Random things you've discovered about your Mac/Macbook

Soldato
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Probably doesn't warrant a whole new thread :o but I just found that if I hold Shift while pressing F3/F4 for Expose/Dashboard, it happens in slow motion. Not sure what the point is, but it looks cool!

Anyone else found any stupid things like this by accident?
 
I used to do printing and it was loads of quark/photoshop stuff. Holding down all different shortcut keys all the time, I'd often unwittingly minimise/maximise something while still holding down shift and it'd happen in slow motion.

It took me literally over two years to twig what it was that made it happen :D

Other odd little bits I've found out or been shown...

• If you go to about this Mac and click on where it says Version 10.6.4 or whatever, twice, it shows you the serial number. Handy.

• You can drag a folder that you're in by the tiny little folder icon at the top of the window. A customer misunderstood me and did it, and it worked, so I just didn't say anything :D

• I was impressed that you can exposé within Spaces, I tried that straight away but didn't expect it to work for some reason

• If you hover over a date or phone number or address in an email in Mail, it gives you the option to add it to iCal, add it to Address Book, or look it up in Google Maps

There's loads more but those spring to mind straight away
 
Command + Click on the folder/name at the top of a Finder window and it shows you all folders above it up to the root of the drive.
 
You can download streaming flash videos from most video sites (including youtube) by pressing Command + option + a

this brings up a list of all resources in use by that webpage including the .flv file

Double left click and it downloads the flv file directly to your downloads folder. No 3rd party software required !

Usefull on other streaming flash sites that there isnt 3rd party software for too.
 
You can download streaming flash videos from most video sites (including youtube) by pressing Command + option + a

this brings up a list of all resources in use by that webpage including the .flv file

Double left click and it downloads the flv file directly to your downloads folder. No 3rd party software required !

Usefull on other streaming flash sites that there isnt 3rd party software for too.

Nice, I like that one
 
One quirk my MBP has its inability to recover from apps crashing.

Take last night - iTunes crashed. So I quit it. Opened it. It crashed. Sigh! Have noticed similar with other apps. Finder requires no less than an OS X restart if it crashes. Stupid -10800 or whatever error if I restart just Finder.
 
Click and hold a window, then press Ctrl + <number> to move that application straight to that space. A little cumbersome since it needs two hands, but can be quicker than trying to drag it there.
 
Click and hold a window, then press Ctrl + <number> to move that application straight to that space. A little cumbersome since it needs two hands, but can be quicker than trying to drag it there.

I was just going to ask how you did that but in a better way. I know Ubuntu has a great little feature where you click on the running program in the taskbar and say "Send to workspace 3" or "Send to the right". Apple should implement such an option in the dock.

P.S. An easier way - press F8 to show all your spaces and then drag the app from space to space. Seems easier than having to do yoga with your fingers. :D
 
Click and hold a window, then press Ctrl + <number> to move that application straight to that space.

Does nothing in default configuration. Is it something you have to specifically configure in control panel?

P.S. An easier way - press F8 to show all your spaces and then drag the app from space to space.

Does nothing to spaces. F8 is pause/play button, so pressing it just starts playback of whatever you have open in the background.
 
Does nothing to spaces. F8 is pause/play button, so pressing it just starts playback of whatever you have open in the background.

Not on my system. F8 shows all spaces windows. Have you got Spaces enabled in its preferences pane? :confused:
 
In the shell: launchd/launchctl, mdfind, open

You can use editor shortcuts like Ctrl K in most GUI text fields.

Alt Up/Down moves focus to first/last in GUI list type things.

Alt in menus often reveals alternate/advanced choices.
 
Does nothing in default configuration. Is it something you have to specifically configure in control panel?

In the exposé and spaces part of System Preferences you can switch it on. Can't remember for the life of me if it's switched on by default but I was sure it was.

20101003-xpxw5ybsibagwc65c8jwp1gjdq.png


Does nothing in default configuration. Is it something you have to specifically configure in control panel?



Does nothing to spaces. F8 is pause/play button, so pressing it just starts playback of whatever you have open in the background.

fn & F8 will do it :)



Not on my system. F8 shows all spaces windows. Have you got Spaces enabled in its preferences pane? :confused:

You have the older keyboard layout. Those features are overridden by the iTunes features printed on the keys. On your machine fn & F8 will play/pause, on newer ones it's the other way round. You can swap it around in System Preferences.
 
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