Time Machine Last Backup Date Check..

Benjamin Schollnick1 Comment

Folks,
One Major issue that I have with Time Machine, is that the OS does not warn you (reliably) if you go too long between backups.
Here\’s a python script that can do so…  It\’s primarily designed for attached (usb/firewire) storage, but I have added support for Time Capsule style backups…  When run, the script will check to see what the last backup date is, and if it is more than 5 days old, it will pop up a dialog window reminding the user to backup.
Any suggestions for improvements are welcome…
[download id=\”7629\” format=\”1\”]

Shutting Down a Windows PC from a Macintosh

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

If you\’ve ever wanted to remotely reboot a Windows box from your machine, the following tip can be useful…
Any Macintosh OS X system can reboot a windows machine, assuming that you know the credentials of an Administrative Account on the Windows system.  Open the Terminal and use the following command line:

net rpc shutdown -I IPADDRESS -U USERNAME%PASSWORD

If you omit the password section, you\’ll be prompted for the password—which might be more secure if you are worried about somebody looking through your terminal history. You can add the -f parameter to force a shutdown, which might be necessary to make sure the remote machine actually shuts down.
Now several factors may influence whether this technique actually works— Firewalls, Routers and Gateways may prevent this from working…  But in my informal testing, I have not seen a situation where this doesn\’t work.

Convert this!

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Apple includes as part of the Printer Libraries, a small conversion utility.  I presume it is used to help convert certain formats to either PDF or Postscript internally…  But here\’s some fun we can have with it.
For example, let\’s say we have a file called \”my.html\”, but using this command line:
/System/Library/Printers/Libraries/convert -f my.html -o my.pdf
You would end up with a PDF version of the HTML file.  Strings doesn\’t reveal the Mime Type database, so I can\’t tell what mime-types this will convert.  My research indicates that it can handle most native formats from Mac OS X (rtf, Jpeg, gif, png, html, txt and more).
Continue reading →

That annoying Cannon sound?

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

\”[…] Very softly, at seemingly random intervals, I hear a noise like a gunshot or a bomb/cannon going off. […]\”

There are a few reasons you might hear something like that…
First, check in System Preferences, under Sound, and see what Alert Sound you have defined.
Second, check iChat\’s own Sound Effects.  Especially the \”Buddy becomes available/unavailable\” sounds. When a buddy comes or goes, you hear the sound. To change it or turn it off, select iChat > Preferences > Alerts and Buddy Becomes Available/Unavailable.
If neither of these are the answer, how about leaving a comment…?

Canada IP battlelines: \”plagiarized\” report, piracy \”guesses\” – Ars Technica

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

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What sort of research group \’plagiarizes\’ a report advocating for stronger intellectual property laws? And why does the Business Software Alliance give specific percentages for software piracy even in countries where it has done no surveys? A Canadian law professor raised those questions this week—and got results.

(View the rest of the article at Ars Technica – Canada IP battlelines)

Doctor Who Series 5 SPOILERS: New companion!

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Hot from the BBC…

BIG SPOILER (kinda) for DOCTOR WHO SERIES/SEASON 5!

















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Well, the rumour mill was wrong again, but instead, we have a new cutie in the companion position for the 11th Doctor. it’s a woman named Karen Gillan. She played a soothsayer in \’Fires of Pompeii\’, so she’s at least mildly a DW veteran.
So the overhaul is done… Now we get to see what the results are, and how well Matt Smith is a Doctor…

Indigo Remote Log Viewer update

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Folks,
Version 1.50C 1.50E is now available for the Indigo Remote Log Viewer….
This fixes a small bug that was added when I added CSS support…  The Filter by Type option was not working correctly, and is now functional….
[download id=\”7627\”]
In addition to the Version C changes above, the E version includes:

  • Support for resorting the columns (Click on the new headers for ascending or descending sorts)
  • Resizable columns

One issue is that several new CSS elements have been added, if you have customized your CSS file, please back it up and re-integrate the changes to the new CSS file…
The second issue is that the time stamp is no longer eliminated when it has been duplicated (eg, Multiple Events that had the same time stamp only contained a time stamp on the first event).  This change was made, because the empty field would confuse the Time Date Sort….
Please feel free to give some feedback, especially with the new header names….  I welcome any suggestions…