http://jaredlewandowski.tumblr.com/

Now, go add it to your RSS reader!

Of course, you can always catch me babbling at twitter.jaredlewandowski.com

Twenty-six letters aren’t enough for many of the projects I work on. I need accented letters, symbols and all the characters that make up a full character set. I also need a way to easily use those characters that don’t appear on my keyboard. Not all software apps come with built-in glyph tools and, if you routinely switch back and forth between different programs, a built-in tool may not be enough. Whether you’re typing up a technical document or laying out an ad, having a character selection tool that beats the standard Character Map can help you get the right glyph every time.

Character Tools on Mac

Since I’m an avid Mac user, I’m going to focus on the software I use first. And surprisingly enough, there are a number of character management widgets for Macs. Personally, I use Symbol Caddy — it’s a Dashboard widget that allows you to copy symbols from the widget into whatever app you’re using. It also offers an HTML mode, which provides you the HTML entity code for the character. It’s particularly easy to use, with characters organized into specific groups.

The fact that Symbol Caddy is located on the Dashboard makes it easy to quickly access and then switch back to the program I’m working in. It significantly speeds up my work because I don’t have to launch a separate program or hunt around for where Character Map might have hid a particular symbol.

An alternative that also operates through the Dashboard is CharacterPal, which provides shortcuts for individual characters as you mouse over them. CharacterPal offers a few more tools than Symbol Caddy, including the ability to view special characters in different fonts before copying them as well as the ability to choose between a variety of different keyboard layouts. There are also other character management tools available for Macs, including both stand-alone applications and other Dashboard options.

Character Tools on Windows

While the various versions of Windows come with Character Map, there have been some efforts to improve on that particular tool. GlyphThis is one alternative, offering features like the ability to change grid dimensions as well as improved capabilities for including symbols and characters from Wingdings and other glyph fonts without having to constantly switch back and forth between fonts. GlyphThis is the work of one person, Matthew Fowler, but he’s been very good about updating the program as needed.

The alternatives beyond GlyphThis for PCs are relatively limited. The updates made to Character Map in recent versions of Windows does make it a more useful tool than previous versions. Depending on how heavily you use special characters — and how willing you are to memorize a long list of keyboard shortcuts — you can make Character Map work for you if need be. Additionally, many font management applications can provide you with a way to look through individual characters. A few options include Suitcase and MasterJuggler; prices can vary significantly.

22 Icon Design Tutorials – WebDesignLedger.com

There was a time was that Mac users would stare blankly or visibly shudder when the words ‘command line interface’ were uttered. But with Mac OS X being a Unix variant, Apple bundled Terminal right from the start, enabling Mac users to geek out as much as their PC-based colleagues.

Although you can replicate the results or functionality offered by most Terminal commands via various bits of freeware and shareware, it’s simpler to fire up the command line and paste in a handy command. Below are my favorites, centering on workflow efficiency and system streamlining and improvements.

* Note: If Terminal becomes a mess at any point, ‘clear’ removes everything from the current window or tab.

Terminal commands to tweak your system

Starting with the system itself, here are four workflow-orientated tips:

1. Kill a process

killall (process name) 

If a process is misbehaving or needs a restart, use the above command. For example, ‘killall Finder’ restarts Finder. Note that process names are case-sensitive.

2. Show hidden files

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles true 

This shows hidden files in Finder. Take care to not trash something you shouldn’t. Replace ‘true’ with ‘false’ to put things back to normal.

3. Force expanded dialogs

defaults write -g NSNavPanelExpandedStateForSaveMode -boolean true 

defaults write -g PMPrintingExpandedStateForPrint -boolean true 

These commands force expanded dialog boxes for saving (top) and printing (bottom), if an app doesn’t already have a custom setting. Use ‘false’ to reverse the commands.

4. Declutter your ‘Open With’ menu

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user 

The ‘Open With’ menu often gets full of junk. The above command, which must be pasted/typed as a single line, clears it out and starts again.

Terminal commands to tweak the Dock

The commands below can help to improve your Dock and Stacks. When you’re done inputting commands, restart the Dock with ‘killall Dock’.

5. Make the Dock 2D

defaults write com.apple.dock no-glass -boolean yes 

Switch ‘yes’ to ‘no’ if you go temporarily insane and hanker for reflective ‘glass’.

6. Make hidden app Dock icons semi-transparent

defaults write com.apple.Dock showhidden -boolean yes 

This turns Dock icons of hidden apps slightly transparent, making hidden apps easier to spot. Again, ‘no’ reverses this.

7. Make Dock app icons spring-loaded

defaults write com.apple.dock enable-spring-load-actions-on-all-items -boolean yes 

Dock stacks are spring-loaded, but app Dock icons aren’t. To change this, use the above command. This unhides and focuses an app when you hover an item over its icon.

8. Turn on stacks highlights

defaults write com.apple.dock mouse-over-hilte-stack -boolean yes 

When a stack is set to ‘Display as Stack’, a highlight appears behind icons when you navigate using the keyboard. The above command forces the highlight to appear when using the mouse also.

9. Create recent-item stacks

defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-others -array-add '{ "tile-data" = { "list-type" = 1; }; "tile-type" = "recents-tile"; }' 

Make sure the above is pasted as a single line. On restarting the Dock, you’ll see a stack next to Trash. Click-hold and you can set it to show recent apps, documents or servers, or ‘favorite’ volumes or items. Run the command again for further instances that can be set to different display options.

Terminal commands to tweak Dashboard

Some Mac users hate Dashboard so much they want rid of it, whereas others want widgets to stay put when Dashboard closes. The following tips enable these things. Use ‘killall Dock’ after entering commands for changes to take effect. (Dashboard is part of the Dock process.)

10. Disable Dashboard

defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean yes 

Reverse this by using the same command, but replace ‘yes’ with ‘no’.

11. Drag widgets to the desktop

defaults write com.apple.dashboard devmode yes 

This command activates developer mode for Dashboard. Once it’s active, click-hold a widget and close Dashboard. The widget will stay put, floating above other windows. To put it back, click-hold, open Dashboard and ‘drop’ the widget. (This is fine for one-offs, but if you’re a massive widget junkie, consider buying Amnesty Singles, a $10 app that converts widgets to Mac OS X applications.)

Terminal commands for better screen grabs

Mac OS X bungs screen grabs on the desktop in PNG format. When taking multiple grabs, regularly moving them is annoying, and you might prefer a different format…

12. Change your screen grab format

defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg 

Alternate formats are ‘tiff’ and ‘pdf’ or the default, ‘png’. Logout and back in for changes to take effect.

13. Amend your screen capture location

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location (path)

If you don’t like typing a full path, add a space after ‘location’ and drag a folder to Terminal from Finder – the location will be added automatically. Again, a logout/login will be required for this change to be made. A more likely place for screen captures is a folder within ~/Pictures.

Terminal commands to make your Mac more fun

14. Make your Mac talk

say (string) 

Replace ‘[string]‘ with some words to make your Mac talk.

15. Play Tetris

This isn’t technically a Terminal tip, but you can use Terminal to access Emacs and play a little Tetris. Type ‘emacs’, hit Return, wait for Emacs to load, hit Escape, type ‘x’, then ‘tetris’ and then Return. Arrow keys and Space control the falling blocks.

Finally, if you don’t like opening Terminal and typing commands, many of these changes can be done via TinkerTool and Secrets. But Terminal is where the action’s really at for a generation of Mac users finally getting comfortable with typing (or at least copying and pasting) the odd command.

New sign-ups to Gmail from here on out should see a feature in their settings, under a renamed “Accounts and Import” tab, that can make an account switch with just a few checkboxes and one button push. Contacts, old mail, and new mail for the next 30 days can be grabbed from a fairly big list of supported email providers.

You won’t get the kind of fine-grained control you’d have with the manual process of consolidating multiple email addresses with Gmail, such as making your email still seem to arrive from your old address for a while (or forever) and having custom filters for your incoming old mail. But it does look like an easier solution for those making the switch themselves, or helping someone else do it without sitting at their keyboard for a good chunk of minutes.

Existing Gmail users will eventually see the same import tool in their own Settings, but Gmail’s team warns that it will be a slower roll-out than normal. Check out the link below for details.

Import your mail and contacts from other accounts [Official Gmail Blog]

1. In System Preferences, open International and go to the Formats tab.
2. Next to Dates, click the Customize button. Arrange your date in the format you want to appear on your menubar. Use the down arrows on each element to choose between formats (January, Jan, 01, 1, etc.) I chose ( Apr 28 ), as shown.

3. Now, select the entire date format and copy it to your clipboard (Cmd+A, Cmd+C). Hit OK.
4. Hit the Customize button next to Times. Choose the “Medium” format.
5. Paste the date format on your clipboard next to the time format, and hit OK. You’re done!

When I first set up my account a few years ago, I didn’t really put much effort into learning what it could do, instead I just added a few of my previous jobs and called it a day. Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to examine the service more closely and what I found was a big time lead generator and networking tool. Below, I’ve listed a few ways in which you can use LinkedIn to help you find work in the tough economic climate we live in today.

Increase your visibility.

By adding connections, you increase the likelihood that people will see your profile first when they’re searching for someone to hire or do business with. In addition to appearing at the top of search results (which is a major plus if you’re one of the 52,000 product managers on LinkedIn), people would much rather work with people who their friends know and trust.

Improve your Google PageRank.

LinkedIn allows you to make your profile information available for search engines to index. Since LinkedIn profiles receive a fairly high PageRank in Google, this is a good way to influence what people see when they search for you.

To do this, create a public profile and select “Full View.” Also, instead of using the default URL, customize your public profile’s URL to be your actual name. To strengthen the visibility of this page in search engines, use this link in various places on the web> For example, when you comment in a blog, include a link to your profile in your signature.

Increase the relevancy of your job search.

Use LinkedIn’s advanced search to find people with educational and work experience like yours to see where they work. For example, a programmer would use search keywords such as “Ruby on Rails,” “C++,” “Python,” “Java,” and “evangelist” to find out where other programmers with these skills work.

Improve your connectability.

Most new users put only their current company in their profile. By doing so, they severely limit their ability to connect with people. You should fill out your profile like it’s an executive bio, so include past companies, education, affiliations, and activities.

You can also include a link to your profile as part of an email signature. The added benefit is that the link enables people to see all your credentials, which would be awkward if not downright strange, as an attachment.

No matter what situation you’re in right now, getting an account on LinkedIn is a must. Get in now to avoid missing out later!

Crackberry.com
If you have a BlackBerry smart phone, then this is the place to go for an excellent collection of free ring tones and wallpaper. UPDATE: BlackBerry just introduced a new app store to compete with Apple. I’ve downloaded and installed on my phone and have to tell you it’s a giant leap forward for RIM.

hulu.com
This is an excellent website to watch all the latest television shows and even movies. It basically pulls video from NBC, CBS, FOX and others and let’s you manage and watch this content in one place. There are even full-length movies and popular commercials on there as well.

MacUpdate.com
If you have a Apple computer, then MacUpdate is the place to go for keeping your software up-to-date. If you set up a member account, you can even be sent email alerts when new software is released. I use a lot of different apps and this is the best thing I’ve found to manage it all.

OpenDNS
OpenDNS provides industry-leading Web content filtering, anti-phishing, DNS infrastructure and navigation services. It is a MUST HAVE, especially if you have a home or small business network. With five little kids in the house and three of them using the computer on a daily basis, it’s a real convenience to know that their web experience will be clean and kid-friendly.

Woot.com
One killer deal every day, until product runs out. This is Woot!

And for your own convenience when choosing a netbook, I’m posting this excellent article which points out some great things to look for if/when you decide the netbook is the right choice for you. Enjoy!

10 Things To Consider When Buying a Netbook