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Podcast - Mac Geek Gab #94: Clean-up, Optimize, and Tweak Your Mac With The Geeks

by , 10:30 PM EST, March 5th, 2007

Show notes for TMO To Go: Mac Geek Gab For February 25, 2007

Direct Links: MP3 Version or AAC Enhanced Version (courtesy of ).

Cleaning up, understanding, and tweaking your Mac are the topics discussed in today's show. Strap in and get ready for blast-off on this wild ride with John and Dave!

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Sponsor: TeachMac

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Podcast Marketplace Sponsors: Etymotic, Audio Engine, TeachMac, Bare Bones, SmileOnMyMac and Audible.

Podcast-related sites to visit (and vote for us!):

(even an audio comment, if you please!), post in the comments below, Skype your message to "macgeekgab", or call and leave a voice-mail at 206-666-GEEK!

This podcast is recorded on a Mac using Audio Hijack Pro. As for equipment, John is using a Behringer C-1 microphone going through a Behringer Eurorack UB1222FX-PRO mixer, monitored with Etymotic ER-6i Isolator earphones, then straight in to his Mac. On Dave's end, a Heil PR-40 microphone is used, and the whole show is mixed "live" through a Mackie Onyx 1220 FireWire-enabled mixer before being pumped back into the Mac (via FireWire, of course), and is monitored with Westone ES2 earphones. Each microphone is run through a channel on a Behringer Autocom Pro-XL MDX1600 compressor, a touch of reverb is added with an ART FX-1 processor, and the whole thing is then compressed in software on the Mac. The show is recorded to AIFF, and then converted and uploaded with an Automator script. Michael, aka Computernap, then goes through and enhances the show to provide you with the AAC version. You can hear more details of the setup and how it's mixed on Episode #32.

Theme Music: "The Answer", written by Jeff Steblea and Brian Ayles, as performed by Go Figure. "Made On A Mac" bumper by Mark Fleser

Find more editions at the TMO To Go: Mac Geek Gab index.

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Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:Guest
Tue Mar 06, 2007 1:21 am Subject: Mac Pilot is the Market Leader

Wow, that's really disappointing Koingo Software's Mac Pilot wasn't mentioned. It's definitely a market-leader for this kind of stuff! It's even featured on Mac Update and Version Tracker.


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Close Name:spatzek Posts: 2 Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:10 pm Subject: SMART Technology

I too, thought that SMART technology was the answer to finding drive problems, but then I listened to an expert's podcast and was given a good education as to why SMART can never be anything usable. The short story is that there is no standard for implementation by the drive manufacturers. This alone makes it unreliable.

The podcast I'm referring to is "Security Now" with Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson. It's the current podcast and can be found at www.twit.tv . Click on the Security Now tab on the left and the podcast will be there with a link to download or you can use the embedded player. I trust Steve's credentials and believe that the information needs to be widely available.


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Close Name:Dave -   TMO Staff Posts: 227 Joined: 11 Jun 2001
Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:52 pm Subject: Re: SMART Technology

Quote
spatzek wrote:
I too, thought that SMART technology was the answer to finding drive problems, but then I listened to an expert's podcast and was given a good education as to why SMART can never be anything usable. The short story is that there is no standard for implementation by the drive manufacturers. This alone makes it unreliable.


You're definitely right about one thing: you need to make sure that the drive(s) in question support(s) S.M.A.R.T., otherwise you won't be monitoring anything. That said, I believe all current (and recent) Macs contain S.M.A.R.T.-capable drives and in this environment it *can* be a relied on as part of your machine-health monitoring processes. Obviously you need to look for other warning signs, too (changing sounds, recurring file damage, strange lags reading from drive), but S.M.A.R.T. can certainly play a valuable role helping you keep an eye on your recent Mac.

I have used S.M.A.R.T. in the server environment and it has been invaluable in helping monitor machines remotely for problems. It definitely has its place. You just need to use it properly.


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Close Name:Dom Posts: 6 Joined: 27 Apr 2006
Tue Mar 06, 2007 8:12 pm Subject: Other apps

Worth mentioning things like Monolingual which remove lots of the multi language packs for Mac OS. I ran it and freed up 1.63 Gb's but have heard reports of 4Gbs being freed. A decent drive saver.


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Close Name:Guest
Sat Mar 31, 2007 3:52 pm Subject: user disk usage totals

sudo du -sh /Users/*


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