The number entry was rather tedious but not really a problem. The voice automation worked well. My only problem was in the instructions that followed the number entry. The attendant would pause between the instructions and if I spoke (since I already knew the command) it wouldn’t understand and would repeat the instructions. So I just needed to be patient.

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I updated without a problem or anyt noticeable change. MobileMe has been down and I don’t have an iPhone/Touch.

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Windows climbed to the top of list for operating systems used by visitors to this site and as of now 50% of all visitors is are on Windows. Since it’s launch OS X has always held the top spot. This was mainly due to the large amount of traffic my post about replacing Windows Home Server disks attracted. That was a bit of an anomaly and OS X traffic in the last couple of days is back above Windows traffic.

The other event was the release of Firefox 3. Firefox has always been the leading browser for visitors to this site and they stayed around the typical 43% or so. But what was interesting is that since it’s release it’s now the most used Firefox version among visitors and the second most used version among all browsers with 26% of all visitors using Firefox 3, behind Safari 3 at 30%. Not bad for a browser out less than a week.

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I’ve mentioned before that I use the disk management add-in so wanted to pass this along. Although I’ve yet to install Power Pack 1 because it’s still in beta form.

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The solution was simple and non-technical. I’d been ripping and encoding DVDs and rather than deleting the ripped files once encoded I kept them in case I later found a problem with the encoding. Heaven forbid I have to pull out the DVD and re-rip it. So now I quickly test the encode when it’s done and then delete the source files. If I find a problem down the road I’ll pull out the original DVD.

So now thst things are cleaned up the 500GB external drive is gone and I’m back to 1.3TB free.

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Canonical has instruction for upgrading from earlier versions via the GUI .

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The update includes four security fixes (two are Windows only). One of the patches plugs the vulnerability that won the PWN to OWN contest at CanSecWest.

There’s also the standard

…improvements to stability, compatibility…

The reboot displayed a blank blue screen for a nerve-racking length of time but was otherwise uneventful.

[Updated April 17th:] Well, I may have spoken too soon. My iMac was stable until the first reboot after the patch. At that point it wouldn’t finish loading and would lock up shortly after logon. Starting in Safe Boot mode would allow the logon but instability would ensue after running an app or two. The update itself doesn’t seem to be the problem as a new user profile runs Safari and other apps just fine. Also, my MacBook is running fine.

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Aperture 2.1 updates various features of the application and addresses issues related to performance and overall stability. The updates include the following:

• Dodge & Burn Plug-in. A sample plug-in is pre-installed, taking advantage of the Edit API introduced in Aperture 2.0. The plug-in adds brush-based tools for Dodge (Lighten), Burn (Darken), Contrast, Saturation, Sharpen and Blur.
• Customize Default Adjustment Set. You can now specify which adjustments appear by default in the Adjustments Inspector/HUD.
• Updated Crop Tool. A simplified UI makes it easier to preserve an image’s original aspect ratio, match the aspect ratio of your display, or use one of the standard preset aspect ratios.
• Sorting in All Projects View. A contextual menu allows you to sort the All Projects view in ascending or descending date order.
• Show on Map. A contextual menu allows you to choose the Show on Map by right-clicking (or Control-clicking) on an image that contains GPS data.
• Access to Toolbar on Second Display. When using multiple displays in Full Screen mode, the Full Screen toolbar is now accessible on a second display.
• “Snapshots” book theme. This additional theme includes new “photo border” frames in which to place images.
• Flip Images. You can now flip images horizontally or vertically within Aperture.
• Vignette. The range of gamma and exposure settings available has been expanded.
• Save Books as JPEG or TIFF images. Automator actions have been added to Save as PDF pop-up menu in the Print Book window to automatically generate JPEG or TIFF images from book pages.
• Update EXIF from Master. This command allows Aperture to reread EXIF from a master images after they have been imported.
• Extended AppleScript support. The “Reveal” verb in the AppleScript dictionary has been extended to include containers such as projects and albums.

The update includes fixes that impact the a number of areas, including: Image import, Image migration, Erasing memory cards after import, Quick Preview, Batch Change, Auto-stacking, All Projects view, Tooltips, Smart Albums, Tethering, Adjustments inspector, Viewer, Loupe, White Balance, Definition, Lift & Stamp, Handling of externally edited images, Reconnecting referenced files, Keyboard customization, Deleting images, Metadata presets, Book themes, Borderless printing, Web Page/Web Journal export, Exporting versions, Export Plug-in support, and AppleScript support.

Additional information is a Apple’s Late Breaking News About Aperture 2 (pdf link).

I installed the update without a problem on my two Macs (no restart was required), but exploring Aperture will have to wait for another day.

Rob Galbraith has a good overview of Aperture 2.1 which also talks about some third-party plug-ins being developed.

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• You have a computer that is running Windows Home Server.

• Windows Home Server is distributed through System Locked Preinstall (SLP). For example, you purchase a Hewlett-Packard (HP) MediaSmart Server.

In this scenario, you may randomly receive an expiration notice that prompts you to activate Windows Home Server. You receive this notice even though you do not have to activate Windows Home Server because it is distributed through SLP.

The bulletin is dated February 20, 2008 so if you have automatic updates turned on you probably received it already. If, like me, you have automatic updates off you’ll need to manually update through the WHS Console. I installed the update without a problem although a restart was required. I never had the original problem so can’t say if the fix really works.

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• Hasselblad CFV-16
• Hasselblad H3D-31
• Hasselblad H3D-31II
• Leaf Aptus 54S
• Leaf Aptus 65S
• Nikon D60
• Olympus E-3
• Pentax *ist DL2
• Pentax *ist DS2
• Pentax K100D Super
• Sony DSLR-A200
• Sony DSLR-A350

The update also plugs a security vulnerability in Adobe Image Negative (DNG) files.

I installed the update on OS X 10.5.2 Intel Macs without a problem. Aperture 2 and iPhoto displayed my existing RAW files just fine, I don’t have the newly supported cameras and I don’t use DNG files.

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…includes compatibility improvements for using Time Machine with Time Capsule, as well as AirPort driver fixes.

The update requires a reboot and is available through software update or as a direct download.

I didn’t have any problem updating my MacBook but I did have a bit of a problem on the iMac. Both were running OS X 10.5.2 and had all the same patches. My iMac didn’t properly shutdown after the update and I had to power it off. It seemed fine after the restart. The hanging shutdown isn’t a common problem but this wasn’t the first occurrence so it may be unrelated to the update.

I haven’t tried it myself, but others are reporting that Time Machine now works with USB drives attached to Airport Base Stations.

Not the first time for this rant so I’ll keep it short. Apple’s last three updates required a reboot. Couldn’t they have been released on the same day to minimize the interruption?

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I installed the update yesterday without a problem on my to Intel Macs running Leopard. A restart is required. I haven’t encountered any problems but with the wide range of fixes there’s probably pieces I haven’t touched yet. There’s three different versions of the update: Leopard, PPC and Universal. There’s three more patches for the same three flavors of OS X server.

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Apple provides a pdf file that describes the features in pretty good detail. They emphasize improved speed and standards compatibility.

I’ve been running Safari 3.1 on OX 10.5.2 for about a day. From a typical user point of view there’s not a noticeable change as most of the enhancements are under the covers. Safari has been my primary now for a couple of months because it’s been faster and less resource intensive than Firefox on my Macs. Benchmarks may say it’s faster but there’s no noticeable difference for me during typical web surfing.

Safari 3.1 is available through software update or as a direct download.

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The update is available through 1Password’s internal software update feature or as a direct download.

I installed through software update without a problem on my Intel Macs running OS X 10.5.2. I visited a few websites with Safari 3.1 and didn’t have any problems. No reboot is needed but browsers do have to be restarted after the update.

Having to get an update to work with a new version of Safari highlights the main problem with input managers like 1Password. While it may look like the Safari update breaks 1Password it’s more a case of 1Password using unsupported hacks to accomplish their task since there’s no direct API.

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