TeX is a typesetting standard that, among other things, allows you to typeset complex math formulas. One flavor of Tex is LaTeX, for which LaTeXiT serves as a front-end for on Mac OS X. Using LaTeXiT, one can drag and drop complex math formulas to a number of apps -- Pages, Keynote and TextEdit, to name a few.

While the LaTeXiT workflow is fairly simple and straightforward, getting it setup and running may not prove to be the most clear-cut and easy process.

We're right in the middle of convention season and as I noted last night on the Talkcast, I'm here in Chicago (at least the weather's nice) instead of down in Austin with the rest of the gang. But there is a little consolation: I've had a chance to try out SXSW's newest software darling, Foursquare. It's an app (and a social networking site, and a service, and a game) from the guys who made Dodgeball, that social network that just recently got shut down by Google, who bought it out a while ago.

The basic premise is very close to Dodgeball, in that the system basically revolves around "checking in" -- whenever you go out to a bar, you hit a button in the app that says something like "Hey, I'm at Tin Lizzie," and then everyone in your friends list (and your Twitter followers, if you have that option set) sees where you are.

In addition, however, they've added some new features into the mix: you get "scored" on how many times you go out and when you go out to different places. And there are even "achievements" you can earn (eventually user created) for trying a hot dog at everyone's favorite stand, or drinking x number of beers at a popular bar. In fact, there's even awards for going to bars where less-than-fashionable people appear, so watch where you decide to spend your Saturday night, lest you pick up the d-bag award.

Have you ever wished your Mac could read a long text document to you? Well, with the speech service, you can easily have your Mac read as much or as little text as you want.

While in Safari, TextEdit, Pages, and other applications; select the text you want to be read, then click the application name in the menu bar. Go to Services > Speech > Start Speaking Text. Your Mac will then use the default voice to read the text. It will continue reading until it reaches the end of the selected text, or you can select Services > Speech > Stop Speaking to end it immediately.

You can change the default voice by opening System Preferences (Apple menu > System Preferences) and going to Speech > Text to Speech. Once there, select a voice from the drop-down "System Voice" menu.


Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 section!

The idea of being able to select text and have it automatically converted into an audiobook using text-to-speech isn't a new one, but it is a good one. I mean, who doesn't love the idea of being able to take longer text on the road with you and listen to it in the car or on the bus?

Well, if you loved the idea as much as I did, but didn't think you'd be using it enough to justify coughing up some dough for it, you're in luck. Over at Mac OS X Hints, user miketyson has created a script that will add a service to your Mac's Services menu. The new service, which is appropriately called Speak to iTunes Audiobook, allows you to select a body of text and automatically have it converted into an audiobook, then have it imported straight into iTunes.

In testing the script works as advertised. My only quibble is that the clipped audiobooks don't get any sort of meaningful name given to them. They are simply named Speech 1, Speech 2, etc. If the script was smart enough to look at the title of the document the text was being clipped from and generate a title from that, this would be a killer utility. But that's really only a minor complaint considering the heavy lifting this little script actually accomplishes. And heck, if you find yourself using it, you might consider going back and giving GhostReader a second look.

This week in Ask TUAW we have questions about sharing iPhoto and iTunes between different users on the same Mac, seeing who's connected to your wireless network, cleaning up the Services menu, installing applications, the nature of open source software and more. Remember new Mac users and Switchers who are enjoying our Mac 101 series should feel very welcome to post questions for Ask TUAW; we're happy to have them. As always, please submit your questions for next week by commenting to this post.

We've been blogging Skitch, a new 'hybrid' photo editing and web services tool from plasq (makers of Comic Life), since Scott first met and fell in love with it at Macworld 07. Using the app through its development, it's clear that Skitch is going to knock people's socks off, with a well-executed blend of desktop editing and integration with web services like Plasq's new MySkitch and Flickr. For example: a major new feature in an upcoming public beta (that's right, I said 'public': join the mailing list for your chance to get a copy) includes iPhoto and Aperture integration:


Simply double-click an item from the library panel shown here to begin applying all manners of Skitch editing. Another feature that brings the 'hybrid' element to the table is Skitch's tight integration with web services. Skitch can send pics to FTP, .Mac and even Flickr accounts, but it also integrations with a new MySkitch service that will debut. MySkitch does a lot of interesting things, like giving you embed code for zoomable thumbnails (ideal for the likes of eBay and blogs with thin columns), a direct link for sending in email and even forum-friendly embed code. Skitch doesn't stop there though: you can also remove images from these web services directly from within Skitch, effectively making it a one-stop management shop for your images both local and otherwise.

That's enough blabbing about features for now though. The folks at plasq were kind enough to allow us to publish an exclusive Skitch screenshot gallery, and published we have. Check out more screenshots of Skitch's good side, and don't forget to hit up plasq's mailing list for a chance to snag your own copy when they release an upcoming public beta.

The crew at Holocore have seen it fit to begin teasing users of PictureSync, a slick app for both Mac and PC that makes it easy to upload pictures and videos to various social media sites, with screenshots of a forthcoming update to version 2.0. The app has clearly taken on a very i-App UI, placing image and video sources such as iPhoto in a left sidebar, with any services you upload said media to just below that list. The scaling slider in the lower right is a very nice touch, as the current version only displays fixed thumbnails that can sometimes make it difficult to pick out images in a lineup. These new features are, of course, in addition to PictureSync's present abilities which include turning your iPhoto keywords into tags for most services (including Flickr and Vox), as well as being able to edit extensive amounts of metadata, even in batches, and grab geolocation data from Google Earth.

PictureSync at present is free when used with one online service at a time, but its real power comes from spending a mere $15 for a license which enables uploading to as many services at once as your heart desires. An alpha of this v2 update is expected to be ready for Windows by the middle of next month, with a beta shortly thereafter. The Mac version will apparently follow a little later.

Worried about ruining more than the warranty of your Apple TV whilst trying the DIY hard drive upgrade? Then why risk getting your hands dirty - TechRestore and MacService are more than happy to take care of the heavy lifting for you. Both companies have recently debuted overnight Apple TV hard drive upgrade services that begin with 60GB drives and go all the way up to 160GB. While both companies are fairly hush-hush about what this service does to your warranty (hint: say your goodbyes before shipping the device off), the good news is that drives they install do carry warranties of 3-5 years.

Looking through the two services reveals some interesting differences. First, MacService more or less offers all-inclusive packages - overnight shipping through and through, with a single list of prices laid out to keep things simple. TechRestore, on the other hand, offers a couple of shipping options and seems to be slightly cheaper (especially when choosing the full overnight option) in price, though I've never had experience with either company to see if 'you pay for what you get' (a Dave Matthews twist on the ol' adage) holds true.

Both services are live and kicking, so feel free to comment on your experience if you take advantage of the upgrade.

Billing themselves as "dead simple file sharing for design and media professionals," BoxCloud seems to have a good thing going here. If you deal with a lot of clients and customers who simply aren't hip to FTP or other ways of transferring large files, BoxCloud offers a pretty simple, nay - dead simple - alternative. Featuring software clients for both Windows and Mac OS X (though when Download Squad found them last year they apparently offered a Linux client too), all you need is someone's email address to share a file of any size with them. Your lucky recipient, be they a client, friend, family member or co-worker, will receive an email with a link to download the file from your BoxCloud page. But herein lies the twist: BoxCloud doesn't host the file, so you aren't charged for space - your computer must be running BoxCloud's client, be on, and connected to the internet in order to share the file (i.e. - you host it). Their service plan then simply charges you for monthly bandwidth, not storage space, and plans start at 1GB/month for free, moving on up to 20GB for $9/month.

Sure, anyone who's domain + hosting savvy will scoff at this service, but anyone looking for brainless and painless file sharing might appreciate BoxCloud's simplicity. If you're interested, take their tour for more info on how simple sharing can be.

Stikkit is a new web service in the same organizational vein as Backpack, but it employs some pretty wild tricks and technology to help get your productivity on. The idea behind Stikkit is to get rid of the manual page organization that locks you into one form of hierarchy or another by allowing you to create simple text notes, and organizing your information by watching the language you use in these notes. Tags also play a heavy role here, but for example: if you start writing some ideas down in a note, but then start a new line with "buy eggs," Stikkit now knows you just created a todo, and it automatically lists that note in your todo section, but it can also list the note in your bookmarks section if, say, you add a link to a site you need to visit at a later date. Stikkit is also smart enough to catch notes with a person's name, phone number and IM name, as it will then file that under your peeps section as a contact card. It's a pretty wild system that I urge you to check out, and they have a few screencasts listed on their main page to help you get your feet wet.

But why am I telling you all this, you ask? Well, Stikkit is gaining some pretty impressive Mac OS X integration that makes using this service a real dream. First up is a 'New Stikkit Package' created by Nik, one of their enthusiastic users (found via DF). This bundle of tools allows you to create a new Stikkit via AppleScript, your favorite app launcher like Quicksilver or LaunchBar, and even a Service (you know, Apple Menu > Services) which lets you create a Stikkit from text selected in almost any Mac OS X application. It's a pretty handy bundle that offers a lot of flexibility in how you work with Stikkit.

Another really impressive integration trick this service has is accepting drag and drop calendar events from iCal. I found this screencast on Stikkit's blog which demonstrates literally dragging an event from iCal onto a new Stikkit note in a browser, and the note collects all the info it needs like the name, date and time of the event, and even any notes you might have added in iCal. I was impressed to discover that this even works with Firefox, where traditional Mac OS X drag and drop goodness like this tends not to play.

If you've been looking for a handy online PIM to store your stuff, Stikkit is a great option, though due to its unique technology, it might take some getting used to. I urge you to check out their screencasts to get started, and then move on to cool tools like Nik's package if you catch the bug.

AOL's Music Now, yet another iTunes Store competitor, has announced they are closing their doors in favor of lending the space to Napster (disclosure reminder: we're an AOL property). In a press release this morning, Napster announced it is partnering with AOL to integrate their services into the AOL Music Now site, and customers will be notified that their accounts are being rolled over into the new service, with the ability to opt out. Of course, AppScout, who found this, has already asked one good fundamental question: "Naster and AOL join forces to create... what?"

Let us all take a moment of silence for AOL's fallen service.

[via MacDailyNews]

Menu Butler is most likely one of those 'run it every now and then' Dashboard widgets for those times when managing your menulets manually just isn't your bag of beans. This widget simply serves as an easy launching pad for virtually all of Mac OS X's built-in menulets that live in /System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras. If you start tinkering and adding some of these, they can of course be removed simply by holding command while dragging and dropping them out of the menubar.

Menu Butler is free and available from MacMage.

This isn't just some little Google search widget that takes you to your default browser for the results - the Goggle Browser (note: Goggle, not Google) is the Google Dashboard widget to end all Google Dashboard widgets. Along its left side is a list of more Google services than I knew existed, and they all load right inside the widget, using what I assume is Apple's WebKit (the open source web rendering engine that powers the likes of Safari, OmniWeb and others).

While it's an impressive setup, the widget isn't without its shortcomings. First, it's 1000 x 750 pixels, and I can't find any way of changing its size. This means that on my 13-inch MacBook, the Google Browser widget gobbles up nearly my entire Dashboard. My other big beef is the lack of visual feedback - the sidebar buttons don't act 'pressed' when I click them, and when pages/services are loading, there isn't even so much as a spinning circle to let me know I should be patient. Still, this is an impressive 1.0 offering that should keep even the most obsessed of Google's fans who just gotta have everything at the press of F12 satisfied.

Mac Hints & Tips is a killer site that catalogs (of all things) over 6,000 hints, tips, workarounds and other handy pieces of Mac OS X trickery. Compiled from Mac user groups, Apple websites and various other published and unpublished sources around the globe, this highly bookmarkable (and subscribeable) resource is run by one mere mortal by the name of Paul Taylor, who is seeking donations and subscriptions to keep the site and monthly PDF truckin'. Paul currently allows users to sign up for a yearly membership to gain access to the entire database of tips, searchable by keyword or application name, and he also accepts good ol' fashioned donations (though we've all seen how well those go), but he's trying to get the word out to see if the community can toss a few more dollars into the bucket o' hosting bills. To see whether Mac Hints & Tips could be worth your time and a donation or a membership, Paul keeps archives of the past three months available on the main page (in both HTML and PDF), in addition to the current issue.

Check out Mac Hints & Tips, as I know I've found it to be an invaluable resource over the year or so I've been a reader, and it would be great to see such a killer resource get credit where it is most certainly due.

Packrat, for those not in the know, is the only full-fledged Backpack desktop client I've ever seen, and it's especially killer because it does offline editing for all your Backpack items and pages. Its developer, Rod Schmidt, just added a key new feature that's been on everyone's request list, including mine: list reordering. This new v0.91 has a simple keyboard shortcut (cmd-r) which presents a sheet with any and all lists on a page, offering drag-and-drop reordering goodness.

Packrat is a Universal Binary and available from infiniteNIL Software for a mere $24.95. A free demo allowing the first 4 pages of your Backpack account is also available.