216: The Hokey Pokey

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Topics:

• Joe talks about slow systems that have not been upgraded.

• Joe offers a PSA: it's not possible to create an iCloud.com email address beginning with a number, but the Mac doesn't specify the error when it fails for this reason. Thankfully, the error message was specified on the iPhone. Also, there's a limit of three iCloud accounts created per device from a Mac, iPhone, or iPad.

• Joe talks about building a Frankenstein MacBook Pro that needed the firmware password reset. Mac EFI Reset Tool to the rescue!

• Jerry mentions delaminating screens and Staingate.

• Joe mentions yet another PSA about it being impossible to turn off two-factor on some Apple IDs created in iOS 10.3 or macOS 10.12.4.

• Sam talks about a VMWare Fusion issue, resolved by turning off the floppy drive... in 2017?!

• We compare the movie Inception to connecting remotely into a Mac running a virtual machine.

• Sam follows up about logging into any standard user from the login window by using the admin account.

• We discuss client confusion when setting up Touch ID. Locating the Touch ID sensor behind the screen (a possibility recently discussed on Accidental Tech Podcast) might make this much more clear for clients.

• Sam discusses feeling like one of his clients – sitting with his Mac in front of the TV, his Mac became haunted... tune in to find out how he exorcised the daemons.

• Joe wonders what listeners are recommending for antivirus.

• Joe discusses issues he's seen with malware such as Linky Search changing the homepage in Safari and making it difficult to change or reset.

• Jerry and Joe discuss the remote power switch capabilities of WattBox and the OvrC app. Thanks to listener Ryan Grimes for the great recommendation!

• Joe outlines his network failover configuration: main router fails over to WAN2 if WAN1 is down for a few minutes. WattBox power cycles both WAN 1 and WAN 2 modems if WAN still down a couple more minutes. The Cable Modem and Cellular Modem reboot if search engines are unreachable. The Router reboots if search engines and the router are unreachable. (Time Capsule reboots weekly.)

209: Nights of the Residential Roundtable - Part Two

Meet our guests for the Residential Roundtable discussion:

Adam Rice - With 18 years' experience in IT, web development, and project management, Adam solves technology problems and design technology solutions for home users and small businesses. He also coaches individuals in time & task management and organization.
http://adamrice.org
@adamriceorg

Andy Espo of Call Andy Macintosh Consulting - With small business and high-end residential as their market focus, Call Andy Macintosh Consulting provides strategic technology and process management consulting along with installation and support for Macintosh computers, iOS deployment and networks.
http://www.callandy.com
@andyespo

Remie Cremers of Super Remie - Remie has been using Apple products since 2008 and loved it so much that he decided to make a job out of it.  In 2013 he started Super Remie.  Whether you need advice, a workshop, or a complete installing of all of your hard- and software, he's your man.
https://superremie.nl
@RemieCremers

184: New MacBook Pro Observations -Be Fun All The Time

- Joe's setup: MacBook Pro USB C connected to OWC USB-C Dock: connected to Gigabit Ethernet and two USB devices (speakers and iPad charger). Also powers MacBook Pro. Includes USB-C port on dock, to which I intended to connect AllSmartLife USB C Type to Mini DisplayPort adapter, but it doesn't work when plugged into the dock (but does work when plugged directly into Mac).

- OWC is accepting pre-orders for OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock which adds mini DisplayPort built-in, as well as FW800 and digital audio out.

- Joe observes: Touch ID on the new MacBook is great, and perhaps worth the difference in price vs. the "MacBook Escape" but it doesn't seem to know about Standard users. It prompts for Touch ID when system needs admin authentication, even though I run as a Standard user and my admin account isn't yet set up for Touch ID. 1Password integration is great.

- Joe observes: Touch Bar is a bit distracting, but maybe it's based on the way I type. It keeps changing from text formatting to word suggestions because I have a habit of selecting and deselecting blocks of text when I'm typing and editing.

Rocket - Quick launcher for Touch Bar

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084: New Year's Resolutions 2015, Part 2

Recorded live on January 6, 2015

Many thanks to our sponsor this week, Watchman Monitoring. We use and highly recommend Watchman Monitoring. Sign up for your free trial at watchmanmonitoring.com/cmdctrlpwr.  New Year promotion for people who subscribe: and add the agent to any 20 computers in 30 days and get Custom Branding for 1/2 off.

Topic:

- Business Resolutions for the New Year

081: Three French Wrens

Recorded live on December 16, 2014

Thanks to Smile, makers of PDFPen Scan+, for sponsoring this week's Command Control Power! Visit smilesoftware.com/restart to learn more.

Topics:

- Jerry recommends treating yourself to a second MagSafe Power Adapter: one for your mobile kit and one for your desk

- Jerry also recommends the Wren V5AP AirPlay Speaker,  the Wirecutter's best AirPlay speaker

- TeamViewer 10 followup

- Mike Kingsley recommended using Screen Sharing app and entering the client's Apple ID to request permission to share their screen; works with 10.10 clients; another prompt to control their screen; doesn't share your Apple ID with them – all you need is their Apple ID

- Joe recommends Philips Hue, the Hue Server app, and Indigo

- Sam recommends the Schlage door lock

- check out Sam's Peachpit courses!

080: "Smart" apostrophe

Recorded live on December 9, 2014

Many thanks to our sponsor this week, Watchman Monitoring. We use and highly recommend Watchman Monitoring. Sign up for your free trial at watchmanmonitoring.com/cmdctrlpwr and tweet @cmdctrlpwr #CCPsentme to support the show! Here's an example of a smart Watchman alert: "Battery condition has changed to Service Battery." Let your client know they need to replace their battery before their next trip!

Topics:

- Joe found that "smart" apostrophe (actually a right single curved quotation mark) in the Computer Name caused a client's Time Machine backup to fail; replacing it with an actual apostrophe (straight single quote) fixed it

- Jerry expresses frustrations when trying to walk a client through initiating a "spontaneous" screen sharing session and walks us through some alternatives to TeamViewer and finds the free trial of join.me to be easiest

- Jerry's client is tickled to teach him something

- Jerry's analogy about where the space on his MacBook Air is going: it's like "the help" stealing silverware piece by piece for a year until Thanksgiving comes and you only have place settings for two and a half

- Time Machine's Local Snapshots (Mobile Backups) can take up space and fail to be removed:
sudo tmutil disablelocal
sudo mv /.MobileBackups.trash /Trashme

- OmniDiskSweeper, DaisyDisk, WhatSize will not see the .MobileBackups folder unless run as root

- Joe's client deliberates for so long about upgrading iCloud storage (to enable iCloud Backup) that it could have paid for two years of iCloud storage