Category Archives: Tips

Screen Sharing hack for OSX

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Here’s an easier way to share the screens of other Macs on your network. The screen sharing feature is just an application. It resides in /System/Library/CoreServices/Screen Sharing.app.  You can drag that to your dock for easy access.

If you launch it now, you will get a box asking you for the IP address of the machine you want to connect to.  But if you want to simplify things, you can use Bonjour to show you a list of all machines on your local network.  You will need to launch terminal and enter:

defaults write com.apple.ScreenSharing ShowBonjourBrowser_Debug 1

When you launch Screen Sharing.app you will be presented with a graphical list of computers available on your local network.

NOTE:  This functionality has been removed/broken in Snow Leopard!

Source:  http://www.macworld.com/article/131094/2007/12/screensharepower.html

Using Google Reader “Send To” with Gmail

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Here is how to use the new “Send To” feature, in google reader, to send items directly to a new Gmail email.

To set this up, go to Google Reader and open Settings. Select the “Send To” tab and click on the “Create a custom link” button.  Fill in with this information:

  • Name:  Email
  • URL:  mailto:?subject=${title}&body=${title}%0A%0A${url}
  • Icon URL:  http://mail.google.com/mail/images/favicon.ico

Example:

gr_sendto_gmail_example

Using Google Reader “Send To” with WordPress

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Here is how to use the new “Send To” feature, in google reader, to send items directly to a new WordPress post.  (make sure to replace with your own domain name!)

To set this up, go to Google Reader and open Settings. Select the “Send To” tab and click on the “Create a custom link” button.  Fill in with this information:

  • Name:  Whatever name you want the action called in google reader
  • URL:  http://www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin/press-this.php?u=${url}&t=${title}&s=${source}&v=2
  • Icon URL:  http://s.wordpress.org/favicon.ico?3

Example:

gr_sendto_example

via Using Google Reader “Send To” with WordPress | thingelstad.com.

Multiple network adapters on OS X gotcha!

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A few days ago I was touting one big benefit of OS X was that you could be on multiple IP subnets simultaneously.  Today I’m writing to let you know that this still works, but beware of the dumb mac users who try this…

Today I was trying to VPN into one of my clients networks.  The PPTP VPN connection would connect, but no traffic was sent.  I glanced in the Console in OS X and found this:

3/19/09 3/19/09, 9:58:07 PM pppd[1555] route_interface: write routing socket failed, File exists

After googling “route_interface: write routing socket failed, File exists” a bit, it dawned on me, that the second Ethernet interface I added the other day, was on the same subnet as my clients remote network.  So the PPTP VPN wouldn’t pass any traffic.  Once I disabled (or I could have changed IP addresses) the second Ethernet interface, the PPTP VPN started working perfectly again!

Howto find the bundle identifier for VoipOver3g on iPhone

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Problem:  So your paying AT&T plenty of money to use their slow, spotty, 3g network.  AT&T and Apple have gotten together to tell you what apps can and can NOT use 3g data.  One of your apps that you need to use anywhere is only allowed to access the internet via WiFi.

Solution:  Jailbreak your iPhone and install VoipOver3g via Cydia.  VoipOver3g will trick your apps into thinking they are using WiFi, when really only 3g is available.  To tell VoipOver3g which apps to allow you need to add the bundle identifier to the /Library/MobileSubstrate/DynamicLibraries/VoIPover3G.plist on your iPhone.

How to find an applications bundle identifier:

  • ssh into your iPhone
  • cd /User/Applications
  • find . |grep appname
  • cd into the long folder name
  • cd in appname.app
  • nano Info.plist
  • find <key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
  • key should be just below it: <string>com.vnetcorp.sipphone</string>
  • nano /Library/MobileSubstrate/DynamicLibraries/VoIPover3G.plist  and add to list

Simply add that string to your /Library/MobileSubstrate/DynamicLibraries/VoIPover3G.plist, reboot the phone, and that application should now be able to access the internet over 3g!

Problems with IMAP or POP and gmail or google hosted email?

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I have a few users who get errors when trying to IMAP or POP their mail from google hosted (gmail users can also run into this problem).  If your settings are correct and everything was working and has just stopped, you may need to un-lock your account via Captcha.

Exactly how accounts get locked is a bit of a mystery.  Although, I have a feeling it has to do with checking an email account too frequently, and maybe from multiple devices coming from a single IP address.

For the solution please follow the steps below to resolve the problem:

  1. Disable all mail clients you’re using to read Gmail messages. (If you use one at work and one at home, please disable both.)
  2. From the computer on which your logins are failing, visit http://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha
  3. Enter your Gmail username and password, and the letters in the distorted picture.
  4. Once you have successfully logged in, restart your mail client and try to download your mail.

If you’re using a Google Apps email address, please instead follow the steps below:

  1. Disable all mail clients you’re using to read mail. (If you use one at work and one at home, please disable both.)
  2. From the computer on which your logins are failing, visit https://www.google.com/a/[your domain].com/UnlockCaptcha. Be sure to fill in your domain name in the URL.
  3. Enter your email username and password, and the letters in the distorted picture.
  4. Once you have successfully logged in, restart your mail client and try to download your mail.

Sources:

Solve the “volume can’t be ejected because it is in use” problem

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Occasionally I run into the error message that a volume can’t be ejected because it is in use.  Even though I don’t actively have anything being used on the share.  Today I got fed up with the error and decided to find a solution.

  • Application:  lsof – list open files
  • Usage:  lsof | grep sharename
  • Example lsof | grep files

This will return a list of open files on that share.  You can then close the application that is holding the file open by either using the “Activity Monitor” or issuing a kill -9 PID.

Credit:  http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080615071312194

How to be on multiple IP subnets simultaneously….on a Mac!

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I am constantly configuring firewalls and wireless access points for clients.  It has always been a pain to have to go offline for a while, while I switch the computer to use a different IP address while I’m configuring the device.  Today I was put in the same situation, except this time I’m using a Mac, and have a solution!

Its very simple, this is how its done:

  • Go to System Preferences, Network
  • Click the + symbol at the bottom of the device list to create a new interface
  • On the interface selection, choose ethernet
  • In the Service Name section, enter whatever you want to call the second interface, in my case Ethernet 2

Thats it!  Your done.  You can now configure the new interface to use whatever IP address you want and configure your device without leaving your native network.  Of course, this can also be done using your wireless interface as well.