If you use a lot of DVD’s or CD’s on a regular basis, you may find some use enabling a hidden disk eject menu item. Once enabled, you’ll have a Finder pull down menu that lists discs, and selecting a disk from the menu ejects it:

• Hit Command+Shift+G to bring up the Go To Folder window, using the following path:

/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras/

• Locate and double-click the menu item named “Eject.menu”

To remove the Eject menu, just hold down the Command key and drag it out of the Mac OS X menu bar.

The Disk Eject menu works in OS X Lion but is probably only going to be useful for Mac owners who have a CD or DVD drive, because it doesn’t seem to show external USB devices in testing. It also seems to be connected to the same eject mechanism of just dragging a disk to the Trash, so if you have a stuck disc it’s probably not going to be as effective as a forced eject.

On a side note, once you’re in the Menu Extras folder you will find a variety of other menu bar items you can add by double-clicking. Most of these are also available by enabling various settings in System Preferences, but Eject seems to be unavailable elsewhere.

We recently showed you where iOS apps are stored locally on the computer, but if you just want to quickly access that folder or get to a single app in the Mac OS X Finder, you can do so with a right-click within iTunes:

• Open iTunes and click on “Apps” under the library listing
• Right-click on the app icon and choose “Show in Finder”

The Mobile Applications folder will immediately open with the selected app highlighted. These .ipa files can then be backed up manually and copied to other computers that are authorized with the same iTunes account that originally purchased the app.

Ever wanted to remove shadows from windows, menus, and box items in Mac OS X? You can with a free tool called ShadowKiller, and it works in newish versions of OS X too. All you need to do is launch the app, the screen will flicker briefly, and all on screen windows will appear shadowless. You can get the shadows back by just relaunching the app again. If you want to have the window shadows always disabled, you’ll need to throw ShadowKiller into Login Items.
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A new tool has been released that untethers existing tethered jailbreaks for iOS 5.0.1. This means that if you are using a tethered jailbreak right now, you can download a free package from Cydia to untether your jailbreak and never have to boot with redsn0w assistance again. The package is called Corona and it’s very easy to install.

The current version of Corona untether is compatible with iOS 5.01 on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 3rd or 4th gen, iPad 1.

How to Convert a Tethered iOS 5.0.1 Jailbreak into Untethered with Corona

Do this from the currently tethered jailbroken device running iOS 5.0.1:

• Launch the Cydia app and search for “Corona”
• Tap on “Corona 5.0.1 Untether” and then tap the “Install” button in the upper right corner
• Reboot the device

The iOS device will now be untethered, able to reboot at will without connecting to a computer.

If for whatever reason you don’t want to use Corona, you can also download the untethered redsn0w and jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 untethered by running the new version over an existing tethered base, but that is more work than necessary. Corona is by far the easiest choice, and unless you plan on performing a clean installation, it’s the way to go.

The untethered iOS 5.0.1 jailbreak has finally arrived, and it’s extremely easy to use. We’ll walk you through the process, but before proceeding make sure you meet the following requirements:

• Compatible device: iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 1, iPod touch 3rd gen, iPod touch 4th gen
• iOS 5.0.1 installed
• Download Redsn0w 0.9.10b (Direct: Mac OS X or Windows)

iPad 2 and iPhone 4S are not yet compatible due to their use of the A5 CPU, that is a currently a work in progress.

How to Jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Using Redsn0w

This walkthrough is intended for those who are currently unjailbroken and using a stock iOS 5.0.1 installation. The instructions are the same for both Mac and Windows and for all iOS hardware:

• Launch Redsn0w
• Connect the iOS device to the computer and then turn it off
• Launch Redsn0w and click on “Jailbreak”
• Put your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch into DFU mode: Hold the power button for 3 seconds, continue holding Power button and additionally hold the Home button for 10 seconds, release the Power button but continue to hold the Home button for another 15 seconds
• Let redsn0w do it’s thing, make sure “Install Cydia” is checked, and let the jailbreak install

The iPhone, iPad, iPod touch will reboot and be jailbroken, find and launch Cydia to verify the jailbreak worked. The untethered solution is obviously much easier than the tethered options, there is no redsn0w boot assistance needed after the device turns on and off, and the installation is simplified as well. Enjoy the jailbreak.

Note for Windows users: be sure to run Redsn0w in Administrator mode, this can be done with a right-click.

Already jailbroken? Here is how to convert a tethered iOS 5.0.1 jailbreak into untethered with Corona, it’s very easy and doesn’t require redsn0w.

The much anticipated untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1 has arrived in the form of Redsn0w 0.9.10b1, courtesy of the iPhone Dev Team and jailbreaker @pod2g.

Redsn0w will provide an untethered jailbreak to the following iOS 5.0.1 devices: iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 1, iPod touch 3rd gen, iPod touch 4th gen. For iOS devices based on the A5 CPU, like the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, the jailbreak is not yet available but is expected to debut soon.

Download Redsn0w 0.9.10b2

Download and follow the in-app instructions, it’s very easy:

• Download now (Mac OS X)
• Download now (Windows)

For the Windows version make sure to run it in ‘Administrator’ mode.

If you haven’t upgraded to iOS 5.0.1 yet due to the lack of an untethered jailbreak, you can do that now either with iOS 5.01 IPSW or through iTunes Software Update. After you’re on the latest iOS 5.0.1 version, you can then run redsn0w. If you are already on iOS 5.0.1 and using a tethered jailbreak, you can run this version of redsn0w directly over your existing jailbreak to untether it.

Update: Here is a guide on how to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 untethered with redsn0w

The Back and Forward buttons in Mac OS X Finder work much like their respective buttons in Safari or another browser, meaning not only do they go page or forward within the file system, but now Finder windows also track folder browsing history.

After you’ve visited several folders, click and hold on the Back button to display a pull-down menu of the past directories you have recently been at.
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An unofficial Siri port called Spire is now available as a free download for jailbroken iOS device owners. Spire is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, and iPod touch 3rd and 4th gens, although the sensitivity of microphones on iPad and iPod touch models may impact performance. Weighing in at about 100MB, downloading Spire will also grab the necessary Siri files from Apple via extracting the iOS 5.0.1 IPSW.

If you’re interested in installing and running Spire, you’ll need to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 on your compatible device, and then setup a Siri proxy to gain access to Apple’s Siri servers. The reason is explained by Spire developer, chpwn:

Apple still requires authorization to use Siri, so information from an iPhone 4S is still required. To insert this information, Spire allows you to enter your own proxy server address. By using this (ancient) SiriProxy fork, you can setup a proxy using your own iPhone 4S to insert the needed information reasonably easily.

Obviously this isn’t the best solution since it continues to require an accessible iPhone 4S, but for those who meet all the requirements it should be a fun mod to their iOS hardware.

Spire can be found as a free download on the Cydia store.

If you want quickly expand (or minimize) all of the detail sections within a Get Info window on a Mac, you can do so with a super simple keyboard shortcut.

To get started, you’ll need to be in a Get Info panel. Just select a file and access Get Info by hitting Command+i to see how this works.
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Want to track Santa’s progress as he delivers presents around the world? You’re in luck!

You can follow Santa Claus on his Christmas eve deliveries around the globe right on an iPhone or iPad, and it’s super easy!

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This Mac setup scene depicts what many of us will be doing this weekend; lounging around the Christmas tree with a warm drink and some Apple gear. On the left looks like a MacBook Pro 13″ and the right appears to be a white MacBook, both in the holiday spirit.

I came across this great picture on Flickr while searching Google Images for a Christmas themed desktop picture and had to post it.

Merry Christmas!

Shorelines is a beautiful free app for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch that generates winter scenes complete with falling snow, trees, and rolling fog. The trees are randomly generated, the snow gradually accumulates on the branches, and you can tilt the iPad or iPhone to affect the gravity and direction of the snow fall. Shaking the iOS device will even shake the snow off the trees branches.

• Download Shorelines free from the iOS App Store

Just don’t let the name fool you, there aren’t any sea shores or ocean scenes, Shorelines is all winter and snow. The eye-candy centric app is basically an interactive screensaver and doesn’t have many features, nor should it. Tap the circular arrow in the lower right corner to regenerate a scene, or the camera in the bottom left corner to save the image to your iOS Photo Album where it can be used as wallpaper or sent around.

A perfect addition to any idle iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch this holiday season.

If you have a spare Mac or PC sitting around, don’t forget to grab the retro fireplace app too.

Want to quickly get to the User Library folder on Mac? A keyboard shortcut is one of the best ways to do that, particularly if you find yourself frequently accessing that folder.

Using keyboard shortcuts are often the fastest way to navigate around the filesystem in Mac OS X, but new versions of MacOS and Mac OS X, including MacOS Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, OS X 10.7 Lion, Mountain Lion, 10.9 Mavericks, 10.10 Yosemite, and later doesn’t have a keyboard shortcut to access the user library directory by default.

This tutorial will show you how to add your own keystroke combo to immediately open the ~/Library folder on a Mac.

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A new rumor claims that iPad 3 will be released on February 24th 2012, Steve Jobs Birthday. The rumor appeared on FocusTaiwan, but the heart of the story appears to have been relayed from a different Taiwanese paper, the Economic Daily News:

A local Chinese-language newspaper reported Friday that iPad3 might be launched on Feb. 24 to mark the anniversary of the birth of Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs.

Citing sources close to Taiwanese makers in the iPad3 supply chain, the Economic Daily News said the gadget could be launched in mid-first quarter of next year or by the end of next March.

It’d be wise to be skeptical about the exact release date given the sourcing, although the iPad 3 is widely expected to debut sometime in the earlier half of 2012.

The next iPad is expected to have a high resolution 2048×1536 retina display, and other reports have suggested it may include a quad core CPU, Siri integration, as well as a dual mode GSM/CDMA modem for the 3G models.

iChat Matte is a popular mod for iChat that removes the bubble aqua style text blocks and changes them to a flatter matte. The tweak works by replacing a few image files, but the official version hasn’t been updated for OS X Lion and an unofficial version floating around has the chat bubbles facing the wrong way. You can download that version yourself and switch them manually with Preview, or follow along the instructions below and download the attached images:

Replace the iChat Aqua Text Bubbles with a Matte Appearance in OS X Lion

This has been tested to work with iChat in Mac OS X 10.7.2:

• Open a Finder window and hit Command+Shift+G, entering the following path:

/Applications/iChat.app/Contents/PlugIns/Balloons.transcriptstyle/Contents/Resources/

• Locate the files “BigBubbleMask.png” and “BigBubbleGloss.png” and make a copy of them for backups, you can make a copy within the folder or copy them elsewhere
• Replace those two files with the versions below:




• Now launch the Terminal from /Applications/Utilities/ and enter the following command two strings:

sudo chown root:wheel BigBubbleGloss.png;sudo chown root:wheel BigBubbleMask.png
sudo chmod 644 BigBubbleGloss.png;sudo chmod 644 BigBubbleMask.png

• Now relaunch iChat and send a message to see the flat matte text boxes

If you need a test AIM account to send a message to, the SmarterChild bot is defunct but will at least respond with some spamy nonsense that works for testing purposes.

Enjoy your new, cleaner customized iChat appearance.

From time to time, the iPhone Home button can become less responsive to clicks, and pressing the button will either result in a delay, lag, or sometimes complete unresponsiveness requiring multiple clicks. While this could be symptomatic of a hardware issue caused by moisture damage or dropping the phone, sometimes you can fix the response problem with a simple software tweak.

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Just in time for the holidays, Fireplace is a totally awesome interactive 8-bit fireplace app that fills your Macs screen with a pixelated fireplace. But don’t stop there, you can add logs, roast hotdogs and marshmallows, and even burn papers and photos. Each log ‘burns’ for about 30 minutes of pixel torching glory, and although it won’t heat up the room, it’s another great retro addition to your Mac app list.

• Download Fireplace for free here (Mac OS X & Windows)

The basic commands are: log, match, paper, marshmallow, smore, hotdog, eat, blow, water. You can lower and raise the hotdogs and smores to roast them using the arrow keys, and they actually char and turn black if you keep them too close to the fire. Typing ‘water’ or hitting the Escape key will quit the app.
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Using the familiar pinch and spread gesture in OS X Lion, you can adjust the thumbnail size of desktop wallpaper previews within System Preferences. A spread gesture will increase the thumbnail size, and a pinch gesture will shrink the wallpaper thumbnails.

Try it yourself, just open System Preferences, and from the Desktop control panel use a two-fingered spread, the same you’d use on an iPhone or iPad to zoom into an image or text, or that you’d use in Safari or Preview in Mac OS X to zoom on the content.

The smallest size will show a 5×4 grid, and the largest thumbnails will show 2×2.

Thanks for the tip Jimmy