Skip to content

Monthly Archives: July 2010

What is the keychain?

I’ve lost count of the number of times Mac technical support customers have asked me what the keychain is. It’s a very simple concept. Fundamentally it’s a place for you to store passwords so that applications, such as your email … Continue reading

Posted in Apple, Security | Tagged | Comments Off on What is the keychain?

SEO basics – choosing good urls for higher Google position

Search engines use incredibly complex algorithms to calculate what pages should be returned when you search for a given term. The exact algorithms are closing guarded secrets, but search engine optimisation experts have been able to infer some basics rules … Continue reading

Posted in Web Development | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on SEO basics – choosing good urls for higher Google position

How to avoid ruining your MacBook, iPhone, iPod or iPad batteries

I frequently get asked “how long can expect my MacBook/iPhone/iPod battery will last for before I need to buy a new one?” And I helpfully reply depends on how you care for it. Lithium batteries are used in almost all … Continue reading

Posted in Apple | Tagged | Comments Off on How to avoid ruining your MacBook, iPhone, iPod or iPad batteries

10 essential and free Mac applications…

Everyone likes lists. So I thought I would create my own list of the 10 free or ‘donationware’ Mac applications that I would miss badly if I lost them. So here we go, in no particular order… ClamAV – Free … Continue reading

Posted in Apple | Comments Off on 10 essential and free Mac applications…

The Apple cash juggernaut continues…

Despite the backlash publicity that seems to be following the iPhone 4 signal strength scare, Apple keeps piling on the record quarters of growth. This is mostly down to the massive growth in sales of iOS devices like the iPhone, … Continue reading

Posted in Apple | Comments Off on The Apple cash juggernaut continues…

Using code hints in Magento e-Commerce templates…

When you’re using a complex web application like Magento or WordPress it’s a real struggle to remember all the functions, classes and methods that are available to you in the template files. And this means endless trips back to the … Continue reading

Posted in Web Development | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Using code hints in Magento e-Commerce templates…

Enforced discipline when creating Magento Themes

Magento is a beast of an eCommerce platform. It has a rigid set of conventions for the location and name of your theme files. And your theme should never overwrite any of the base installation that Magento creates. So how … Continue reading

Posted in Magento | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Enforced discipline when creating Magento Themes

So what is a WordPress “Theme”?

You’ve probably heard of CMSes and Blogging software and you’ve probably heard that it’s free to download and use on your website. So why does your designer of developer want to charge you for creating a website using Wordpress? Continue reading

Posted in Wordpress | Tagged , , | Comments Off on So what is a WordPress “Theme”?

Avoiding comment spam in WordPress

By default, WordPress is set to approve comments automatically from people who have previously had a comment approved. Ever wondered why seemingly random people leave comments on your blog saying things like “Hi, I found your blog really interesting”? There … Continue reading

Posted in Web Development | Tagged , | Comments Off on Avoiding comment spam in WordPress

Gotta a Mac? Like games? Get Steam

Back in the day the only way to get games for the Mac was to phone up MacGold. Then came the internet. And eventually Steam came to the Mac. So if you’ve got kids, a husband or boyfriend moaning about … Continue reading

Posted in Apple | Tagged | Comments Off on Gotta a Mac? Like games? Get Steam