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Free Disk Encryption with TrueCrypt

Dave — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:35:51 +0000

Encryption and digital security is becoming more important than ever these days. Up until recently, both Linux and Windows users had the privy of a great tool called TrueCrypt, which has now been made available for Macs. It is a free and open source software that includes all of the following features to help you stay secure.

1. Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk.
2. Encrypts an entire partition or storage device such as USB flash drive or hard drive.
3. Encrypts a partition or drive where Windows is installed (pre-boot authentication).
4. Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly) and transparent.
5. Provides two levels of plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password.

6. Encryption algorithms: AES-256, Serpent, and Twofish. Mode of operation: XTS.
7. Further information regarding features of the software may be found in the documentation.

One great thing about TrueCrypt is that its encryption works exactly the same across any system. Download it here.

Fall in love with your menubar.

Aviv — Fri, 23 May 2008 06:24:16 +0000

Apple’s Leopard operating system is one of the best operating systems in the world, if not the single best. However, it’s not perfect, there are still some things left to be desired. For me personally, it’s the lack of customization in the menubar. I hate a cluttered dock, but I don’t want to add a new dock icon in order to organize my other dock icons. I would just create a stack for that. But, none of these solutions are really perfect. Nor do they offer a unique solution, or increase productivity within my work-flow.

In case you haven’t seen this little webpage. Super OS X menubar items is a catalog of small, specific applications that allow you to fully utilize your menubar to its full potential. Some of the applications are completely free, while others may offer a free demo and a fee to use.

This is a roundup of all the many applications you can find at the Super OS X page.

An application that I personally love to use is called TigerLaunch, and its absolutely free for everyone. TigerLaunch inserts a little paw icon into your menu bar and allows you to access and launch applications directly from within your menubar.

This is what TigerLaunch looks like when its active inside your menubar.

Yes, I know the name TigerLaunch is a little old. So just pretend its called LeopardLaunch. This is a wonderful application for anyone who loves organization and needs to clean up their dock a bit. If you are not in need of TigerLaunch, head on over here, you’re bound to find something you didn’t know existed, or something to massively increase the convenience of your work-flow.

Quick and Easy Screen Capture

Dave — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:44:22 +0000

There are a few quick shortcuts that allow you to easily capture screenshots of your desktop, without the use of Grab. You can hit Command > Shift > 3 to capture your entire screen. But If you are looking to capture just a selection of your screen view, simply hit Command > Shift > 4. This will bring up a cross-hair cursor, allowing you the freedom to select any portion of the screen that you desire. When using these two shortcuts, an image file will be instantly created on your desktop.

If this is not your bag, you can also use the Control > Command > Shift > 3 (or 4) shortcut to copy your screen capture directly into your clipboard memory, ready for you to paste anyplace you would like. This comes in handy for quickly pasting screen captures directly into photo editing programs like Photoshop.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Dave — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:40:11 +0000

Have you ever woken up in the morning and asked yourself, “hey, how can I further customize my Finder windows?” Well…how about adding a photo to the windows background. When in need, just add a picture

This is a very simple task to accomplish. To start, open a Finder window, but make sure that you are in Icon mode. Choose Show View Options under the View menu. You can also use the shortcut Command > J to accomplish the same task. Then click the picture option at the bottom of the dialog box. From here you can choose an image of your choice and…voila! You have your very own customized window background.

Desktop Neat Freaks

Dave — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:34:51 +0000

Are completely anal about the cleanliness of your desktop? Cant stand having anything on it, including your mounted drives and discs? No problem. There is an easy way to rid yourself of all desktop woes, and make it as naked as the day it was born.

To try it out, open up your Finder and select Preferences from the Finder pull down menu. You could also use the Command > , (comma) shortcut from within the Finder. From here click on the general tab and you can uncheck the Hard Disks, CDs, DVDs, iPods, and connected servers.

Forgot a Password? No Problem.

Dave — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:29:14 +0000

If you have forgotten a stored password and are need of recovery, no problem. All of your passwords are stored in the Keychain Access Utility. Your Utilities folder is located within your applications folder by default.

Simply locate your utilities folders and double click to open the Keychain Access. From here there is a spotlight search bar in the top right of your utility window that you can use to find the password that you are looking for. Once you have located your forgotten password, turn on the show password check box.

Creating Custom Icons

Dave — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:15:49 +0000

Getting tired of your default icons? It is easily possible to personalize all of your folders, files, and drives with customized icons using just about any graphic file that you could imagine. Whether it is a jpeg, gif, png, psd, ai, or even PDF, your icons can be just as unique as you.

Lets get started. First, choose an image that you would like to use and open it in Preview. For this example, we are using and image of a Ladybug.

Once your image is open in Preview hit Command > C to copy. You can also choose Edit > Copy to perform the same action.

Next, select the file, folder, or drive whose icon you wish to change. Once you have made your selection, right click and scroll down to Get Info. You can also use the shortcut; Command > I.

This will bring open an info window for your selected item. For this example we have used a folder titled LadyBugs.

Click on the file, folder, or drive icon in the top left of the Info window and simply click Command > V to paste…and boom!! Instant custom icon.

To change the size of your icons, go into Finder, and select View Options from the View menu. From here you can adjust the slider to meet the size that you desire.

Translucent Stickies.

Aviv — Sat, 03 May 2008 06:35:57 +0000

Making See Through Stickies

One very useful trick to keeping yourself right on task is to utilize the power of Stickies. Yet sometimes they can become obtrusive and more than likely will end up being a pain on your desktop view. One cool and simple way to relieve your stress and keep organized is to make your stickies transparent. Simply open your stickies, click one and press Command > Option > T (for translucent). This allows you to see right through it, and can be extremely helpful for those of you with cluttered desktops.