Ask TUAW: home routers, S-video on the unibody MacBooks, a Mac as monitor, setting up a headless Mac mini and more

Regarding yahoo fantasy baseball draft, for some reason the draft app pops open when I try to "test system" and it just sits there saying "connecting to server". I can't figure out what is causing the problem. It never times out or anything. I have upgraded Java and Safari and have even tried Firefox, but it still doesn't work. Is any else paying on Yahoo having this problem?
Thanks!

Hello,

I have an issue I can't figure out. I want to add spotlight comments to a batch of files but I also want to add a sequential number. I know how to do this for the file name itself with Automator but for the spotlight comments I can't figure it out. Please help TUAW.

i.e. of spotlight comment:

Filename Part 1:Section 1
Filename Part 1:Section 2
FIlename Part 1:Section 3
and so on and so on.


(Intel iMac, 10.5.6)

Question for the next Ask TUAW,

My wife and I will be traveling to Paris in May and want to use our iPhones for data only(Maps/Travel Apps/GPS) & emergency calls. I read somewhere awhile back that you can purchase a prepaid SIM to pop in once we get to Paris, but I can't remember where I read it and cannot find where to buy one or the best way to go about this. I thought the article said you could just buy one at the Airport in Paris, but I'm not sure. Any ideas of the best way to do this? Thank you very much.

@JJ

I have had the same issue with TiVoDecode manager with leopard and I gave up along time ago...but a few months ago I stumbled on a program called iTivo...it will download and encode to whatever you want it to...

in the prefs you can, and I suggest it, change the encoding to Handbrake setting and the version you want to make...it even has a setting to take out the commercials...tho I have not tested that feature yet...and it says it is an experimental option but it's there...it's a great little program and is free on google code...

and of course there are the abilities that Roxio's Toast 9 & 10 have to do pretty much the same thing...and I think the Toast has the ability to use your Elgato Turbo 264 external encoder...which I love and can't live without...to speed up encoding...but Toast costs about $80 and has a lot of other features too...disk burning is the main thing it does...but has many more options

hope that helps...just go to google code site and search for iTivo

good luck

I have a question.

Before I start, I've been a long reader of Ask TUAW. I think it's a great thing you guys are doing this!!! It's very helpful and has tons of interesting Q&As! Thanks!

Now on to my question.

Setup:
MBP (early 08, mac os x 10.5.6)
D-LINK DIR-655 Wireless Router (supports jumbo frame-9000, from my extensive research and Gigabit LAN ports)
D-Link DGS-2205 (Gigabit Switch, also supports jumbo frame-9000, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127083)
ReadyNAS Duo (supports jumbo frame, but up to 7936)
Verizon FiOS (NYC, 20 down/5 up)
The MBP and NAS is connected to the switch. The switch is then connected to the Wireless Router. The Wireless Router is connected to the FiOS box outside of my home via WAN. All ethernet cables are either Cat 5e or Cat6. Mostly Cat 5e.

My basic question is in regards to MTU so that I can maximize my internet speed and file transfers with my NAS between my MBP.

Verizon FiOS requires my MTU setting to be 1492 (http://espanol.verizon.com/enes/sdwww2/dverizon/help/fios_settings/learnmore.asp). Therefore, I set my Wireless Router MTU to 1492 (previously it was 1500, which apparently is the default ethernet MTU setting for Macs). I put my MBP and NAS on the switch instead of the Wireless Router because I worried that the 1492 MTU would prevent the MBP and NAS would prevent jumbo frames from taking effect. The NAS supports maximum MTU of 7936 and I know that MBP's max is 9000. I have read that the MTU's need to match, but I also had read that the OS will automatically throttle down to the lowest MTU (meaning if I put MTU 9000 on the MBP and the NAS has 7936 MTU, Mac OS X would automatically bring its MTU to the lower value, the 7936). Here is the weird part. Whenever I go into System Preferences, Network Settings, click on the Ethernet (en0), then Advance to change the MTU setting (you have to click manual set up to get to the MTU) the new MTU number I put it doesn't stick!!! I put in the new MTU value (9000 or sometimes 7936) then save and apply settings. When I go back to see the new MTU value, the MTU value is back to 1500!!! How frustrating! Sometimes it sticks and says 9000 (Jumbo), then I click out and see it again it's back to 1500! After doing much research on google.com, apparently I am not the only one with this problem. People who are trying to adjust the MTU setting apparently get the same "no stick" issue with Mac OS X. I read that I would need to access the Terminal and put type in "sudo ifconfig en0 mtu 9000" (also if you wanted to see your current MTU value just type "sudo ifconfig en0") and that would change the MTU value to 9000. And it does! I checked the Advance panel on Network in System Preferences and the MTU value indeed does state 9000. However, when I restart the computer and go into Terminal and type "sudo ifconfig en0" it's reverted back to the Mac default MTU of 1500.

Finally we arrive to my questions:
1) How can I make the MTU value stick, even after a restart? Is this even possible or do I need to change the MTU value via Terminal each time? Why doesn't it stick?
2) Is my theory correct? That the Mac OS X will throttle down to the lowest MTU value on the network? Meaning if the NAS is 7936 and the MBP is 9000, the MBP will automatically switch to 7936.
3) When my MBP access the internet (google.com or something) and the MBP MTU setting is @ 9000, does it throttle down to 1492? But what if I am surfing the internet and at the same time downloading a file from my NAS which as MTU of 7936? Does the MBP "talk" with the internet @ 1492 and at the same time talk to the NAS @ 7936? If this is the case, is it correct to think that putting the MTU @ max of 9000 on the MBP is "good" because it will auto negotiate the MTU value to whatever it is "talking" to in multiple MTU values?

I know these are weird questions, but it's been bugging me forever!!!

Thanks TUAW!

-Han

I'd like to know from beginning to end how a programming newbie can write a full-fledged iPhone/iPod Touch application. Start with C, C++, Cocoa? What should I learn first? Then second, third,etc. I know this is a long road and I don't expect to learn or grasp it in a couple of days; I am looking at studying 1-2 hrs. a day until who knows when! Thanks!

I have a problem with my contacts.

I'm running OSX leopard on a macbook (spring 2008), everything with full updates, connected to my mobileme account as well as my iPhone.

In my address book, my dad is called "Dad" and my mom is called "Mom", with only a first name. However, periodically, "Mom" will get her last name added, and "Smith" will be added. I would rather it said "Mom" and stayed this way - it seems to for all of my other contacts where I only have a first name!

I think I've narrowed the problem down to the source. Whenever I send an email to my mom, I type "mo" into the address field, and it auto-fills to "Mom Smith." Mail.app remembers that she is called Mom Smith, and *it* goes back and changes the original address card. I've figured out the root of the problem, but I can't figure out how to change it so I don't have to undo the switch manually every time. Help!

I hate the fact that I can't reply to replies... because that would give you an e-mail that you have a reply :/. Ugh.

Anyways, yeah, sorry;
GlennAC:
I wasn't responding to the initial install, I was just responding to the post-install usage.

Sorry, just wanted to drop a tip for day-in and day-out usage.

@GlennAC;

Back to my Mac or logmein are exceedingly unnecessary if it's on the local net. All you need to do is browse to the Mini in your Shared list in the finder, click the mini, then click "Share Screen" (requires Screen Sharing to be enabled in the Mini's Preferences first, of course).

I'm a command line geek, so here's how I do it (just in case you'd like to know).

You have to do this once in order to make Screen Sharing easily accessible. To do that, do the following:
(1) Open the Finder
(2) In Finder Prefs. make sure under the Sidebar Tab that "Hard Disks" is checked (at least temporarily), Computer would work optionally as well.
(3) Browse either to Computer -> your OS hard drive, or just the hard drive, then open;
System -> Library -> CoreServices
Look for the CoreServices App, drag it to your dock to make a shortcut (or wherever you like. Desktop, a folder, whatever. /System is not easy to get too normally, so put it somewhere that is.

Now, you just have to open it up and connect;

Let's assume you named your Mac Mini "MediaServ".
Due to the magic of Link-Local Broadcasting, Bonjour and all what not, all you have to do to get to the mini is the aforementioned Finder sharing trick, or open Screen Sharing, and you'll be prompted for a connection address.
Just put in: MediaServ.local
Again, if you named it something else, type in it's actual hostname (replace spaces with dashes if applicable, the system preferences panel will show you what the local address name is) and add .local on the end.

You'll then have an authentication screen for screen sharing, log in, and wham bammo you're in.


I much prefer this way, BUT, I also don't have MobileMe, so I've never used Back to my Mac, so maybe it's easier. But if my solutions are on par or better, then I just saved you some time :).

I have several questions for you. I don't believe they've been covered before, I checked past entries but couldn't find anything relevant.

1. My primary machine is a unibody MacBook Pro. I use it at home, on the road, wherever... But the biggest problem I've found with it is lugging around external hard drives. I have a 1TB external, and it has roughly all of my data on it with about 100GB to spare.. But the thing is, I get really tired of tearing all this stuff down. I have to bring it with me when I leave home, because it has all my music, videos, files etc. That means when it's time to go, I have to pack up the laptop, the magsafe power, the mouse, the HD, the power cable for it and the usb cable, etc. (I DJ with the laptop, and the internal HD is just too small to use it alone.) However, it would be nice if I could utilize several hard drives - keeping one in my bag, and the other at home where I usually "dock". Which brings me to my issue - what's a good solution for syncing hard drives? If I create/modify files on the road, I'd like for that to be synced to the HD at home, and vice/versa. It would be great if the software was intelligent like Time Machine, and would only copy the files that have been modified, but I know this is a long shot and I'd settle for a software solution that would copy/overwrite files from destination drive -> source drive including hidden files, without any babysitting. I would probably end up only syncing particular folders between those HD's however, as I think I would probably get one of those smaller 5400rpm externals that take power from USB so I would have even less to tear down... (No wall wart - yay!) Syncing two HD's once a week or so and leaving one at home and the other in my bag instead of tearing one down several times a day would be less of a headache. It would be so lovely if Time Machine could do this for me (and leave out the symlinks)

2.And a huge issue (for me, anyway) with OS X: folders in the Finder sidebar under "Places". How can you put folders from an external HD here, and SAVE them? I've heard people say make aliases on your internal, then use those. That doesn't work. Every time, no matter what I do, when I drag either folders directly from my external to the sidebar or if I create aliases on the internal then do it, they always disappear after I've disconnected the HD. This is an incredible pain. The sidebar is so convenient, and aliases on my desktop are so '94. HELP!