Hyper Dock

Windows may have some shiny effects that Mac doesn't have, but of course that wouldn't last long. HyperDock is here to fix that. Hyper dock takes Window 7's application preview and implements it in Mac OS X. HyperDock brings window preview to Mac, along with iTunes dock control and other small tricks. You can even assign hot keys for quick switching. Although this is a beta version, it still works very well. Take a shot, leave a comment about what you think!
http://hyperdock.bahoom.de/

*Credit goes to Lifehacker for bringing my attention to this.

~Dave

Take a Trip Through Time

A nifty site that was brought to my attention by Lifehacker is YTTM, a.k.a Youtube Time Machine. YTTM is a simple website that allows you to watch old videos. It is very simple to use, you can filter what you wish to watch, then select a date from the time line. YTTM will then load the page with a random video that fits your criteria for that time period. You can watch old commercials, TV clips, news clips, game commercials, sports etc. It is a really great website to play around with if you have some spare time on your hands. Check it out, leave a comment on what you think!

~Dave

*Ring* *Ring* Gmail Calling

As some of you may have heard, Google has announced a new feature that has been added to Gmail. This feature allows you to make calls anywhere in the US and Canada for free, while you are in Gmail. Call qualities all depends on the speed and quality of your internet connection, and it costs extra to call outside of the US and Canada. Plus, this option works hand in hand with Google Voice, if you have one. If you don't have a Google Voice, don't fret, you can still use this feature. So why use Gmail Call? For starters, it doesn't disrupt your workflow. For example, if you want to call someone, but the phone is in another room. In addition, if you do have Google Voice, you can use the two together. You can use Gmail Call as a Caller ID if someone calls your Google Voice number. Also, you can transfer calls from Gmail to your phone, or vice versa. Say you are in the midst of a call with someone, and then you look at the time and you have to go or you will be late. It is a hassle to hang up and call back, instead you can easily press the asterisks key and send the call to another Google Voice number. Your cell phone will then start ringing, pick up and then end the call on Gmail. There are many other things you can do with Gmail Call, so give it a try. If you haven't set it up already, you will need to install the video and chat plugin. Then just log onto Gmail and scroll down to where it says "Chat", you should see something that says "Call Phone". If you don't see this, don't worry, it just means your account has not been activated yet. It took my account a full day until it was activated. Give it a try and post your thoughts below.

*Thanks to Lifehacker for some of the ways to use Gmail Call.

~Dave

Mag safe not so safe...from my cat

My good old mag safe power adapter for my macbook, which is the second one I have had, fell prey to the damage my cat dealt it. Just the like the original I had, this one fell to a tear in the cord itself, which heated up to such a degree you could be burned when touching it. I was forced to replace my old one with the new, sleeker looking, mag safe. However, the newer version covers the ethernet port on my laptop. A down side, but not by much since I am always wireless. The thing that caused me the most trouble was when charging. When I first plugged it in, the green light did not go on and my mac did not charge. I worried that maybe I had bought a faulty product. Luckily I used a relative's macbook to test, and sure enough it worked. My relative has the early 2010 unibody macbook. So I headed over to my trusty friend Google to see what I could find. Most of my searches yielded nothing, which really annoyed me because I didn't want to return this, I needed to charge my computer. Next stop was the Apple Support Forums, and sure enough many others had the same problem I had. After reading through a couple thread, I found one that had a possible fix. The fix was as follows:

1. Turn off your macbook and unplug your mag safe.
2. Remove your battery.
3. Hold down the power button along with the option and control keys for five seconds.
4. Place your battery back in your computer.
5. Connect the mag safe.
6. Boot up your computer and hold down the power button, and the option and control keys like before. Wait until the sleep LED flickers and then stop holding down all three buttons.

I was very pleased to find that this fix worked and I now have a new mag safe that is fully functional. I also learned from Lifehacker that there is a proper way to wrap your power cable. You can watch the following video so you can learn how to properly wrap your power cord without causing damage:


*Video property of Tested.com

This information helped me enormously, I hope it does the same for some of you!

~Dave