I posted a few days ago about how to force your fans to run faster and earlier thus cooling your computer. I also said I did not have the balls to mess with my system files; however, reader Paul directed me to a nice little application called smcFanControl which does the same thing without the hacking. It seems to work quite well and has cooled my computer by 6ºC by doubling the fan speed.

smcFanControl is a menu bar application much like Caffeine. They both do simple tasks and they both do them quite well. Although there are preset settings (Default and Higher RPM) you can make the fans run as fast as you desire (be warned, this may break your fans and will decrease battery life).

Product Page: eidac

The person who discovered this hack claims his MacBook Pro is running 40ºF cooler than it did before. I’m going to say right now that I do NOT feel confident enough to try this hack myself, but I really wish I do, my MacBook Pro runs way hotter than I’d like it to. Also note that this hack has only been confirmed to work with a MacBook Pro 15″.

*Disclaimer*

To do this, you need to edit some .kext files which could potentially destroy your computer so please proceed with utmost caution.

Here is the link to the MacRumors forum thread where the instructions were originally posted

I cannot stress enough that this may be risky if you mess up. Make backups of all files before modifying them and I wish you the best of luck. If 5 of you on MacBook Pro 15″ can confirm that this works in the comments I promise I will grow a pair and try it out.

Suppose you and a friend are at a hotel room with one ethernet port, but you both want to use the internet. Do not fear, you can come to the rescue by establishing a wireless network through your Macintosh’s built in AirPort card.

1) Plug the cable into your computer

2) Open System Preferences and go to the sharing section.

3) Locate the check box next to Internet Sharing and activate it.

4) Have your friend connect to your computer’s network

5) To change the settings/password of your network (default password is your admin password), uncheck the Sharing box then click AirPort Options

It’s an extremely simple process that is also useful in many scenarios. I recommend copy-pasting this article into a Word/Pages document so in case you forget how to do it, it’s only a Spotlight/Quicksilver search away.

Note: This article is about Leopard, Lifehacker has an article about how to do it in Tiger but it is essentially the same thing, just a different interface.

With Christmas (or Hannukah just ending for Jews) coming up quickly you may be feeling a little anxiety from deciding what to get for someone you know who loves their Mac, or perhaps you just want to get a little something for yourself. Instead of buying a whole new Mac, why not instead just add more power to your existing computer with additional RAM? However your immediate options are not as appealing as you’d like; $850 for 4 gigs at the Apple Store!?

Fortunately there is a great Web site at http://dealnews.com/memory/ where they conveniently list where you can the best deals on RAM (not just for Macs). For example that same RAM that you would purchase from the Apple Store (as shown above for $850) can be found for a mere $155.00 at http://www.18004memory.com/.

Go check them out over at http://dealnews.com/memory/, save your money and have a Merry Christmas!

Unfortunately Murphy’s Law struck this morning while trying to wake my powerbook up from sleeping. Last night I went to bed and everything was fine, but this morning the computer wouldn’t turn on.

After trying to diagnose the problem myself and failing–I decided to take it to an Apple Service Center. A quick inspection lead the technician to believe one of the following:

1) The power button was not working correctly and wouldn’t send the signal to boot to the logic board.
2) The logic board was fried.
3) The DC converter somehow wasn’t converting power correctly.

Basically when I press and hold the power button the hard drive begins to spin (I can hear it when I put my ear very close) but immediately fails. Like within the first second.

My question (I know, a tip site asking for help :)) is how would one start the computer directly from the logic board. I’ve tried to research this but no luck.

Here are a few more symptoms and things I’ve tried:
- Battery is fully charged, I confirmed this by pressing the button on the back of the battery
- I reset the PRAM
- I tried starting the computer from the logic board, but I don’t think I’m doing it in the right place
- AppleCare expired last year, along with my warranty when I replaced my LCD

I have a little experience taking the Powerbook apart–I’m just afraid it’s turned into an expensive paperweight.

I know this site has lots of experience Mac users, so what do you guys think? Time to throw in the towel and buy a new one or fight for the old G4?

Instructables now has a guide to building your own iPod Touch dock from the box it comes in. This is a great way to cheaply get a dock for an iPod Touch, so definitely check it out if you’re looking for a dock for an iPod Touch.

[Via Lifehacker]

Technorati Tags: Apple, DIY, Instructables, iPod, iPod Dock, iPod Touch, iPod Touch Dock, iTouch, iTouch Dock, Lifehacker

Here is something interesting. Quite possibly the greatest iPod accessory ever, Rock My Teeth plugs into your iPod on one end, and into your mouth and ears on the other ends. This strange little thing apparently uses music to whiten your teeth. It also works with any other headphone compatible audio players.
Here is the description from their site: “The louder the music to your teeth, the more whitening energy you provide to the hydrogen peroxide in your whitening strip to go deep into the stained teeth.”
If they send me one for free, I might just try it. I wonder if I could plug in to a Wii or Xbox 360…?

[Via Gizmodo and Yahoo Tech]

Technorati Tags: Apple, iPod, Music, Rock My Teeth, Whiten Teeth

The iPod Death Clock at iPod Mechanic provides you with valuable information about your iPod’s maximum remaining battery charge. Depending on your warranty, you may be able to get it replaced. All you need is to give it some statistics about how often you use and how you abuse your iPod, and they provide a pretty good estimate of your remaining batteries.

[Via Lifehacker]

Technorati Tags: Apple, iPod, iPod Battery, iPod Death Clock, iPod Mechanic

I recently saw a few interesting articles on the coolest Mac display setups. The articles are featured on Glenn Wolsey’s blog. Check out these impressive setups and take a look at some of Glenn’s other posts. If you have a few thousand dollars or a bunch of Apple Cinema Displays just sitting around, these are some of the best ways to take advantage of them.

Top 10 Multi Display Mac Setups
Top 10 Mac Setups With Dell Displays
7 Slickest Mac Setups
7 Slickest Mac Setups: Take Two
7 Slickest Mac Setups: Take Three

Some of the setups really aren’t that special, but I really like this one, which is a sort of Apple altar with an Apple poster on the wall:

Technorati Tags: Apple, Apple Cinema Display, Glenn Wolsey, OS X

I was browsing through some forums and came across a post by spike228 on iPodHacks who built an iPod Dock out of an Altoids Tin. I was wary at first, but it is awesome. Take a look for yourself:

He doesn’t explain all of the steps, but it looks pretty self-explanitory from the pictures. Beware, the pictures are big.

Technorati Tags: do it yourself, ipod dock, ipod