One Mac Pro powering six monitors for a total of 9220×1600 pixels. Wow. Oh, and the Mac Pro has 8 cores, 12gb of ram, 8tb of disk space, and 3 video cards. Excessive? Maybe, but what a cool workstation. This guy is very serious about his working setup and has a ton of information about it on his website, it’s fun geek reading.

[ via Biscade ]

Enabling the Firewall in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

* Open “System Preferences” from the Apple menu
* Click on the ‘Security’ icon
* Click on the ‘Firewall’ tab
* In the corner of this window, you’ll see a lock icon, click on that and enter the administrator password
* Now click on the ‘Start’ button to activate the firewall

Yes, it’s that simple.

If you want to allow certain ports, applications, or network connections, you can enter the ‘Advanced’ tab and adjust the settings as necessary. The Mac OS X firewall is quite secure by default and will block nearly all incoming connections (again, unless specified otherwise). It’s my opinion that if you’re behind a router with it’s own firewall, and on a trusted network, you probably don’t need to use the Mac firewall at all. For small home and school networks you should be fine, but for larger, untrusted, or exposed networks, using the firewall may be a prudent idea, even if the likelihood of an attack on your Mac is extremely low in comparison to a Windows machine.

It’s worth mentioning that since Mac OS X 10.6, the Firewall service has been placed under the “Security” systems preference as opposed to ‘Sharing’ as it was in prior versions of Mac OS X.

So you want to save a Google Book for later? First, find a book on Google Books

Now just paste the URL or book ID into the application and it will start the download:

Your Google Book is now saved as a PDF and it can be read or viewed from anywhere, independent of the web and an internet connection. Awesome! Google Book Downloader is free and open source, so if you feel like poking around the code it’s freely available on the developers site.

HacThePlanet: Google Book Downloader
Download Google Book Downloader now

Accessing the iTunes Equalizer:

* Tap the ‘Settings’ icon (usually located on your Home screen, unless you moved it)
* Scroll down to and tap on ‘iPod’
* Now tap on ‘EQ’
* Scroll through the list to find the settings right for you
* Select the preset equalizer settings you want to use by tapping on them
* Exit the EQ settings by clicking the home button or by manually navigating out of the Settings

Note: I highly recommend having a song playing while you are trying out different EQ settings, the changes are different and you will immediately hear how each sounds.

You may want to change your iPhone’s equalizer settings to fit different audio output, for instance I use ‘Small Speakers’ when I’m using Apple’s earbuds, but I’ll use a more specific genre theme with higher quality headphones or my iPhone/iPod dock. It makes a surprisingly big difference, so play around and find one that works for you.

This same protocol works for adjusting the equalizer on every other Apple portable product, from the iPhone, 3GS, to the iPods.

I love tabbed windows and I use them everywhere I can, whether instant messaging in iChat to hoarding sites in Safari. Now you can get tabbed windows in Mac OS X’s Finder! TotalFinder is a really cool app that brings full tab functionality to the Mac desktop, allowing you to not only create tabs of Finder windows, but also the ability to drag and drop files into the tabs (and thus, the folder), and you can create a new tab by just dragging a directory to the tab bar!

This is one of the best desktop hacks I’ve ever seen on a Mac, and based on the improved usability I wouldn’t be surprised if we see tabbed Finder windows in later versions of Mac OS X.

TotalFinder is actually a SIMBL plugin, and is still under development. Technically in alpha mode, it worked well enough to be completely usable and it didn’t crash on me during testing. I’ve seen a few user reported bugs when using the split window tab mode, but I’m sure they’ll be ironed out quickly by the developer.

If you’re a fan of tabbed windows, don’t miss this.

TotalFinder Developer home
Download now

[ BinaryAge via GraphicMac ]

Do you have a large directory of movies? Not sure what each video is? If you’re in thumbnail view at a large enough resolution (looks like 68×68 is the threshold for me) or in Cover Flow view, you can play movie files directly within the Finder by hovering over their icon to display a play button. Simply click play and the video complete with sound will play seamlessly within the Mac OS X Finder window, hover while it’s playing and there’s a pause button too.

The best speakers for your MacBook, MacBook Pro, or iMac

Audioengine A5 Powered Multimedia Speaker System – $325 – The sound quality on the AudioEngine A5’s is nothing short of absolutely amazing, with some great features to boot. The speakers include easy line-in to hookup your iPod/iPhone, a USB port to charge your iPod, a power outlet for hooking up an Airport Express, a built-in amplifier, and did I mention seriously amazing sound? I heard these at a friends house and knew I had to get a set myself. If you’re a music lover, audiophile, or a musician and you want truly amazing sound on a budget, just stop reading and get these speakers, your ears will thank you. No more 128kbps audio files with these, you’ll want to play 256kbps or better. My only complaint is that they don’t include a remote control. The AudioEngine A5’s come in black, white, and a snazzy bamboo.

I have to rave about the AudioEngine’s because they are without a doubt the best speakers I’ve heard at anything even close to the price range. For a Mac (or iPod or any PC really) they produce the highest quality sound possible without spending a ton of money.

Ok now I realize not everyone wants to spend $325 for near studio quality sound on their Mac, or they just want something smaller, so here’s some decent options that are significantly cheaper:

Cheap but good speakers for your MacBook, MacBook Pro, or iMac

Altec Lansing BXR1220 2.0 Speakers – $15 – these are small speakers with surprisingly decent sound for their size. Don’t expect deep rich bass or anything though, it’s just not really possible with something this compact and without a subwoofer.

Logitech S220 2.1 Speakers with Subwoofer – $24 – Now if you’re less concerned about space and portability, for about $25 these speakers produce some great bass thanks to the included subwoofer. A friend of mine has these hooked up his MacBook and plays them quite loud at BBQ’s and I’m always impressed that for the sound quality they’re so cheap.

Altec Lansing VS4121 Audio System – $60 – I had a pair of Altec Lansings just like these on my Mac before I got some AudioEngine A5’s, and I was always happy with their sound quality. The subwoofer helps produce rich bass and the speakers provide loud and quality sound for music, movies, and gaming.

Ultra portable speakers for your MacBook and MacBook Pro

Altec Lansing iML237USB Ultra Portable Speakers – $49 – This thing is small and ultra portable, the main downside is that it draws from USB to take power so you’ll be losing a USB port. If you’re a serious roadwarrior though and you’re more concerned with bag space than overall sound richness and just need something loud for teleconferencing, entertainment, or presentations, this is a good choice. I first saw one of these when a someone brought it out of his bag during a presentation, it looked like a chubby YoYo.

B-Flex 2 Stereo USB Speaker – $39 – These are a fascinating speaker, it plugs into your USB port and then has a flexible arm to aim in any which direction. I admit I haven’t heard these myself but they were recommended by a friend for their portability and sound quality, and I trust his opinion so Ill include them. For maximum portability and cord-free speakers these look like a great bet.

What about speakers for the Mac Pro and Mac Mini?

My suggestions for the Mac Mini would be the same as the other Mac’s, but since the Mini is so tiny and stylish I figure Mini owners will be more particular about the appearance of their speakers. In regards to the Mac Pro, since it’s more of a professionals machine I would imagine a Mac Pro user would want professional grade speakers, while the AudioEngine A5’s certainly meet that requirement on a budget, there are other options geared specifically towards audio professionals, but I have no personal experience with that kind of high-end sound equipment.

Obviously there are many other options out there for Mac speakers, but these are just the ones I have come across relatively recently. Feel free to share your own speaker suggestions or experiences in the comments.

An alternative method to preview fonts is navigating to /Library/Fonts/ (Hit Command+Shift+G in the Mac Finder and type in the path) and then selecting list view, and then hit the Spacebar to enter into Quick Look mode, you’ll now be able to scroll through every font and see the full alphabet rendered in the selected font in lowercase and uppercase.

You can view .PSD Adobe Photoshop files directly in Mac OS X with no additional software, thanks to Quick Look and Preview.

To get a fast preview of a PSD file, simply select the document within the Finder and hit the Spacebar to launch the PSD file rendered in Mac OS X’s very own Quick Look. If you want a bit more control over viewing the PSD file (zoom, resize, whatever), you can take it a step further by opening the PSD document within the Preview app, just drag and drop it onto the application icon and away you go (note some versions of Mac OS X will automatically open PSD files within Preview if you just double-click on them, assuming Photoshop is not installed on the Mac).

If you want to edit a PSD file with the same type of capabilities as Photoshop without paying for it, you could try using Gimp, a free open source Photoshop clone. It’s not perfect but works pretty well for image editing, and if you’re not trying to do anything overly complex, it’ll save you a few hundred bucks.

I came across this barebones Mac setup while browsing around Flickr and found the simplicity appealing. MacBook Pro, some notes, headphones, keyboard, and a guitar. What else do you need?

[ via Flickr ]

Why is Apple so successful? Look at what, and how, they sell.

* You walk into a beautiful Apple Store

* You’re presented with amazingly attractive machines

* The packaging is clean, minimal, and enticing

* The operating system is simple to use yet amazingly powerful

I came across a post simplifying this on MinimalMac and found myself completely agreeing. Buying an Apple product, especially a Mac, is an experience from the start to the finish.

It’s an experience I’ve never been able to replicate when buying a PC, which typically comes from a loud and generic electronics store with product overload, and that sensory overload never ends: open the PC box and you have stacks of paper warranties and user manuals, various driver disks, promotional offers for this and that, a ton of cables and cords haphazardly thrown in a box. Then you finally boot the thing up just to be overwhelmed with a Windows install that has been bloated up a storm with OEM garbageware and 20 icons on your desktop… there is just no comparison, you don’t get that from Apple and you never will.

This is exactly why they’re so successful, Apple just gets it.

Now, MinimalMac does a more elegant job of telling the story than I do via fewer words and a few pictures, so be sure to scroll through them, it’ll only take a second and for four pictures, it does a good job of capturing the Apple buying experience.

MinimalMac: What Apple Sells

* Pause the download/update by just tapping on the app’s icon while the download is going
* You’ll know the download is paused because the name will change to ‘Paused’ (see screenshot)
* Tap the icon again to resume the download or update

You learn something new everyday! I’ll bet this tip works for the iPad too, but since they aren’t in the wild yet we don’t know for sure.

[ screenshot and tip via MacObserver ]

It’s fun to see Mac’s in the media, and it looks like Conan O’Brien uses a MacBook… at least when he’s making jokes about his writers. Posted on Twitter was the following quote and a link to the above picture of Conan on a MacBook surrounded by a team of people.

‘This is how many people it took to write today’s tweet: “Jumbo” shrimp? WTF!!’

[ via Twitter ]

XCode can be installed from the CD/DVD’s included with your Mac, or downloaded for free from the Apple Developer site. Once XCode has been installed, FileMerge will be located at /Developer/Applications/Utilities/FileMerge

[ FileMerge screenshot from Schwehr.org ]

Want to quickly setup a free proxy server? This article and video from Labnol.org is about as easy as it gets. The walkthrough is geared to Windows users but the technology, software, and setup is practically identical on a Mac, just download the Mac versions of python and Google App Engine SDK rather than Windows versions.

Labnol: Setup a Proxy Server in 5 minutes