Jethro's World

Switching from PC to Mac

I was originally going to make this entry as a sort of hint and tip page for those switching from PC to Mac. But, after some google searching, I discovered that MacMentor is already providing all of the information I had hoped to compile (and probably more). They even have an online forum where you can get help from old Mac pros or from other recent switchers.

I would recommend trying out MacMentor before diving into the information at the Mac OS X Hints site I linked to previously. Mac OS X Hints has a wealth of information, but most of it will be over the heads of your average new Mac user.

Still, if you have any good hints that you would like to share, please feel free to leave them in my comments section.

Me and my Mac mini

I really should be sleeping right now, but I don’t think I can. If I went to bed now, I would spend three hours thinking about this entry (instead of sleeping) -- when it will only take me an hour to compose. And since I am the first kid on the block to get a Mac mini, I figure I better write about it.

For a refresher on our computer woes, please refer to this weblog entry on my brother JD’s site. To make a long story short, we were tired of dealing with all of the problems associated with Microsoft programs and PC ownership in general, so we made the switch to Mac. I used to think of Mac as the BOSE of the computer world, but not anymore (BOSE is kind of a joke in the speaker world).

I ordered my Mac mini, my Apple keyboard, and my Epson printer on Friday the 14th. The keyboard and printer shipped almost immediately, but the mini was not scheduled to ship for a full month longer. Well, I was pleasantly surprised when I got notification on the 20th that FedEx was in transit with my mini.

The last few days were spent compiling files to transfer from PC to Mac, as well as trying to get the PC ready for it’s new roll on my workbench -- mainly as a CD player, but also as a loudspeaker measuring device. We were able to get DSL back up and running with the PC, but we still had to endure countless freeze-ups and crashes while using Internet Explorer -- and while using one of Noah’s Jump Start Learning System CDs. The Preschool CD would work just fine, but the Toddler disc just wanted to crash the whole system.

My mini arrived at work at about 1:00 this afternoon. The packaging was very robust -- some might say overkill (which is always good). After digging through two Kraft boxes and some Styrofoam, I finally got to a handsomely designed display package (complete with carry handle). Inside that was some more foam and, lo and behold; the mini itself. Along with the mini was a very simply packaged start-up set (including a User’s Guide and a few start-up discs), and a power cord / power supply -- which had to be at least a third the size of the whole computer.

I grabbed one of the many monitors we have on hand, and started hooking things up. I hooked the keyboard to one of the mini’s two USB ports, and then hooked the mouse up to one of the keyboard’s two USB ports (very nice). The VGA monitor connected to the Mac’s DVI output via the supplied adaptor. I plugged everything into a power strip, and boom -- I was in business.

JD, a Mac veteran, walked me through the initial setup -- as he had recently done the same thing with his iBook. He gave me a mini-tutorial of how Mac applications, folders, and files work; then it was time to tear it all down and bring it home.

Setup at home went very smooth -- and my DSL and email worked perfectly on the first try. Noah was right beside me during the whole installation process, and he was ready to play his Jump Start disc. I tried the Preschool one first, as it had worked fine on the PC (and it has a train that Noah really likes). I quickly found out that my computer was way too modern for this disc -- it wanted to run on OS 9 -- so I emailed JD. At the same time, I went to Apple tech support and found out that OS 9 should have been included with my mini. I searched through the supplied discs, and sure enough; OS 9 was there. I quickly installed it and retried the Jump Start disc -- and this time it worked flawlessly. Later on we tried the PC crashing Toddler disc, and it too worked just fine.

My DSL modem is almost as big as the mini

I have spent most of this evening on the mini; transferring Word documents, photos, etc. over from the PC. I did get a chance to have a little iChat session with JD and Jeremy -- which was quite entertaining at times. I have also been skimming through the book Mac OS X Power Hound, a very handy reference book written by Rob Griffiths. I have gleaned some very handy tips from the brief skimming I have done, and I look forward to reading it in full (I may have to give it back to JD to read before that happens, though).

The mini runs absolutely silent -- you don’t even know it’s there -- unless it is constantly accessing a CD, in which case it is fairly noisy; but no louder than most PCs I’ve used. Everything about the mini is smooth and silky -- from the connections to the overall execution and operation of applications. There are things that my PC at work will toast the mini at, but the mini seems more efficient overall.

I had hoped to get Photoshop Elements for the mini, as that is what I use at work; but Jeremy says I can do everything I need to in iPhoto. We will see. If iPhoto compresses the photos small enough to satisfy the AWL (Almighty Web Lord, aka JD), then I guess it will work just fine. If I can successfully publish this entire entry using AppleWorks and iPhoto, then I probably don’t need anything else.

The entire setup in the "computer armoir".

So, if you are fed up with the idiosyncrasies of Microsoft products and you have fairly basic needs from a computer, I highly recommend the mini.

Academy Award Nominations

Well, the Academy Award nominations are out once again. There was a time when I would have seen most of the big category films, plus a good portion of the lesser category nominees. This year, I have seen Shrek 2. That is it. Out of all of those movies in all of those categories, just one cartoon (and it wasn't near as good as the original).

It's not that I don't want to see any of these shows; it's more that I don't have time (read: it's too much of a pain to get a baby-sitter just to go to a theater veg' in front of movie screen for two hours). I also made a deal with Steph (and with myself) that if I could finish my home theater system, I would wait for movies to come out on DVD rather than going to the theater. I really wouldn't mind seeing The Aviator in the theater, but I will wait for DVD (but I'm not going to wait when Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith comes out in theaters!).

So, what were your favorite movies (or films) of the year?

Early Spring Cleaning

During the fall and winter months, things get piled on the workbench in our garage. I really quite enjoy tinkering out there, but with the garage being unheated, it is often too cold to utilize. So, my workbench becomes a convenient catchall for our stuff that doesn’t have a place – like tools and spare parts from various projects, or old kid’s games destined for Goodwill. It’s not just the workbench that gets cluttered either – the space in front of is a convenient place for tricycles, garden hoses, shop-vacs, bins full of outgrown kid’s clothes, etc.

Well, this afternoon I got a burst of energy and did my spring cleaning early. Maybe it was the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having, or maybe it was the thought that our existing computer would need to go out there when the new Mac mini arrives next week. Whatever the reason, I started in with reckless abandon.

I took down the Christmas lights (one string had been plugged in above the workbench), and I stowed the Christmas tree up in the trusses. After that, it was a serious purging and organizing session – I even cleaned out my toolbox. If I hadn’t used an item (especially old slotted-head screws), I simply threw it away. Before too long, I was able to get my garage sound system going again – which gave me another little boost of energy. I stowed a couple of the subwoofer boxes down in front of the workbench (I have plenty of them) and hooked them up. I can safely say that I once again have the best sounding shop stereo in the neighborhood.

After I got everything cleaned up, I decided to do a little tinkering. I helped a friend purchase a new stereo system a few years ago, and she gave me her old receiver, thinking that maybe I could fix it. Well, I did a little troubleshooting and determined that both the A and B outputs on the right side are bad, which means the whole right side of the amplifier section is toast – not something I want to mess with. So, I tossed it in the back of the pickup. Unless Roger wants it, I will just throw it away – but I think he has plenty of other junk just like it.

Now that my work area is clean again, I hope it will stay that way. But judging from past history, it won’t...

From Winter Blast to Pineapple Express

Saturday morning we awoke to 29-degree (-2C) temperatures with freezing rain and a cold east wind.

Photo by JD Roth - from the 2004 ice storm.

Now three days later, it is a pleasant 63-degrees (17C) with a balmy southwest wind. You gotta love Oregon -- one day it feels like Canada, the next day it's Hawaii.

The Pineapple Express

What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

The Many Faces of Roth Christmas

Christmas Eve in the Roth family has always meant homemade pizza and opening presents, and this year was no different -- except for the newest generation of Roth boys partaking in the tradition.

This year's Roth Christmas was held at Tony & Kamie's house in Beaverton. Tony bought individual Boboli pizza crusts and all kinds of gourmet toppings to go with them. Everyone (including the little boys) made their own custom pizza with their favorite goodies.

Noah went with Canadian Bacon and Olive.

I built a marvelous pizza topped with pepperoni, sausage, mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, onions, jalapenos, pepperoncinis, roasted red peppers, and roasted garlic -- it was quite delicious.

We brought along tortilla chips & dip (Jenn Gingerich's sweet pepper relish mixed with cream cheese) and a relish tray for appetizers; JD & Kris brought a wonderful salad; and Mom brought a chocolate cake for dessert.

Alex shows off his Olive-Fingers, a congenital condition that all Roth boys
are born with. (Uncle JD is showing off his healed Olive-Fingers in the background).

After dinner, we made our way to the living room to open presents. Well actually, the women did the dishes (usually us boys do them) while I helped Tony figure out why he was only getting two of the three colors on his super-duper HD flat-screen TV. Eventually we got around to opening presents -- something that didn't take very long for some of the little rug-rats.

Besides being born with Olive-Fingers, Roth boys are also born with an uncontrollable desire to make faces in front of a camera. These youngest Roth boys are no different than their Grandpa Steve was.

Everybody say, "Cheeezzz"!