Removing those cursed Microsoft Windows toolbars -- removing COM and other Add-Ins

I updated an old post on removing Add-Ins like Adobe Acrobat and Yahoo Desktop Search from Outlook and other apps: Gordon's Tech: Removing those cursed Microsoft Windows toolbars. The way to do this in Outlook is particularly obscure. Sorry -- you have to read through the updates to get the latest story.

OS X synchronizatioin utility

FOR neXtSoft QuickSync Folder and Device Synchronization Utility. AutoSync folders, great for iPods, hand helds, PowerBooks, Jump Drives and Networks Including .mac, Windows Networks and ftp

Microsoft had a sync facility in Windows 98, 2K and probably still has it in XP (maybe 95)? I tried it once but never trusted it. People have trouble implementing sync. This sounds a bit sympler; I wonder if it uses the psync source.

QuickSync is the easy folder sync utility for PowerBook and hand held owners. QuickSync can be used with jump drives, Hand helds, iPods or users of any other device that mounts as a drive on your desktop. This application can be used to keep your mp3 collection or important files up to date. QuickSync features Single or Bi-direction sync, automatic sync which detects devices as they are plugged in, the syncronizes the selected folders automaticaly. QuickSync is drag and drop aware, easy to use and cost effective.

Encyclopedia Britannica Dashboard widget and firefox search plugin

Encyclopdia Britannica Technical Support

Next thing you know the freight trains will sprout rocket engines. Britannica gets sexy (in a geekish sort of way) with widgets and firefox search plugins. I guess I'll have to reenable Dashboard on my iMac.

The amazing thing, however, is that their new RSS feed has over 150 bloglines subscribers. Wow.

I'd mostly forgotten I pay Britannica each month for their service. It's kind of been a charitable act. Maybe they're actually thinking about how they could be useful. Or maybe Google has agreed to buy them ...

The official way to move an iTunes library

iTunes: Moving your iTunes Music folder

I've done this in the past and it's worked quite well.

JIWIRE: Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder, Product Reviews, and Industry News

Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder, Product Reviews, and Industry News

I came because of their neat jiwire widget, but then remembered my iBook still runs Panther (though with the new 40GB drive it could run Tiger ...). Very interesting directory service though!

Where are the wireless speakers?

I want to send music (including AAC and AAC/FairPlay music) from iTunes to a speaker set in the kitchen and a speaker set in the dining room. At first I thought I'd install a shallow receiver in the dining room bookcase, attach an AirPort Express, and drive the speakers from their (there are wires in place from that spot to the kitchen). I'm having trouble, though, finding a shallow enough receiver ...

Where are the wireless speakers? | News.blog | CNET News.com

July 26, 2005 3:42 PM PDT
Where are the wireless speakers?

If the technology industry is so wonderful, how come it can't resolve one of the prime headaches of home entertainment: speaker wires? It's a question that has bedeviled many interior designers.

It turns out it's a basic problem of electrical engineering, according to a representative from Samsung's home theater department. Speakers need an amplifier, and amplifiers need a wire for power. Sending electricity through the air isn't realistic, and batteries die. Some have made speakers that receive audio tracks via radio signals from the amp, but the quality is iffy and the speaker needs to be plugged into the wall anyway.

Looks like I may need to run wires to the basement stereo ...

Update 10/10/05: After 2 months of research, phone calls, consultation, collaboration and unanswered queries I think I've found the big piece of the puzzle.

Epson scanner workarounds for Tiger: Disable Epson Scanner Monitor

Macintouch: OS X 10.4.2 (Part 29)

James S

Someone on August 10 mentioned that they were having problems with the Epson Scanner software on their G5. I had this issue as well; however, I removed the Epson Scanner Monitor startup item from my login profile.

This is used to allow the user to press the hotkey buttons on the Epson scanner; however, it's not necessary to use the scanner. Anytime I want to do a scan, I either open up the Epson scan software (which should be possible through Photoshop as well) manually then do my scanning. No more monitoring software eating up CPU cycles.

Update 2/22/2008: The same bug is still around!