Macbook Air problems with Motorola cable modem (Surfboard 6580) - solved

I've just solved a pesky problem with our Motorola cable modem (Surfboard SBG6580). For a month now, my Macbook Air's internet connection was giving me grief. The main symptom was the very slow loading of pages like Google. The browser kept telling me that it was still "Resolving hostname," which was puzzling because our internet provider actually uses Google DNS.

The problem is an incompatibility between the firewall of the Motorola cable modem (DOCSIS 3.0 specifications) and the Macbook Air's built-in firewall. To solve it, you just turn off either firewall (that is, either turn off your Macbook's firewall or your cable modem's firewall).

Caution though. Turning off the firewall on your cable modem may result to attacks from the internet. So you have to understand what's happening. Simply put, a firewall is a "shield" that makes it hard for external computers (ie., hackers) from getting inside your home network. You have two main options:

• Option A. Turn off your Macbook Air's firewall. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > click the lock icon (lower left corner) > enter your password > click Turn Off Firewall. (Read Caveat, below.)
• Option B. Turn off your Motorola cable modem's firewall. Login to your cable modem's admin page. You typically do this by opening your browser and typing the IP address of your cable modem (usually 192.168.0.1) at the URL box. Then type your admin username and password. Click Firewall on top of the page and choose "Off" in the dropdown labeled IPv4 Firewall Protection. Some also recommend unchecking IP Flood Detection, but it's up to you to do some tests whether this helps or not (I'm still testing mine as of this writing. So far my tests indicate that leaving it checked does not slow down my connection). Check the Motorola SB6580 User Guide here for more details. (Read Caveat, below.)

Option A. Turn off your Macbook Air's firewall.

Option B. Turn off your cable modem's firewall.

CAVEAT

Caveat for Option A. Turning off your Macbook's firewall makes your files and system vulnerable when you connect to another network (eg, in an internet cafe).

Caveat for Option B. Turning off the firewall on your cable modem will make all computers and devices vulnerable to external attackers.

Until Motorola or the DOCSIS specifications solve the conflict, this solution will have to do for me. Hope this solved your problem, too.

* * *

Behind the scenes. I nearly gave up on solving this problem since the real solution (that obscure Apple forum entry) didn't turn up in the usual searches. The initial keywords I used ("problems with Motorola 6580) led me to the wrong track that led me to the wild goose chase of checking signal strength and fixing cable connections.

What finally gave me a breakthrough was the realization that the other network users (mostly Macbooks and a Windows machine) weren't experiencing the slowdown. This led me to a new track and restarted by searching for "Problems with Macbook Air and Motorola 6580" that finally led me to the solution from an obscure entry in the Apple community forums.

This just goes to show that I need to constantly reexamine my assumptions. And that perseverance pays off, eventually. After surfing the internet and reading bulletin boards, I thought the problem was a weak signal coming from the cable provider OR a problem with the cabling. A long process of elimination with some experimenting eventually led me to a solution hidden in

How to delete passwords typed in wrong box

Have you experienced this? In your rush to login, you mistakenly enter your password in the username box. And now your password is visible in the browser for other users to see. What do you do? Use this nifty trick you learned from MacSwitched.

Annoying mistake, ain't it? You can delete it without deleting your whole cache.

Solution: In the drop down, hover your mouse over the erring item, then click Shift-fn-delete and voila! No more cached password in clear text.

I used to have to delete my cache -- tedious and annoying. But now this trick saves the day!

How to move iTunes music and playlists to another computer

You just bought a new computer and now you want to move your iTunes music and playlists from the old computer to the new one.

Turning on Home Sharing

This Apple support page contains several migration methods, but I prefer the Home Sharing option because it's easier (works for iTunes 9 and above -- mine is version 11).  If you have lower versions, manually moving the files may be better for you. Check out this apple support page: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

To do the Home Sharing method, just turn on Home Sharing on the old computer. Click File > Home Sharing. Enter your Apple ID.

Go to your new computer, click Store > Authorize this computer. Enter the Apple ID you used in your old computer.

Authorizing a computer in iTunes

Now turn on Home Sharing on your new computer. File > Home Sharing (use the same Apple ID you used earlier). Next, view the right bar of your new iTunes. Your old library should now show up. Click the arrow to expand the items. Click one of the songs in the main window and then click Edit > Select All. Then at the lower right window, click the Import button. This will import all songs to your new iTunes.

Warning: This may take a while if you have an extensive collection and you're connected over slow wifi. 

Exporting Libraries and Playlists

Lastly, transfer your playlists. In your old computer, click File > Library > Export Library. This outputs your library information into an XML file which you should save on your Desktop (to find it more quickly). Copy this file into your new computer using a thumb drive or by emailing to yourself (I used AirDrop since I had the feature on both Macs). Then, in your new computer's iTunes, click File > Library > Import Playlist.

The good thing about this method is that it works, even if you've already put music into your new computer.

How to make a smooth transition to the Mac

DON'T PANIC!

I used to think switching to a Mac would be like pulling your own teeth. I was a power Windows user for 20+ years before I made the switch to a Mac, so you understand my misgivings.

It turns out it making the switch was easier than I feared. If there's one thing Apple is good at doing, it's making things easier for users.

Here are three important websites containing guidance from none other than Apple, to help you switch smoothly from Windows to a Mac.

Switch 101: Migrating to Mac

This web page that contains handy tips to help you make the move: how to move your files from your PC, how to connect devices including printers, and get introduced to basic Mac software you will most likely be using immediately. Go to the Switch 101 page. 

Mac 101: Getting Started with the Mac

This one is a more basic introduction, for those whose first computer is a Mac. I would still recommend this to those switching from Windows, because it contains among others, a "grand tour of the Mac interface". Go to Mac 101 page.

Mac Essentials

Read this one to get a jumpstart of the most important things you need to know about the Mac -- a bit about the interface, a smattering of how to click, copy, paste, etc. Go to Mac Essentials page.

Connect to the Net using bluetooth and a Nokia phone

Little known, but powerful fact: you can use a Nokia phone as a modem to connect to the internet anywhere there's a 3G signal (in technical speak, this is GPRS). This will mean extra charges for your data usage, but, hey, in case of emergency, you'll probably need this.

The steps seem tedious, but if you have enough patience, you'll be rewarded with internet almost everywhere in the country. :)

Preparation

You'll need to have the following:

• A Nokia phone with a modem. Mine is an E51 and I think all of the "E" and "N" series have modems. check your manual to see if you have a modem). 
• Your phone configured to acces the internet through GPRS, 3G or Edge. (I use Globe. Ask your telco how to configure this, if you don't know how.)
• Bluetooth in your phone, or a USB cable. I prefer bluetooth so I don't have to carry around a cable, but cable is faster.  Make sure your Mac and phone are communicating through bluetooth. (You can do this by clicking on the Bluetooth icon in System Preferences and 
• MacOS Tiger (10.4) to Snow Leopard (mine is the latter, aka 10.6; the screens you'll see here are for Snow Leopard).

If you don't have an access point configured, read "No Access Point?" below:

I. Find your APN (access point name).

1. In your phone, go to Tools > Settings > Connection > Access points.
2. Click the Access Point that Globe sent you. This will probably be named myGlobe Internet unless you renamed it when you received the configuration info. Click this.
3. Write down the value inside "Access point name". Mine is internet.globe.com.ph.

II. Set up your Mac to use the phone modem.

1. In System Preferences, click Network Preferences. The left box contains your possible connection points. 
2. Click the + sign to add a new connection. Type a name for this connection. I called mine "Globe Nokia". Click the "Create" button. This brings you back to the main screen. (Screen 1, below)
3. In the Telephone number box, type *99# and click the Advanced... button. (Screen 2)
4. In the Modem tab, enter the following values and click OK. (Screen 3)
• Vendor: Nokia
• Model: GPRS (GSM/3G)
• APN: internet.globe.com.ph (Note: this is the value you found in Step I, above.)
• CID: 1 
5. In the main window of Network Preferences, click Apply.
6. Test your connection by clicking the Connect button. Make sure your phone and Mac Bluetooth devices are turned on.

Screen 1.

Screen 2.

Screen 3.

Tips: 

• Check the box beside "Show modem status in menu bar". This will display a telephone icon that you could click to quickly connect through your phone.
• If you use gmail, or google, type m.gmail.com or m.google.com to indicate "mobile". 

No Access Point? Try the following steps to set up an internet connection to Globe:

In your phone, go to Tools > Settings > Connection > Access points.

Click Options > New access point. You'll get the form to enter a new access point.

Put a Connection name. Example: Globe mobile internet

In Data bearer, choose Packet data.

In Access point name, type internet.globe.com.ph

Don't touch  Username, Prompt password, Password and Authentication.

I also leave Homepage blank -- this is the default page that your phone loads when it connects to the net. It will add to your data charges if you always load the default page, especially if it has big graphics.

A few years back, I didn't have the benefit of this Nokia webpage. Check it out for more information.

Share your tips on how you connect to the net, using your mobile devices.

Recording Skype Sessions using Free Apps

I finally had time to figure out how to record a Skype session using the free apps Soundflower,  LineIn and Audacity. 


Thanks to 360east.com for the original post that helped me set this up. The directions on the 360east blog are for using GarageBand as the recorder. Check it out, too. 


I decided to write more detailed instructions to make it easier for non-techies.  Here are the steps:

1. Download and install the following:

• Soundflower from Cycling 74.
• LineIn from Rogue Amoeba.
• Audacity from Sourceforge. This will be our recorder.

2. Configure the sound settings of your Mac. 

• Click the Apple icon > System Preferences > Sound Output. Choose Headphones (or Internal Speakers, if you're not using Headphones). See screenshot, below.

• In the same window, click Input. Choose Internal microphone. Close the window.

3. Configure Audacity.

• Run Audacity. In the menu, click Audacity > Preferences > Audio I/O. 
• Set Playback Device to Built-in Output.
• Set Recording Device to Soundflower (2ch)

4. Configure LineIn (we're almost there).

• Input from: Built-in Input
• Output to: Soundflower (2ch)
• IMPORTANT: Click the Pass Thru button before recording the call. On playback, turn it off (if you're wearing headphones, be careful as this may cause deafening feedback).

This redirects your microphone output to Soundflower, which in turn will be piped into Audacity. Using LineIn lets you record not just the people on the other side of the call, but also the sound coming through your mic.

5. Configure Skype (just a bit more patience).

• Run Skype and click Skype > Preferences > Audio/Video. (The picture below is Skype version 5.0)

• Set Microphone to Soundflower (2ch)
• Set Speakers to Soundflower (2ch)

This redirects your Skype session to Soundflower, which in turn redirects everything to Audacity (our recorder).

6. Run Soundflowerbed.

When you install Soundflower, you also install an App called Soundflowerbed residing in your /Applications folder. You can also use Spotlight to find it. 

Soundflowerbed shows up on the upper right menu bar of Mac OS X. 

• Check Built-in Output in the settings for Soundflower (2ch). 
• Important: Leave the 16ch off (or you may get deafening noise!). 

6. Hit the record button on Audacity.

7. Start your Skype session and have fun!

Using one iPod Touch on Two Computers

I've been meaning to solve this problem: my wife and I want to share one iPod Touch. From the menu of iTunes, I know that I could authorize several computers to use it. It turns out it's trickier than that.

If you want to do it, be careful as it may erase the content of your iPod Touch when you plug it into the second computer. The trick is to set your iTunes/iPod options to manually manage your device.

To do this, connect your device to the second computer. Open iTunes. Depending on the setup, iTunes will most probably prompt you to Cancel, Erase and Sync, and Transfer Purchases. BE CAREFUL HERE:  choose "Cancel".

Then, click your device in iTunes (left sidebar). Click the Summary tab. Scroll down to Options and click "Manually manage music and videos". That should do it.

For more details, read also this Apple Support page.

Installing RoR on Snow Leopard

The short of it: if you're on Mac OS X (Snow Leopard, in my case), the smoothest way to install RoR is through MacPorts. (Read the excellent instructions by Paul Sturgess).

* * *

Having lots of time to waste , I decided to continue studying RoR. Things have changed since I got my hands dirty with RoR. I'm now running Snow Leopard. RoR has kept maturing in the one-plus year that I stopped tinkering with RoR (had to do C# -- don't ask).

Anyway, I reasoned that the installation problems I encountered in Tiger were a result of Apple's outdated installation of MySQL and Apache. This time, I felt that the Snow Leopard team may have been thoughtful enough to resolve the old issues from Tiger days.

So I happily followed the steps outlined in http://rubyonrails.org/. Things worked well. I was able to create a web app in no time (applause) using SQLLite for my database and doing the blog exercise on the the rubyonrails.org website. However, as soon as I tried to shift to MySQL, my headaches started.

I downloaded the latest dmg file of MySQL. I got different errors when I tried to run rake db:create. RoR refused to create the database on MySQL as promised (it worked fine with SQLLite, the database that comes pre-packaged in RoR). The error messages alternated between the inability to create the database and a syntax error on the .yml file.

Googling revealed that the problem was common. Many solutions were proposed. I tried many of them too. Nothing worked. My RoR-guru-friend Kenneth kept bugging me to just use MacPorts. I told him this would be my last resort and gave myself a deadline.

That deadline has passed without any fruitful solution. So I have taken Kenneth's advice and gone on installing MySQL, Ruby, Rails and Gems on MacPorts.

* * *
Errors and solutions:

• Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/opt/local/var/run/mysql5/mysqld.sock' - This probably means that MySQL is not running. Start MySQL by typing this on the command line: 

sudo /opt/local/share/mysql5/mysql/mysql.server start

Useful links:

• Paul Sturgess's Guide to Installing RoR on Leopard - Found this entry update only after I went through MacPorts. This may be an easier and faster way of installing RoR and MySQL. 
• Absolute Moron's Guide to Capistrano - I was always wondering what the fuss on Capistrano was about. This is the simplest introduction I've read about it.
• Get Started on RoR Quickly - RoR is big on action, so the fastest way to start is just to try it. This is a link to the Ruby on Rails Guides. 
• Configuring MySQL and PHP in MacPorts - Helpful tips on those topics.
• Insight on the Problem from MacOSX Hints - Found this a bit too late. Some really good insights on the MySQL problem. 

(Thanks to Kenneth D. for helping me out in setting up RoR).

Multi-touch gestures

Starting from Snow Leopard and on to Mountain Lion, Mac OSX now features multi-touch gestures. Try them out -- it'll help save you time when working with the Macbook:

• Expose. I can do Expose now just by putting four fingers on the trackpad and dragging all four fingers downward (Expose displays all your active windows by fitting them into the screen).
• Switching apps: Place four fingers on the trackpad, just like in Expose, but drag left or right. The app switcher will show up as an overlay. Now touch one finger on the trackpad and point to the application you wish to bring up. 
• Show the desktop. If you have too many apps covering your Desktop, just do the reverse of the Expose gesture (four fingers, drag up). This will push away all your windows to reveal the Desktop.
• Zooming: I can zoom in and out of pictures, documents, even websites just by using a two-finger pinch. To zoom in, just pinch in and to zoom out, just pinch out. This may not be available to all applications, but just try. I was surprised that it worked on Chrome and Safari.
• Rotating: to rotate, I just touch the trackpad with two fingers and do a rotate gesture. 
• Next or previous pages: in Pages or Preview (PDF files), place three fingers on the trackpad and then drag them left to jump to the previous page, or drag right to jump to the next page. In a browser like Chrome, this will jump to the previous or next tab.
• It also has spaces, which I use to unclutter my desktop. For now, I use only two of the four default workspaces. One for work, one for my to-do lists and Stickies notes.

If you're new to Snow Leopard and your Macbook supports multi-touch gestures, try these. To find out more about gestures and multi-touch commands, click the Apple icon (upper left corner of your screen) > click System Preferences > Trackpad. Hover your mouse pointer over each command to see a video demo videos of the gestures (don't click, just hover). It's faster to learn this way.

If you wish to activate the gesture, put a check on the box. If not, then uncheck the box.

Ctrl in Windows is Cmd in Mac

There are two most common questions by Mac switchers:

• How to right-click (there is only one clicker bar on the old Macbooks and the new aluminum Macbooks don't even have them) on a Mac.
• How to do copy-paste or cut-and-paste on a Mac (or Ctrl-C, Ctrl-X, Ctrl-V or Ins in Windows).

The first question is answered in this blog post on how to right-click.

The second question's answer is simply to substitute Ctrl with the "command" key on the Mac. There are two of these, one on either side of the spacebar. So if on Windows you do Ctrl-C to copy, just do a Command-C or Cmd-C. Here's a quick summary:

• Copy: Ctrl-C = Cmd-C
• Paste: Ctrl-V = Cmd-V
• Cut: Ctrl-X = Cmd-X

Connecting Mac OS X to a Windows Printer

Here is how to connect Mac OS X (Tiger 10.4 or Leopard 10.5) to a printer that is attached to a Windows computer on a Windows network.

Scenario: You've got an existing network setup that includes a printer attached to a computer in a Windows network.

Preparation:

• Your printer must already be shared on the Windows network.
  
• Also find out the printer's shared name, the name of the computer that is on the Windows network, and the printer brand and model.
  
• Be ready with your printer drivers for Mac. If you don't have them, try googling keywords like "Mac OS X printer driver for [insert brand and model here]" or "PPD drivers for [brand and model].
• If the printer driver is not available, read number 5, below.
  

1. Install the printer drivers on your Mac.

2. Click the Apple icon and go to System Preferences > Print and Fax.

3. Under the printer list, look for the button with the plus sign and click that. This will pop up the Add printer dialog box.

4. Click IP Printer.

5. Fill the boxes using the following specs. In the items below, the values in bold represent sample names. Substitute your own computer names and printer names.

Protocol: Line Printer Daemon - LPD
Address: MyComputer
[Note: Do not add slashes. Just put the computer name. You may also use the IP address of the shared computer, but this is not recommended, specially if you use dynamic hosting or DHCP.]

Queue: MyPrinter
[Note: This is the shared name of your printer. You should find this in your Windows computer by looking at the properties of your shared printer]

Name: [The system will automatically fill this in.]

Location: Optional

Print Using: [This is where you enter your select your printer's model number. If you installed the driver beforehand, you should see it in the list. If the drivers are not available, try using Generic Postscript Printer].

6. Close and try to test print.

If this does not work out, you may try to install Gutenprint (just google it).

Print Photos Directly from iPhone/iPod Touch

If you have an iPhone or have photos in iPod Touch, you can now print directly to a printer by using an App from HP.

Excerpt from NYT:

After installing the app on your iPhone or iPod Touch, you can output 4-by-6-inch photos on H.P. printers connected to a Wi-Fi network in one step.

Read full story here.

Back to Firefox for Mac (or Firefox vs. Safari)

Okay, I got frustrated with Safari, so I switched to Firefox. Here's why.

Gmail just got slower and slower in Safari as Google added more features to it. Since I use Gmail heavily, I needed to solve this problem. I found a solution here but in the course of looking for a workaround, I started using FF again and the FF habit came back.

Anyway. I was a heavy FF user (something carried over from my Windoze days), testing the Safari waters slowly. When Safari 3 came out, I was impressed. Safari loaded faster than FF.

However, I noticed that in the long run, Safari slowed down in some websites I used heavily (like the BBC website), while FF performed well.

So now I'm waiting for Safari to catch up. I like Safari because it has better bookmarking features, allows private browsing and has generally a simpler and easier to use interface. But if it continues to drag my surfing down, then FF is just a click away.

Pastebud: Simple Copy-Paste Solution for iPhone/iPod Touch

Found this while surfing for the latest updates on the iPod Touch.

"pastebud enables round-trip copy and paste on your iPhone or iPod Touch, between the two applications that matter the most: Mail and Safari. And through a clever combination of web services and bookmarklets, it does it without requiring a jailbreak or App Store download."

No jailbreak, no app download. pastebud has its limitations, but it serves simple copy-paste needs. When oh when will Apple give us true inter-app copy-pasting?

For instructions on how to use it, visit pastebud.com.

Better Google in iPhone/iPod Touch

I've been using the iPod Touch to browse Gmail and Google Calendar, so I don't know why I missed this important new feature.

Google has an improved version available for the iPod Touch/iPhone.



And you can get it up and running just by using the iPod/iPhone Safari browser to visit Google.com. Log in and click Gmail or any of the default apps available. And voila! Better Google for mobile gadgets. .Full story here.

Fixing Slow Gmail in Safari, Mac OSX

At times, Gmail has been taking the longest time to send my mail messages. It does not matter whether the mail has a heavy file with it or a short note. It just slows down. And this occurs both in Safari and Firefox. 

After doing some googling, I found this fix. Apparently, the slowness is happening because of Gmail 2.0's interface. Solution? Just use the old Gmail 1.0 interface by typing this link instead: https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1

So if you're having a slow Gmail connection on your Mac, try this!

Using iPod Touch as iTunes Remote

Thanks to iPod Software 2.0, I can do more with my iPod Touch. One neat way is to use my iPod Touch as a remote.
Make sure you have Software 2.0 installed in your iPod Touch and your iTunes playlists shared.

To share your iTunes playlist:

1. Click on iTunes Preferences.
2. Click the Sharing icon.
3. Check "Share my library on my local network".
4. Click OK.

Next, download Remote from the App Store:

1. In iTunes, go to the App Store (click Applications and click "Get more applications" in the lower right of the iTunes window).
2. Look for the app called "Remote" and download it. 
3. Install in your iPod Touch.
   

Now go to your iPod Touch and tap on Remote. Follow the easy instructions in your iPod Touch. Once you're connected, you'll see the playlists shared in your computer. You can browse and play any of the songs available.

iPod Touch Karaoke

Add lyrics to your songs and display them in iPod Touch.

I discovered this by accident, while updating the album covers of my collection. To add song lyrics, go to iTunes. Click a song and then press Command-i (get info). Click the "Lyrics" tab and paste the song lyrics there. Sync with your iPod Touch.

Now listen to the song in iPod Touch. While the song is playing, tap the screen. The lyrics will now be displayed in scrollable format.

I get my song lyrics by browsing on the web and copy-pasting.

How to "Turn Off" Autospell in iPod/iPhone

Scenario: You're using iPod Touch or iPhone to type non-English messages, OR you like using SMS shortcuts (like "wer r u?") and you find the Autospell feature annoying. 

Right now, there is no way to turn off Autospell, but there's a workaround.

Workaround: Use an International Keyboard.

Go to iPod/iPhone Settings > Keyboard > International Keyboards and turn on one of the other non-English keyboards (mine is set on Spanish).  Then, when you use the virtual keyboard, you can switch to the Spanish keyboard, which will pretty much let you type whatever you wish to type. To switch to the Spanish keyboard, press the globe icon near 123 and the dot "." key.

How to Right Click and Ctrl-C in a Mac

Switching from Windows to Mac has its jarring moments. Among the first things that will jolt you are the lack of a second mouse button on the Macbook touchpad and the Apple mice; and the fact that Ctrl-C does not copy anything in a Mac. (You probably found this blog entry looking for a way to do a right-click, right?)

So let me give the emergency relief to you and write other useful tips after.

• To do a right-click: Press and hold down the ctrl key and then click the mouse or touchpad button.
• Alternately, you may also right-click using the multi-touch trackpad. First, position the pointer over the link or button you wish to right-click. Press the trackpad with your index finger. While holding the first finger down, tap another finger on the the track pad (try your middle finger). This will generate a right-click. BUT you need to activate this feature. Open System Preferences > Trackpad. In Trackpad Gestures, check the box for "Tap trackpad using two fingers for secondary click."
  
• The equivalent of a Ctrl-C in a Mac is Command-C (or Cmd-C for short). The command key, by the way, is that key with the Apple icon and the strange square with four outward loops (⌘).
  
• Bear in mind that most "Ctrl" shortcuts on Windows can be substituted with the "Cmd" key. Example, Ctrl-V in Windows (shortcut for paste) is Cmd-V in Mac.
  

Switching to a Mac requires some patience at the start. After all, some things you do in Windows are done differently in a Mac. And although at first you may get frustrated with this "cultural change", you'll realize that tasks in Mac are actually simpler than in Windows. Plus Mac does not let you do some Windows commands simply to protect you from hurting yourself :). (More on this in future posts).

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Coming up next:

Top 5 things you need to do after you've switched from Windows to Mac.