Long Time, No Write

Well, after a long hiatus that I really have zero reason for having taken, I am back to the blogging world and plan to be at it for a long time! I’ve made some changes to my machine line up. I’ve finally given over to the ‘dark side’ and purchased my first Intel. I acquired, off a buy/sell/trade group on Facebook, a 2008 MacBook and it has taken over as my primary machine, as it is by far more powerful than my other computers and has way more storage space. (And I mean WAAAAAAAY more!) While I love my PowerPC machines, they have been holding me back on my productivity with my photography and graphic design needs and are now basically regulated to gaming. While I can still do all of my Photoshop-ing and Flash builder-ing on those computers, it can take forever to load a simple filter and would take me three times longer to complete a composite or finalized photograph than it does with the MacBook. 

That being said, I still use my  mini as much as I possibly can. I still play all of my old games on it and use it for music management. I’ve even been contemplating turning it into a little server! So, don’t worry-I haven’t forgotten about the PowerPC and how it’s still useful, nor will I ever give up on the best little machines Apple ever produced. (I just need a little more oomph under the polyurethane to finish all my new projects!) 

My Favorite Apps

There are handful of apps that no PPC Mac owner should be without. There are a lot of sites out there that have these must-have lists, but I feel it’s information that bears repeating. The apps below are my must-haves and I use each of them on every computer I own. And, best of all, they are absolutely FREE!

Caffeine

Your iBook or Powerbook display takes up a lot of energy when your on the battery, but don’t you just hate it when it goes blank before you’re ready for it to? Or even when it is plugged in? Well, Caffeine is the solution. The app places a small icon on your task bar, and when you need the app to run you just give it a single click. It’s just that easy. Your display stays awake and alert, just like you do with coffee. Works just fine on 10.4.11, 10.5.8, 10.6 PPC or Intel.

http://download.cnet.com/Caffeine/3000-2094_4-140937.html

VLC Player

I don’t really even have to explain this one. There’s not much this little codec won’t play, and play very well. It’s on every computer I own, Mac or PC.

This is the link for 10.4.11/10.5.8, PPC or Intel. (10.4.11 is down at the bottom of the page.)

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html

Snes9x

Who doesn’t love old school gaming? It makes my day, but we obviously can’t go hauling those old consoles around, hence the invention of console emulators. When I found out about these handy little apps a few years ago, I got my friends started on them and we’ve allowed our actual consoles to rest peacefully in our own little geek museums. Use some Google-fu and you’ll find tons of websites with ROMS available. (Just use caution!There are a few websites that are full of viruses, and I am NOT liable if you download one!)

http://download.cnet.com/Snes9x/3000-20416_4-44127.html

MacJanitor

I only recently discovered this handy little utility and it works like a charm. MacJanitor is a perfect maintenance script runner for PPC Macs, and is compatible with nearly every incarnation of Mac OS X. We don’t all leave our computers on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It’s just not a likely scenario with an everyday user. MacJanitor runs those tasks for you.

http://macjanitor.en.softonic.com/mac

I will be adding to this post as the week goes on and into this weekend, as these four are not the only ones I want to mention. But, for now, I have to bid you all a good afternoon.