What? No egg shape? If you want to fine-tune a shape in Office for Mac 2011, or even create a different shape altogether, you can edit its points.
For example, turn a circle into an egg shape. Or rearrange the points in a freeform shape that you created with the drawing tool.
To see the points on the shape, right-click (or hold down CONTROL and click) the shape, and then click Edit Points. Then drag a point wherever you want.

Tips Zoom in 200% or 400% for more precision. To move the object with finer control, hold down COMMAND and press any arrow key.
For more information about changing shapes, read the following Office for Mac Help topic:... | Read more »

If you want to switch to a different backup drive, use this article to learn how to transfer your existing Time Machine backups to the new backup drive, and then use it for regular Time Machine backups.

To get the Photo Stream working on my MacBook I found out that I had to BUY an upgrade for an application that I don't want: iPhoto.

Looking for a solution I found that iPhoto stores its pictures in a specific location and the Photo Stream is updated even if iPhoto is not running. The goal was to create a script that copies all of the images from many sub-directories into a single folder.

As there are many people who know a lot more about OSX I would welcome improvements and feedback. Some areas to look at:

• Using 'without replacing' which would only copy the missing pictures.
• A Folder action which monitors changes and runs the script automatically.

Here's the script:

tell application "Finder"
set this_folder to "Macintosh HD:Users:duittenb:Library:Appl ...

... | Read more »

A common task when scaling databases is to reindex tables within the database. This process makes lookups faster and databases run butter. Reindexing becomes a pretty easy step before or after backing up the database as a general housekeeping step. To backup the database, you’ll use the pg_dump command, defining the user with -U and then the database with -d. In the case of Profile Manager, the database is device_management. Given that data is distributed across a lot of tables in the device_management database, the below script will backup the device_management database and then reindex each of the tables.
If you follow previous articles to enable the Postgres user, you would use the enabled user to access the database, editing the pguser variable to set that user. The paths to the binaries have also been made variables. This same concept could also be used with the collab, caldav,... | Read more »

In Mac OS X v10.6.8 and OS X Lion v10.7 through 10.7.2, delays may occur when joining to or authenticating users against an Active Directory domain that ends in ".local".

In order for OS X Lion clients to be able to bind to Active Directory when read-only domain controllers are present, you should update the clients to OS X Lion v10.7.3 or later.

Server Admin Tools 10.7.3 contain advanced administration tools for Lion Server. You can install them on the server or on another Mac and use it for remote administration.

This software updates Lion Server v10.7, v10.7.1, and v10.7.2 to version 10.7.3. It is recommended for all Lion Server users.

When you have Lion Server configured as a Mail server and providing Webmail access, some users may not be given the default folder set (Sent, Drafts, Junk, Trash) when they log into Webmail. This can cause users to receive this alert message when they try to delete a message or move it into another folder:
"The message cannot be moved"

Digital camera RAW formats retain more image information than JPEGs and can produce better results when used with imaging applications such as Aperture and iPhoto. OS X Lion provides system-level support for digital camera RAW formats from the following cameras.

This document describes the security content of OS X Lion v10.7.3 and Security Update 2012-001, which can be downloaded and installed via Software Update preferences, or from Apple Downloads.

ServerBackup is a new command included in Lion Server, located in the /usr/sbin/ServerBackup directory. The ServerBackup command is used to backup the server settings for services running on a Lion Server. The command is pretty easy and straight forward to use, but does require you to be using Time Machine in order to actually run.
In the most basic form, ServerBackup is invoked to run a backup using the backup command. Commands are prefixed with a -cmd followed by the actual command. As you might be able to guess, the commandlet to fire off a backup is backup. The backup command requires a -source option which will almost always be the root of the boot volume (/):
/usr/sbin/ServerBackup -cmd backup -source /
The data backed up begins in a .ServerBackups directory on the root of the host running Time Machine. Once the backup is complete the data is moved over to the actual Time Machine volume, using a path of:
/Volumes//Backups.backupd/////.ServerBackups... | Read more »

When the Final Cut Pro X Trial expires, you can remove it from your system.

Mac OS X Server uses the slapconfig command to promote Open Directory Masters and Replicas. In Lion, there is less and less dependency on slapconfig as not all of the aspects of an Open Directory environment are known throughout the system when performing LDAP operations through the command line (e.g. using -createldapmasterandadmin or -create. For example, if you use the tried and true -destroyldapserver option, the Server.app will no longer be able to promote a new Master and you’ll need to use Server Admin to create and then destroy that Master again in order for Server.app to be OK with your configuration changes.
But there are things we’ll still want to use slapconfig for. One of the better things is to actually check the environment to make sure that it is suitable for being an Open Directory server. For starters, let’s check the version of slapconfig:
/usr/sbin/slapconfig -ver
The version should be 1.2 or higher. However, as with Apache and a few other... | Read more »

There are new advanced controls in the Keyer and Luma Keyer effects in Final Cut Pro X 10.0.3.

Progressive Apple ProRes media may import into Final Cut Pro X with the incorrect field order setting. This occurs if you record with a Sound Devices PIX 220 or PIX 240 video recorder. Once imported in Final Cut Pro X, this media may appear aliased or contain video artifacts on playback and export.

Compressor version 4.0.2 is an update to Compressor 4. The update is recommended for all users of Compressor 4.

This hint describes how to easily see all the emails in one conversation without having to open them and scroll through.

If you have your emails 'organized by conversation' you will see in the email list in the left column the number of emails in that conversation. You can just click on the email showing in the left-hand column and hit the Right arrow key. This causes all the emails in that conversation be shown in a drop-down list by date, one on each line, below the latest one. To undo the list, press the Left arrow key.

[crarko adds: This is one of those obvious shortcuts that can hide forever if not mentioned.]

... | Read more »

Bing has those nice images on www.bing.com and every day they have a new one. I have put together a small python script which fetches today's image and displays it on the desktop.

Note: you will need to manually create the DeskFeed folder inside your Pictures folder.

Here's the script:

#!/usr/bin/env python
import os
import md5
import pprint
import sys
import subprocess
from time import strftime
from urllib import URLopener
from urllib2 import urlopen
from xml.dom.minidom import parseString

# Defines source and destination of image
rss_feed = 'http://feeds.feedburner.com/bingimages';
dst_dir = os.path.expanduser('~/Pictures/DeskFeed/')

SCRIPT = """/usr/bin/osascript<

... | Read more »

I have Mac OS X check for updates daily and automatically download any updates. However, only when I log in as an administrator do I get a dialog box informing of the existence of updates.

I wrote a short AppleScript to take care of the issue. Note that the script does not check for updates itself but relies on OS X's checking it in the background so it requires that the options to check for updates periodically and download updates automatically be checked in the Software Update preference pane.

Create the following script in the AppleScript Editor and save it as an application:

-- A script alerting non-administrator users about available downloaded
-- software updates

set updates_no to do shell script "defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate LastUpdatesAvailable"
...

... | Read more »

Not sure if this was available before 10.7, but hitting Control+T while running a command in the Terminal will show what process is executing, the load, the PID of the process and its user and kernel time.

I was running a script and accidentally hit Control+T instead of Command+T to create a new tab. I was surprised at what I got. Here is an example of what gets printed:

# buildOrder.py
load: 2.51 cmd: p4 15179 running 0.00u 0.00s
load: 2.23 cmd: p4 17962 waiting 0.01u 0.00s
load: 2.53 cmd: Python 15167 running 94.68u 66.33s
load: 2.60 cmd: Python 15167 running 150.71u 101.82s

[crarko adds: I wasn't able to reproduce this, but it may be due to the briefness of the running command. Give it a try and post a comment about your results. Try it in Snow Leopard too if you ...

... | Read more »

You can now edit the default language for app metadata any time. If you have multiple apps, you have the added flexibility of managing metadata localizations for each individual app. Any localizations you add will be displayed automatically based on customers’ OS or iOS language settings. Otherwise, the default language you select will be displayed to all customers. Learn more in the latest iTunes Connect Developer Guide.

You can now edit the default language for app metadata any time. If you have multiple apps, you have the added flexibility of managing metadata localizations for each individual app. Any localizations you add will be displayed automatically based on customers’ OS or iOS language settings. Otherwise, the default language you select will be displayed to all customers. Learn more in the latest iTunes Connect Developer Guide.

The desktop is the space where you see file, folder, and application windows. Learn about your desktop and how to customize it.

Maybe everybody already knows this, but I missed it in all the new features of iOS 5. The iPad mail app adds a new gesture to show and hide the message list window when in portrait orientation.

I always use my iPad's Mail app in landscape mode because I get to see my message list in addition to the message detail. And for some reason, I find it tedious to push the mailbox button at the top left of the screen to see the message list. iOS 5 added the ability to swipe right anywhere on the message window to pop up the message list and to swipe left to hide it again. Nice! Not having to move my finger six inches has somehow made portrait mode much more bearable for me.

[crarko adds: Well, I didn't know it either, so here's the hint. I also was a landscape mode only iPad mail user.]

... | Read more »

Learn how to change the screen saver--you can even use your own slideshow creation.

Learn how to make your song longer in GarageBand for iOS by adding bars or song sections.

Under Lion, the screen saver authentication dialog box does not allow you to enter a username. So even if you've made the changes detailed in this Snow Leopard hint there is no way to put in alternate credentials to unlock a user's screen.

First, edit /etc/pam.d/screensaver as per the original Snow Leopard hint:

• Open /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app
• Type cd /etc/pam.d
• 3. sudo cp screensaver screensaver.bak
• 4. sudo nano screensaver
• 5. Find the line:
  account required pam_group.so no_warn group=admin,wheel fail_safe
  and change it to:
  account sufficient pam_group.so no_warn group=admin,wheel fail_safe
• Press Control+X to save /etc/pam.d/screensaver and exit nano.

Then, still in Terminal, we make a wholly unintuitive change to / ...

... | Read more »

With iBooks Author you can add COLLADA (.DAE) files using the 3D widget; learn the best practices for creating these files for use with iBooks Author.

As you know, Lion locks files that have not been changed for 2 weeks, so that you have to unlock them before editing them.

There is a control to change the length of time before a file is 'locked' by Lion.

In System Preferences » Time Machine » Options, there is a control to set the length of time after the last edit before files are locked.

The options are 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks (default), 1 month, 1 year.

I presume that there's a corresponding plist setting that you can 'defaults write' to values not in the dropdown list.

[crarko adds: This is one of those things that's obvious once you know about it, but probably wouldn't think to look for it under Time Machine preferences if you didn't.]

... | Read more »

Learn how to set up Time Machine to perform backups, how to restore items (or your entire system) from a Time Machine backup, how to migrate existing Time Machine backups to a new Mac, and more.

Xsan 2.3 clients (running OS X Lion or Lion Server v10.7.2 or earlier) that access filesystems hosted by controllers that use StorNext SNFS version 4.2.0 may experience data loss when renaming files on StorNext-hosted volumes.
A file may be unexpectedly deleted when renamed to a new name which differs only in the capitalization of the letters; for example, when changing "test" to "TEST".

Learn how to access iTunes U Course Manager, a web-based tool for instructors who want to teach all-digital courses.

Learn about preparing a Keynote presentation for iBooks Author, including how to export to HTML from within Keynote and a list of supported transitions and builds.

When you create a book with iBooks Author, be sure to use iPad-safe fonts for a consistent user experience.

Learn tips about working with video and audio in iBooks Author, supported formats, and notes on video encryption.

Are you running another OS with the great and free VirtualBox virtualization application by Oracle? Are you also using TimeMachine? Chances are that you are excessively using Time Machine and filling your Backup disk with slightly different but still huge disk images. Here's a possible solution to this problem:

VirtualBox provides the possibility to create snapshots. This allows you to go back to a virtual machine state when you are not happy with your virtual machine anymore. Possible examples are: you messed up your system or you caught a virus in your virtual machine.

This feature can also be used for circumventing the problem mentioned above, namely the excessive Time Machine usage.

• Bring your virtual machine to a state you like
• Create a snapshot in VirtualBox
• Exclude the snapshot directory from TimeMachine Backup (it is located in /Users/YOURUSERNAME/Library/VirtualBox/Machines/VIRTUALBOXNAME/Snapshots, change YOURUSER... | Read more »

In certain situations, iPhone 4S may have difficulty recognizing a micro-SIM card, resulting in the following behaviors:

"Invalid SIM" or "No SIM Card installed" alert appears intermittently.
Status bar displays "No Service" or "Searching" in a location with good network coverage.

This is more of an FYI than a deep hint. Apparently in Lion, you can now adjust the screen brightness of your Mac even if it's the secondary display in a dual monitor setup.

I'm using an i7 15" MacBook Pro, and before Lion, if my laptop was set as the secondary display, the brightness buttons on my Apple external keyboard didn't work. The brightness buttons only worked if the display was set as the primary display. Now it works if the laptop is a secondary display.

[crarko adds: This is pretty specific. If folks would be kind enough to try a few other configurations and post the results, that could help this prove to be more generally useful.]

... | Read more »

In some cases, Final Cut Pro X may stop responding on launch while "Restoring the window layout," or may open to a completely gray window.

You can search the iTunes list of radio stations if you add them to a playlist that you created.

If you click the built-in Radio list in your iTunes Library, you can see lots of internet audio streaming radio stations, apparently chosen by Apple, organized by genre; but you can't search the list. The iTunes search field in the top right corner is grayed-out.

If you make a new playlist, and drag radio stations into it, you can search in that playlist.

I wanted to search for any radio stations that might play, for example, 'dubstep' or 'Hindi' or 'reggaeton.'

I made a new playlist and dragged radio stations into it. I tried dragging all of them, but iTunes gave up after 999 stations. I also see that iTunes won't retrieve station names now, but that may be because I tried dragging them all (that would be at least 1500 stations). Maybe my network's sysop shut that off. Anyway, I'll try again tomorrow, but the point of the hint is that you can use the ...... | Read more »