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Sunday, March 26, 2000New Keyboard!@ 02 pm | PermaLinkMar 26 Sun (02 AM) Well, it's actually an old keyboard, but it's new to me in the home environment. When I bought my first Mac (a Centris 610 known as Monument) I didn't want to spend the extra cash to get an actual Apple keyboard. I saved $15 and got a keyboard that had more in common with the one attached to my brother's 286 PC, with an extra large return key (the kind that spans two rows) and a rather stiff key action. I had been using that keyboard for a few years, so it was a good idea a the time. I can't remember when, but somewhere along the line I had the chance to work using an "Apple Extended Keyboard II". Oh wow. I didn't appreciate it at the time of purchase, but a keyboard with a softer touch is a joy to behold. If the keys are too stiff (i.e., the keys take more effort to push) it takes quite a bit of effort and stamina to keep typing on them. However, once you use a keyboard with a softer touch, you'll not go back. It may seem like the differences between typing on different keyboards wouldn't be all that great. But when you're using the keyboard for such a large portion of the working day as I do, that extra effort adds up. I would estimate that I hit 2500 keys per day. That's nearly a million keystrokes a year. The wear and tear on my fingers and tendons can really add up in that situation. The Extended Keyboard II (which had the codename Nimitz when is was in development) has the best touch of any keyboard I've ever used. I know I've got an Apple hang-up, but really, I've never found a better keyboard. It's touch is excellent, the non qwerty keys are arranged well with a nicely enlarged Option key, and the keys are labled in italic. These slight differences add up to a keyboard that is clean and tasteful. So why didn't I run out and get a 'Nimitz' years ago? Well, it was more of a practical consideration. When I had my pizzabox-shapped Centris 610 sitting on my desk, there wasn't any room for the larger keyboard. But in December, I got my Blue G3. And the keyboard that came with it. However, when Apple started to sell the 'flavored' Macs like my G3, they began to bundle the keyboard as part of the package. Apple discontinued the Extended Keyboard II, and suddenly the users got saddled with the "Apple USB Keyboard". Much has been said about the silly hockey puck mouse that was included, but the keyboard (Codenamed: "Cosmo") takes a special place of shame. This USB keyboard is cramped. It's keys are too small -- horizontially, sure-- but vertically even more so. The 'home' and 'end' keys are missing as are F13 F14 and F15. It's nearly an outrage. And the touch... well the less said, the better. In short, this USB keyboard is a cheap sham of an input device. I think the users would be better off trying to write their e-mail by Morse Code or binary. But grace of grace, the Blue G3 that I bought was the only Mac to have USB and ADB or Apple Desktop Bus ports. (ADB was the older standard for connecting keyboards and mice, which the Extended uses.) So today was the day to bring home the first class keyboard. Amy and I ventured out to SE 82nd, just pass the Clackamas county line to a little store known as "Stuff". It's a great little place, kinda like a pawn shop/junk yard/garage sale for electronics type stuff. A while back, I had been there and noticed their stack of Extended and Extended II keyboards. So I went straight to the correct aisle and began digging through the two dozen keyboards to pick the 'right' one. It's got some light scratches, it's got a few smudges and a bit of discolorization, but for a keyboard made in 1990 it is in great condition, and for just $9.95, it can not be beat. If you have the chance, get one of these. If I ever get a Mac without an ADB port, you can bet I'll be buying a adapter to bring my Extended Keyboard II along with me.
Saturday, March 25, 2000The perfect gift@ 12 am | PermaLinkOh yes... <http://www.engineeringsystem.co.jp/Prd_GENH-4.html> If you want to buy one of these for me, feel free... :)
Friday, March 24, 2000Internet Usability@ 01 pm | PermaLinkMar 24 Fri (01 PM) I haven't read <http://www.Suck.com> regularly since early '96, but every once in a while I get a link to a great column. Yesterday's was really pretty good. <http://www.suck.com/daily/2000/03/21/> Nice little twist at the end.
Wednesday, March 22, 2000More Cat tips@ 09 pm | PermaLinkMar 22 Wed (04 PM) As a follow up to my note about giving Simone a bath last week, Bo sent some additional tips. A) Shower the cat, don't bathe it. The Cat will think it's a warm rain. B) Use Baby Shampoo. It's better for their skin and non-toxic. C) Only block the drain halfway so the water builds slowly. D) Install shower doors to minimize potential escape. They also let you lock the cat in while you go for help. I'm not sure I agree with his points, but I think it's mostly because of my understanding of Simone and my situation. She's more likely to bolt from the shower than water from the tap. Plus, living in a rented appartment, I'm not too hot to install shower doors. But the baby shampoo is an interesting answer, though I've heard of some potential skin irritation even with this type. I think I'll look around a bit more next time we're at PetSmart... <http://www.petsmart.com/products/product_11873.shtml> looks interesting. (Bo sent these suggestions as a part of 6 individual text messages to my pager. I'm just getting them off now. :p)
Tuesday, March 14, 2000Soaking Simone@ 00 pm | PermaLinkMar 14 Tue (12 AM) Simone is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. She gives us serious reason to believe that she incurred some sort of brain damage at birth. Perhaps it was simply her lack of a mother that brought her to be like this, but she lacks some basic abilities. For one, she has an insatiable appetite. This has led her to acquire a full double wide body, plus a porch and a carport. In this state she has difficulty getting around the house, much less getting all the way around her butt to clean herself properly. So every couple of weeks or so I take her into the bathroom, run the tub with some warmer-than-lukewarm water and prepare. Preparation is the key to a successful Simone Soak. Clearing the area around the tub itself is a necessary, if obvious, safety step. Dressing the part means donning old clothes. A Kevlar body suit would be great but for most of us it's a luxury. I go with the old jeans and older t-shirt routine which, though lacking in personal protection, brings the personal monetary outlay closer to my tax bracket. Now that the suit and the environment are up to snuff, it's time for the tools. Starting from the top it's important to have a wash rag. This should be of properly aged material anything from the 80's will do... except for the parachute pants. A brush will help get rid of those shedding hairs that we're hoping to preempt as well. Soft bristles will do just fine, and likely save us a few planting rows dug into our arms from a cat that feels under attack. A soaping agent is something I'm still in the hunt for. Most pet stores love to advertise their flea and tick removal chemical bombs, but the 'I can't believe she's not itching' products seem to be few and far between. Obvious substitute number one is regular human shampoo, but ah-ah-ah! Humans don't often lick their scalp. (Send a photo if you can prove me wrong.) However cats are much more likely to take part in their own outer covering and I'd rather not have Simone slurping down any amount of Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine or more than the RDA of Ammonium Laureth Sulfate. So for now I'm going with pure elbow grease and Clorox bleach. Okay, I admit it, I'm kidding about the elbow grease. The final tool that should be at the ready is the towel. I recommend grabbing a towel that is already about to be washed. No sense in getting cat hair on a clean towel, right? This towel needs to be at the ready for two reasons: A) to dry the cat and B) to cover the bloody stumps that your hands will turn into before you actually reach the emergency room. (In fact, why don't you call 911 now so they can get a good head start. Trust me, they'll understand.) So I've got the room, the rag, the brush, the tub and the the towel at the ready. Now to add the active agent. (Seems like I'd be safer giving the toaster a bath.) My first and subsequent baths were rather anticlimactic compared to what I had been told to expect. I had the warm water running into an unplugged tub, creating just a small puddle at one end. I lowered her into the back of the tub with a forklift, taking care to keep a firm hand on the top of her body. In this position she can't directly claw nor bite my hand. At least not since she stopped taking those yoga lessons. She merrroooowwwed a bit but didn't attack, didn't even hiss. I moved her down into the warm puddle of water and had her step hesitantly into it. She didn't like it much and kept eyeing the side of the tub knowing that this was the way to freedom. Three or four times she lunged at it, once or twice getting far enough to her claws hooked over the edge kinda like one of those claws that secret agents use to hold the rope when they scale large office buildings in search of the secret codes that will allow the operatives to release the girl who will let them know where to find the underground lair that hides the guy who's going to destroy the eastern seaboard for a world-wide secret organization that is bent on massing the resources necessary to fight off the aliens who find our planet ripe for colonization. Kinda like that. After a bit of scrubbing with the wash rag, always making sure to brush along the grain of the fir, er, fur, she seems to relax. Don't let it fool you. Her eyes are fully dilated and she's just trying to lull me into complacency. She leaps again, but with little luck. By now I've placed the stopper in the drain and begun to let the tub fill. Now Simone, having that possible brain damage, seems to forget that she's supposed to be trying to escape and begins to examine the stream of water coming from the tap. I giggle as she quickly discovers yet again that running water is liquid in motion, fully prepared to run up any mammal's nose. Then suddenly I realize that this display is a planned distraction and she's at the other end of the tub making a jump for it. Not so dumb after all, but she's still has the liftoff capacity of the average hunk of igneous rock. I catch her and return her to the previously scheduled program. After a bit more scrubbing, she's wet enough and I've scrubbed off enough loose hair that it's time to drain the tub. Letting the stopper out and collecting some of the floating fur to send off to Gaultier for their fall line, I continue to dredge up some water into the rag and onto Simone's shoulders, flanks, back and tail. Good enough I'd say. And now comes the big finish of the tub routine: the Butt Wash. Remember that this is what I came for in the first place. Once the water has drained from the tub, I go in for the kill with the wash rag, scrubbing the appropriate final area, and dragging her tail first into the running water. She seems to lose focus not quite understanding what's going on and is actually pretty easy to hold. A bout of scrubbing and rinsing later, it's time to throw the wash rag into the corner and rinse out the tub in it's entirety while still holding Simone in the free hand. Then I turn off the water and let the tub drain completely. Grabbing the towel that still remains close at hand I bear down on Simone _while she's still in the tub!_ That's right, that's one of the big secrets of getting this to work. Don't bring her out of the tub until that towel has run over and over her and over again. Otherwise I run the risk of having a kind of water-based cluster bomb going off in the vicinity as her tail whips long streams of dripping bathwater on to every surface -- horizontal, vertical, and inverted. By now she's mostly dry. I'm careful to focus on the area of the back that I originally held her with. As I now have the towel between me and the claws of doom, I have greater flexibility to hold her still. After a few minutes, her low growls grow as the fun has truly drained out of this 4 ticket carnival ride. Now's the time to let go and see if I've dried her off enough to keep me from needing to mop up the house. Not being one of the mopping kind, I tend to push heavily for more toweling. After letting the poor captive free, I grab the wash rag and rinse it out thoroughly and then dump both the towel and the wash rag into a plastic grocery bag, to be washed separately from the rest of the laundry. Simone, who never holds a grudge (hard to do when you have no short term memory), crawls up in my lap a few minutes later as I settle in to write this up. She's still in need of a good ironing, but seemingly content.
Friday, March 10, 2000Macaster and MacOS 8.6@ 10 am | PermaLinkMar 10 Fri (10 AM) My latest plaything has been <http://www.macster.com> a piece of software (free) in beta that allows Macs to hook up to Napster networks. I've found a few really great Depeche Mode mixes that I think are otherwise unreleased. The issue that I have is that a number of recent software releases require MacOS 8.5 and above. Beyond Macster, the most significant that impacts me are the beta releases of Mozilla. I seem to recall that Mozilla will only support MacOS 8.5.1 and above. Now that's fine for me at home, but at work my Beige G3 running 8.1 could not handle it. Nor could Amy's 6400 at this point. (I will note that the very bottom of the Macaster page has a link where you can downlaod the Navigation Services package and add it to 8.1) At work, I'm going to be upgrading to 8.6 (or maybe 9) today. I want to do a complete system rebuild. At that point I'l be able to use Mozilla, but I'm one of the lucky ones. It seems to me that any new software releases should at least be able to support back to 8.0 or 8.1. They didn't come out _that_ long ago. Obiviously, Apple must have made some real inroads with the Appearance Manager or Navigation Services, since that's what seems to be the dividing line between 8.0 and 8.5. I've got a bad feeling that this is the end of the road for anything that can't run 8.5.
Thursday, March 02, 2000Mac OS X, Aqua, and the Dock@ 01 pm | PermaLinkI posted this note to the <http://www.tidbits.com> discussion list but thought that other might be interested in it here. When the Aqua interface for Mac OS X was introduced at Macworld SF, there's was a lot of heated discussion in many forums. I stopped listening to any of them, because everyone was basising their arguments and dislikes based on a single demo presented by the founder of the Reality Distortion Field. I think the topic is worth of discussion now because there are people who have hands on experience. (Though I am not one of the lucky few...) More notes and reviews have been posted throughout the web. As they have for the previous releases, Ars Technica has a great review of the OS and the Interface. I highly suggest that everyone read this review, as it's great place to start. <http://www.arstechnica.com/reviews/1q00/macos-x-dp3/macos-x-dp3-1.html> Having read it (and every other article I could get my hands on) It's obvious that there are some significant problems with the Dock, particularly in it's lack of any sort of structure when it comes to organization. For those of us running lowly OS 8 or 9, I would suggest that everyone take a look at Malph <http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=01488> which (as of the last version I used) had nearly identical functionality as the current 'Dock' has in DP3 (at least from what I've read). I used Malph for quite a while, and was pretty happy with it, though it's mix of active applications and aliases lent itself to some awkwardness when it came to arranging things. The Dock however has one important limitation when compared to Malph: The Dock can only grow along a straight line. There is no ability to have a second row. This can become quite frustrating. But about two years ago I switched (and paid for) DragThing <http://www.dragthing.com> which is far more customizable. Each of the DragThing docks are scalable, resizable and place-able. And there's a *separate* dock for active applications. This, in combination with 5 'tabbed' folders, provides me with separate access points for my main applications, my work folders and my active applications. Each of these three general 'types' of aliases or access points are important and efficient for me. (Summary: There's 3 thing I need quick access to: Active Apps, Inactive Apps, and Work folders.) And note that for Applications I frequently use, the names are unimportant. I can tell what something is by it's icon, and by how I have it placed on the screen. However for working folders (which are inside the tabbed folders at the bottom of the screen) I need the folder names to distinguish them. I want all of those folder names visible when I'm getting to a work folder. The listing view of those folders in a tabbed window works perfectly. (Summary: Apps don't need labels, Work folders do.) I understand that not everyone needs as much customization or functionality as DragThing provides. At it's worst, it provides the user with _far_ too much functionality. Nor does everyone use the drag and drop capabilities of the Mac interface to the extent that I do. However the OS X Dock runs too far in the opposite direction, having ever less functionality than Malph. The Dock blurs the three 'type' distinctions, while changing the Active App 'type' to be Active Windows, expanding it's population quite a bit. And then it removes effective methods of organizing them. The above methods don't even touch the Apple Menu use for accessing 'secondary' applications that I never drag and drop to: CD/DVD players, Calculator, Chooser. There's no effective method for organizing items like that from what I've read. It seems that to me that many people agree that the Dock needs to revamped or opened to more customization for those who need it. Or, there's needs to be the option to turn it off for those who will replace it with DragThing, OneClick, etc. In any case, Apple needs to hear about these worries, complaints and concerns. They listened to the Mac community when we balked about putting a 33.6k modem into the iMac, and only a few of us were actually going to buy one any time soon. Now's the time to raise your voice about this issue if you feel it's important. It can change things. As for me, something that's going to take up a full 1/5th of my future desktop is something to voice my concerns about. <http://www.cqf.apple.com/> If anyone has a better place to send these comments to, please let me know.
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March 2000
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