Adding AirPlay to a shelf system

Adding AirPlay to a shelf system:
from Hack a Day by Mike Szczys

via SysAdmin

AirPlay is a great system. It allows you to send whatever media is playing from one device to another. Sure, we wish it were a bit more open (Apple is certainly not known for that) but there are several option for creating your own AirPlay receivers. After coming across a project that does just that, [Matt Shirley] decided to turn his shelf system into an AirPlay receiver.
The path to his goal depends on the Raspberry Pi’s ability to receive AirPlay audio using the Shairport package (we just looked in on another player that does this last week). He uses an Edirol UA-5 USB audio interface as an amplifier for his record player. He wasn’t using the USB port for it and knew that it would be simple to connect the RPi USB as a host for the device.
Wanting to keep the look of the system as clean as possible he popped the lid off of the amp. There is just enough room to fit the small RPi board inside. He hacked (literally, look at the pictures) an opening for the USB ports into the side of the metal enclosure. A short patch cable connects from one port to the USB jack on the back of the amplifier. The white cable leaving the side of the case provides power to the Rasperry Pi. The surgery was a success and now he can listen to his tunes with a tap of his finger.

Filed under: digital audio hacks, Raspberry Pi

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Prevent Your Mac from Sleeping with a Simple Terminal Command [Mac Tips]

Prevent Your Mac from Sleeping with a Simple Terminal Command [Mac Tips]:
from Lifehacker by Adam Dachis

OS X: Sleep helps you keep your Mac from drawing too much power or running low on battery, but sometimes you want to keep it awake for various reasons. Software blog Addictive Tips points to a helpful Terminal command new in OS X Mountain Lion that can keep your Mac awake for a set period of time. More »

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Emulating Mac System 7 on an Android device

Emulating Mac System 7 on an Android device:

Over on the 68kmla forums, a website dedicated to old Macs built before 1994, [zydeco] released his Android port of Mini vMac, a Macintosh Plus emulator that puts the power of a Motorola MC68000 processor and System 7 on any computer.
Unlike the original Macintosh, or the subsequent revision that bumped the RAM up to 512 kilobytes, the Mac Plus was actually useful. With the addition of a SCSI port and support for 4 Megabytes of RAM, it’s not only possible to browse the Internet, but also act as a server. There’s a reason [Sprite_tm] chose to rebuild one of these classic, all-in-one machines to act as a home server; they really do epitomize the elegant computers from a more civilized age.
68kmla user [FlyingToaster] even went so far as to put a Mac Plus in his nook touch. With this, he’s got a full-blown installation of System 7 running on an e-ink screen, complete with Lemmings, Gauntlet, and Tetris.
It should be possible to plug this emulated box into the Internet. Unfortunately, experience tells us it won’t be a very pleasant browsing experience outside Hackaday’s retro edition.

Filed under: android hacks, macs hacks

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Build the Mac Pro That You Wish Apple Released [Hackintosh]

Build the Mac Pro That You Wish Apple Released [Hackintosh]:

Last week Apple updated their Mac Pros to cutting-edge processors from 2010, even older graphics cards, and all the USB 2.0 ports you'll ever need. With a proper update unlikely until 2013, we thought we'd bridge the gap with Hackintoshes—the faster, cheaper Mac desktops you can build yourself with standard PC hardware. By making your own "Hack Pro" you'll get the up-to-date machine Apple won't provide, and you'll also save a lot of money in the process. More »

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AppyDays Tracks Discounted Mac and iOS Apps [Mac Downloads]

AppyDays Tracks Discounted Mac and iOS Apps [Mac Downloads]:

Mac: Keeping track of sales and discounts in the Mac App Store or iTunes App Store can be a bit difficult. If you're a frugal app shopper, AppyDays makes it bit easier by tracking price drops and allowing you to search for sales easily. More »

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Sync iCloud to Dropbox

Sync iCloud to Dropbox:
Mac and iOS users are going to be increasingly pushed to choose between storing their documents in iCloud or Dropbox. I expect that Apple will continue to push more and more features to iCloud that will make people want to use it, and I expect that Apple will continue to make iCloud easier and easier for iOS and Mac developers to use, so developers will want to support it.
I like the idea behind iCloud, but I don't really trust iCloud yet. Apple's previous attempts at online services have left me suspicious about iCloud's performance, reliability, and long-term future. I hope I'm wrong and that iCloud turns out to be great, but in the meantime, I know Dropbox, and I trust Dropbox.
One of my favorite features of Dropbox is the ability to go back and see revisions from the previous 30 days. It's my safety net.
The good news is that you can sync iCloud to Dropbox. The bad news is that it's a one-way sync from iCloud to Dropbox. But if all you want to do is backup iCloud files and be able to retrieve previous versions from Dropbox, it's pretty simple to do.
I'm going to use Byword as an example because it's fairly straight-forward, but the process should work roughly the same for any iCloud enabled Mac app.
Step One: Make sure iCloud is enabled. Go to System Preferences » iCloud and make sure that you have "Documents & Data" set to sync.
Step Two: Create an iCloud-based file. The exact process for this differs from app to app. Byword has a File » Move to iCloud menu item.
Step Three: Find the local iCloud folder. Here's where things get a little bit tricky. You have to get into the "Library" folder in your Home directory, but that folder has been hidden in Lion. Fortunately for you there are at least 18 ways to view that folder. My recommendation is to go to the Finder, select the "Go" menu, and press the Option/Alt key. When you do that, you'll see the Library folder appear. Or use ⌘ + Shift + G and type in "~/Library/" if you prefer keyboard shortcuts. Once you are in, look for a folder called Mobile Documents

You'll find something like the list of directories shown here. Inside each one is a "Documents" sub-directory. I bet you can guess what is stored in there.
Step Four: Sync changes via Hazel. Hazel was recently updated to version 3, and one of the new features is a 'sync' option. For those who don't know Hazel, you should, it's one of my irreplaceable apps. It allows you to create rules for all sorts of actions to happen in specific folders if different criteria are met. For example, Hazel can tell if a file has been modified since the last time Hazel checked a specific folder. If it has been modified, you can tell Hazel to do specific things, including "sync" from that folder, so another one.

Click on image for a larger size

I created a 'Byword' folder in my ~/Dropbox/ and then created a Hazel rule which says "If any files have been modified since we last checked (matched) this folder, then sync the 'Documents' folder (located inside ~/Library/Mobile Documents/) with the Byword folder in Dropbox.
Step Five: (Optional) While I was checking around inside ~/Library/Mobile Documents/ I used Default Folder X to set the Byword iCloud folder to be the default folder for all new Byword documents. Now whenever I create new document on my Mac using Byword, I know that it will automatically be saved to iCloud and Dropbox.
This isn't something that I will do for all of my iCloud-enabled apps, but I've been using Byword more and more lately for all sorts of writing projects, and I want to do everything I can to make sure that I am "covered" when it comes to saving my files. Two local copies (one in Mobile Documents, one in Dropbox folder) and two copies in the "cloud" (iCloud and Dropbox sync), plus 30 days worth of "undo"? (Not to mention that each of my Macs will have local copies as well, as iCloud and Dropbox sync across my network.) That's a system I can create and then forget about.

Sync iCloud to Dropbox originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take control of MacBook Pro graphics with gfxCardStatus

Take control of MacBook Pro graphics with gfxCardStatus:

Got a MacBook Pro with a dual GPU? gfxCardStatus is a free tool that enables you to not only see whether your system is currently using the integrated or discrete GPU, but also gives you the chance to manually switch whenever you want -- all without the need to log out of your account or restart OS X. The latest version of the app adds support for the Retina displays sported by the newest additions to the MacBook Pro range.
A simple menu bar makes it easy to choose which of your GPUs should be used, or to remain in dynamic mode so all of this is taken care of for you. There are various reasons why you might want to override the automatic settings. If you find that a particular app caused your discrete GPU to be used, you can get some extra life from your battery by opting to use the integrated GPU instead.
Conversely, if you want to ensure the best performance for an app that does not dynamically switch mode, you can force the discrete GPU to be used. The small icon that appears in the menu bar makes it possible to see at a glance which of your GPUs is currently in use, but there’s also support for Growl notification if you would like something more obvious to be displayed when switching takes place.
As well as providing you with the ability to choose between GPUs, gfxCardStatus is also a useful tool for finding out which apps are causing your MBP to switch modes. Whether you’re looking for balance between performance and battery life, or you just want to remain in control of how your hardware is used, this is a valuable piece of software that many would argue adds a feature to OS X that should have been included as standard.
You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the gfxCardStatus review page.

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Get $290 Worth of Mac Productivity Apps for $40 [Deals]

Get $290 Worth of Mac Productivity Apps for $40 [Deals]:

Software bundles are a great way to pick up some handy new apps at a huge discount, and Productive Mac's latest offering is no exception. It offers up eight discounted downloads to help boost your productivity. Here's what you'll get: More »

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Found Is a Universal Search for Your Mac Hard Drive, Dropbox, Gmail, and Google Drive Files [Mac Downloads]

Found Is a Universal Search for Your Mac Hard Drive, Dropbox, Gmail, and Google Drive Files [Mac Downloads]:

Mac: If you use different cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive it can be a pain to track down a specific file quickly. Found is an app that makes searching for files on the cloud and your hard drive as easy as using the default Spotlight search. More »

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