VLC PLAYER 2.04 for Mac plays Blu-Ray discs for free - no need for paid software

I ordered and got my Samsung SE-506AB/TSBD 6X USB2.0 External Slim Blu-ray Writer Drive (Black) and i tested it and it works well with my i5 Mac mini running Mac OS X 10.8.2. I only needed to play in one usb plug.

The drive door problem- you got to close the door and hold it a several seconds for the drive to register that the door is closed.

and NO! You DON'T need to buy Macgo Blu-ray Player for $39. JUST USE VLC PLAYER 2.04 and download 2 files to get your VLC 2.0 to play encrypted blu-ray discs.

You'll need two files: keys database and AACS dynamic library.

you get these 2 files from:
http://vlc-bluray.whoknowsmy.name/



for the keys database file: get the file

-- Mac OS: put it in ~/Library/Preferences/aacs/ (create it if it does not exist)

for the AACS dynamic library:

-- Mac OS: put that file in ~/lib directory (create it, if it does not exist)

after doing this, VLC Player 2.04 for Mac should play encrypted video Blu-ray Discs.

Thank you to the Mac developers of the VLC project, their website:

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

I am now watching The Avengers on Blu-Ray on my intel Mac.

VLC Player 2.04 is opensource freeware and you can donate to the project if you like.

here's how you play blu-ray discs on vlc:
1. launch VLC
2. Click File on Menu and select open Disc
3. click open BDMV folder and select the directory in the blu-ray with the BDMV file
4. click open
5. blu-ray movie should be playing at this point.
6. press cmd f for full screen
7. enjoy!

EDIT: 11/9/12-- Apparently there are some Blu-Ray Disc VLC can't play. I bought 3 more Blu-Rays today -- Pride and Prejudice, Alien and Army of Darkness.  Of the 3, only Pride and Prejudice worked with VLC.

My solution was to buy Macgo Blu-Ray Player which uses online to authenticate the Blu-rays and so far all the Blu-ray discs worked on Macgo Bluray player.

It is well worth the $39.95 for a lifetime of updates.

I guess VLC is more of a work in progress. I apologize to all my readers for not testing enough blu-ray discs.  You could play unencrypted blu-rays and some commercial encrypted blu-rays on VLC but it is a crap shoot, i suggest it you way the best blu-ray experience on the Mac, get Macgo Blu-ray player like what i did today and now i can watch all 4 of my commerical blu-ray discs problem free. 

Sorry everyone.

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MacHeist 4 bundle-- only $29, ending in Oct 26, 2012

Great Mac deal-- macheist 4 bundle with apps like printopia, radium, jarassic park, bejeweled 3, scrivener, pdf signer, artboard, sam and max, strong bad, disktools pro, evernote premium for 1 year months, and more! now with bioshock 2 and braid! when 25k bundles are sold -- corel paint will be unlocked! Mac Heist 4 bundle only $29 good time to be a mac user!
ending in 2 days! 

 Only $29
Ending in October 26, 2012.

Grab the deal while it lasts!

www.macheist.com

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humble bundle 6 for Mac, Windows and Linux

In case you didn't know, there is this great deal on the internet called humble bundle and the current humble bundle is humble bundle 6.  Basically it is a collection of quality indie games for Mac, Windows and Linux and you specific the price you want to pay and the amount is divided by the developers, charity and bandwidth costs.

Humble Bundle 6 includes:

rochard

shatter

s.p.a.z.

torchlight

vessel

dustforce

bit trip runner

gratuitous space battles

jamestown

wizorb

The total value of these games together is worth over $135.

For me, i wanted torchlight- a famous indie rig in the likes of diablo 2 series, but with better graphics.

Bit trip runner and orchard are also 2 games i wanted on steam.

these games here are all of high quality and you can googlesearch them and get an idea of how much quality these games in the humble bundle are; they are all good games-- ranging from shoot'em ups, to rpg to strategy to platformers.

you also could get keys for steam, an online gaming ecosystem for Mac and Windows.

the website is:
http://www.humblebundle.com

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in case you didn't know-- Mac OSX 10.8.2 Update, Mac OSX 10.7.5 Update, iOS 6, and Apple Security Update 2012-004 for Mac OSX 10.6 came recently last week

Mac OSX 10.8.2 Update: (get it via software update)

This update is recommended for all OS X Mountain Lion users, and includes new features and fixes:

Facebook

• Single sign on for Facebook
• Adds Facebook as an option when sharing links and photos
• See Facebook friends' contact information and profile pictures in Contacts
• Facebook notifications now appear in Notification Center

Game Center

• Share scores to Facebook, Twitter, Mail, or Messages
• Facebook friends are included in Game Center friend recommendations
• Added Facebook "Like" button for games
• Challenge friends to beat your score or achievement

Other new features

• Adds Power Nap support for MacBook Air (Late 2010)
• iMessages sent to your phone number now appear in Messages on your Mac*
• You can now add passes to Passbook (on your iPhone or iPod touch) from Safari and Mail on your Mac*
• FaceTime can now receive calls sent to your phone number*
• New shared Reminders lists
• New sort options allow you to sort notes by title, the date you edited them, and when you created them
• Dictation now supports additional languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Korean, Canadian English, Canadian French, and Italian
• Dictionary app now includes a French definition dictionary
• Sina Weibo profile photos can now be added to Contacts

General fixes

The OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.2 update also includes general operating system fixes that improve the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac, including the following fixes:

• Adds an option to discard the changes in the original document when choosing Save As
• Unsent drafts are now opened automatically when launching Mail
• Receive Twitter notifications for mentions and replies from anyone
• URLs are shortened when sending tweets from Notification Center
• Notifications are disabled when AirPlay Mirroring is being used
• Adds SSL support for Google searches from the Smart Search Field in Safari
• Adds a new preference to have Safari launch with previously open webpages
• Resolves an issue that may cause the "Enable Autodiscover" checkbox to always remain checked
• Enables access to the Mac App Store when Parental Controls are enabled
• Support for @icloud.com email addresses
• Resolves a video issue with some VGA projectors when connected to certain Mac notebooks
• Addresses an issue that may prevent Active Directory accounts from being locked out
• Resolves an issue that may cause the policy banner to re-appear prior to logging in
• Improvements to SMB
• Addresses an issue with NIS users when auto-login is enabled
• Addresses an issue in which the Keychain may not be accessible
• Ability to pre-authenticate a FileVault protected system
• Addresses an issue that may cause Xsan to not automatically start after migrating from Mac OS X Snow Leopard

--------------------------------

Mac osx 10.7.5 update: (get it via software update)

The 10.7.5 update is recommended for all OS X Lion users and includes general operating system fixes that improve the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac. It also includes Gatekeeper, a new security feature that helps you keep your Mac safe from malicious software by giving you more control over what apps are installed on your Mac.

The 10.7.5 update also includes fixes that:

• Resolve an issue where icons in Launchpad may get rearranged after a restart
• Improve Wi-Fi reliability for iMac (Late 2009 and newer)
• Resolve an issue using Spotlight to search an SMB server
• Improve compatibility connecting to Active Directory servers

------------------------------

Apple Security Update 2012-004 is recommended for all Snow leopard Mac OSX users and improves the security of Mac OS X.

(Update via Software Update)

------------------------------

ios 6: (update via itunes 10.7 or run software update via ios)

includes:

Maps- apple's new in-house maps program

updated version of siri- is more capable than ever!

Facebook intergration

Shared photo stream

passbook to handle all your board passes, movie tickets, retail coupons etc.

facetime over cellular as well as wi-fi

safari with icloud tabs

redesigned mail app with vip list

phone app with do not disturb, decline incoming call, instant reply via text message, call back reminder

more accessibility features for disabled users

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Candy Crisis game for Intel based Macs!

In an older blog post i mentioned a game-- candy crisis, a puyo puyo clone.  For people who don't know what i am talking about, candy crisis is similar to tetris or dr. mario.  It is a puzzle game -- a think quick on your toes game.

Apparently someone fixed to source code and tweaked and compiled it to work on intel based macs.

I learned of the candy crisis intel mac version at the source forge forum here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/candycrisis/forums/forum/507508/topic/3401996

this is the latest version of candy crisis for intel macs running lion or mountain lion:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/1592116/CandyCrisis/CCX_build-2012-08-09b.zip

I don't know if that version would run on older Mac OSX 10.4 (tiger), 10.5 (leopard), or 10.6 (snow leopard) but you could try this older build:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1592116/CCX_build-2010-06-17.zip

I downloaded the lastest build and it runs and works on my new Intel based Mac mini running Mac OSX 10.8.2.

I am a happy gamer! My favorite game-- candy crisis now works on my Intel based Mac.

this is a heads up to all my readers who own a intel mac and wants candy crisis on their machines.

enjoy!

EDIT: this version is intel native code for us mac users who don't and can't run rosetta.

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MacHeist- solve puzzles and get free Mac Apps!

There is this not so well known or semi-known Mac website- MacHeist.com.  This website gives Mac users free Mac Apps for solving puzzles.  And these Mac Apps are quality apps.  Currently they are hosting the Mac Heist 4 -- Download the Mac Heist Agent App for your iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad and you get : Back to the Future Episode 1 (No DRM) and Corel Paint it for free!  And the MacHeist 4 launch is also giving away App Shelf (Mac App for organizing registration numbers and codes for apps you purchase online) This Agent app links your iOS device to missions to solve puzzle (and you could also solve puzzles on your Mac.) And when you solve nano mission 1- you get Netshade (a Mac app proxy server) for the Mac for free.  And when you solve the mission 1, you get: Fractal - a Mac game on Steam, and MacHider (a Mac security app to hide and unhide folders or files.) They just put up Mission 2 and the prize for solving that is: Permute ( a Mac app from converting media)  These prizes are quality apps- some commercial apps and some shareware apps but you get it all for free if you solve the puzzles.

Spoilers and solutions to the puzzles in the missions and nano missions are readily available and you can search google or youtube.  Googlesearch: macheist 4 and nano mission 1 or macheist 4 and mission 1 or macheist 4 and mission 2 -- and get on your way to solving the puzzles and getting your prizes-- Mac apps!

Good luck to all my readers!

MacHeist is at:
http://macheist.com

Log on and register and start and get your Mac app prizes!

Be sure to download the MacHeist Agent for your iOS device and claim your first prize (no puzzle to solve for this one- just for downloading MacHeist Agent) Back to the Future Episode 1 and Corel Paint it.

These Apps costs money and you get it for FREE! So put on your thinking caps and get going!  I am almost finished with solving mission 2 and i am psyched a can't wait to claim the Permute as my prize.

Enough talking err. . . writing this blog entry for now, there a prize to be claimed! The total prize cash value is over $130! so far. . . and they got more missions coming. . .

UPDATE: And the MacHeist 4 launch is also giving away App Shelf (Mac App for organizing registration numbers and codes for apps you purchase online) i just finished mission 2- Permute (Mac app for media conversion) is worth $15, Back to the Future Episode 1 (Mac App Game) is worth $5, Corel Paint it (Mac Painting App) is worth $40, MacHider (Mac Security App) is worth $20, Fractal (Mac Game on Steam) is worth $7, Calendar Plus (Mac App) is worth $5, Netshade (Proxy server app for Mac) is worth $29 and App Shelf (Registration code manager app for Mac) is worth $10.

And there are more missions coming!

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GIMP is now a native Mac App! Yayy!

GIMP version 2.8.2 is now a native Mac app!  Starting with this version, it uses the Mac Aqua UI instead of the X11 interface-- which means it will work like a Mac app should and you can access options in the menubar.

GIMP is a graphics editor program, much like Photoshop and it can do almost everything Photoshop can do and it is FREE!  GIMP stands for Graphics Image Manipulation Program.  You can draw and paint with it too just like MS Paint on Windows or MacPaint on the Classic Mac OS.  You can also edit and tweak photos and graphics with it.  Need to retouch a photo?  GIMP can do it!  GIMP is great for artists and anyone who wants to dabble in art or graphics or photoshop work.  GIMP's potential for graphics and creative works is unlimited.  Why not download it and give it a try?  You got nothing to lose.  GIMP is multi-platform, with versions available for Linux, Mac OSX and Windows.

About the Mac OSX version of GIMP-- version 2.8.2 is for Intel based Macs only. . . sorry.  Users of PowerPC based Macs can get an older version of GIMP and will need the x11 interface installed.

The Website for GIMP is:

http://www.gimp.org/

UPDATE: 

GIMP 2.8.4: Requires 64 bit Intel CPU and MAC OSX 10.6.8 and up:
Download Now


Mac OS X 10.8.x Mountain Lion - native
GIMP 2.8.2 for Mountain Lion

Mac OS X 10.6.x Snow Leopard & 10.7.x Lion - native - 64 bit
GIMP 2.8.2 for Snow Leopard & Lion

Mac OS X 10.6.x Snow Leopard - native - 32 bit
GIMP 2.8.2 for Snow Leopard

Mac OS X 10.5.x Leopard - still uses X11
GIMP 2.6.11 for Leopard

Mac OS X 10.4.11 Tiger - still uses X11
GIMP 2.6.11 for Tiger

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Double Dragon video games on C64/128, NES, SNES, 3DS, and iOS

Double Dragon. . . just the name alone fills many gamers mind and hearts with awe.  Billy and Jimmy Lee also once known as Spike and Hammer-- the Double Dragons, street smarts masters of Martial Arts.

The Original Double Dragon

I could remember when Double Dragon first came out (around 1989 or 1990) in the arcades.  I used to go to the Arcades just to watch the demoes on the screen with my brother or my cousins.  It was considered ground breaking-- 2 player simultaneous action! Multiple enemies, cool boss fights, abilities to use weapons, bad ass fighting moves, and large detailed sprites for characters!

Many of us children of the 80s relived our arcade fantasies by buy arcade ports for home computers or home consoles.  For many of us, the home computer was a Commodore 64 or Commodore 128 and our home console was a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES.)

When Double Dragon first came out on the Commodore 64 and the NES, I was awestruck! At last I could relive my Double Dragon aspirations at home and it won't be expensive like the arcades!

C64 Double Dragon
The Commodore 64 version was programmed by Binary Designs and published by Mastertronics.  However it was a let down.  The sprites were detailed but tiny and you can't do jump kicks or spin kick or hair pulls or full nelsons!  Billy and Jimmy were just limited to basic punch, kick, elbow, head butt, and jump! And the gameplay and fighting was nothing like the arcade.  The only redeeming quality was that it had 2 player simultaneous action.  Another version of Double Dragon was released in the early 1990s by Ocean for the Commodore 64 on cartridge but that one was only 1 player but you could do jump kicks, however the sprite collusion hit system was off and the game was hard!

Commodore 64 version of Double Dragon by Mastertronics: D-
good points: 2 player action, semi decent graphics, great intro music

bad points: gameplay is terrible and is nothing like the arcade, can't do most arcade fighting moves

Commodore 64 version of Double Dragon by Ocean: D+
good points: good graphics, sprites comes in various sizes, good music and sound, Billy can do jump  kicks

bad points: only 1 player, very difficult, not enough variety of enemies, sprite collusion hit detection is off

NES Double Dragon
The Nintendo version was the best version for 8 bit conversion for home consoles.  The graphics were great, the game had large Sprites for certain characters like Abobo and the gameplay was fantastic! You could do almost all the moves from the arcade.  On the downside you only start out with basic punch and kick and gain more moves as you level up.  However it was only 1 player in the main game mode but there was a VS Mode with 2 player action. This game had the luxury of having the original programmers of the double dragon arcade program the NES version, so it had to be good.

NES version of Double Dragon by Technos Japan/Tradewest: B+
good points: best graphics, music, sound and gameplay of all the Double Dragon home releases, can do most of the arcade moves, include 2 player vs mode, easy gameplay

bad points: main game is only 1 player, game is different from the arcade

Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console/Gameboy Double Dragon
I currently also played an own Double Dragon for the Gameboy via Virtual Console on the Nintendo 3DS. The downside of the virtual console is that i can't do 2 player simultaneous mode.  The game is ok, black and white graphics and plays very similar to the NES version but the levels are shorter and the NES version is better. On the good side, i can create save  points anywhere in the game due to the virtual console.

Gameboy virtual console version of Double Dragon by Technos Japan:
good points: good graphics, easy gameplay, can create save points anywhere in the game

bad points: no 2 player action due to limitation of virtual console, short levels, black and white graphics

Double Dragon II: The Revenge

Double Dragon II for the Commodore 64 and the NES addressed most of the short comings of the original game.

C64 Double Dragon II
In the Commodore 64 version by Mastertronics, Billy and Jimmy can now do most of the arcade moves, such as: jump kicks, hurricane kick, jumping spin kick.  The Commodore 64 version is very true to the arcade game with the exact same sound and music and level obstacles such as the wheat machine in level 3 in the outskirts of town.  And the graphics improved and some boss sprites and mini boss sprites are larger sprites now.

Double Dragon II by Mastertronics for Commodore 64: B+
good points: 2 player simultaneous action, can do vary arcade moves like jump kick, hurricane kick and jumping spin kick, larger sprites, better graphics, has both sound and music close to the arcade, and level obstacles and gameplay is very similar to the arcade

bad points:  almost all the fighting moves does the same amount of damage, unlike the arcade, in which power attacks does more damage than regular attack moves, and it is a hard game

NES Double Dragon II
Double Dragon II for the NES is the best Double Dragon game in the Double Dragon franchise for the NES.  This game had simultaneous 2 player action, in one mode both players can hurt each other, in another mode they can't.  Also you could do almost all the arcade moves plus more, such as the flying knee kick.  The game is different from the arcade with different levels, and after you beat the double dragon spirits, you fight the shadow master who is very strong and has a powerful move-- the spinning hurricane fist attacks.

Double Dragon II by Technos Japan: A+
good points: 2 player simultaneous action, excellent graphics, excellent gameplay, lots of fighting moves, easy to play and is fun!

bad points: none

Double Dragon III

I never played the Double Dragon III for the Commodore 64 but i recently learned it was released around 1993 and it was a terrible port.

The NES version of Double Dragon III was pretty good and was done in-house again by Technos Japan and was better than the arcade version.  It was a hard game though and you only get 1 life per character.  You can have up to 4 characters with 2 players-- Billy, Jimmy, Chin, and a ninja.  New moves include-- Double hurricane kick which jimmy and billy does it together, running and jump kicking off walls for extra damage, and a flipping hair grab.  After you beat the China level, Chin, the Kung Fu guy you fight,joins you.  After you beat the Japan level, the ninja boss joins you. Then it is off the Italy and finally Egypt, where you fight mummies and Marion!

Double Dragon III for NES by Technos Japan: A-
Good points: 2 player simultaneous action, excellent graphics, sound, music and gameplay

Bad points: you only get 1 life, the game is hard, and typo at the beginning of the game-- Bimmy and Jimmy Lee?

Super Double Dragon

This game was released for the Super Nintendo (SNES) in the 1990s.  It is reboot of the Double Dragon Franchise.  I loved playing this game with my brother back in the day.  The game had excellent graphics, sound and music.  Also the gameplay is excellent and you get continues.  It is an excellent 16 bit successor to the NES Double Dragon series.  In this game you also get a power meter and can do power shots and the hurricane kicks allows you to fly around the room!

Super Double Dragon for SNES by Technos Japan: A+
good points: 2 player simultaneous action, excellent graphics, sound, music and gameplay, easy, has option to continue when you die, fun, new moves and a power meter

bad points: none

Double Dragon V

This game was released for SNES and Sega Genesis but i am not going to talk about it because it is crap.  It was based off the cartoon from the 1990s.  It is a poor man's version of a Street Fighter 2 wannabe.


Double Dragon for iOS (iPhone)

This game is a reboot of the Double Dragon franchise for iOS (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad.)
Billy and Jimmy are 2 different sprites and they fight slightly different from each other.  They can level up and learn new moves and use weapons.  You get to unlock enemy characters each time you beat the game.  The graphics are good and there is an option for Double Dragon 2 player mode via bluetooth but an extra iOS device is require.  The game is easy and has bonus rounds and you get to set the difficulty level.

Double Dragon for iOS: A
good points: great graphics, sound, music and gameplay, easy

bad points: 2 players requires extra iOS device via bluetooth, wish iOS device supported gamepads so player can use 2 wireless gamepads to play on 1 iOS device


 I am glad the Double Dragon franchise is alive and well despite Technos Japan going out of business years ago. Long live the legend of the Double Dragon!

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Linux and open source software is the future

There will come a time in your life, when you will have a computer with a dated OS (operating system) and that computer won't be that old or dated .  Or maybe you got an extra computer given to you by someone and the computer has a problematic OS in which you need to reinstall a OS to get the computer functional again but you don't have to restore discs.  Or you are in my situation-- I own a few PowerPC based Mac computers in which Apple made obsolete by abandoning the PowerPC Processor platform to focus on Intel based Macs.  But any computer could be made obsolete once the computer can't run the latest OS from either Apple or Microsoft, i.e. my brother owns a Black MacBook early 2008 model with 4 GB Ram, 250GB Hard drive, with Intel x3100 integrated graphics running Mac OSX 10.6.8 Snow Leopard but he can't run Mac OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion though, so his computer is considered obsolete.  This is where Linux comes into play.

Linux isn't a single product.  More specifically Linux is a kernel, the core of a OS (open source operating system.)  Collectively, Linus is a free OS and its code is open source-- meaning anyone can contribute and modify and improve the source code.  It is open and can be configured anyway you like with a variety of GUI (graphical user interface) such as Gnome, KDE, LXDE, and Unity UIs just to name a few.

Linux is available for many CPU architectures such as x86 intel, amd, PowerPC and Arm based computers.  So you can run Linux from a regular intel PC to a Rasberry PI Arm based mini computer to the Playstation 3.

Linux is free and can be freely distributed to others.  If Apple or Microsoft leaves your computers behind, why not breathe new life into the machine by installing Linux?  There are many Linux distros to choose from to fit your needs.  Linux is never obsolete and is a modern OS and gets constant updates and upgrades. There Debian Linux, Ubuntu Linux, Lubuntu Linux, Kubuntu Linux, Red Hat Linux, Yellow Dog Linux, Mint Linux, MintPPC Linux, etc.  They vary, some are Mac like and some are Windows like, so the learning curve isn't too steep. You could burn to a CD a test run disc, known as a "Live CD" to try it out to see if you like it and if you do, you can install from the Live CD.  So if you got a computer that needs a reinstall and you don't want to shell out cash for a OS, why not consider Linux as an alternative?

Linux is backed by major corporations such as Intel, IBM, Google, Red Hat, Oracle, just to name a few.  Adobe supports Flash player on intel based Linux systems.  Valve, a famous gaming company is bringing Steam gaming to Linux soon.  They brought Steam to the Mac a few years ago too.  They are doing this because they seem the potential in Linux.  This is a sign that Linux is becoming more and more mainstream.  If you didn't know, there is a lot of software for Linux, freeware and payware commerical products.

Ubuntu is currently to poster boy for Linux.  Ubuntu is the most famous of all the Linux distros out there and it has a Ubuntu software center-- kind of like the Mac App Store or the iOS App Store and installing an app in Ubuntu software center is easy and straight forward like the Mac/iOS App Store.  Linux isn't just for computer geeks or command line junkies anymore but is ready for prime time mainstream audience and is easy to use via GUI.  Like what I said earlier, the learning curve isn't steep but easy because some Linux distros are Mac like and some are Windows like.

If you are on an Intel based computer, you can use the WINE compatibility layer to run windows apps natively in Linux or use virtualization software to run Windows within Linux but a copy of Windows is required for virtualization.  I recommend Ubuntu Linux for Intel based machines with some moderate cpu power.  My brother's Asus netbook has Ubuntu 12.04 on it running on a class 10 32GB SDHC card by Patriot and it works pretty well (see my earlier blog post on using and sdhc class 10 card as a boot drive for Ubuntu for more details.) My brother uses VLC to play DVDs and Rhythmbox to play music files. To play these, you need to install the restricted extras package.

My sister's iMac G3 runs MintPPC Linux 11 and I recommend MintPPC Linux to PowerPC Mac owners because this distro is tweaked for PowerPC G3, G4, and G5 and it is fast and speedy!

There is currently MintPPC 9 and the newer MintPPC 11.  If you want a more mature OS, use MintPPC 9, if you want the lastest and greatest, use MintPPC11.

I am going to install MintPPC 11 Linux on my PowerMac G4 Dual 450Mhz in the near future on my external hard drive so I could dabble more with Linux on my own machine.  This Mac currently runs Mac OSX 10.5.8 Leopard (in which I installed via Leopard Assist.) I also got to install a file to make MintPPC multi-processor aware so it could see and utilize both CPUs.  I consult the forums at MintPPC 's home website for reference and help and it is a great resource.  I recommend plugging in the ethernet cable instead of doing wireless when installing MintPPC Linux.  I am going to make this my side project for the end of summer.  I will keep you all posted.  This PowerMac uses a Nvidia Geforce 4MX video card which might be problematic, so I am going to do more research and look into this before diving head on.  I have to warn PowerPC owners though-- Linux on PowerPC computers are less supported than Intel based computers.  i.e. Flash player is available for intel but not PPC Linux computers.  However the web is transitiioning from Flash video to Html 5 video and even youtube has Html 5 trial you could join to watch their videos in Html 5 instead.  Also there are scripts you can install in your browser to have video on the web playback in Html 5.

I love Linux and it is the future of computing!  Don't get me wrong though, I am still a Mac user and the Mac can coexist with Linux just fine.  Apple Inc. will always be around for premium computing but for a free alternative to Mac or Windows, there is Linux. It is always good to have choices.

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adding two finger scrolling on pre 2005 Mac notebooks such as iBook G3 & G4 and Powerbook with iScroll2 0.3.2!

Here is another tip for PowerPC Mac notebook users who own pre 2005 PowerPC based Mac notebooks. As you may know (or not know for the matter,) our pre 2005 PowerPC based Mac notebooks' trackpad has very limited functionality.  All we could do on the trackpad is move the cursor around or similar a left click on the trackpad by double tapping it.  We could could do a right click by pressing the ctrl key simultaneously with pressing the trackpad button.  However, in terms of the trackpad by itself- there isn't much we could do with it, aside from navigating the cursor  around the screen or simulating a left click. . . and that is it.  We can't do anything else.  Mac notebooks from 2005 and up can do two finger vertical scrolling (.i.e. such as swiping two fingers on the trackpad to move up and down a webpage) and some could also do two finger horizontal scrolling (.i.e. such as moving a wide webpage left and right.)  So what are we pre 2005 Mac notebooks owners to do about this and what options can we do to get the benefits of modern day functionality of a modern notebook trackpad?  Or are we left out of such basic notebook necessities? Fret not my friends! Our answer lies in a freeware driver for PowerPC based Mac notebooks-- iScroll 2.

iScroll2 version 0.3.2 is the latest and last version released.  iScroll2 requires Mac OSX 10.4 Tiger or Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard and a PowerPC based Mac notebooke. This trackpad driver includes a system prefs pane in the installation.  Just download it and run the installer and restart and you are set.  After installation, you will notice under in the Trackpad system prefs pane, the options for trackpad gestures such as use 2 fingers to scroll and horizontal scrolling.  In the system preferences, iScroll2 system prefs pane is under other.  Inside the iScroll2 system prefs pane is 2 sections-- settings for scrolling and settings for clicking.

iScroll2 system pref pane--> Scrolling

Here you will find the controls to set and enable vertical scrolling, horizontal scrolling and circular scrolling (like the mighty mouse trackball!) You also get the option to invert direction of the scrolling and you get to set the sensitivity, the speed of the scrolling, the option to ignore the weaker axis(-- and scroll along the axis of the finger with more motion and ignore that the axis of the finger with less motion when scrolling,) and you get the set the scroll resolution and maximum event rate (which specifies the maximum rate at which the scrolling events processes are sent to the system to be processed.)

iScroll system pref pane-->Clicking

Here you will find the controls to set what kind of action you want to designate to a click (while pressing on the physical trackpad button,)  a two finger click (with two fingers on the trackpad and a finger on the physical trackpad button,) and  a tap (by tapping the trackpad with a finger.) You also get to set the down time (the time it takes to register a finger contact on the trackpad as a tap gesture) and sticky drag time (the minimum time it takes for dragging gesture to end when your release your finger from the trackpad after dragging something via trackpad on screen.)

iScroll2 version 0.3.2 is freeware and is a discontinued product.

it can be downloaded it here: http://www.macupdate.com/download/17240/iScroll2-0.32.pkg.zip

I recommend enabling only vertical scrolling because enabling horizontal scrolling and circular scrolling along side vertical scrolling is glitchy and buggy and interferes with scrolling on the trackpad in general.  However, if i only enable vertical scrolling, it works pretty well!  Try for yourself and see what works for you and what you like. It is a matter of personal preference.

If you are a owner of a pre 2005 PowerPC Mac notebook-- do yourself a favor and download iScroll2! You won't regret it and it will add extra functionality to your iBook or Powerbook!

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My favorite RPGs: Part I- Bard's Tale Series & Silversword

In case you didn't know, I am not just a Mac/Linux user and enthusiast-- I am also a gamer! I play games on the Mac, Linux, Windows, Commodore 64, Commodore 128, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Play Station, Playstation 2, Neo Geo, Neo Geo Pocket, Sega Genesis, Turbo Graphix16, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, and the iPad 2.

I love gaming, esp. RPGs (Role Playing Games,) Martial Arts Games, Puzzle Games, Platformers, Computerized Board Games, First Person Shooters (FPS), Sports Games and Action Games.

Let's talk RPGs:

I grew up playing games on the Commodore 64/128 and the Commmodore 64/128 was the king of gaming for 8 bit computers back in the day.  On the Commodore 64/128 i spent countless days and nights and almost every waking hours play RPGs (Role Playing Games.)  This is Part 1 of my series of blogs talking about my favorite RPGs.  Today, i will focus on the Bard's Tale Series with mention of the new Bard's Tale and Silversword.

The Bard's Tale Series:

The original Bard's Tale Series were released for the Commodore 64/128, Apple II series, PCs, Amiga computers, original Macintosh, Nintendo and now is available for iOS (iPad.) I played and owned the Bard's Tale series-- Bard's Tale 1: Tales of the Unknown, Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight and Bard's Tale III: The Thief of Fate for the Commodore 128 and the PC but i love the Commodore version most. The Commodore version had real nice graphics and sound support, better than my 386 PC which had good graphics but ok sound only.  To this day, I still think the commodore 64/128 had better graphics then my 386 PC in terms of the bard's tale trilogy games.  i also owned the Nintendo console version of the Bard's Tale I.  However, the Nintendo version of the Bard's Tale I was ok but not as good as the computer versions. Nintendo's version is considered watered down and lacks the polish of the commodore 64/128 version.

The Bard's Tale Series were very immersive content packed detailed role playing games.  It came with a map of the city or area you started out on, i.e. Skara Brae for Bard's Tale 1. You create a party of 6 members who should be diverse in things like: 1)class-- it is good to have a mixture of magic users, fighters, and a bard to play magical tunes to aid your party in battle, 2) race-- Human are balanced, Elves and Gnomes better intelligence to be better magic users, Hobbits are have the best dexterity so they will be the first to strike in battle and hide in shadows to assassinate targets, thus hobbits make the best thieves. The Bard's Tale series covers a vast area, so it is wise to map out the area as you explore and get deeper and further into the game; have a pen and paper at hand.  You will definitely need to map out the dungeons you explore or you will get lost and won't be able to make it back to the Adventurer's Guild to save your progress.  Unlike Bard's Tale I and Bard's Tale II, Bard's Tale III allow you to fill up all 7 character slots with your own characters or you could summon a NPC (NonPlayer Character) and save them to the Roster.  The Bard's Tale series would fall under the hack and slash genre too, because the game involves fighting and killing enemies to gain experience points to level up and gaining treasure through combat and exploration.  I recommend you not to venture too far from camp/adventurer's guild until your party of characters get strong enough.  Stay close to adventurer's guild and be sure to find the location of the review board-- which allows for your characters to level up and your magic users to gain spells and switch class.  Also to to give your characters the best weapons and armor you can get your hands on and recharge your spell points for your magic users and be 100% healed before entering a dungeon.  It is also good for your bard to drink so he can play magic tunes and make sure you get a fire horn or a frost horn for your bard.  Having a bard with a fire horn or a frost horn will get your party out of a tight spot when starting out, when your party isn't strong enough for large groups of strong enemies in the beginning.  The fire horn or frost horn allows for your bard to spray a large group of enemies, killing them or severely hurting them with one blow per round of combat.  It is also a good idea to summon a NPC or create a character the fill slot 7 in the roster (like in Bard's Tale III or Silversword,) because you will need all the help you can get.  In Bard's Tale III, i recommend you get your fighters the stoneblade, which instantly turns anyone you hit into stone!  To make things easier, i recommend using a character editor for the Bard's tale trilogy, i use it on my commodore 64 versions of Bard's Tale to make things a lot easier.  It also for you to edit your character stats and modify your characters to your liking and give them any items you want to equip them with.

The Bard's Tale Original Series I-III is available on iPad/iOS. The iOS version gives you the Apple IIGS version of Bard's Tale I and II and the Commodore 64 version of Bard's Tale III.  It comes bundled with the New Bard's Tale game, which is third person action hack and slash game, a little like Diablo II. I bought it for under $3 during a sale and it is a deal, because you get 4 games for the price of one! The New Bard's Tale is kinda different from the Original Bard's Tale I-III-- there is no roster screen but a screen of the Bard and the terrain you navigate with touch screen buttons for bard tune, magic, combat, controlling movement. I haven't gone far into the new Bard's Tale yet but i will over time.  The first quest you get is to rid a Tavern of a rat problem and I am not going to give away the easy solution on dealing with the rat problem-- don't want to ruin it for other players just starting out. My first impression of the new Bard's Tale is that it is a very good game, in terms of graphics, gameplay, plot and execution-- and i love the witty narratives by the narrator in the game! I, however spent most of my time playing the classic Bard's Tale Series due to nostalgic reasons and the fact that I am a retro gamer.  The new Bard's Tale is also available on the Mac App Store for intel based Macs but I can't elaborate on that much because I don't own an intel based Mac (my brother has a MacBook though) or use the Mac App Store but I will be upgrading soon to a Mac Mini once Apple refreshes the lineup, and will post more about the Mac version of the new Bard's Tale in the near future. So I don't really know if the Original Bard's Tale series is bundled with the new Bard's Tale on the Mac version though.  I recommend playing the Bard's Tale original trilogy series via emulation.  For me,  i play Bard's Tale original trilogy series on my Mac via commodore 64 emulation with VICE emulator or Power 64 emulator or Frodo emulator and it works well for me.  I owned all three Bard's Tale I--III games but the disks don't work any more due to age.  Don't ask me where to get the disk images for the Bard's Tale I-III trilogy though, try searching for it on Google search. I will play the new Bard's Tale on iOS when i get more time but in the meantime, i am retro gaming with the Bard's Tale original trilogy! Love retro gaming and retro RPGs!

If you love the Bard's Tale I-III Series original games, and completed all three of the games and want more, then I recommend a game on iOS-- Silversword. Silversword is the spiritual successor to the Bard's Tale I-III games.  The layout is the same: Roster list, a window for view, and a text action window.  Silversword also gives you the ability to save almost anywhere in the game and you get built in mapping system and a spell book too. And Silversword has natural native touch controls on the iOS versus the Bard's Tale Original trilogy series on the iOS-- which has touchscreen controls but is tacked on with some limitations and is not as nicely done as in Silversword. The new Bard's Tale (original trilogy included) is $4.99 on the App Store and Silversword is also $4.99 on the App Store. Both have versions for the iPod Touch/iPhone and an iPad version. The new Bard's Tale is also on the Mac App Store for $9.99. Silversword is not available on the Mac yet but might be considered to be ported in the near future, according to developer.

My rating for Bard's Tale I -III on commodore 64/128 & iOS
Graphics: 4 out of 5 stars
Controls: 4 out of 5 stars
gameplay: 5 out of 5 stars
fun factor: 5 out of 5 stars
sound/music: 4 out of 5 stars

I can't give my rating for the new Bard's Tale yet because I haven't play much of it yet and spend all my time with the classic trilogy.

My rating for Silversword:
5 out of 5 stars for everything because it builds on the classic Bard's Tale series and modernizes it with built in mapping system, better graphics, and really nice touch controls!

If you love retro rpgs like Bard's Tale series i recommend you get it on iOS and also get Silversword.  I also recommend you check out other retro RPGs like the Wizardry series or Might and Magic series (both which are available on the Commodore 64/128 and PCs.)

Have fun! And thanks for reading my blog!

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Got a PowerMac Dual Processor G4 MDD (Mirror Drive door) computer? I recomend CHUD 3.5.2 to keep your Mac cooler during the summer

If you are an owner of the PowerMac G4 MDD dual processor (mirror drive door) or PowerMac G4 FW800 dual processor series computers, you will obviously know the heat your Mac generates and the likelyhood of it overheating in the summer.  There is an answer to addressing the heat issue-- CHUD 3.5.2.  It is a free download from Apple. It adds a control panel "hardware" in the system preferences allowing for nap mode to be turned on in these PowerMac G4 MDD and PowerMac G4 FW800 series computers. Boy! It makes a big difference.  I have CHUD 3.5.2 installed for a few years now and my PowerMac G4 MDD doesn't overheat anymore!

Nap mode allows your dual processor CPUs to scale down in temperature when it isn't doing anything processor intensive.  Right now with room temperature at 88F degrees, my PowerMac G4 MDD dual processor computer is at 118F temperature while I am blogging.

It is a free download. you can get it here

It requires Mac OSX 10.4.11 Tiger or Mac OSX 10.5.8 Leopard and a PowerMac G4 MDD/Fw800 Dual Processor computer; Single Processor PowerMac G4 MDD/FW800 doesn't need CHUD 3.5.2 because nap mode is automatically on in the single processor PowerMac G4 MDD/Fw800 computers.

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G4 Fancontrol app for ibook g4 & powerbook g4 to fight against overheating and protect your mac notebook!

I have a iBook G4 1.2Ghz 1.25GB Ram running Mac OSX 10.5.8 Leopard for about one month now. Here in sunny Southern California, there is a heat wave going on and it gets hot here-- outdoors and indoors.  Temperatures gets up to almost 100F Degrees!  My iBook G4 and my PowerMacs and iMac G3 runs hotter too!  On my PowerMac G4 MDD I installed CHUD Tools 3.5.2 which allows for Nap mode to be turned on so CPU workload would scale down and the temperature goes down as well when it is not doing anything processor intensive.

On the iBook G4, the way to cool it down is to install a fan control program called, "G4 FanControl."  This program or should i say app, helps you set the u of when the fans kick in to cool your iBook G4.  Version 0.6.1 is the latest version and u operate it via gui (graphical user interface) rather than command line-- which makes it easy to use! You get 3 sensors with sliders to set the threshold of when to fans kick in. The app has temperature in Celsius only so you might want to ran a temperature converter from Fahrenheit to Celsius converter online if you are use to Fahrenheit as your temperature gauge. On my iBook G4, Sensor 1 is the Ram/memory slot, Sensor 2 is the CPU and Sensor 3 is the GPU (graphics chip.) I set Sensor 1 (Ram slot) to 50C, Sensor 2 (CPU) to 51C and Sensor 3 (GPU) to 52C-- with this setting, it works well for me and the fans kick in sooner than later.  This app really protects my iBook G4 from heat and overheating and it will prolong the life of my equipment.

It requires Mac OSX 10.4.x Tiger or Mac OSX 10.5.x Leopard and iBook G4 or PowerBook G4, and some people say that it works on the White iBook G3 dual usb model as well but I can't confirm that.

Version 0.5.0 is the free version but is glitchy and is hard to find online.

Version 0.6.1 is the latest version but it costs $14.99 but it is worth it to protect our iBook G4s and PowerBook G4s.

Version 0.6.1 G4 FanControl app can be bought and downloaded here:
http://www.andreafabrizi.it/?g4fancontrol

With G4FanControl app, i can be at ease and not worry about my iBook G4 overheating in the summer:)

I will post on my blog about my recommendation for a fancontrol program for intel based mac notebooks in the near future soon.

Apple sets the threshold too high for fans to kick in and that is why the Mac notebooks overheat and the fans don't turn on much-- probably due to the late Steve Jobs' insistence on quiet notebooks over practicality = overheating and burnt out notebooks.  With an app like G4FanControl, we can lower the threshold so the fans kick in earlier and we don't have to worry.

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the newest webkit leopard web brower for 10.5 PPC & Intel users is the most stable and best version yet!

The latest version of Webkit Leopard is : Webkit 537.3.1 and it is the most stable version yet! And the problem with crashing on full screen html5 video has been resolved.  This version is very stable and less crash prone.

So if you haven't already, I suggest you head over to:
http://code.google.com/p/leopard-webkit/downloads/list

and download WebKit-537.3.1-Leopard.dmg

This is for Mac OS X 10.5.8 Leopard users running PPC or Intel based Macs.

Enjoy!
 

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in case you didn't know, LibreOffice 3.6 was released a little while ago

LibreOffice 3.6.0 is available for most major platforms, including: Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux.

LibreOffice 3.6.0 is a free open source full featured office suite that is compatible with Microsoft Office files and is a very feature rich package that can accomodate most people's needs.

LibreOffice 3.6.0 Final (2012-08-08)

This is the first release from the 3.6 branch of LibreOffice.
It contains many exciting new features, and is the recommended version for early adopters. (See this page for LibreOffice 3.5.)

The following notes apply:

• This release is bit-for-bit identical to the 3.6.0 Release Candidate 4, so you don't need to download or reinstall if you have that version already.
• If you update from an earlier version, spellchecking might be broken. In this case, the following workaround helps:
  • On Linux, in a terminal window enter "rm -r ~/.config/libreoffice/3/user/extensions"
  • On Mac OS X, in a Terminal window enter "rm -r ~/Library/Application\ Support/LibreOffice/3/user/extensions"
  • On Windows, in a Command Prompt window enter "rmdir /q /s %appdata%\LibreOffice\3\user\extensions"
  • After that, please restart LibreOffice twice.
• The distribution for Windows is an international build, so you can choose the user interface language that you prefer. Help content is available via an online service, or alternatively as a separate install.
• Our Windows binaries are digitally signed by The Document Foundation.
• For Windows users that have LibreOffice prior to version 3.4.5 installed, either uninstall that beforehand, or upgrade to 3.4.5. Otherwise, the upgrade to 3.6.0 may fail.
• For Windows users that have OpenOffice.org installed, we advise uninstalling that beforehand, because it registers the same file type associations.
• If you run Windows 2000, you may require this update before being able to install LibreOffice.
• If you run Linux, the GCJ Java variant has known issues with LibreOffice, we advise to e.g. use OpenJDK instead.
• A full list of annoying bugs is available from the wiki.

The list of new features can be found here: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/3.6

Download at: http://www.libreoffice.org/download/

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