Mac Geek Gab #97: Troubleshoot Your Woes With The Geeks

Hosts Dave Hamilton and John Braun introduce the episode, mentioning recent weather, their general approach to the podcast, and some housekeeping details like feed URL changes. They emphasize the importance of quick topics and the desire to cover listener questions efficiently.

The hosts discuss changing their podcast feed URL from macobserver.com to macgeekgev.com for better management and flexibility. They also introduce a new email address for listener feedback, aiming to keep their communication clear and organized.

Listener Scott inquires about how to individually manage the number of episodes stored per podcast in iTunes. The hosts recommend using a third-party tool called Castaway, which allows setting specific retention policies for each podcast, giving more granular control than iTunes alone. They highlight the benefits of archiving shows and managing storage efficiently.

James from Canada reports problems with his iSub not working after replacing his G5 iMac with an Intel-based Mac. The hosts explain that no current driver support exists for the iSub on Intel Macs, suggesting workarounds such as using USB speakers with audio hijack software. They criticize the lack of clear support information from vendors and recommend alternative setups for users wanting to retain clean desktop aesthetics.

The conversation touches on the frustrations with hardware and software vendor support interfaces, especially for Apple's products like the iSub and the support sections on Harman Kardon sites. The hosts emphasize the importance of well-maintained support resources and suggest looking at community-driven sites for better guidance.

Listener Mike asks about UPnP support on Apple’s AirPort base stations for devices like the Slingbox. The hosts clarify that Apple’s current routers support NAT-PMP but not UPnP, limiting automatic port forwarding capabilities. They discuss manual port forwarding as an alternative and critique the confusing marketing language around UPnP, ultimately explaining how these protocols facilitate easier device connectivity and potential security concerns.

The hosts review AudioEngine’s A5 desktop speakers, highlighting their sound quality and features like multiple finish options and subwoofer connectivity. They also recommend PDFpen for PDF manipulation and discuss tools like iFreeMem, which can help optimize system memory on Macs by clearing inactive RAM to improve performance.

Ken from New Jersey reports Mail freezing when using bounce for mailing lists. The hosts suggest issues with digital certificates or cache misbehavior, and recommend checking keychain certificates and system logs for problems. They also address the frequent system updates, explaining how to see detailed update histories via receipt files, helping users understand what changes have been made during updates.

The hosts share personal tips about system maintenance, including quitting Safari before sleep and using tools like iFreeMem to free inactive memory. They advise against extreme measures like deleting the pager but recommend routine cleaning to keep the system responsive, especially with heavy web browsing and multitasking.