Mac Kung Fu, 2nd Edition

Book description

Squeeze every drop of juice from OS X with over 400 quick and easy tips, tricks, hints and hacks in Mac Kung Fu: Second Edition . Exploit secret settings and hidden apps, push built-in tools to the limit, radically personalize your Mac experience, and make "it just works" even better. In addition to core OS X technologies, this significantly revised and expanded update to the best-selling first edition dissects new OS X Mountain Lion tools such as iCloud, Notifications, Reminders, and Calendar.

Table of contents

  1. Mac Kung Fu
    1. Copyright
    2. For the Best Reading Experience...
    3. Table of Contents
    4. Early Praise for Mac Kung Fu, Second Edition
    5. Acknowledgments
    6. Preface
      1. How to Read This Book
      2. For All Macs—No Add-Ons Required!
      3. Sharing
      4. Online Resources
    7. Chapter 1: Getting the Most from the Tips
      1. Activating Secret Settings via Typed Commands
      2. Using the Apple and Application Menus
      3. Making a Time Machine Backup
      4. Using the Mouse or Trackpad
      5. Having an Admin Account
      6. Logging Out and Back In
      7. Using Program Windows
      8. Using the Mac Keyboard and Shortcuts
    8. Chapter 2: The Tips
    9. Make Launchpad Bigger (or Smaller)
    10. Turn Off Irritating “Rubber-Band” Scrolling
    11. Stop Scrollbars from Disappearing
    12. Make Your Mac Speak with Siri’s Voice
    13. Supertip: Dictate Like a Pro
    14. Get Rid of Files​—​Securely
    15. Auto-answer FaceTime Calls
    16. Instantly Add Movies and Music to iTunes
    17. Be a Messages App Keyboard Wizard
    18. Store Absolutely Any File in iCloud
    19. Use a Secret, Alternative Cut and Paste
    20. Correct Misspellings or Typos Without the Mouse
    21. Create iCloud Folders
    22. See What Folders You’ve Accessed Recently
    23. See Bluetooth Signal Strength
    24. Switch to Black Menus in Full-Screen Mode
    25. Create Reminders Ultra-Quickly
    26. Right-Click to Share Anything
    27. View Safari’s Google History
    28. Open a Link Displayed in Terminal
    29. Get Back “Save As”
    30. Quickly Navigate Launchpad
    31. Turn Off Notifications with a Single Click
    32. Increase Settings in Micro-Increments
    33. Access (and Back Up) All iCloud Documents
    34. Sleep Your Mac with a Remote
    35. Restart a Jammed Finder
    36. Quickly Get Documents into (and out of) iCloud
    37. Master Quick Look’s Full-Screen Feature
    38. Put Notes and Sticky Notes on Top
    39. Don’t Delete Files When Copying
    40. Add Your Choice of Search Engine
    41. Forward Only a Mail’s Attachment
    42. Quickly Add to Safari’s Reading List
    43. Get Complex Multiple-Display Setups
    44. Turn a Movie Into a TV Show
    45. See Where You’re Browsing in Terminal
    46. Ultra-Quickly See an App’s Open Files
    47. Use Half-Star Ratings in iTunes
    48. Switch Locations in Terminal via Drag and Drop
    49. Timestamp Zip Filenames
    50. Copy Better in Mail
    51. Instantly Rename Safari Bookmarks
    52. Spruce Up Terminal
    53. Turn Off Trash Sound Effects
    54. Get Handy When Formatting Text
    55. Get Photo Stream Pictures via Finder
    56. Avoid Notifications
    57. Use Fancy Text in Mail Signatures
    58. Install Any App Without Being Blocked
    59. Browse Back via the Keyboard in Safari
    60. Quickly Switch Audio Output (Including AirPlay)
    61. Stop Apps from Auto-Quitting
    62. Turn Off “Smooth Scrolling”
    63. Save Safari Tabs When Quitting
    64. Jump to the Top of Your Emails
    65. Type Weird Characters Ultra-Quickly
    66. Turn Your Mac Into a Surveillance Camera
    67. Modify Messages’ Look and Feel
    68. Use Your Own Choice of Notes Font
    69. Duplicate a File with One Click
    70. Share Google Links
    71. Master Notification Center
    72. Switch Time Machine Disks
    73. Share Reminders and Calendars
    74. Update Your Profile Pic
    75. See Your Mac’s Serial Number
    76. Use a VIP Mailbox
    77. Supertip: Get the Most from Reminders
    78. Turn Off Java
    79. Notify from the Command Line
    80. Stop the Dock from Getting Broken
    81. Control QuickTime Player Using Keys
    82. Let OS X Create Passwords
    83. Prefer Plain-Text Emails
    84. See a Big Long List of Your Contacts
    85. Type into PDFs
    86. Play Ripped DVD Backups
    87. Link to Emails in Notes/Stickies/Docs
    88. When Did I Make That Sticky?
    89. Use Facebook Chat
    90. Preview Widgets
    91. Create a “Drives” Stack
    92. Calculate All File Sizes
    93. Quickly Switch Calculator Modes
    94. Add Your Contacts’ Websites to Safari
    95. Import Twitter or Facebook Contacts
    96. Email Web Pages in a Simple Layout
    97. Quickly Send Files to an iPhone or iPad
    98. Use Time Machine with iCloud
    99. Find Docs by Zooming
    100. Share via Twitter or Facebook with a Keystroke
    101. Stop iCloud from Being the Default
    102. Export in More Formats via Preview
    103. Supertip: Get the Most from QuickTime Player
    104. Subscribe to Useful Calendars
    105. Turn Off Annoying Special Effects
    106. Start Apps Without the Mouse
    107. Select Text In Quick Look
    108. Resize Windows Easily
    109. Get to the Dock in a Full-Screen App
    110. Play Sounds When Certain Mail Arrives
    111. Migrate from Outlook to Calendar
    112. Stop iTunes from Adding Track Numbers
    113. Switch Desktop Space Ultra-Quickly
    114. Protect USB Memory Sticks
    115. Find Out Where Your Wallpaper Lives
    116. Summarize Any Document
    117. Activate Stacks and Mission Control by a Gesture
    118. Quickly Create a List of Files
    119. Supertip: Take Control of Scrolling
    120. Turn a Small Keyboard into a Big One
    121. Fix Ugly Fonts
    122. Type Symbols and Diacritical Characters
    123. Rename Hundreds of Photos
    124. Personalize Every Icon
    125. Bring Widgets to the Desktop
    126. Discover Software Version Numbers
    127. Use a Screensaver as a Desktop Background
    128. Add Folders of Wallpaper Images
    129. Put Notebooks in Deep Sleep
    130. Fix a Slow Boot
    131. Know Exactly Where You Are
    132. Tweak Launchpad Visual Effects
    133. Create “Crazy” Emails
    134. Secure All Your Files Against Hackers
    135. See Every Wi-Fi Detail
    136. Make Launchpad a Personalized App Launcher
    137. Supertip: Get the Most from Spotlight
    138. View a Quick Calendar
    139. Add Magical Links for Email, Messages, Web, and More
    140. Stop Notes from Being Yellow
    141. Simulate an iPhone or iPad
    142. Control Start-up Apps
    143. Watch CPU Load and Activity
    144. Create Doc Templates and Boilerplate Text
    145. Create an Event from an Email or Web Page
    146. Keep Your Mac Wide Awake
    147. Stress Test Your Mac’s Memory
    148. Create an Install and Recovery Stick
    149. Recover Crashes and Lock-Ups
    150. Share Your Contacts with Others
    151. Set Your IM Status—Even If Messages Isn’t Running
    152. Change Fonts Used in Finder
    153. Stress Test Your Mac’s CPU
    154. Find Files by Tagging Them
    155. Bring Back the Library
    156. Add Cool Visual Effects to Stacks
    157. Always See File Info
    158. Create One-Click Shortcuts
    159. Quickly Move Toolbar Icons
    160. Delete iCloud Files (Without Going Insane)
    161. Shrink PDF Files
    162. Turn On Key Repeat
    163. Save Text Snippets
    164. Hide Files
    165. Supertip: Make Better Screenshots
    166. Set Movie Thumbnails
    167. Create a Clever Color Picker
    168. Back Up Without a Time Machine Disk
    169. Make the Dock Really, Really Small
    170. Get a Better Stack List
    171. Supertip: Make Finder Your Hub
    172. Hide Every Single Window
    173. Work Better with Column View
    174. Maximize iTunes Windows
    175. See All Your Mac Knows About Somebody
    176. Print Wall Calendars
    177. Keep a Folder Update Log
    178. Start Terminal in an Instant
    179. Enable Apache and PHP
    180. Change Preview Markup Colors
    181. Download Files Fuss-Free
    182. Hide a File from Spotlight
    183. Create Groups of Contacts
    184. Calm a Bouncing Dock Icon
    185. Spawn New Finder Windows
    186. Pool Printers for Quick Printing
    187. View Photo or Movie’s Hidden Info
    188. Supertip: Be a Quick Look Power User
    189. Print via Drag and Drop
    190. Be Ultra-Accurate with Spotlight
    191. Jump Between Views in Finder
    192. Reset Hardware Settings
    193. Force-Open a Document
    194. See What Free Disk Space There Is
    195. Find Forgotten Passwords
    196. Get the Size of Multiple Files
    197. Manage Projects with Colors
    198. Make Movies, Screencasts, and Podcasts
    199. Print from Finder
    200. Add an Eject Button
    201. Access Hidden Menu Options
    202. Instantly Search Google
    203. Enhance Your Login Picture with Visual Effects
    204. Make the Mouse Cursor Big
    205. View a Cover Flow of Calendar Events
    206. Supertip: Application Switching
    207. Lock Files for Safety
    208. Correct Your Mac’s Dictionary
    209. Make the Volume Ultra-Quiet
    210. View Application Icons Close-Up
    211. Hack Dashboard/Mission Control Backgrounds
    212. View Tech Info When Logging In
    213. Send Somebody a Listing of your Forthcoming Events
    214. Boot via an Apple Remote
    215. Organize Mail by Color Schemes
    216. Stop Automatic File Opening
    217. Create Encrypted Archives for All Computers
    218. Look Up Words Instantly
    219. Turn Off Download “Quarantining”
    220. Where Does This File Live?
    221. Cut Rather Than Copy Files
    222. Avoid the Spring-Load Wait
    223. Print Envelopes
    224. Turn Off Drag and Drop
    225. Quickly Upload Files Using Safari
    226. Map an Address You’ve Been Sent
    227. Install Apps on All Your Macs
    228. Move the Cursor When Using Page Up/Page Down
    229. Jump Around Open/Save Dialog Boxes
    230. Regain Control of a Crashed Mac
    231. Turn a Clipboard Image into a File
    232. Leap Around the Desktop via the Keyboard
    233. Make Email Desktop Shortcuts
    234. Check Your Mac’s Warranty
    235. Secure Your Mac by Locking It
    236. Switch Which App Edits a File You’re Working On
    237. Supertip: Take Control of PDFs
    238. Edit Movies
    239. Eject a Stuck CD/DVD Disc
    240. Cue Through Movies Using Your Fingertips
    241. Take a Picture of the Screen
    242. Ignore a Software Update
    243. Generate Font Samples
    244. Send iMessages from Within Contacts
    245. Instantly View a Command’s Man Page
    246. Autocomplete Words
    247. Make the Dock Show Only Running Programs
    248. Create a “Recent Items” Stack
    249. Personalize the Mission Control Highlight
    250. Fix Broken Passwords
    251. Turn Off the Desktop
    252. Get Quick Access to System Preferences
    253. Temporarily Toggle Dock Magnification
    254. Remove System Preferences Icons
    255. Speed Up Slow PDFs
    256. Turn Off Mail Sounds
    257. Supertip: Take Control of Zip Files
    258. Take Better Snapshots
    259. Select Text like a Pro
    260. Create Cool Dock Stacks
    261. Clean Caches for Smooth Running
    262. Turn the Numeric Keypad into a Launcher
    263. Open a Terminal Window Where You’re Browsing
    264. See Mini-Calendars in the Calendar App
    265. Install Only Printer Drivers and Not Their Add-Ins
    266. Reveal the Desktop
    267. Avoid Trackpad Confusion When a Mouse Is Used
    268. Send Somebody an App Link
    269. Copy Calculator Results
    270. Bookmark Images and PDFs
    271. Manually Manage Software Updates
    272. Add Blank Spaces to the Dock
    273. Work with Background Windows
    274. Find Files Created Today or Yesterday (and More)
    275. Download Any File via Safari
    276. View Two Weeks of Appointments
    277. Scrap the Mac Start-up Chime
    278. Supertip: Be a Mission Control Power User
    279. Switch Between App Windows
    280. Zoom Into the Desktop
    281. Quickly Rename a File
    282. Sleep Hard Disks Sooner
    283. Force a File to be Found via Spotlight
    284. Turn Off New Time Machine Disk Requests
    285. Add Your Own System Sounds
    286. Bulk Shrink, Rotate, or Flip Pictures in Preview
    287. Know When It’s Read-Only
    288. Quickly Email Text or Pics
    289. Quickly Create a New Sticky Note
    290. Open Finder When Saving or Opening Files
    291. Rename Sidebar Folders
    292. Choose Music—Via a Screensaver
    293. Know Whether a PDF Is Multipage at a Glance
    294. Grab Photos and Movies from Your iPhone/iPad
    295. Copy Web Pages to Disk
    296. Recycle Your Apple Hardware (and Get Paid!)
    297. Make Calendar Appointment Times Shorter
    298. Make Your Mac Speak
    299. Get the Most from the Mac Dictionary App
    300. Scroll Finder Windows Better
    301. See Numbers in Huge Type for Easy Jotting
    302. Always See Expanded Save Dialogs
    303. Check Your Grammar as You Type
    304. Cancel Dialog Boxes Instantly
    305. Supertip: Tweak the Dock’s Look and Feel
    306. Add Sketches to PDFs
    307. Prune the Right-Click Menu
    308. Quit Finder
    309. Undo File Operations
    310. Make a New Folder from Some Files
    311. Align Desktop Icons When Dragging
    312. See OS X Animations in Slow Motion
    313. Know Which Apps Are Hidden in the Dock
    314. Cancel Drag and Drop Mid-Move
    315. Make Time Machine Forget a File
    316. Use Multiple Twitter Accounts
    317. Connect to Stubborn Shared Folders or Servers
    318. View Another Country’s App Store
    319. Record Your Terminal Work
    320. Avoid Cluttering Network Shares with .DS_store Files
    321. Access a Secret Dock Visual Effect
    322. Get Better Trackpad Right-Clicking
    323. Convert Images into a PDF
    324. Make Only One Program Window Visible at a Time
    325. Add the Trash to Finder
    326. Save a Movie’s Audio
    327. Save PDFs Automatically to a Folder
    328. Copy and Paste Without the Formatting
    329. Create Secure Notes
    330. Make Use of Boot-Time Options
    331. Make a “Quit All” App
    332. Upgrade RAM
    333. Start GUI Apps from the Command Line
    334. Quickly Turn Emails into Docs
    335. Search Spotlight from Terminal
    336. Enable the Root User
    337. Wake Your MacBook If the Power Is Attached
    338. Pass Command-Line Output to GUI Apps
    339. Supertip: Turn Off OS X Features
    340. Use Option or Command for Shortcuts
    341. Use a Gesture to See App Windows
    342. Change Alias Destinations
    343. Re-create the Dock from Scratch
    344. Reorder the “Menulets”
    345. Wake Troublesome Macs
    346. View the True Size of an Image
    347. Convert Audio and Video Files
    348. Extend Quick Look’s File Knowledge
    349. Use a Hidden Stacks Animation
    350. Google Highlighted Text
    351. Use a Secret Gesture to Switch Spaces
    352. Find Out Where a File Came From
    353. Create a Login Message
    354. Use the “Linen” Background on the Desktop
    355. Start Time Machine at the Command Line
    356. Repair Disk Problems
    357. Tear Off Tabs
    358. Move Time Machine to a Larger Disk
    359. Let Spotlight Search More Files
    360. Supertip: Optimize Screen Sharing
    361. Diagnose Network Problems
    362. Create Font Families
    363. Speed Up Making SSH/SFTP/FTP Connections
    364. Add Your Signature to Docs
    365. Speed Up Mail
    366. Search for System Files
    367. Set the Default Operating System
    368. Dump a Snapshot of Your Mac
    369. Search for Carriage Returns and Tabs
    370. Work Better in Sunlight
    371. Be Clever in Open/Save Dialog Boxes
    372. Make Terminal Delete Words Like Other OS X Apps
    373. Whiz Around Save As Dialogs
    374. Accessing iCloud Without a Mac
    375. Browse Old Time Machine Disks
    376. Explore Within a Website Using Safari
    377. Reorder Finder Sidebar Headings
    378. Switch Tabs Quickly
    379. Quickly Adjust Preferences for Any App
    380. Grab Files from Your Mac While Miles Away
    381. Move Back and Forward in Apps
    382. Play Games
    383. Run X11 (XQuartz) Apps Full-Screen
    384. Get Cool Wallpapers from Screensaver Packages
    385. See What Disk Space Is Taken Up by Media
    386. Switch Dashboard Back to Overlay Mode
    387. Tweak iTunes Visualizations
    388. Add Finder to Launchpad
    389. Create an Instant Wired Network Between Macs
    390. Use Full-Color Emoticons
    391. Supertip: Be a TextEdit Power User
    392. Migrate from Windows to Mac Without Losing Data
    393. Shrink and Expand Fonts in Docs and Emails
    394. Use Safari While Booted to the Recovery System
    395. Expand QuickTime Player’s Knowledge of File Types
    396. Read Apple Manuals for Your Products
    397. Use a Non-Apple Keyboard with Your Mac
    398. Connect to Network Shares at Login
    399. Invert a Selection of Files
    400. Open Duplicates of Dashboard Widgets
    401. Cue Second-by-Second in Movies
    402. Turn a Website into an App
    403. Use Quick Look to Skim Sites
    404. Create a New Folder Anywhere
    405. Grab Files from FTP Servers Using Finder
    406. Turn Off the Caps Lock Key
    407. Make Keyboard Lighting Work
    408. See the Condition of Your Battery at a Glance
    409. Magnify Sections of Photos or PDFs Easily
    410. Tell Your Mac to Do Things
    411. Use Three Fingers and Revolutionize Your Mac Use
    412. Use AirDrop Even on Incompatible Macs
    413. Supertip: Get Some Must-Have Mac Apps
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Product information

  • Title: Mac Kung Fu, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: November 2012
  • Publisher(s): Pragmatic Bookshelf
  • ISBN: 9781937785079