
Details
Discover Card - With USPS running away after delivery.
Dino Crisis by Capcom - Weird way to sell a video game.
AOL 5.0 - Aired during the peak of membership. Broadband would start gaining popularity in 2000.
Checkout.com - This looked to be an online rental service.
McAfee - Interesting way to sell computer security.
Web Without Wires by Motorola - Motorola promoted the world without wires.
Duracell Ultra - Duracell always promotes that they have the fastest battery.
eTrade with PacBell Promotion - Interesting promotion for new eTrade customers - California Only.
Intel Web Outfitter Service - Back in 1999, Intel offered a lot of free services on their website - not anymore.
Beyond social media posts and blogs, there are several other valuable content types that can stimulate the interest of customers. Employing content marketing tools may take a lot of time and effort at first, but they can help foster loyal customers and improve sales. Recent data shows that over 82% of marketers see a positive ROI from their content marketing. With that in mind, here are some reasons why content marketing needs to be a part of every small business marketing strategy.
Photo by Judit Peter from Pexels
Cost-Effective Branding Strategy
Content marketing helps new entrepreneurs and resource-strapped businesses to stand out from the thousands of advertisements people see on a daily basis. This statement is backed by the latest findings from Business 2 Community showing that content marketing generates about three times more leads and costs 62% lower than its traditional counterparts. Content marketing provides a more affordable option for small businesses to bring their customers together and eventually build a strong brand community. It holds the promise of creating a self-sustaining marketing ecosystem to help start-ups create brand visibility that outpaces the competition. Small business owners can choose from a sea of content marketing types, including email, SEO writing, FAQ pages, blogs, social media posts, print materials, videos, animations, slide decks, infographics, and so on.
Build Trust Among Customers
Small businesses can utilize user-generated content like customer testimonials to build credibility among potential customers and ease their concerns with genuine feedback. In fact, a study by Podium reveals that 93% of surveyed customers say online testimonials affect their purchasing decisions as these reviews showcase the positive experiences from previous customers. Content marketing goes a long way towards building trust with any prospect by providing value when a brand establishes itself as an expert voice in its field. Rather than hard-selling, incorporating content marketing also gives small businesses the ability to become the top-of-mind brand that draws buyers to a specific product or service offering when they're searching for solutions to address their problems. This fostered connection can convert content readers to first-time buyers, which will eventually turn to repeat customers.
Increase Business ROI
For start-up businesses, content marketing is an absolute must-have as it delivers some of the highest ROI for every dollar spent and continues to pay dividends for a long time after it's implemented. With an effective and up-to-date content marketing strategy, new entrepreneurs can see positive returns in terms of higher leads, greater brand visibility, increased inbound traffic, and a better brand reputation for the long haul. Furthermore, creating authentic content that engages readers is the most vital way of communicating the products or services offered by a small business. Unlike paid advertisements, having high-value content increases the chance of closing more sales, particularly now that a huge percentage of users block ads on their browsers. This additional reach guarantees a steady flow of leads and increases the odds of converting website visitors who are ready to jump right into becoming a customer.
In this fast-paced and competitive business environment, having content marketing strategies can impact small businesses in big ways. Above all, it is important for new entrepreneurs to understand the reader's pain points and ensure that every content is laser-focused on their needs to keep targeted traffic coming at all times.
It's important to sound professional in emails and online. If you make one mistake, people may focus too much on the mistake than the message your trying to deliver.
Simply copy and paste your text and instantly find ways to improve what you're trying to say.
The good news is that it's Free! Try it out and see how well it works!
Even better, try it after services like Grammarly had gone through and fixed your grammer.
Website Description
Grammica grammar check uses a fully advanced machine-learning algorithm to identify and grammar, spelling, punctuation, and syntax errors in your writing. Our English grammar check thoroughly analyses your text in real-time. Our advanced writing assistant tool runs your text through a sophisticated algorithm that recognizes grammar errors based on the context of your writing. It displays the type of error it detects along with a quick summary.
Have you ever gotten this error when running your Python code:
UnicodeEncodeError: 'ascii' codec can't encode character 'u2019' in position 16520: ordinal not in range(128)
args = ('ascii', '<!DOCTYPE html>n<html lang="en">n <head>n <m...rigin="anonymous"></script>nnn </body>n</html>nn', 16520, 16521, 'ordinal not in range(128)')
encoding = 'ascii'
end = 16521
object = '<!DOCTYPE html>n<html lang="en">n <head>n <m...rigin="anonymous"></script>nnn </body>n</html>nn'
reason = 'ordinal not in range(128)'
start = 16520
with_traceback = <built-in method with_traceback of UnicodeEncodeError object>
This has been happening to me a lot when I convert code from PHP to Python. It was frustrating to fix the error. Someplace in my code is a piece of text that isn't translating well.
BBEdit to the Rescue!
The easy quick fix I found is in the Text Status Bar in BBEdit. The text status bar shows the file encoding,
Change the Python File Encoding!
By default the coding is Unicode (UTF-8)
However, if you change the file encoding to Western (ISO Latin 1) something magical happens when you save.
Unmappable character(s) detected.
If there's any Unicode in your file, it warns you and then tells you where the Unicode is so that you can fix it!
Once you fix all the errors the file will save and the UnicodeEncodeError should go away!
Sample Unmappable Characters dialog box that shows you what you need to fix!
I was going through some of my CD collections and I encountered the ClickArt Art Parts CD. This is a really old clip art collection. The CD says copy right 1987 - 1994. (I am pretty sure that I got the CD in 1994)
About the CD Collection
The CD was produced by T/Maker Company - located at 1390 Villa St. Mountain View, CA 94041. The address today is a 1300 sq. ft. home. This is part of 2 units, 2 separate homes on one lot. You can get it for $2,443,382. Check out the listing.
The company did well in the early 1990s producing such products as WriteNow, Vroombooks, and much more. In 1994 the company was sold Deluxe Corporation.
Art Collections that were made by T/Maker were acquired by Broderbund. I was not able to find any of their arts on any current selling product.
Five Things I Learn About the CD
Like many older CDs that I have, the CD doesn't work in the latest computers. I actually had to use a computer that had System 9.1 to view the contents on the CD.
The files didn't have any extensions, but Graphic Converter was able to recognized that these were EPS files.
The files were created using Adobe Illustrator 1.0. The earliest clip art was created on September 7, 1992, and the oldest file was created on September 16, 1994.
There are two sets on this CD one black and white and the other is color. You have to use the Kudo Self-Contained application to view the collection. The application only works in System 9.1 or earlier. You can browse around the files, but to get a good preview, and save them as a JPG file you need to use the Kudo Self Contained application.
There are 202 images on the CD.
There is a font in the CD called Regular Joe, I was able to install it on iMac which has macOS Monterey with no problems. The font looks like a chalk type of font. According to the file creation stamp it was created on March 10, 1994 - which makes the font 28-years old - and it still works!
Sample Clipart
Sample ClipArt that feature the same images in color and in Black/White.
This week I am sharing a couple of title texts that I use in a few of my Motion projects. These are simple text projects that feature some animation using Apple Motion.
These are Motion files. You need Apple Motion in order to view the design - you can easily move them to Final Cut Pro.
Thoughts On This Collection
These three files may seem basic for the average Apple Motion user - but I think that they work because of their simplicity.
You can always add your own style of behavior. I use the basic face to keep things simple.
I am working/learning on how to have a gaussian blur background on these images - may be in a future update.
The collection titled Pantone 2022 Color is using two of the top colors of 2022. (I am not sure who gets to decide what colors are the official colors of 2022.)
Enjoy. Leave feedback if you want to see more of these "back to basic" series.
Here are the topics that I plan for this year's A to Z challenge. ( Hint: It's the same as now.)
April Lineup
Sunday
Open Topic
Something Interesting that I learned this week.
Monday
Media
Classic Commercials
Tuesday
QA
QA Tools and Techniques
Wednesday
Motion
Feature Filter of the week
Thursday
Classic Macintosh
Classic App that I found
Friday
Macintosh
Macintosh Application interactions
Saturday
Internet
Interesting online Content Tools
Some Thoughts
I didn't do much planning for last years A to Z challenge. So the content wasn't as creative as I would have liked.
I find having a different topic every day makes it more challenging. If I spent the whole month blogging about Boston or Macintosh I might loose interest.
It wouldn't be easy to keep a common theme between topics.
I plan to try new things with graphics to spice up the posts.
Are you having a Saint Patrick's Day celebration this year? If you are looking for something to promote your party try Placeit by Envato.
They have 58 designs where you can upload your photos to help promote your party - Saint Patrick's Day style.
Website Description
Make Thousands of Incredible Mockups Right in Your Browser
No matter what you want to sell or promote
Promote your latest designs with t-shirt mockups, get more app downloads with iPhone mockups, or reach the bestsellers list with book mockups. Placeit has exactly the mockups you need.
This week, I am revisiting an old screen capture tool that I use to use all the time on my PowerMac G4 - Snapz Pro.
Product Description
With the release of the award-winning Snapz Pro for Mac OS X, Ambrosia Software, Inc. brings relief to the huddled masses who have suffered through using the built-in screen capture features Mac OS X offers. Once Snapz Pro X is installed, a single keystroke can immediately save anything visible on screen in a wide variety of image file formats. Snapz Pro X supports saving screen images as .BMP, .PICT, .GIF, .JPG, .PNG, .TIFF, PDF, or Photoshop files, and can even record the action as a QuickTime movie! Screenshots can be scaled, cropped, color depth-changed, and dithered. Snapz Pro X can also add borders, automatically generate thumbnails, overlay watermarks, or copyright notices... you name it, we've got it!
Using Snapz Pro X, you don't have to tell people about how cool a game is or how to use a particular program -- you can just take a picture or movie of it and show them! The images Snapz Pro X generates are all web-ready, as are the QuickTime movies it makes -- just upload 'em and go! To capture an image that is on screen, either use Snapz Pro X's powerful selection tool, or you can give the innovative new Objects tool a whirl. The Objects tool lets you simply click the Windows/menus you'd like to capture, and Snapz Pro X will take care of saving them! Snapz Pro X also works when most other capture utilities won't, making it the screenshot utility of choice for manual writers, web publishers, and other media professionals.
Snapz Pro wasn't just ported to Mac OS X, it was rewritten from the ground up to use the exciting new technologies that Mac OS X has to offer. Support for these cool new features permeates Snapz Pro X like genetic superiority in a thoroughbred: long file names, automatic preview icons on image files, Unicode/international support, and bullet-proof operation are just a few of the pleasantries you will enjoy.
Five Things about SnapzPro
Cost $29, $49 with movie-capture support. I updated to version 2 w/movie on October 21, 2004 for $20.
The basic version was included with Power Mac G4 (Dual 1-Ghz PowerPC). I read someplace that it was included with macOS Jaguar - but wasn't able to confirm that.
Ambrosia stirred up controversy when they shipped a new version. 'If your computer came bundled with a free copy of Snapz Pro X, the bundling deal is between Apple and their customers and includes the version of Snapz Pro X that shipped with their machine,' said Ambrosia.
Snapz Pro has four tool options: Screen Tool, Object Tool, Selection Tool, and Movie Tool. In the Movie tool, users had three options, Follow Cursor, Smooth Pan, and Fixed Camera. This "Follow Cursor" feature is still missing from Snagit
Last Known version was 2.6.1 which was released on November 17, 2016. The last known MacOS support is Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) This was the last update before Ambrosias shut down.
Final Thoughts on SnapzPro
This was a great screen capture software that I used a lot in the early 2000s. I used the screenshots in various training documents. I can't recall ever using the movie-capture part of the application. I think I had great intentions but never did anything with it.
If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't have purchased the upgrade with the movie capture as it wasn't something that I used.
The application worked fine for me and I never encountered any bugs or issues. I guess the only annoyance was the splash screen that appeared at startup.
Today I am using Snag-it. It's a much more powerful application as it has a built-in graphic editor which allows users to touch up screenshots so they communicate the right message.
This week, I have a couple of text designs that I created in Apple Motion. While these are "pretty basic" they are templates that I use all the time and they work very well.
Lower Third Text
Extended Lower Third text that will keep the background if you have a lot of text.
This is similar to the "caption" box from last week, the big difference is that this is made for a lot of text. You don't have to worry about text wrap and background with this design.
When you have a long dialog, use this text Title.
Basic Center Text
Nice Center Text box. Perfect for Info text or something that is better written than said.
This is useful when you have a simple background and need to tell a story. This is designed to handle a lot of text.
Just remember to make sure to keep the text and story simple. You don't need all the details, just enough so people can understand what happens next.
This is also useful when you're transitioning a location.
This week's Media Monday is a phone call that I got last week about car insurance. This is a typical type of call that I get.
Listen In
Couple of Notes
When the call got transferred none of the information that I provided to the original person was sent. Why did they ask me them? What are they going to do with that information?
The second call I got was an automated call. I got that particular call a couple of times that day and only once got beyond saying 'Good.'
I get this spam calls all the time usually they piggyback on each other. Almost if a vendor sells my active number and a machine takes immediate action and calls the number.
In today's world you need WiFi. You may need it to do work on your laptop or to download large files on your cellphone. Having good reliable WiFi is essential in 2022.
Whether you're a student, someone who works from home, or simply trying to improve your finances, an internet connection is necessary but can also be expensive. We wanted to help those who may be looking into free wifi options instead and ways to save money.
Radio Garden allows you to listen in to any radio station in the world. While most of these are just music stations, it is neat to hear what people around the world are listing to.
An interesting station to listen to right now is Ukraine. Listen to the music that the stations are playing while they are still on the air.
About Radio Garden
Radio Garden invites you to tune into thousands of live radio stations across the globe.
By bringing distant voices close, radio connects people and places. From its very beginning, radio signals have crossed borders. Radio makers and listeners have imagined both connecting with distant cultures, as well as re-connecting with people from 'home' from thousands of miles away.
Radio Garden is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Our dedicated team is hard at work tending to the garden on a daily basis. Planting Seeds for the future and keeping the weeds at bay.
Image Tricks is a quick image application. You would use this software to make a quick adjustment to an image for social media or blog posts.
Features of Image Tricks
Core Image Filters - Access to all the built-in Core Image Filter filters in the Core Image API. Adjustments like Transform, Color, Focus, Distortion, Style, Halftone, Tile, Lumine, and Overlap. Apple has 174 of them. Image Trick Lite users get 118, whereas Pro users get 160. (Not sure which Core Image Filers are not in Image Trick)
Quartz Compositions - Users get access to Stylize, Distortion, Utility, Other. Use this set of filters to create comic book-like effects on your images. Image Trick Lite users get 35, whereas Pro users get 41.
Image Generators - If you don't have a background image, why not use Image Tricks and create one. Image Trick Lite users get 13, whereas Pro users get 20. The nice thing is that after you generate a design, you can use the Quartz and Core Image Filters to touch it up.
Photo Frames - Quickly add a frame to your image. Some of these are not scaleable so your image may crop. Image Trick Lite users only get 12, whereas Pro users get 115.
Border Masks - Don't settle for boring square corners on your photos, add a border mask for an interesting effect. If you know how to create masks in Affinity Photo or Photoshop, this may not be an exciting feature. The advantage of Image Tricks is that they are super easy to apply and switch to see which design works best. Image Trick Lite users only get 35, whereas Pro users get 149.
Masks - These add image overlays to your image. Image Trick Lite users get 36, where as Pro users get 76.
Belight Software is based in Ukraine. As of today, all their developers are still in Ukraine. You can help support Ukraine Developers by purchasing their software. Following BeLight Software on Twitter for all the updates from the front lines.
I have been thinking of purchasing Image Tricks for years - I finally decided to purchase it to help support the Macintosh Developers in Ukraine. It's not an application that I plan to use a lot, but it seems the right time to buy.
In February 2007, I purchased VisualHub to help convert media files. The application is able to convert any media file to iTunes, PSP, DV, DVD, AVI, MP4, WMV, MPEG and Flash. Users simply had to set the converted media type and then drag and drop the files they wanted to be created.
It cost me $23.32 (Kind of we weird price.)
This came in handy because at the time I had a lot of Flash video files that I wanted to convert to MPEG so that I could view them on my iPod. (The iPhone hadn't come out yet!)
Some screen shots of VisualHub. Got to like that tool tip that pops up.
Still Working
I still have the application on my old G4 Macintosh Computer running MacOS 10.5.8. The application runs fine. I did a quick conversion test and it did take a bit longer to convert a file. In Smart Converter Pro on my iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) it took less than 10-seconds. On my Dual 1.42 Ghz PowerPC G4, it took 11 mins and 35-seconds to convert the same file.
Discontinued App
The application was discontinued in 2008 when macOS 10.15 Catalina was announced. It was discontinued because the company founder wanted to stop it for personal reasons. In addition, with the release of macOS 10.15 Catalina - all 32-bit applications would no longer work.
Alternative Apps
Smart Converter Pro is a great replacement tool. If you do a lot of video coverting it's worth the $14.99 price. If your doing occasional video conversions you should consider using handbrake.
Both Smart Converter and Handbreak are good tools. Handbrake can be a bit tricky to install and use.
I decided to fix up the text and update the caption so that you only need one title template. You select the color in the text field. One-color option for the face and another option for the background.
Snagit is a 'must have' tool for any QA developer. It provides a way to capture the screen and advance annotation tools.
Too Expensive?
While some people may be turned away from the price - after all Apple provides a screen capture tool for free. Snagit is more than just a screen capture tool, it provides a way for users to better communicate a message.
For QA engineers, the better the communication the quicker an issue can be fixed.
Here are four tools that I use all the time in Snagit.
Hacking Wordle with some Snagit stamps
Stamp Tool - Some people may think this is a clip art library. I disagree, there are so many useful stamps here - including mouse pointer, green checkmark, red x, and many more. These are available as part of the default install. Please rest easy you won't need to spend a single penny to get useful stamps.
The great thing is that you can add your own. Some that I have added include country flags, Facebook's thumbs-up, and logos for some JavaScript libraries for testing.
Whitehouse website with a cut tear
Cut Out Tool - Easily remove the centerpiece of a screenshot that is not relevant to the issue. This is a great way to show the header/footer of a page to highlight discrepancies. The Cut Out Tool has horizontal and vertical cuts as well as tear effects. Yes this could easily be done in other graphic tools, but why open another app, when Snagit has the ability to do it for you?
Showing some step tool in an old Macintosh program
Step Tool - Use this tool to highlight features in a screenshot. Maybe you are testing new navigation and you want to show the five features that were fixed. The Step Tool auto increase each time you click on it, and you can always change the numerical value after applying it.
Using Spotlight and the Simplify tool. Can you guess the site?
Spotlight Tool - Draw attention to a particular part of an image. The nice thing is that you can have multiple Spotlights - using different shapes. This makes it easy to point out something in an image without having to use a bunch of arrows.
Three Features That I Would Like to See Implemented
Ability to combine screenshots - Sometimes I like to overlay one screenshot over another and remove sections. I'll do this when I want to show different tooltips on the same page. This would be simple as selecting images in the recent bar and having a combined image functionality.
Crop Overlay Images - It would be nice to have the ability to crop an image that is over another image. Right now when you apply the crop tool it impacts the whole image. The same goes for the Eraser tool.
Webp Support - Google introduced Webp in 2018 and is supported by all the major browsers. The compression helps reduce file sizes - which in the long run will help reduce the need to buy additional storage.
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