Opening winmail.dat file on Mac

Tags

Mac, Outlook

When someone is using SMTP based e-mail program from Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Outlook, the attachment may sometimes appear as winmail.dat. Without going into too much technical, the good news is that it is easy enough to open it by downloading a program called TNEF’s Enough developed by Josh Jacob (http://www.joshjacob.com/mac-development/tnef.php).

Once downloaded and double clicked on the program, you will nothing on your desktop except the menu bar is changed to the program’s menu. Click on the File->Open and choose the location where the winmail.dat was saved. The program will show a list of attached files in the email. Just save all those files that you need, and you are done. Simple.

A few useful free utilities apps on Mac

I will introduce a few extremely handy useful apps for Mac.

1. Find duplicated files – dupeguru

Dupeguru finds duplicated files in your computer. It has a very simple user interface. Just add a folder where you want to find duplicated files, and then click the Scan button. The result will be displayed on a separate window. It is clean and very straight forward.

Dupeguru runs on multiple platforms including Mac OS X, Windows 32-bit, Windows 64-bit, ubuntu and Arch Linux. Dupeguru also has a version for music and another version for pictures.

Download Dupeguru (4.9M).

2. Sync directories – FreeFileSync (5.6M)

FreeFileSync is also very easy to use for syncing files between two directories, or for easy backup. If I must be critical I would say there are rooms for improvements on its interface. But this is a free software, I can only be grateful than complaining.

FreeFileSync also runs on multiple platforms including Mac, Windows and Linux.

Download FreeFileSync (4.9M).

WordPress – Error establishing a database connection

Tags

databaes, error, password, wordpress

Have you recently changed the password to the WordPress database? Or maybe you just have unexpected seen the “Error Establishing a Database Connection” error. It is rather dreadful because you cannot see your posts, and you can’t access the admin pages. You may have thought that you have lost all the posts that you have built up for years. Luckily it is generally not the case.

In general this database connection issue is caused by mismatched passwords. One of the reasons is that the change of password at cPanel somehow was not propagated to the actual WordPress database. So what you need is to make sure the two sets of passwords are the same.

There are two ways to change the WordPress database connection password – either go to PHPMyAdmin or change directly on the wp-config.php file. I feel more comfortable modifying the php file as I can see exactly what has been changed. This is how:

1. Connect to the WordPress hosting server.
2. In the installation folder, find the file named wp-config.php
3. Download a copy to your local hard drive and open it. The first line should be “<?php”
4. Scroll down until you see “/** MYSQL database password */”
5. Replace “Your Password” with your own one under “define (‘DB_PASSWORD’, ‘[Your Password]’);” (REMEMBER to keep the quotation marks)
6. Mark sure this password is the same as the one you changed on cPanel if it applies.

You can also find more information here.
http://codex.wordpress.org/Resetting_Your_Password

Install pygame

Python 2.7.3 installed on Mac OS X 10.7.5 and 10.8.2 (in two separate machines). When pygame v1.9.1 release (http://www.pygame.org/download.shtml) was installed, IDLE  or pyCharm keep giving the following annoying error.
File “<stdin>”, line 1, in <module>
  File “/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pygame/__init__.py”, line 95, in <module>
    from pygame.base import *
ImportError: dlopen(/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pygame/base.so, 2): no suitable image found.  Did find:
    /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pygame/base.so: no matching architecture in universal wrapper

There are some rather complicated solutions. But I eventually found out that it is a rather simple solution. Basically the problem is python 2.7.3 contains and installs both 64-bit and 32-bit binaries, and the default binary is 64-bit in the newer OS X versions (10.6 and up). Pygame is only compatible to 32-bit Python hence the error message.

To solve the problem, go to where the Python framework is installed, which can be found at
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/

There are two files (NOT the shortcuts), one called python2.7-32 and the other is python2.7. Change the name python2.7 to python2.7-64 (this is the 64-bit file), and then rename python2.7-32 to python2.7.

Now the error is gone.

If you wish to run IDLE in 32-bit as well, you can run this comment from the Terminal:$ arch -i386 /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/idle2.7 -n

This is just optional.

To get pygame to work on OSX 10.6-10.8, you do not need to homebrew a separate pygame installation file. You certainly do NOT need to follow the Mountain Lion install instructions as detailed in here.

Print Microsoft Word in booklet format

Tags

Acrobat, Adobe, booktlet, Mac, Microsoft, Print, Word

Booklets are double-sized printouts where the sheets can be fold in half and stapled together to make it flip like a book, an A5 size book to be precise. Think newspaper if you are not sure. Assuming you have an 8 page document, the following will show the page arrangement of a booklet.
Sheet 1 Side 1 – Page 8 & Page 1
Sheet 1 Side 2 – Page 2 & Page 7
Sheet 2 Side 1 – Page 3 & Page 6
Sheet 2 Side 2 – Page 4 & Page 5

Microsoft Word (2011) for Mac does not print a booklet directly. It does print 2 pages per sheet on both sides. But it is different from a booklet. For the same document as above, the page arrangement will be
Sheet 1 Side 1 – Page 1 & Page 2
Sheet 1 Side 2 – Page 3 & Page 4
Sheet 2 Side 1 – Page 5 & Page 6
Sheet 2 Side 2 – Page 4 & Page 8

It is strange that Microsoft has missed out such a useful feature as the booklet format is clearly useful in many situations. The good thing is there exists a simple workaround, which will take 2 stages. Here are the step by step guide.

1. Create a Word document.
2. Goto Print and find the PDF button at the bottom left corner.
3. Click on the arrow to show its menu, and click on the second option is Save As PDF.
4. After saving the file, open it in Acrobat.
5. Goto File -> Print.
6. Click on the Booklet button just about at the centre of the Print window. It should be in darker shade of grey.
7. You can make some other adjustments before pressing the Print button.

That’s it. It is a straight forward workaround. For more information of the setting on Acrobat, click here to see the guide from Adobe.

cannot connect to addon domains

Tags

authentication, Filzilla, FTP, server

A client had a problem connecting to its addon domain. The addon domain was setup correctly. He is able to see the directories when he use root username and password, so he knows that the subdomain has been created. However whenever he users the username and password specific to the addon domain, it always fails. The FTP client shows a critical error and failed authentication.

One simple solution to try is to use the following information.

ftpes://ftp.subdomain.domain.com
Port: 21

For example, in Filezilla, you can go to Site Manager -> Hosts. Under host, type the above ftp statement manually.

If you haven’t run out of luck, your problem would probably be resolved.

Apple vs Samsung: A consumer perspective

Tags

Apple, consumer, infringement, Samsung, verdict

Having read many so-called expert opinions, it seems only logical for me to speak up as a consumer. Like most people, I am a pragmatic consumer. I do not support any particular company as they are all the same – trying to rip as much profit from consumers as possible. So what is important to me, is that there are healthy competitions in the market. As such a consumer can choices from different manufactures, while they don’t have to pay a ransom for the innovative features. After writing a short personal view to each infringement, I will also give my verdict on whether the infringement matters to me as a consumer.

I have, in the past and present, owned iPhone 2, iPad, the New iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung Galaxy S3, and HTC Desire HD. The first three devices are Apple products and run iOS. The last three run Androids, manufactured by Samsung and HTC. Oh, I almost forgot that I also owned a couple of Blackberries as well.

A superb breakdown of the infringements questions to the jury can be found here.

Let’s go through the key infringements:
1. The Bounceback patent Apple patent 7,469,381. I won’t go through the details of the patent. As a user, I just don’t care if it is bouncing back or not. My Samsung Galaxy S3 phone does not bounce back comes to the end of a page. I did not even notice until I follow this case. The feature does not enhance the overall user experience. It may give user some novelty effect when they use an iOS device (that is if they ever notice) for the first time. How on earth this is accepted as a patent, it is beyond my world.

Verdict: It does not affect my Android experience.

2. The Scrolling patent Apple patent 7,864,163. This one is related to using one finger to scroll and two or more fingers to zoom. Again, this can be patented? I was gasped again. Isn’t that the most natural human gesture with the invention of finger touchable screens? Seriously, next time I use my finger to point I will be running a risk to infringe Apple’s patent? Microsoft must be kicking itself so hard that they did not patent the pointing gesture, either with a bare finger or a stylus (as in the old day), to give an instruction to its mobile device. With this patent, does it mean that every touch screen device has potentially infringed this patent?

I must admit that the pinch and zoom is a useful feature. But it is not an essential feature, with the increasingly use of a dedicated mobile website.

Verdict: It will affect my experience if this feature is stripped from Android.

To Be Continued …

Change duration of Transitions in Final Cut Pro X

Tags

duration, fcp, fcpx, final cut, transition

To change the duration of a transition, highlight the transition and then right click on the transition (or Ctrl+Left mouse click) to bring out a dropdown menu for transitions.

The clock for timeline (in the centre of the middle ribbon) will change to blue with an icon similar to a film clip on the right. The number is the duration. As you may know the clock has four numbers, Hours, Minutes, Seconds and Frame Number.

 

In the above it means the transition is 2 sec and 24 frames long. To change the numbers, you can just type when the numbers are in blue. Press the Enter key on keyboard when it is done. Use Backspace to make any corrections.

The keyboard shortcut to change the duration is Ctrl-D.

Handy applications for video conversion and editing

Tags

applications, AVCHD, final cut express, final cut pro, HDV, iMovie, m2t, m2ts, mts, transcorder, video, Video conversions, Video converters

Final Cut Pro is one of the most widely used application for editing video. It is powerful but it cannot do everything. Instead of Final Cut Pro we will discuss some useful and smaller programmes that are useful and handy for solving one particular problem that FCP will not solve. Some applications are free but some are not.

MacTheRipper (from Rip Different) $$
MacTheRipper (MTR) is a DVD ripper for MacOS X. According to its website, “it is capable of copying your DVD to your hard drive without all the copy and region restrictions, with all quality intact.” In other words, you can create an identical backup copy of your DVDs (including copy protected DVDs) in your hard drive. You can then convert the backup copy, with other applications, to other formats for iPod and other media players.

Other similar applications in the same category are RipIt ($), MacTheRipper Pro ($20) (Different application although they have the same name) or Handbrake (Free). Although Handbrake is free, it is also a video converter, which means that it will automatically convert the ripped DVD content into another format.

ClipWrap 2 (from divergent media) $$
ClipWrap 2 rewrap AVCHD (.mts, .m2ts) and HDV (.m2t) video files into QuickTime video format (.mov). AVCHD and HDV are widely used formats for camcorders made by Sony, Panasonic and other major brands. ClipWrap is superfast and it does not alter the original quality of the video. As Final Cut does not import AVCHD or HDV files on a hard drive (unless the video files are imported directly through the camcorder), it is necessary to use ClipWrap to rewrap those video files into QuickTime format that Final Cut and/or iMovie can import.

You will need either Final Cut Pro or Perian (see further down) installed in order to use ClipWrap 2.

Other alternatives are remux and Rewrap2M4V. Both applications are free but user experiences varied.

HandBrake (Free)
HandBrake is a multi-platform video transcorder (converter). It can convert most multimedia files including non-copy-protected DVD and Bluray to .mp4, .m4v or .mkv format. The best is that it is free.

Perian (Free)
Perian is basically a pack of codecs that, after installed, gives QuickTime native support for many popular video formats. In other words, it is possible for QuickTime to play most video formats, such as .avi, .divx, .flv, .mkv, etc with the installation of Perian.

ClipGrab (Free)
ClipGrab is basically a downloader and converter for YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion and many other online video sites. Just think this is worth mentioning as the downloaded clips can also be imported into FinalCut or iMovie.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with any of the above software except that I’m a user like most of you.

Logic Pro and Garageband Sound Loops

Tags

Apple, Garageband, Logic Pro, Mac, OS X, Sound loops

Sound loops are useful, but they can take up a lot of hard drive space. In order to save space, it is possible to save them into an external hard drive in order to save hard drive space for the operating system.

First, let’s find out where the sound loops are stored. Music loops for Garageband and Logic Pro can be stored in one or more of the following locations.
– [Your Hard Drive Name]/Library/Application Support/GarageBand/Apple Loops/
– [Your Hard Drive Name]/Users/[Your Username]/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/
– [Your Hard Drive Name]/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/

Remember to check all three locations as you may find loops any of the three folders or in all three folders. Music loops are normally in .aif format.

It is generally a good housekeeping to keep all the sound loops under one folder. In that case, move all files into a folder called, for example, Apple Loops, to an external hard drive. Open up the loops section in Garageband or Logic Pro and drag the folder onto the panel where it shows all the categories. Now the application will show that it is indexing the loops. Once it has finished, you have successfully pointed the loops to the new location. Now you can save the precious internal hard drive space for other files that you will use more frequent, and you can bring your loops with you to anywhere when composing. One thing to remember, however, is that the external hard drive must be connected to your main system when you compose your next piece music or otherwise the applications can’t find any loops.

In summary, if hard drive space and/or mobility is important to you, move the music loops to an external hard drive. On the other hard, if you do not have tons of loops and you are happy with whatever that comes with the original applications, then it is not necessary to move the loops to an external hard drive.