cake and OS X talk

So far, the switch to OS X hasn't caused me as much grief as I had anticipated. I like the interface (stop grimacing, Michelle) and I like the fact that my machine hasn't crashed even once since the switch. Up to then, I was getting used to daily crashes, sometimes several times a day. During the long reboot, I used grab my guitar and do some songwriting. Happily and sadly, I don't get as much songwriting done that way these days.

I'm still not used to the micro-lag that seems to follow every action, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. I've had to drop using some software and need to find OS X upgrades or alternates: eMagic Logic (apparently an upgrade will be available soon), Snak (the IRC client I used to access Filkhaven), some others. I'm sure they're out there, but I just haven't had a chance to go track them down.

I'm also learning to use or adjusting to new (to me) or newer versions of software. BBEdit 7.0 is cooler than my old BBEdit, but I had to rearrange my Glossary files to adjust to the way the new BBEdit handles them; it now allows multiple Glossary sets, but you have to name the folder properly for it to be the default set.

Jeff got my scanner and other graphics applications working under my new system yesterday, yay!

I've switched to using Safari as my default browser instead of Microsoft Explorer, though I'll still be checking my new layouts through Explorer and Netscape to make sure they look all right. Reason for switching: I didn't seem to be able to use Notetaker Services through Explorer, but it works okay in other applications.





re: Notetaker Clipping Service. LOVE this feature, which is going to make my life so much easier. Every day, for example, I go surfing through various publishing and media news sites for tidbits to include in my Market Watch column. I used to cut and paste URLs into a BBEdit file, then edit/format them for uploading into the Market Watch admin interface. Now whenever I find interesting news (or anything else I want to save) while I'm surfing, I can just highlight it and choose "Save to Debbie's Market Watch Clippings File" (and/or other files I set up) under the Services menu.

Later on, I can go to Notetaker and refer to my clippings file, file it somewhere else, look at it in more detail, delete it, use it, whatever. This process also works if I'm using other applications, like a mail program or text editor. It's already come in handy for my article for Country Connections magazine, while I was researching how various organizations teach the "Leave No Trace" ethic to young people. I found relevant Web sites, clipped the URLs for investigating later for possible interviewees. I interviewed outdoor guides and educators by e-mail, clipped relevant quotes and notes. Then in Notetaker, I added my own notes, rearranged everything in outline format, verified URLs by double-clicking them right in my Notetaker document, which automatically opened the relevant page in Safari.

And finally, I cut and pasted the whole thing into BBEdit for final editing and formatting before sending it off to my editor.

I try to imagine how I would have done this in The Old Days before computers and the Internet and shudder at how much more time and frustration would have been involved (phone tag, white-out instead of the delete key, etc.).

Today's Blatherpics:

	Reid and Ruth, at Jeff's birthday dinner last weekend. Reid has his photos online from that evening. Here's the photo Reid was taking while I was taking this one. :-) Lots of great Michelle photos!
	I asked people to take home leftover cake, but the cake was too tall to fit into the restaurant's regular take-out containers. John Swain (a physicist who appears on Discovery Channel) and John Chew (University of Toronto mathematician) put their heads together to help modify the available materials for a container for my sister's cake. Fire was involved. :-)

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