Idea Of The Day. A new Idea Each Day. Some Don't Suck.

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Our Latest Posts About: OS X

Why is a Mac More Secure Than a Windows PC?

Friday, February 24, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

If most Mac owners don't use an Anti-Virus, why do they have fewer viruses?

Billions of dollars are spent each year on Anti-Viruses and other Internet Security programs, yet almost none of it is from Apple Mac owners. Based on that, you might think that Macs would be less secure, but that's not the case. Even without anti-virus software, they rarely have to deal with viruses, malware, spyware, ransomware, trojans, and all sorts of nasty security problems.

While I can name quite a few reasons, there is one particular feature of a Mac that stands out above every other reason. There is a built-in feature in Apple's MacOS that specifically prevents you from installing programs from unknown publishers. Here's how it works.

When you buy a new Mac, the default setting in the s... [More]

Continue...Why is a Mac More Secure Than a Windows PC?...

Hard Drives With an Undo Option

Tuesday, July 19, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

When mistakes happen, wouldn't it be great to undo them?

As a tech guy, I get a lot of calls from people who managed to make a complete mess of their computers. Sometimes, it's because they accidentally moved or deleted an important folder, or in many cases, it's because they managed to download a virus that has the potential to render their computer useless.

In some cases, all I need to do is remove the virus, but in the case of Ransomware viruses, the only way to fix the problem is to completely erase it and restore from a backup that was made prior to the mess.

A while back, I posted an idea for Microsoft and Apple to put a rollback option into Windows and MacOS (OS X), but today's idea is to take it one step further, and build the rollback into the hard drive itself.... [More]

Continue...Hard Drives With an Undo Option...

The Apple Reminders App Should Let You Select Font Sizes

Wednesday, July 6, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

It drives me crazy that I can't read the text in the Reminders App.

I have a hard time reading the text in a lot of Apps, especially the Reminders App, which is funny because I have a 27 inch monitor. You'd think that with a monitor that large, the text would be as large as a house, but for some reason the text is super small, and you can't do a thing about it.

Changing font sizes should be a fundamental feature in any App that uses text, but for some reason the Reminders App still doesn't have an option to do it. This is a real pain in the neck for me, because I use the Reminders App every day to keep track of my ideas.

The Mac Shouldn't Unzip Files When You Click Them

Thursday, March 24, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Don't you hate it when a file unzips when you double click it? What if you only wanted to see what was in it?

Zip files are a great way to store a lot of information in one little file. A single 1 GB Zip file could contain thousands of little files adding up to as much as 10 GB or more, depending on the types of files store inside.

The problem is that whenever you open a Zip file on the Mac, it automatically unzips the whole thing and stores all the files in a folder with the same name as the Zip file. While that may sound convenient, it's a real pain in the neck if all you wanted to do was see what was in it.

By contrast, in Windows, whenever you open a Zip file, it shows you what's inside and offers an option to UnZip the contents if you'd like. This is not only faste... [More]

Continue...The Mac Shouldn't Unzip Files When You Click Them...

Apple Mac vs. Microsoft Windows PC? Why Mac is DEFINITELY Better

Wednesday, March 16, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

I can't understand why there is a debate about which is better... Mac or Windows PC? The Mac is clearly better, and I can prove it.

Some people insist that Windows is better than a Mac. Really? There's no debate. Mac vs PC? Mac wins every time.

In today's Vlog, I talk about why the Apple Mac is DEFINITELY Better than a Windows PC. To me, the Mac is clearly a better choice for one simple reason. With a PC, you can only run Windows Programs. With a Mac, you can run Windows Program... AND Mac Programs.

I can go on and on about how fast my Mac is, how much better OS X is, or how rarely you see viruses on the Mac, or how well it integrates with my iPhone and iPad, etc... etc... but the bottom line is that a Mac can run every Mac program... and every Windows program.
... [More]

Continue...Apple Mac vs. Microsoft Windows PC? Why Mac is DEFINITELY Better...

The Apple Reminders App Needs a Print Option

Wednesday, March 9, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why doesn't the Apple Reminders App have a print option?

The Apple Reminders App is one of the most popular Apps on the iPhone, iPad and Mac, yet it lacks the one of the most fundamental features of every other productivity App... the ability to print your lists.

Fans of David Allen's "Getting Things Done" (GTD) know the importance of a good system to track your notes and to-do lists. The idea of tracking your to-do lists is essential, however not everyone goes about it the same way. Some prefer digital tracking using Apps on computers, tablets and mobile devices, while others prefer a manual paper based system.

Regardless of your method to create your lists, the ability to put those lists on paper should always be an option, especially when you're on the go. For example... [More]

Continue...The Apple Reminders App Needs a Print Option...

Automatic File Version Numbers

Saturday, February 13, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

An easy way to keep track of revisions.

Right now, if you modify a file, the operating system deletes the old version and replaces it with the new one. Some newer operating systems can keep track of previous versions, but the process of retrieving older versions isn't exactly intuitive.

A better approach would be for programs like Microsoft Office to save the new file with a version number, and store previous versions in another folder somewhere, so you can easily locate previous versions in the event you need to find them.

The main premise is that you'll always be able to refer to a file by the filename and the version number, and so insure previous versions aren't deleted unless you are sure you don't need them anymore. It also insures that when you email files to oth... [More]

Continue...Automatic File Version Numbers...

Dedicated Copy and Paste Keys

Thursday, February 4, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

I hate using Control-C and Control-V to copy and paste.

One of the most innovative features of the original 1984 Apple Macintosh was the idea of a virtual "Clipboard", that allows people to cut, copy and paste things from place to place. It was a simple idea. Once you cut or copied something to your Clipboard, you could paste it someplace else. The trouble is Apple used an uncomfortable and often neglected keyboard combination instead of a dedicated key.

Although you can use the right mouse button to cut, copy, and paste, it's slower and more tedious when you need to copy or paste things like cells in a spreadsheet, where your hands tend to be on the keyboard arrow keys most of the time.

The biggest problem is that Control-C and Control-V are uncomfortable key combinat

... [More]

Continue...Dedicated Copy and Paste Keys...

Facebook Apps For Windows and Mac

Tuesday, January 12, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Facebook should have a native App that actually.... works.

Every day, millions of people use Facebook, and a huge percentage of those people are using Apps on mobile devices, instead of through a web browser. The Facebook Android App was downloaded over 1 billion times on the Google Play store alone, and although Apple does't publish download information, the iOS (iPad / iPhone / iPod) version is one of the most popular downloads of all time. Clearly, the App is the preferred way to use Facebook on mobile devices.

Doesn't it make sense for Facebook to release a native App that works on desktop computers too?

Technically, Facebook has an "Official" App in the Windows Store, but it's a complete mess and judging from all the negative reviews, there's no surprise people... [More]

Continue...Facebook Apps For Windows and Mac...

Print Screen Key Should Actually... Print The Screen

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why doesn't the Print Screen key print the screen?

In the early days of computing, if you wanted to print whatever was on your screen, all you had to do was hit the handy "Print Screen" key. The cool thing about it was that you did't need any training to figure out how.

The ability to print the screen was built-in. You didn't need any software. All you had to do was turn on your printer, and hit the print screen. That's it.

Then Windows came along, and Microsoft was too lazy to include a program that could print the screen, the button became pretty useless. Nearly 30 years later, Microsoft still doesn't include a simple feature to use the Print Screen key to print the screen.

Tech savvy users know that if you hit the Print Screen key, it quietly puts a copy of y

... [More]

Continue...Print Screen Key Should Actually... Print The Screen...

No More Num Lock Key

Monday, December 21, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Nobody uses (or likes) the Num Lock key!

One of the most frustrating things about most keyboards is the pointless Num Lock key. It's beyond annoying. It's just plain stupid.

Num Lock keys were a necessity over 30 years ago, because the original IBM PC Keyboard didn't have dedicated keys for arrows. You hit the Num Lock whenever you wanted use the arrow keys. I remember those days well. Early word processors used a combination of Control combinations to move around, so I was very happy when they eventually introduced a keyboard with dedicated arrows.

Now that ALL keyboards have dedicated arrow keys, why on earth do keyboard makers still include a Num Lock key? It serves no purpose whatsoever, and it's responsible for more problems than I can count.

For example, I ge... [More]

Continue...No More Num Lock Key...

Adjustable Mac Boot Sound

Monday, October 26, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Sometimes it's way too loud!

You're on your way home, and your favorite song comes on. If you're like me, you're going to crank up the volume as much as possible and maybe even sing along. Heck, it's your favorite song, make it as loud as you can and enjoy it. When you get home, you shut the car and head inside.

The next day, you start the car and your radio is still at the same maximum volume it was the night before, except this time, it catches you off guard and scares the heck out of you. This time, it's not playing your favorite song and you can't believe you had the volume that loud the night before.

If you own a Mac, the same thing happens every time you turn it on. It plays the famous "Mac Startup Chord"... at whatever volume you were at when you shut it down. I... [More]

Continue...Adjustable Mac Boot Sound...

Sticky Notes Linked to Files

Friday, October 23, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Do you have trouble remembering what some of your files are?

I'm a digital packrat. I've got more files than I can count, and that means I often have no idea what a file is until I open it. In many cases, I have so many versions of the same file, I still have trouble figuring out which is which, even after opening the file.

I love the way Apple's Mac OS X lets you "Tag" files, making it somewhat easier to categorize files with tags like "Draft", "Final", "Personal", or "Urgent", but I would like to create full fledged notes for each file. This would allow me to say much more about a file without opening it up.

Unlike a Tag or even a Live Preview of the file, the notes could allow me to say things like "This is the older version before adding the new logo", or "Rejected pr... [More]

Continue...Sticky Notes Linked to Files...

Portable User Folders in Windows and Mac OS X

Monday, September 28, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Almost everything you do on your computer is saved in a single User Folder stored on your boot drive.

Since all your files and settings are stored in one place, Microsoft and Apple should give you a simple way to move your User Folder to an external drive so you can take it with you.

The folder doesn't have to be permanently portable, but there should be a quick way to make it portable, then take it with you to another computer.

If your User Folder is permanently stored on an external USB drive, you could sign-in from any computer in the world, and have all your files and settings with you at all times. In addition to the usual sign in options, the login screen would offer an option to select an external user. At this point you insert your USB drive and it asks you for yo... [More]

Continue...Portable User Folders in Windows and Mac OS X...

Close All Programs at Once.

Saturday, September 5, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why isn't there a quick way to close all programs at once?

Some programs like Microsoft Excel have an option that lets you close all spreadsheets at once. When you've got a dozen or more files open at the same time, that's a real time saver. It makes you wonder why they don't have a similar option built into Windows and OS X on the Mac that lets you do the same thing with open programs.

When you shutdown your computer, it closes all your open programs. Why can't they create an option to close all open programs, without shutting down?

In fact, it would be great to not only shut all open programs at once, but also all unnecessary background programs too, which is good for those times when you need some extra speed.

Audio Library For iOS and Mac OS X. A Place For Voicemail and Voice / Audio Recordings.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Apple needs to create a dedicated library for audio recordings.

One of my favorite things about Apple is the way they pay attention to detail. They were the first to have dedicated places for photos, videos and music, making it easy for people to organize the most common types of media.

We take it for granted that when we take a photo or shoot a video, it's going to be in our photo library, or if we store our music, it'll be in our music library on iTunes, but what about the other media we accumulate?

The trouble is, there is no dedicated place for things like voicemail archives, voice memos and other audio recordings.

Without a library for audio recordings, Voice memos recorded using the Apple Voice Recorder App can't be accessed by other Apps. Ideally, any App that sa... [More]

Continue...Audio Library For iOS and Mac OS X. A Place For Voicemail and Voice / Audio Recordings....

These iOS Apps Are Missing From The Mac

Wednesday, July 29, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Apple has done an amazing job of integrating the Mac with the iPhone and iPad. Here are a few things they left out.

One of the great things about owning a Mac is that almost everything integrates perfectly with your iOS devices, especially after they introduced "Handoff", allowing you to start an activity on one device, and immediately hand off to another. For example, you can start working on a spreadsheet while sitting on a bus using your iPhone, then immediately pick up where you left off on your Mac when you get home.

Because of this, you take it for granted that there are some iOS Apps that don't exist on OS X on the Mac. For example, the Clock, i Tunes U, Activity, Weather and Videos.

Even without Handoff, these are all useful Apps that should exist on both platfor... [More]

Continue...These iOS Apps Are Missing From The Mac...

A Recovery Partition With Backup Options

Sunday, May 17, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

More often than not, the Recovery Partition is useless.

As a tech guy, people often come to me when their computers start acting up. Most of the time, I can fix their problems by removing a few programs and adjusting some settings. However, sometimes the problem simply can't be fixed that way, so the best solution is to simply wipe the computer clean and put everything back to the factory settings.

Sounds easy enough. After all, most Windows computers today have a Recovery Partition that is specifically designed to put everything back to the way it was from the factory.

Once I determine that they need to do a factory reset, my first question is always the same "When was your last backup?"

Sadly, the answer is always the same "I never back up."

That's when things ge... [More]

Continue...A Recovery Partition With Backup Options...

TouchScreen Macs

Tuesday, February 10, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Isn't it strange that Apple still doesn't make a Mac with a touchscreen?

Sometimes when I post a new idea, it takes me quite a while to explain why it makes sense. After all, I'm the guy that says we should be able to drop a package off at FedEx, UPS or the Post Office, with nothing more than your email address or phone number on the box. Yes, I still think that's not only possible, but will eventually be mainstream. Let's just say, you read it here first.

Anyhow, do I even need to explain this? Touch screen computers have been around since the early 80s.

While it may be true that they were mainly used on things like point of sale computers and kiosks, when the iPhone and iPad came out, touch screens are now mainstream. Every SmartPhone and tablet on the market us... [More]

Continue...TouchScreen Macs...

Run iPad Apps On The Mac

Sunday, February 8, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Wouldn't it be great if you could run many of your iPad Apps on your Mac?

The technology to run iPad Apps on a Mac isn't actually new. Developers have used iPhone and iPad emulators to test Apps before they install them on physical devices since the first iPhone came out.

Emulating an iPhone or iPad on a Mac is actually pretty easy, because technically, they share a lot of the same software under the hood. These emulators run so well, it makes you wonder why Apple doesn't include an iPad emulator with every Mac sold. It would be a great next step for people who enjoy their iPads, but would like a larger screen and keyboard from time to time.

This wouldn't turn your Mac into an iPad. It just lets you run your iPad Apps in a separate window or secondary desktop.

Techni... [More]

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Multiple Tag Toggle in Max OS X Finder

Monday, January 19, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

I love using Tags on the Mac. I think there should be an easy way to search for multiple tags at once.

Sometimes finding a file can take a long time, even when you take the time to tag all your files. By adding a series of Toggles or Checkboxes next to your tag list in Finder could make finding just the right file drastically easier, and faster.

Let's say you're looking for a spreadsheet with a chart that you used in a proposal for a renewal you completed a while back. If you took the time to tag your documents or folders, you could search for the Proposals Tag, but maybe you have hundreds of those, including some that were just drafts... if you decided to search for Spreadsheets, good luck, you've got thousands of those.

Right now, you can easily select any one tag at a... [More]

Continue...Multiple Tag Toggle in Max OS X Finder...

A Firewall... for SOFTWARE.

Friday, December 12, 2014 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why are there no firewalls for software on regular computers?

I've had a computer since the 70s, and I've seen so many people lose all their family photos, videos and other important files because they were too inexperienced to know when they were installing a malicious program.

I can't blame them. As doctors, lawyers, and business executives, they were all very intelligent people, but time and time again, they would come to me to help them get their files back. The reason they were victims of these kinds of software attacks was because they never imagined that the programs they were running were specifically designed to destroy their files, and in some cases steal information or money.

Don't most computers already have a Firewall?

No. What most computers have is... [More]

Continue...A Firewall... for SOFTWARE....

We Should Be Able to PRINT a List of Files in a Folder.

Friday, November 14, 2014 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Maybe it's me, but I miss the DOS days when you could easily print a list of files in a folder.

Let's say you're the kind of person who likes to put things on paper. There's a certain comfort in seeing something on paper that you can sit back in your comfy chair with to review with a bright red market or highlighter.

Maybe you're just the kind of person who likes to print a list of the files you've put on a CD, DVD, or other backup media. Whatever the reason, the fact is neither Microsoft or Apple has a "File... Print.." option in their file managers. To me, that's a bit odd. Just about every program that has a File... option, has a Print... option, but somehow they don't think anyone would want a list of their files.

As somebody who has had a computer since the 70s, it... [More]

Continue...We Should Be Able to PRINT a List of Files in a Folder....

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* Note: The ideas on "Idea of the Day" were posted without any formal research into existing inventions.

In some cases, patents may already exist for these ideas, in other cases, there may not be any existing patents and you are free to develop and explore the viability of developing and patenting the ideas.

The authors make no claim that any of the ideas are safe, practical, or suitable for any particular purpose. You are responsible for the results of trying, developing, patenting or using any of the ideas on this site.

For some people, our ideas are just an interesting read, but our goal is to encourage you to take action. If you see an idea that you like, do something with it... Take action.

- Joe

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