AirFoil Adds Features

Murphy uses AirFoil to send audio from a web browser to an Airport Express or an Apple TV.   It’s great for listening to Pandora throughout the house, with various speakers all in sync.  There’s an Apple TV connected to the stereo and an Airport Express connected to a Tivoli radio in the kitchen.  AirFoil can also send audio to another Mac, like the G5 upstairs that has decent speakers connected.  Three sets of speakers all playing one stream throughout the house.

Airfoil keeps getting better.  Recently it gained the ability to ‘hijack’ audio from an application that’s already running.  Previously, you had to start AirFoil, and then launch the application from AirFoil to send its audio to another device.  Not anymore - AirFoil can access already-running applications now.  And they’ve added an iPhone app.  So Murphy can bring a portable radio out on the porch - connect an iPod touch - and listen to the same stream that’s playing in the house.  In a nutshell, it turns an iPhone or touch into a battery powered Airport Express in terms of music streaming.

The software is rock solid, no drop-outs.  The interface is simple and unobtrusive.

Using Quicktime Murphy could listen to the aapl quarterly conference call over AirFoil.  Sending the stream into the kitchen beats lugging a laptop in there.  It’s great for Songza, Pandora, YouTube - or whatever audio you want to transmit.  You can even transmit an iTunes stream to your iPhone or touch - enhancing its multi-speaker functionality.

The iPhone / touch application is free.   The desktop software is $25.  AirFoil for Mac / Windows.  There’s a bundle with both for $40.

Find Duplicate Files with Tidy Up

Murphy has built up a ton of duplicate files over the years.  All kinds of stuff, some files with the same file name, some with different file names.  Many of the files are half-baked backups thrown onto external drives in haste.  Some are just the result of poor housekeeping.

I’ve used various tools to get the mess under control.  Later we’ll be looking at a tool called CD Finder that despite its name can be very helpful in cataloging an unruly collection of disks and drives.  We’ll be looking at the diff command too - which is already on your Mac.  But first let’s take a look at Tidy Up, an extremely helpful tool for finding duplicate files and deleting them.

Tidy Up can look beyond the filename to determine if files are duplicates or not.  In the screencast Murphy uses Tidy Up to look at file content and size.  There are many other criteria sets the application can use to evaluate files.

Tidy Up can also dig into iPhoto and iTunes databases in search of duplicates.  Mail mailboxes too.  Information about deleted files is then synced back to the applications.  We’ll look at these features in another screencast.

One feature Murphy really likes:  The ability to keep a single copy from a duplicate grouping.  Tidy Up groups identical files together in its search results.  The application will display all but a single file from each group, allowing you to delete all the extras at once.

Tidy Up can also restore content you’ve deleted to its original location, as long as you haven’t emptied the trash.

You can use Tidy Up to scan multiple drives at once or just a folder that you suspect has duplicates.  It’s probably best to experiment a little before deleting anything - to ensure you’re getting the results you expect.

Smarter Smart Folders

When you set criteria using the Finder GUI for Smart Folders each condition is set as an “and”, meaning all the criteria must be met by a file to be returned in the results.  There’s no obvious way to change this in the GUI, but it’s there.   Sometimes you want to return files that meet “any” condition of a given criteria set.  For example, you might want to see files that end in .dng OR .jpg.

When you add a new criteria to a Smart Folder, hold the option key before clicking the plus sign and you’ll get a drop-down for Any or All.  Select ANY when you want to create a less restrictive query.  Select ALL to form a restrictive Smart Folder.  You can drag the rows up and down to change their order.

I didn’t see this in the help anywhere and wonder how anyone was supposed to know about it.  I guess I’m not alone, it was mentioned in MacRumors and credited to Macworld.

I messed around a little with adding an Any and an All at the same time but I’m not sure how OS X is interpreting that logic.  Try it and see for yourself.

iLife Up to Date Serial Number Problem

Users trying to take advantage of the iLife ‘09 Up-to-Date program are reporting trouble ordering their almost-free copy of iLife on-line. If you bought a Mac after January 6 you can acquire iLife ‘09 by ordering on the web or sending in a form via fax or snail mail. You’ll also have to pay a charge to cover shipping and handling: $9.95 in the US.

Threads at Apple Discussions and MacRumors indicate the system isn’t accepting some serial numbers. People calling into Apple for support report they’ve been directed to just fax the form in.

Murphy spoke with a manger at the Apple Retail Store in Charlotte, NC.   He said he was aware of the issue and sometimes the database takes a few days to update with new serials after you’ve purchased your Mac.

Anyone having this problem?

Quick Tip - Quick View Shortcut for Grid Layout

In Tiger I used to select multiple images in Finder and then invoke the Slideshow function.  One of my favorite features was hitting the i key to quickly invoke the grid mode.  I love grid mode.

In Leopard I expected the same thing to happen in Quick View, but my i key was rendered useless.  Then I read somewhere that Command+Enter invokes the grid in Leopard Quick View.  Nice.  I’d give credit to whoever posted the comment, but I forget who it was.

So - select some images in Finder.  Tap the space bar.  Then hit Command+Enter.  Done.