I spend a lot of time reading academic PDFs, and have found that using a retina Macbook Pro has significantly reduced eyestrain. However, many papers have complex vector images which cause Preview to hang/crash. A workaround is to run Preview in
low resolution mode, but I have to constantly close the program and check/uncheck the box for subsequent PDFs in a reading session. Is there a way to set the resolution on a file-by-file basis, or a terminal command/script I can run to change Preview’s resolution?
posted by angst
on Feb 4, 2013 -
4 answers
Replace a Mac MD313LL/A 12" Macbook Pro keyboard for a handicapped neighbor and I know very little about recent Mac tech.
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posted by Samizdata
on Feb 1, 2013 -
4 answers
Two macs, one old, one newer. Trying to combine to distinct iTunes libraries into one, without losing playlists.
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posted by Bohemia Mountain
on Feb 1, 2013 -
1 answer
I need to do a complete reinstall of OS X on my iMac, and I'm looking for advice on how to back up to make sure that I don't accidentally lose anything in the reinstall process. I'm running Lion 10.7.4, and I have an external drive doing Time Machine backups. What should I check before going back to square one? And do I need to do anything special with apps that required online activation (I'm thinking specifically of Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Suite)?
posted by philosophygeek
on Feb 1, 2013 -
3 answers
Is there an avenue in the Bay Area for renting or borrowing a Mac, especially for (grad) students?
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posted by divabat
on Jan 31, 2013 -
7 answers
I'd like to buy a bulk (i.e., 20+ in a stack) slide scanner that will work with recent-model (usb/firewire/thunderbolt) macs. I see prices ranging from $1200 for used Braun scanners, to some real cheapies that look like a mistake waiting to happen for under $200. What's in the middle? Most of the used Nikons in the $500 range on ebay are SCSI only; I'd love something that works with current hardware (i.e., NOT SCSI) and has a pretty wide gamut - something approximating the RAW quality I get from my digital SLR. Is there hope for me?
posted by luriete
on Jan 30, 2013 -
4 answers
I would like to save up for a new laptop. My current laptop is an original (2006) black MacBook. Should I save up for a new/refurb MacBook [Pro/Air], or are there less expensive but high-quality PC laptops out there?
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posted by WasabiFlux
on Jan 26, 2013 -
13 answers
Monaco 14pt in MacVim seems to me to look much better on retina than Anonymous Pro 14pt. Why is this? Is it just me?
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posted by doteatop
on Jan 25, 2013 -
9 answers
OS X has spaces. I can assign programmes to different spaces. What I can't have (it seems) is one of those spaces/second desktops show up on the external monitor, it is always an extension of the desktop I am using. So I get a double-wide desktop A (Mac + monitor), then swipe across and get a double wide desktop B (Mac + Monitor) when I go to a different Space. I want A on my Macbook and B on my monitor.
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posted by Brockles
on Jan 24, 2013 -
4 answers
I would like to upgrade my Mac OS 10.5.8 to 10.6. I've been told that the way to do this is to order the CD from apple. However, my CD drive is broken (all else is fine with my Mac). How can I upgrade to 10.6 another way?
posted by figTree
on Jan 22, 2013 -
8 answers
I do a Spotlight search for "foo." I have at least a dozen files with "foo" in the name. I do the search while looking at foo.pdf, foofighting.pdf, etc. right in the Finder right in front of me. But when running the search, none of them show up. Why?
Under System Preferences for Spotlight, I have Folders, Files, and PDF Files all checked. Any idea why Spotlight is blind to these files?
posted by megatherium
on Jan 22, 2013 -
8 answers
I currently don't have any version of Windows installed on my PC (it's a Mac). I would like to install Windows on a Bootcamp partition. I noticed that Microsoft has a
special offer where they are selling a Windows 8 download for $40 through Jan. 31. That's a good price for me. The possible catch: Microsoft seems to be saying that I need to have an earlier version of Windows installed in order to use that download. I can't quite tell whether they are serious about this.
Do I really need to have a preexisting Windows install to take advantage of the $40 Windows 8 offer? [more inside]
posted by grobstein
on Jan 19, 2013 -
5 answers
Opera won't load Facebook on my computer about 75% of the time. It tells me "Internal Communication Error: You tried to access the address http://www.facebook.com/, which is currently unavailable." I am using a Mac. Facebook is not down, and other browsers work fine.
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posted by Nattie
on Jan 18, 2013 -
9 answers
I have an iMac desktop running OS X 10.6.8 and a newly acquired MacBook Air running 10.8.2 and I want to make them be as friendly with one another as possible. Can you hope me?
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posted by broadway bill
on Jan 17, 2013 -
6 answers
After running Avast, I discovered some infected Java files on my macbook (10.5.8). I deleted them in Avast, but how do I know if I've gotten rid of it all? Is it on my Time Machine back up? Do I need to change my passwords? Do I need to take this to a Genius Bar, or can I fix it myself?
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posted by min
on Jan 15, 2013 -
3 answers
If I'm using Word for Windows, I can double click at the bottom of a page to create one big page. But if I double click at the bottom of a document inside Word on MacOS it opens up the footer prompt. Does Word for Mac have a similar "join pages" feature?
posted by professor plum with a rope
on Jan 12, 2013 -
12 answers
My WineBottler version of IrfanView has stopped working for some reason, I need this for just one task: Click and drag on a picture and get the X/Y coordinates of the selection and size in one quick view.
An example:
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posted by ts;dr
on Jan 10, 2013 -
9 answers
I’m an IT Consultant / Sysadmin and my clients are Apple-centric small businesses of 1-25 employees, with most falling between 5 and 10. I prefer purchasing software direct from publishers, but I’m now running into some software that is Mac App Store only and I’m not finding a good way to manage this.
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posted by ridogi
on Jan 9, 2013 -
14 answers
Three friends are using Messages on MacBooks running Mountain Lion. Friends A and B are both able to use video chat and screen sharing with Friend C. Yet Friends A and B are unable to use video chat and screen sharing with each other (the video chat/screen share menu items are grayed out.) What gives?
posted by skidoom
on Jan 4, 2013 -
6 answers
MacbookProFilter: I migrated my old user onto my new macbook, and carried with it a bunch of problems (slow startup, rapid battery life loss, etc.). Is there a clever, systematic way to migrate chunks of my user account to a new user?
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posted by sdis
on Jan 2, 2013 -
3 answers
I'm selling my mid-2010 iMac on eBay. In the ad, I want to say that I'll include a copy of Mountain Lion on a USB stick so the buyer can install the OS once they take possession of the computer. What I don't know is what will happen if the buyer doesn't yet own a copy of Mountain Lion and they try to install the copy I give them which was downloaded using my Apple ID.
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posted by Effigy2000
on Jan 1, 2013 -
8 answers
Is there a Unix command (Mac OS X Terminal) or a command-line program that will rename a series of plain-text files based on the first line of each?
posted by megatherium
on Dec 29, 2012 -
13 answers
Is there any way to make the new iTunes tighter and more minimalist? For example, I want my podcast and artist lists to be like the small-font, compact lists they used to be. Similar to the column browser, but on the side, NOT the top (which is all kinds of stupid up there). Basically, I want to see as many artists as possible with as little scrolling as possible. Any add-on or script or setting I'm overlooking that could take care of this, and perhaps other inefficiencies of the new iTunes?
posted by iamkimiam
on Dec 28, 2012 -
6 answers
Help me name my new product, which combines the functionality of popular existing apps, but is specialized with high-security features.
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posted by bfu
on Dec 26, 2012 -
21 answers
WebSite Filter: Looking for a website of a company who beefs-up Mac Pro and MacBook Pro computers and then leases them (with support) to studios.
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posted by Wild_Eep
on Dec 23, 2012 -
2 answers
On my work computer (Mac OS 10.7.5), I usually organize my projects by putting all the files related to a single project in a single folder. I try to give the folder a descriptive name, but sometimes this is difficult if there are two projects that are kinda similar. Is there a way (either natively or using some tool that I can download/buy) to annotate folders with a longer description?
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posted by bluefly
on Dec 19, 2012 -
10 answers
I am trying to batch convert a bunch of MS Word documents via Pages on my Mac. I have an Applescript that I believe will work, but I am getting hung up on a dialog box, and I am trying to see if someone could proofread the script for me.
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posted by 4ster
on Dec 18, 2012 -
3 answers
I have a work calendar in Exchange. I also have an Android phone and a Mac. For the last couple of years I've been using Spanning Sync to copy entries from my Exchange calendar to a Google calendar and then on my phone I can see all my calendars using the built in calendar program ( I also use Touchdown so I can see my exchange calendar on my phone if I have to, but it doesn't integrate with the phone calendars so I have to use two different applications to see my entire calendar, which is a pain).
The problem is that Spanning Sync is
going away. Is there any other application or service out there that'll automatically copy entries from one iCal calendar to another?
posted by Runes
on Dec 18, 2012 -
7 answers
I'm a web developer / eLearning developer on Windows 7 looking to: 1) Get a Mac because I need to be able to test sites quickly and easily on my own; 2) Get a Windows-bootable unit that can act as my backup machine when my
Asus throws a tantrum as it did this week; and 3) Get a reasonably portable Windows-bootable laptop that can handle Photoshop and other resource hogs so that I can work on it at client sites without having to barely squish the Asus (aka "The Clydesdale") into my largest backpack. Ideally, I could get all three in one machine that wouldn't cost the earth. Please join me as I anguish over the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro, the Mac Mini, and other options.
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posted by maudlin
on Dec 15, 2012 -
16 answers
Please help me track down an article (or documentation) about an OS9 Mac setup regime that was heavily text-based, emphasizing how to set up a Mac with keyboard macros, desktop-accessible text snippets and very specific keyboard macros.
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posted by mph
on Dec 13, 2012 -
1 answer
I have a MacBook Pro with all software updated. I have been using Google Chrome as my browser for the last year or so. I also have Google Chrome installed on my Iphone 4s, but rarely use it.
For the first 6-7 month, my bookmarks synced fine between the devices and my Google accounts. About 2-3 months ago, I have started to notice that bookmarks I have deleted have started to show up in Chrome again, sometimes multiple times...
I delete the unwanted bookmarks again, and they re-appear several days later. I have 'googled' my problem and it seems many people have/are experiencing this issue...
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posted by TwilightKid
on Dec 9, 2012 -
3 answers
I'm trying to send notes from my iDevice to my Mac, and I'm wondering if such software exists. I don't mean 'Note'-notes.
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posted by Skyanth
on Dec 4, 2012 -
14 answers
Mac Filter: I recently switched from a PC to a Mac at work and am having my first experience with Outlook 2011. So far, it has not been a good one, and now I'm totally stumped. Contact Group and Meeting Request question inside.
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posted by couchtater
on Dec 3, 2012 -
8 answers
Adding recipes from a digital cookbook to a digital recipe universe: how to? (iOS 10 filter)
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posted by tigerjade
on Dec 1, 2012 -
2 answers
Why is Time Machine trying to backup 35 GB of data every single day when I'm only using 300 GB of my 500 GB HD and I know I have not changed or added that much in the time since my last backup?
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posted by pwb503
on Nov 29, 2012 -
12 answers
In Safari 6, I have a folder of bookmarks on the Bookmarks Bar that I visit each day by right-clicking and choosing "Open in Tabs". I'd like one of those bookmarks to open to a specific vertical scroll position on the page in question. Is that do-able?
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posted by boombot
on Nov 29, 2012 -
2 answers
I'm planning on getting a Mac Mini with Lion Server. I don't have much experience with security or setup. Point me to some basic articles, sites, or books, please. I'll also take any advice the hivemind might have as well.
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posted by nevercalm
on Nov 29, 2012 -
1 answer
Need advice on how to update an older MacBook Pro with a new hard drive. I have a late-2008 MacBook Pro: 2.53 GHz, 320GB hard drive, 8GM RAM (4GB in two slots). My drive is getting full and I don't have the cash at the moment for a brand new laptop. Should I replace the optical drive with a SSD? Or just upgrade the regular hard drive with a new one with 750GB or 1TB?
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posted by barnone
on Nov 23, 2012 -
15 answers
I want to move to network-attached storage. I've got two Macs and am trying to decide between buying an Airport Extreme or Seagate GoFlex.
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posted by blueshammer
on Nov 23, 2012 -
9 answers
I just switched to an iPhone 5 after years with an Android phone. My carefully constructed sync setup between my work Win 7 PC, my home Mac and my phone is no longer as useful. Details of my current setup within.
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posted by tommasz
on Nov 21, 2012 -
3 answers
I'm trying to remember a computer game I had years back, but I can't for the life of me find it. It was a falling bricks game (like Tetris) but the pieces were one of four parts of several different faces - the hair, the eyes, the nose and mouth, and the chin and neck. The idea was to make a complete face that would then disappear from the board (again, like in Tetris). You could do mix and match faces, but you got more points for doing a whole matching face. If you let, for instance, too many mouths pile up on each other and reach the top, you lost. There were different levels, and the faces changed with each level.
Does anybody else know of this? It would have been a Mac game, sometime during the 90's. I can't have just imagined this!
posted by dithmer
on Nov 20, 2012 -
3 answers
I can't make Spore run on my Macbook Pro. My 9 year old is nonplussed. Please help...he's getting pouty....
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posted by digitalprimate
on Nov 20, 2012 -
12 answers
