Tired of your dock? Spice things up a little with Docker.

We’re back! Here’s another discovery we’ve made:

Docker (free, http://www.blocksoft.net/docker.html) makes it easy to change the look of your dock.

With a simple UI, it’s easy to access hidden image files from your system’s dock and change them.

Easy changes, from switching the appearance of the indicator below open apps, to completely changing the image file for your dock, are all free.

Check it out.

HDMI Update

So, it turns out you can hook up your MacBook to an HDMI supported device. Here’s what you need:

1. Apple Mini-DVI to DVI Adapter ($20, www.apple.com)

2. Belkin HDMI to DVI Cable ($20,  www.apple.com)

3. NOTE: For sound, you need to buy those as well, or just play with the built-in speakers

RemotePad: Control your Mac from your iPhone

With RemotePad, a free application from the iTunes store for your iPhone or iPod Touch, you can control your Mac using your device as a mouse. Inside the application, you select your computer, and click connect. You than see a black screen with a click and right click button on the top. Just drag your finger on the screen, and you should see your mouse move on the computer.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Download Remote Pad

2. In the remotepad description, you should see a link to download it on your computer. Visit the link on your Mac, and download the program suitable for your computer version. Install the download, and run the program.

3. In RemotePad on your iPod Touch/iPhone, you should restart. Than, select your computer name from the list, and click connect.

4. Voila!

Dropbox

Ever wanted a free space online that you could publish anything to? Any file that you wanted? How about that it automatically syncs with the new version of the file if you need to edit it on your computer? Mac? Windows? Linux? iPhone/iPod Touch? Now you can.

With Dropbox, (free, www.getdropbox.com) you can. Simply download a file on all of your computers, and you can upload files from anywhere to their website. If you uploaded it from your computer, then it will automatically sync with the file on your computer. Edit it on computer a? It will show the new file on computer b. All of this, free.

We highly recommend this, and you get 2 GBs of storage. (you can sign up for more).

Top 5 Apps – Apple Application Store

Here’s the top five, of our choice. Have fun! Please note that we do not have all of the apps available, so this is based on our apps. Also, we only had time for five, but stay tuned for more picks soon.

1. Fring

This application enables an iPod Touch or iPhone to use Skype, AIM, Google Talk, and many other instant messaging services. This application is almost useless on an iPhone; built in services can already do all of the said things. But, for an iPod Touch, this is huge. You can walk past a deli, connect to its wireless network (if it has one), and call someone. This is without paying anything except ten cents or so every ten minutes for Skype! This is a great feature that enables the phone section of an iPod.

2. Linerider

When this game came out on the internet, everyone loved it. Now, it’s available for the iPod Touch and iPhone. It’s great fun to sit down and create tracks. On your way to work? Try getting in a few lines of track while in the cab. Save it, and work on it later. It’s a great app to share your work with others, and view others work online. You can find really amazing works on their server.

3. Real Soccer 2009

I have never played a soccer game on a smaller screen with those graphics. Stunning. You will be wowed after playing this game. You can choose from playing a single match, World Cup, other European titles including the Euro Cup, and even play a whole season as a European team. This is the best soccer game in the store, and I highly recommend it.

4. Topple

This is incredibly simple. Cubes, balls, triangles, and objects of all shapes and sizes start falling down the screen. The object is to tap with your fingers, stacking the blocks on top of each other. If your stack of blocks reaches a certain level, you win and advance to the next level. Quite fun.

5. Cro-Mag Rally

Probably one of the most well-known games on the market. Not much that I can say: you probably know what I am going to say, anyway. Well, it is a racing game. Tilt your iPhone/iPod Touch, and the accelerometer senses the tilt, and the car you are driving moves. The game is based on the “Cro-Magnons” thus called “Cro-Mag Rally”

Risk

Risk, the classic game of world domination, is now available free on Mac Discoveries.

To download, visit  http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=1032609&da=y (download link)

Link only active for a minimal amount of time.

Barack Obama: A New Era

At 1:06 PM ET today, Barack H. Obama was sworn in to be the president of the United States. I will make the whole speech available on our downloads page today. All the best to America, and the rest of the world. Even in this new era, technology continues. Apple lives.

Last week, Steve Jobs announced his 6-month leave of Apple, and he is scheduled to come back in June. Apple has depended on this one person for so many things, that people are worrying. But don’t worry. Tons of other brilliant minds are in Apple: many of whom we have never heard of.

Live From Amtrak

I’m writing this post online, on a train from New York, NY to Washington D.C. It’s amazing how many pollution-not-friendly buildings there are in New Jersey. Anyway, back to the point.

I am online on the train. Sharing my wifi with others. My iPod Touch is also online.

Here’s how:

With a Blackberry World (wifi bluetooth sharing that’s paid for is enabled) I bluetooth connect it to my Macbook. Before I went on the ride, I installed VZ Manager (Verizon’s way of connecting to the internet). Then, you click enable WWAN on the computer, and voila. I am sharing my wifi with my iPod Touch using the sharing internet option in the sharing panel in system preferences. Sorry about not posting for awhile, I’ve been busy… hope this tip helps.

COMING SOON: MAC DISCOVERIES HANDBOOK. This handbook shows the best tips and tricks available on this site. It will be available for free. Expect it within a few months.

iPod Touch is here

My ipod touch arrived!

Sorry that I didn’t post for two days; busy during the week. Expect a techy post on saturday.

Ripping a DVD onto iTunes

I, like many others, have a big pile of old DVDs. I have an iPod, and so, as you might assume, I have tried to put the old movies on my iPod. Here is an easy process to follow, for Mac and PC alike. But be forewarned: this takes awhile.

Mac:

1. Download Handbrake (free, www.handbrake.fr)

2. Insert your DVD

3. Open Handbrake

4. Select your custom options (kind of file to extract, etc.)

5. Click on the button that starts the process (this takes a long time…)

6. Drag the movie file onto the iPod image in iTunes

PC:

1. Download Handbrake for PC (free, www.handbrake.fr)

2. Follow the same instructions as above

*NOTE: If you have any questions about this process, or help about further instructions, please leave a comment. Also, please note that we are making a GUIDES page soon (it’s on our To-Do list) and this will appear on it soon.

Author Resources Page Changed, To-Do List, Other Site Changes

If you have been viewing our blog from before 2009, you would have probably noticed a big change in the look and feel of our blog. We think that the new look is better, and more associated with technology. Maybe, if enough viewers petition, we will bring up our old theme. But, for now, things have changed. Hey, this is my blog. I can choose the theme. Not you, the viewer.

We also are going to change the Author Resources page into a To-Do list. All viewers can look at this page, but only authors can comment. It will show our ideas for the site, and things we are in the process of doing. And, if I am in a good mood, I will provide all users access to the temporary pages under construction, such as the reviews page (going well, by the way) or access to old picture themes, and other stuff, etc. We might even call this the Construction page, as our site is always under construction. (no blog is perfect, and mac discoveries is more than that)

Any suggestions are welcome. Just email macdiscoveries@gmail.com (my blog email).

The current To-Do list: Make a to-do list.

Technological New Year’s Resolutions

I’ve decided to post some New Year’s Resolutions having to do with technology. Here are a few. These are great things to do for your computer, I consider them “the organic of technology”

1. Always turn off my MacBook when I go to bed. It’s bad for the battery not to.

2. Don’t leave my Apple charger in when it is green.

3. Let my battery run down to zero every once in a while.

4. Clean my MacBook. The screen, the back, the keyboard, etc. The whole thing. (Windex works, I use it.)

5. Put all of my DVDs on my computer. Then, onto my iPod.

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!! It’s 2009!!!!!

I just watched the ABC coverage of the New Year. Happy 2009 to all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope that you saw it too. Incredible. (ABC did not even show the ball drop; they had this old guy talking)

A Free Alternative to Candybar: LiteIcon

You all have probably heard of Candybar (an app that changes the look of your desktop icons, $20).

But, you probably were reluctant to pay for it. After some research, I found a free alternative, LiteIcon. This software lets you do the same things as in candybar. You just drag a picture on an icon, and sham-wow! (Yes, I have that as-seen-on-tv towel. Not the best buy I’ve made.)

Old “Plastic” Macbook is Chipped in a Place

As seen by the picture below, my Mac has been chipped on the side. This is not a major dilemma, but I worry of dirt or other things that I would not want to get in my computer. I decided to put a piece of masking tape there, but I never got around to it. So far nothing has happened, so I probably am never going to put tape there. 

I am not the only one with this issue, though. The only three people in my family that have Macs have the same problem. The new Macbook line, as you have probably heard, is made of aluminum. Theoretically, the problem should not occur in those new ‘books. Apple found a problem, and fixed it with a fix on its new line of Macbooks. That still doesn’t solve my problem, though; I think that I will have to resort to tape.

 

as you can see, some of the plastic has been "chipped" away

Keep all of your bookmarks… on your menu bar.

With Allbookmarks, you can access all of your bookmarks from Safari, Firefox, and more right from your menu bar. Just a click can bring you to your favorite websites. You don’t even need to have your browser open to access bookmarks.

This is a free service, and you can download it here: http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/AllBookmarks

1Password, another application by agile web solutions, keeps all of your User IDs and Passwords stored on your computer. One huge advantage: it syncs with your iPod Touch or iPhone.

eBay Tips & Tricks

Trying to sell something on ebay? Here are a few tips to success. (this comes from my recent sale)

1. Free Shipping. This attracts many buyers, and you usually make up the loss with higher bids. This also lets you have a free subtitle, and discounts on other things for your sale.

2. Three Day Sale. A shorter auction brings the item up in search results.

3. DO NOT SET A RESERVE. Select a minimum price, the lowest you would ever sell it for. Reserves just don’t work.

4. When shipping, printing out shipping labels is a pain. It only takes a five minute trip to the post office, and $8.

5. Purchase insurance. This is for obvious reasons.

6. Purchase a delivery confirmation number. It is 65¢ at the post office.

7. Sell to a trusted buyer. I got worried halfway through my auction when the high bidder had no ratings at all. I was relieved when a user with lots of comments bid higher.

8. Purchase some extras on your eBay sale. Make your item stand out in search results.

9. Use pictures. Lots of them. Buyers thirst to know what your item looks like.

eBay Sale Over

We have successfully sold the iPod. Thank you to all who bid.

iPod Classic for Sale!

I am in the process of selling my iPod Classic on eBay. If anyone wishes to buy it, it is in very good condition, comes in the box, has 15 games preloaded, and not very old. (less than four months). Click on the link on the first line to visit the auction.

Thanks!

Sony VAIO Sound Problems

Today, I realized that my Sony VAIO did not play audio. (I am on my macbook now)
After fixing it, I decided to post it on Mac Discoveries. Here is my ten-step plan towards success:

1. Using Internet Explorer (firefox does not work for this) go to Sony.com
2. Select service & support
3. Select Drivers & Software
4. Put in your model number (usually on the back of the computer or on the bottom of the screen)
5. Select Audio Drivers
6. Download the Realtek High Definition Original download
7. Go through instructions, and voila!

Reviews & Poll Going Well

Coming soon, we will create a page and review some products. Any ideas are greatly appreciated! Please contact our ideas manager by emailing sophieg.wilson@gmail.com.

The poll is pretty decisive so far. We have had some reports that you could not check the results. This is because we did not want results to influence people’s opinions. So far, Theme C and the idea of a special theme on holidays is winning.

Look out for the reviews page! I will update this post as soon as it is finished.

Happy Holidays! (you should see the holiday theme now)

Website Theme Vote

*scroll below for the poll UPDATE: THE POLL IS CLOSED

We have created some themes for our website (basically, the picture at the top that says Mac Discoveries)

After photoshop for many hours, I came up with some ideas.

We will have a poll to decide the best one.

Or, I can switch the theme at the top of the page every week-or-so.

Another idea is to keep one permanent one, and for special events, like the Holiday Season, I would put a different holiday-related one up. (this idea is sort of like google; they put up a different google logo on special events)

Anyway, I will put the vote on soon, probably for about a week. Please, give out your opinion and vote! Thanks.

Oh, here are the choices (I almost forgot…)

Choice A.

Choice B.

Choice C. (this is a holiday one)

I will try to make more choices soon…

G.ho.st – Virtual Operating System – Free 5GB Storage

I just received an email from a friend referring me to g.ho.st. The website provides a free virtual computer, complete with its own online-operating system and 5GBs of storage. I’m not going to use the virtual computer (I’ll call it VC) as an operating system. I will probably use the VC as an online storage center. Anyway, I thought I would tell you about it.

That 5 gigs of storage can be increased; every time you refer someone, it goes up by 1GB. (I’m at 7!)

If you want to register for G.ho.st, just click here. That link provides a link to register for free (and it uses my referral email!!)

All of this is available anywhere online, 24/7, absolutely free.

Oh, in the referral email option, put my email in. What goes around, comes around. (Hey, this is a free blog, right?)

iTunes – “looks funny”

this is a screenshot of when my itunes library, well, did not look normal

This is how my iTunes library looked after an install.

Here is the easy three step plan to fix it if this happens to you:

1. Go to display in the control panel

2. Click on Settings

3. Change color quality to the highest one available

Voila!

New Author – PGW8

Look out for posts from pgw8 – he is our new author.

If you want to join him as an author, please see our join page and email macdiscoveries@gmail.com

Authors are never required to post articles; it is optional.

Gizmos and Gadgets

I am sure some of you have heard of the game, Gizmos and Gadgets.

Well, after much searching, I have finally found a copy of the game online. It is now available :

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=980270&da=y

Jezzball

If any of you have ever heard of Jezzball, and used to play it, you are in luck.

After much time google searching for it, I finally found the classic, original version. (and it’s free)

You can download it now here: http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=979605&da=y

For those of you who have never heard of this game, well, this is one more free game to download.

Unfortunately, this is only available for PC’s running XP or 95. (no, windows is not my favorite operating system)

Different Backgrounds, Different Spaces

There is now a way to put different wallpapers/pictures on you different desktop spaces.

1. Download Desktop Curtain here

2. Open Desktop Curtain

3. Change “all spaces” in preferences to “space 1″

4. Rinse and repeat