MacPinoy

WSJ: Paypal will not block Safari

The Wall Street Journal reports that Paypal will not block Safari:

We just spoke to PayPal. It seems we in the media are reading too much into this. It will block people using old browsers and old operating systems, but contrary to many reports it will not block Apple’s Safari browser.

The second statement is telling.  Any news item that bashes the notion that Macs are inherently more secure tends to be over-hyped by the media. 

Will Paypal block Safari?

I picked this piece of news from Pinoytechblog, which in turn was quoting Computerworld.

So is it true that Paypal will block Safari?

So does that mean the Safari is inherently less secure?

continue reading »

Is Psystar a hoax?

Well, according to Zdnet it is.

Macheist reveals new software bundle

The last Macheist bundle was a great bargain. For a ridiculous price of $49, I got 14 appliations and among that lineup, I knew I would at least be a frequent user Pixelmator, 1Password, and Awaken. I really did not care much for the criticisms (see here, here, and here). These software developers are big boys now. They know what they are getting into.

But would I signup for the latest bundle? I doubt it I will. Not because of the controversies behind it, but because I don’t find anything compelling in the new batch. Of all, DEVONThink looks interesting, but I already have Yojimbo to manage my paperwork and my files.

Journler and Marsedit

I am now testing the interface between Journler and Marsedit. If it works then I can write my journal in one application and then, if I so choose to post it in a blog, I can also do so and make some tweaks and edits to the post.

The interface, though, is not automatic nor seamless. I still have to do some editing, albeit very minor. Still, it is something I can live with.”

Here’s how a post in Journler initially appears in Marsedit:

Writing My Thoughts

I really need to write down my thoughts. For one, I feel I am getting old and my memory is beginning to be spotty. Will I end up senile in my twilight years?

The web post that may be realize this was something that came from the Daily Writing Tips site. Though the author advises a notebook, it may be better for me to keep one using my Macbook Pro. The capability to tag and search for entries, not to mention at least some assurance of confidentiality, is better in a computer. Moreover, I can pound away on the keys with the fire of passion, and then reread and modify it with the coldness of rationality, just so that I could ensure that my entry captures the spirit.

Right now I am pounding away using Journler but since it will, with the coming 2.6 version, be a paid-product, I may also switch to another software. And right now, Circus Ponies’ Notebook is looking mighty interesting. I wish I could relook at it, but my trial period has long expired. I had originally considered Notebook but, at that time, it was hard to beat Journler’s price (free).

Funny, I originally thought this would be a private entry until I realized that I could also post this at several of my weblog sites.

But what do I do if I am suddenly struck with flashes of brillance? I don’t have my computer with me all the time. I guess I will use my Nokia E61i then. At least, with its Bluetooth capability, I can easily export it into Journler.

Playing with Lightroom 2.0

I installed Lightroom 2.0 and I would say that it does look promising. I am glad that I held off purchasing Aperture.

First, you can’t use your existing Lightroom catalog with the new beta version, which actually does make sense. At least the new beta version won’t screw up your catalog file, although I wonder if Adobe will provide the capability to merge both catalogs.

Next, I tried the “Retouch” tool, which allows for localized corrections. The beauty of this tool (and what I see as the advantage over Aperture’s dodge-and-burn plugin) is that it is non-destructive. Here is the base image where I planned to retouch.

The lady at the kiosk is barely visible. With the retouch tool, I was able to boost the exposure, revealing more of the kiosk owner serving hot lunch to the tired, weary messenger.

And what about the new “post-crop” vignette feature?

Here’s the uncropped picture:

And here is the cropped picture:

Lightroom 2.0 beta

I was about to ditch Lightroom for Aperture, especially with the new features Adobe throws in a beta 2.0 version.

I had a number of gripes with Lightroom, namely:

• Vignettes.  Lightroom apparently considered Vignette as a lens correcting utility rather than for artistic purposes.  As such, on a cropped image, applying vignette corrections will affect only the original uncropped image and may not appear on the cropped image.
• Watermark.  Watermarking in Lightroom 1.0 was extremely pathetic that it was virtually unuseable.

Now I read through the Release Notes.  The 2.0 beta apparently now adds a “framing vignette effect” that “will apply a vignette to an image, respecting the cropped borders.”  Ok, that’s good.

But there is no mention on improving the watermarking. 

One feature that looks interesting is Lightroom’s new “Localized Correction” feature:

The develop module now provides the ability to correct specific areas of an image without affecting other areas. A common example of this in traditional photography would be the dodge and burn experience in the darkroom. Lightroom provides brushes that a photographer can ‘load’ with different types of corrective techniques that were previously only available globally including exposure, brightness, clarity and saturation. Images can also be tinted locally using specific hue and saturation values that can provide an excellent way of counteracting mixed lighting environments.

I wonder, was it coincidence that Aperture also released an upgrade that allows for dodge-and-burn?  The question: is Lightroom’s new functionality a destructive one?  In Aperture, the doge-and-burn plugin is done on an exported copy of the image.

All in all, this means I will hold off moving to Aperture until I test out Lightroom’s new version. 

Submerge

I had been spending some time trying to figure out how to get encode a movie and embed the subtitles so that I could watch it with my iPod. I had tried VLC but I couldn’t get it to work.

Then I found Submerge. The software name basically does what it says—it merges the subtitle file with the main feature. Now, together with Mac The Ripper and Handbrake, Submerge has become part of my essential tools for exporting video into my iPod.

Using Submerge is easy. First, click on File -> Open and pick the movie you want to “submerge.”

Click on Choose and pick the file containing the subtitles.

Click Render and wait for a few seconds.

Here is the result with the default settings.

You can even change how the subtitles appear. Since I am going to watch this through my iPod Touch, the subtitles have to be prominent enough to read. I can alter the default settings—for example, I altered the size to Large and the Attributes to Bold. I removed the Plate since I found it distracting.

Click on the Render button and after a few more seconds, you can check out how the subtitles will look.

Saving the movie will create a .mov file which you can watch using Quicktime.

The most painful part of the process is when the file is exported to the iPod. The process took me 2.5 hours and it made me wish I bought Elgato’s turbo H.264 encoder.

One last thing. I had problems getting the software activated. I already received the serial number but, for some strange reason, the software was rejecting the code. I immediately sent an email to the developer (Bitfield), and I was surprised to get a reply within a few minutes! We traded a few emails to further isolate the problem and all was resolved before dinner time! I got great support for a software that only costs 9 dollars (less than PHP 40).

Upgraded to Wordpress 2.5

This site has now been upgraded to Wordpress 2.5. What’s new? Well for one, the admin screens have been redesigned.