The excellent OS X text to speech function can be activated with a simple keystroke, but first you have to enable the feature: Open System Preferences from the Apple menu Choose the “Dictation & Speech” panel then select the “Text to Speech” tab Check the box next to “Speak selected text when the key … Read More
Did you know you can instantly open any file into Quick Look with just a simple gesture? From the Finder in OS X Mountain Lion onward, all you need to do is hover the cursor over the file in question, then do a three-fingered single tap on the file to immediately launch the document into … Read More
Using the command line softwareupdate tool you can update Mac OS X system software without using the App Store. This is particularly useful for Mac users running OS X 10.8 or later where the software update system is primarily handled through the Mac App Store, but can occasionally either go awry or be inaccessible in … Read More
Inverting the colors of a Mac display is a fairly common accessibility feature, and it’s also pretty handy for when you’re reading at night because it puts most screen text into a white on black mode like iOS. Prior versions of Mac OS X let you invert the display by hitting the Command+Option+Control+8 keyboard shortcut, … Read More
There are a variety of different ways to transfer or share files between Macs, and we’ll cover the three easiest methods that are applicable for just about movement of files. AirDrop is unique to newer versions of OS X but is by far the simplest, iMessages lets you send files to another Mac over the … Read More
Did you know OS X Mountain Lion includes 44 ridiculously beautiful high resolution wallpapers? They’re hidden inside the four equally attractive new screen savers and feature some truly stunning scenery from National Geographic, the Hubble Space telescope, and some amazing photographers. Each image is a whopping 3200×2000 resolution, here’s how to access these on your … Read More
Many people have noticed the simple web sharing option was pulled from System Preferences in OS X Mountain Lion. The server software still exists and you can start Apache server on your Mac yourself within a minute or two of mucking about in the Terminal, but for some people the command line is just too … Read More
Did you know the Finder in Mac OS X has a built-in instant image slide-show feature? It’s part of Quick Look, and though it’s been around a while, it’s a little known feature that is really great when you want to quickly show off a group of pictures, or even if you just want to … Read More
Apple has released an update to Java aimed at addressing the recently discovered security issue that could impact some Mac users. The update, dubbed “Java for OS X 2012-005″, is available for users of Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7, and 10.8. All Mac users eligible for the update are recommended to install it. You can … Read More
Want to quickly dismiss a desktop notification without opening Notification Center in OS X? It’s easy, just hover over the notification with the cursor and use a two-fingered swipe gesture from left to right, swiping the alert to where Notification Center appears, and the alert will quickly zip away in a blur. This gesture doesn’t … Read More
