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Tech News & Commentary
Karl in South Dakota listening on KOTA and the podcast asked: “My question is about the move command in Mac OS 10.6.8 I hold down the command key, click and drag to get something from my external drive moved to my main computer, but it seems like a third of the time to half of the time it comes out as a copy command instead of move, very inconsistent. Any ideas how to do this? I’d really prefer to right click see a “move” command that would lead me to a cascading menu on my computer but apparently the geniuses at Cupertino haven’t figured that out yet.”
What you’re doing is what you’d typically do to move a file instead of copying it. Here’s where it can get a little confusing: when you drag a file from folder A to folder B, Mac OS X assumes you want to move it, if folder A and folder B are on the same drive, if they’re in different drives Mac OS X assumes you want to back it up by making a copy.
The command key will toggle through those, so if the operating system intends to make a copy and you press the key, it will now move the file, if it intended to move the file and you press the key, it will now make a copy.
You can tell what the OS will do by the icon it displays, the copy icon will have a big plus sign in a circle, for “move” you’ll just see the file over the other folder. We looked for Finder extensions to see if there was a way to add an item like the one you said you’d prefer to the context menu, but we haven’t found any. The truth is, that would probably be too impractical for most users.
If you want though, you can download a program like Xfolders to make moving files easier. It will show you the two folders (the one you’re copying to and the one you’re copying from) and it will let you use dedicated “copy” and “move” buttons and keyboard shortcuts you can use.
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline.
Micah in Oklahoma watches our videos on YouTube asked: “Wondering if I should buy an Xbox 360 or wait for their new console to come out.”
This is a bit of a tricky question because none of the major game console companies have set or been forthcoming at all with a time-frame as to when the next consoles will be released. Rumors of course have both a PS4 or the PS Orbis and the Xbox 720 coming out sometime between 2013 and 2014! Which is a big time frame to be speculating.
The bottom line is you have at least a year before you see any sort of definitive speculation on when the next system will be released. And for some that is long enough to say well I’m going to go off and buy a system to keep me company till whenever they decide to release a new system.
If you do decide you do not want to wait, we would consider buying a system used. You can get a system to hold you off till the next system is released at a much more affordable price. Now the downside to this is you are taking a chance that the system was maintained well, and is probably out of warranty. However it’s not like you’re looking for the system to last you a long period of time.
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Facebook Participation
Dave posted on Facebook: “Ok so now I have to have shoulder surgery for a torn Rotator Cuff and a bone spur. Right arm and shoulder have been killing me for months! Physical therapy has helped a little but not fixed.
I think it’s from something that I did in the gym right before we left for China last year, but friends say that’s “not exciting” enough. So I’ve begun saying that it’s “an old Pro Football injury” — but I never played football. Others have said I should say it was an old injury as a Police Officer, since I actually WAS a cop.
So … what kind of juicy story would you tell?
Here are some of the ones we shared on the air:
Chris: Went to a bar, a squad of Marines picked a fight with me and I threw out my arm punching each and everyone of them in the face!
John: There was this gorgeous blonde who fought like hell.
Alan: It was that no hitter you pitched for the LA Dodgers, remember?
John: You hurt it when you were in that roller coaster ride. The restraint failed on the young child in front of you and you held on to her through six loops and a four story corkscrew. It was amazing but your shoulder has not been the same since!
Shawn: It was from fist pumping so much when you found the new location for the Into Tomorrow studios!
Jeff: From throwing too many curve balls??
Sherry: Injury sustained while working for the Secret Service in Colombia.
Guest in this hour:
Dr. Satwant Kaur, First Lady of Emerging Technologies – HP
A lot of our listeners ask us about the cloud and our next guest is here to answer several of your questions. Dr. Satwant Kaur is an author, a ten time IEEE keynoter, and the holder of four technology patents.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT with Rob: “Dish Hopper Whole-Home DVR System”
“Into Tomorrow” has been a long-time supporter and fan of digital video recorders (DVRs). We were thrilled to try out the latest whole-home system from Dish. Rob shares some of the unique features we’re loving.
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 – Records 6 live HD channels at once during primetime (that’s 4 local HD networks and 2 channels of your choosing) … and streams four HD programs to different TVs … simultaneously. – 2 TERABYTES of storage — Dish says it can record and store up to 2,000 hours of video content. – It has a unique recording feature called “PrimeTime Anytime” – it gives you instant On Demand access to your favorite shows on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC in HD. Once you set this option, EVERY show airing on those networks from 8 to 11pm Eastern is recorded and stored for up to 8 days from the original air-date on your DVR. If you don’t have time to watch everything within 8 days, you can manually SAVE them until you delete it. PrimeTime Anytime is only available with local broadcasts in HD, which are not available in all markets. – The Hopper DVR is part of a whole-home system. It’s the central hub of your TV entertainment. It communicates with the smaller units called “Joey” which can be placed in any room around the house or office … and watch anything on the Hopper. The system supports up to 3 of these. Basically, you’re sharing your TV content from the Hopper across your entire home with the Joeys. The Hopper can support up to 4 HDTVs at the SAME time. – The user interface on Dish DVRs has always been very simple to use. Our only complaint is the organization of folders. We’ve tried to keep our favorite sitcoms in one folder, but haven’t been very successful with it. – Apps: Dish recently added Pandora streaming music service. So, if you love Pandora on your computer or smartphone, you can now enjoy it on your TV. Just enter your account login credentials and you’re set. Keep in mind that this service also requires an Internet connection. You can even login to Facebook with Hopper. There’s also the Weather Channel for local info … news feeds for Sports and Entertainment … and even time-wasting games … in case you’re bored. – Hopper offers Blockbuster @Home Service. This gives you access to thousands of movies when connected to broadband Internet. With the Hopper’s DISH Unplugged feature, you get hundreds of titles instantly, even without an Internet connection. Blockbuster @Home is available for an additional monthly charge. – Dish’s TV Everywhere is also offered on the Hopper. Just connect the Sling Adapter to your DVR. In case you’re not familiar with Sling, it allows you to watch your home TV, including DVR recordings and live TV, from anywhere … on your computer, smartphone or tablet. – The Hopper has a helpful feature called “Remote Control Locator” which at the press of the button … it “rings” & flashes your remote so that you can find it easily. Now you won’t have to flip your house to find that darn remote. – The Hopper whole-home system has been out since March of this year. The price depends on the programming package you buy. You can currently get it for free with their “America’s Top 200” package and above. |
Mark in Ocala, Florida asked: “Is there a cheap, inexpensive VGA to RCA cable (not a converter box, just a cable) that allows you to export the video from your laptop to your TV?”
You can find these online for like $2, they’re very common. Keep in mind that VGA doesn’t carry audio, so you’ll need a separate cable to go from your headphone jack into the TV’s audio input.
There are cables that come with both the VGA and the stereo jack in one package, so you may be able to buy an inexpensive cable that comes with what you need for both an audio and a video connection, but even if you don’t, you can just buy a cheap 3.5mm stereo to RCA cable online too.
You can probably get the whole setup for less than $10 online and you won’t need any converted box, as long as you have the VGA out on your laptop and an RCA input on your TV.
For more information, tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Creative: Live! Cam Connect HD — Webcam that records 720p video
Planon System Solutions: A couple of SlimScan SS100 Credit Card Sized Scanners
Scott Steinberg: Copies of his new book “The Modern Parent’s Guide to Kids and Video Games”