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I’ve seen a few articles this week suggesting that a larger monitor may be a better upgrade than a faster computer. I recently bought a 24 inch flat panel monitor from Dell to use with my G4 Powerbook and I’ve been impressed with how much easier it makes things.

You don’t really realize how many windows you have open at a time until you have the extra space to display them. I’m finding that having the large monitor lets me spread things out and it is much easier to jump back and forth between a web browser and terminal window because I can just change where my eyes are looking instead of selecting a different window.

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Most of the time OS X runs well without much intervention. However there are times when you want to do some cleaning, run automated maintenance at unusual times, or change settings that aren’t readily accessible from the user interface. Since OS X is based on a form of Unix, all of these things can be accomplished at the command line. However for most people, the command line isn’t very friendly. Not only is it hard to find the right command, but it can be very easy to make mistakes. OnyX solves many of these issues by giving you a clean interface to many of OS X’s internals. (more…)

In a previous article we looked at a way to hack a QFX file (Quicken’s version of OFX) to trick Qucken for Mac into letting you import at file from a bank that doesn’t pay extra money to Quicken for Mac support. Here we are going to examine a few ways to automate that process.

Since OS X is based on a form of Unix you have access to many of the Unix command line tools. Specifically, OS X supports sed, which is a utility for manipulating text files. The following two sed commands will make the necessary replacements in a QFX file.

Here is a script that will make the changes to any number of files passed in on the command line. (Shown as an image to keep wordpress from mangling the code.)

You can download the script here: sed_script.txt

By using automator, you can make it so you have the ability to option click on a QFX file and tell Automator to make the necessary changes.

Here is an example of that that looks like in the automator application:

Once this is setup correctly, you should be able to option click on your QFX file and see the following menu item to Process QFX:

After seeing my original post, Matthew Ryan sent me the following email:

Mark - I wrote to you a couple weeks ago thanking you for your QFX for Mac article on your web site, and wondering if you had an automated solution. You were kind enough to send me a shell script that handles the task.

I took your script, and wrapped it up as an AppleScript that does the following:

1 - Uses your Unix command to edit the file with the WaMu ID.

2 - Launches Quicken and imports the QFX file.

3 - Automatically deletes the original QFX and converted version after the import.

I am attaching the AppleScript here for your review. If you have any comments or changes, feel free to make them. And if you wish to make this available for download on your site, I give you complete permission to do so with no restrictions.

Mac users have been screwed by Intuit for way too long, so I appreciate you effort in coming up with a solution to the issue. I’ve been using the AppleScript daily for a week now, and it’s really convenient.

- Matthew Ryan

You can download a zipped copy of his file here: QFX Convert You will probably need to tweak it to make it work on your system. Thanks Matthew!

Between the Automator method and Matthew’s Applescript, you should be able to create a solution that minimizes any extra steps to import QFX files.

A few readers have said they had problems getting this method to work with investment accounts. It is possible that you’ll need the bank id numbers from a bank with an investment account option to make it work. If anyone finds numbers that work, please feel free to leave them in the comments.

Picture this: you are working in your home office, maybe in the basement or on 2nd floor, your wife (or husband) is cooking dinner, and the kids are screaming, but you are oblivious to it. Maybe you have some music on, or are just too far removed from the “action”. Your wife, needing some assistance, calls you once, then twice, and finally storms into your office wondering why are ignoring her. Sound familiar? This no longer happens in our house since I setup a way for my wife to signal me remotely, using X10 technology. (more…)

I subscribe to quite a few podcasts. Since I have virtually no commute time, I only get caught up listening to everything on my iPod when I go on a long trip every few months. I’ve found that the default setup for listening to podcasts doesn’t work very well for this type of listening. Out of the box iTunes and the iPod work well if you are listening to all of your subscriptions a few times each week. If you only listen once each month the podcasts can be hard to manage. Here are two tips that will help manage your podcasts in iTunes. (more…)

Technology is once again changing the face of personal entertainment. Not long ago, the only place one could go to experience epic stories brought to life on a big screen with heart pounding acoustics was the local movie theater. Today, with the growing commonality of big screen TVs utilizing new technologies such as plasma and LCD projection, as well as home theater surround-sound systems, one can experience this in the comfort of home. (more…)

Vonage offers an interface that allows you to setup calls using a simple web urls that make calls to https://secure.click2callu.com. There is software that makes use of this interface like the add in for Outlook that lets you click on a number and dial it. In this article we are going to look at how this works behind the scenes and make a simple address book where you can click on a number to have it dialed. (more…)

Long ago, software companies enforced copy protection by requiring that the original product CD be inserted with each usage. When copying CDs in their entirety became commonplace, the software giants turned to other methods, mostly centered around internet-based authentication. However, when I installed several games for my son on our new computer, I found that the old practice still persisted. Several games made by different manufacturers all required that the CD be inserted to run them. Since he is too young to be handling CDs, I was motivated to find a solution to this problem. (more…)

A farmer and his wife visited the fair each year. One of the attractions was a pilot who would give passengers a short ride in his bi-plane for five dollars. The farmer wanted to ride the plane, but every year his wife would say, “five dollars is five dollars”. After 7 years, the pilot offered the farmer a deal. He said, “If you and your wife can go the entire ride without making a sound I’ll give the the ride for free.” The farmer and his wife were delighted with this offer and climbed aboard.

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In the past I’ve been stuck using Nextel for mobile internet access. Nextel service seems to work ok, but it is very slow, has limited coverage, costs $79 per month, doesn’t support Bluetooth, requires third-party software to work with OS X. So when I had an opportunity to switch to a different carrier I went with T-mobile because they have Bluetooth phones and because they offer unlimited internet access for $20 per month when added to an existing cell phone plan. (more…)