iTunes keyboard shortcuts, safe mode, prevent mounting, and more

I was trying to figure out what iTunes safe mode is. I like to know those troubleshooting options.

For example, yesterday iTunes started up and hung with a SPOD (spinning beachball of death). I killed it, restarted -- same problem.

Did a safe start (shift on startup), tried again -- same problem.

Disconnected the ethernet cable -- same problem.

Oh, wait. The lights on my USB hub look odd ...

Remove my iPod shuffle from its cradle. Problem resolved. Turns out the Shuffle went through a laundry cycle, but somehow enough remained to cause iTunes to hang on startup. No more shuffle -- I really disliked Shuffle 2.0 anyway (insanely stupid that it didn't charge/sync via a standard mini-USB connector).

Maybe safe mode would have helped me figure this out sooner.

Probably not, iTunes safe mode (hold cmd-opt on start iTunes) only turns off plug-ins. Searching on it, however, led to me to a list of iTunes Mac 7.6 Help: Keyboard shortcuts such as:

• cmd-opt: safe mode
• space bar: stop/start (great one)
• cmd B: hide/show artist and album columns (handy to see more without horiz scroll)
  
• cmd R: show song file in file system
• cmd L: show currently playing song in a list
• cmd-opt as you connect an iPod/iPhone (hold until device mounts): prevent an iPod from automatically updating when you connect it to your computer. [1]
• option-click list: reshuffle
• option-delete list: Delete the selected playlist and all the songs it contains from your library
• option-click the top-left round green window (+) icon: instead of switching to a mini player, the iTunes window adjust to an optimal size for the current display. In other words, it behaves like the green icon on every other OS X app.

[1] example - you just want to charge it on a machine. Do this first, then you can go into settings and uncheck the "sync this device" etc options.

My current iPhone app and services.

I'll revise this list as I add and remove iPhone apps. This is for 7/27/08. I exclude the apps that come with the phone.

A if for Application.
S is for (web) service.
SA is a combine service and application.

1. Google Mobile App (SA): Mail, Docs, Reader, Picasa. The iPhone was the final nail for bloglines -- they don't have an acceptable mobile interface.
   
2. Evernote (SA)
   
3. Epocrates Rx (SA)
   
4. Light (A)
   
5. NYTimes (SA)
   
6. Pandora (SA): this is genuinely amazing; it's going to sell a lot of used CDs. Recommend setting up by PC/Mac first.
   
7. Remote (iTunes/AirTunes) (A)
8. Book reader (A) - currently, an old favorite. The Prince.
9. Voice Record (A)
   (this may be superseded by Evernote's audio notes, but it works without a net connection)

I warm to Evernote

Data lock is not a problem for a cache or queue ...

Gordon's Tech: Evernote fails a critical software as service import/export test - for now...

I'm warming to Evernote as I make my painful adjustment to the iPhone. In fact, I expect to become a paying customer it it continues to work as well as it has today.

Evernote appears on initial iPhone tests to have significant value as a transient repository. I send things there I'll process later, including voice notes that may turn into tasks, notes, etc. Thing's I'd have once scrawled on my Palm screen as 'ink' work better as Evernote sound fragments with optional metadata.

As a transient repository data lock is not an issue, and if Phil is able to deliver on his data freedom promises it will have more value. The key for me is that it has real value now...

My iPhone notes post - it's worth a reread

I've been adding to my iPhone notes you won't read elsewhere as I stress test the phone as only an aging information/knowledge geek can.

I think it's getting to be a novel collection.

First mention of "iPhone dermatitis" for example. Parkinsonian stress test. What's great, what's promising, what's good and what's so bad it's frightening. For example, almost anything that was good on the Palm sucks lice on the iPhone. I'm wondering about a toxic mix of patents and foolish arrogance (Palm failed, therefore everything they did was bad).

Oh, and Apple can't do cloud services and, god help us, they can't do synchronization to save their devil-sold souls (neither can Google though).

So if you read the early versions, there's enough there to merit a re-scan I think.

Stop your iPhone from auto-launching iPhoto, Aperture, etc

OS X recognizes the iPhone, in part, as a camera.

So attaching the iPhone to a cable triggers camera behavior. If you don't like iPhoto or Aperture launching on connection, you have to override this behavior for all camera-like devices.

I sort of figured that out, but where do you change this? It's not in system preferences -- where it should be.

Turns out it's buried in Image Capture preferences (tsk, tsk Apple). I knew that once, but my brain has trouble remembering illogical things.

Thank you TUAW and Google:

Stop your iPhone from auto-launching iPhoto (or Aperture, etc.) - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

... One particularly annoying thing about plugging in my iPhone is that it always launches Aperture and prompts for permission to import photos. While you should be able to turn this off (in the preferences of the Image Capture application)...

Google calendar sync: still broken

It's been a few months since I tried Google's broken Outlook Calendar sync. I checked their site today, and they seem to be approaching this challenge with a bit more gravity
So I tried again.

At first it seemed better, but then I realized my recurring appointments didn't sync.

Time to uninstall. Again.

It would be a good sign if both Google and Apple would admit they they've grossly underestimated how hard synchronization really is.

I'm guessing Microsoft knows this is hard.

Update: Just like last time, I know what Google did wrong. To reduce sync volume, there's a setting on how far back one should sync. The sync is missing the start of the recurring event, which, in Outlook, means losing the entire recurrence. Google needs to sync all recurring events, regardless of how old they are.

More risk of the Cloud: What did Google do with my Google Pages?!

My custom search page was built using Google's original Google Pages function (pre Sites).

Tonight I decided to add another simple page. I don't like Sites for that, it's too awkward.

Problem is, Google Pages no longer appears in Google's list of services.

Shades of Apple abandoning all the .Mac web pages!

It turns out Google Pages functionality is still around, there's a link from My Account (lists all my Google services). Google is just removing it from the public list.

Still.

I really don't trust "the cloud".