Diary of a Mac Chick 07/16/09

Discovering your limits
If you haven’t noticed, I have been really getting into the whole YouTube scene lately, making tons of videos on tech reviews and news. I am very happy about this development, however, today I finally hit an invisible wall. I was making a video review of some great free Mac apps I use regularly. I spent a long time recording the video and then editing it in iMovie, finally uploading it to YouTube after what felt like an eternity and then I get the most unexpected message. After I have waited all that time for the video to upload, YouTube tells me that the video is too long. Unbeknownst to me, there is a 10 minute limit on videos and so all that time waiting had gone to waste. I guess this is the tech universes’ way of telling me to cool it on the videos and take my time. I have been in such a hurry lately trying to get all the videos I make up and trying to execute all my great ideas but like YouTube I am in danger of overloading. I will try to cool it for now and make only 1 or 2 videos a week… maybe?!?

Required Reading.

I am really excited today for three reasons, but let me give you a little back story first. Whenever I go to the mall, I always search the magazine sections in book stores and in large stores like Target to locate my favorite magazines. Unfortunately, most stores don’t carry all of the tech magazines that I like to read. So, after yet another unsuccessful trip to Target this weekend to find the new MacLife, I decided that I needed to get my reading from the source. So, I finally went ahead and subscribed to MacLife, Macworld, and Wired Magazines! I am really pleased with my decision because MacLife specifically also provides you with digital copies of the magazine, so you can just take it with you on your computer! No more scouring news stands and bookstores for me!

Weekly Tech Roundup.

So, I recently had a great idea for a weekly vlog for this blog and I call it “Weekly Tech Roundup.” Basically, every week (hopefully!) I will be posting a short video highlighting some tech related news or stories that have excited me that week. This week I discuss the Incase Hard Shell for the 13″ Macbook Pro, the Incase Sleeve refresh, and the rumors of Apple adding a camera to the next generation of ipod touches. Enjoy and feel free to comment!

"Currently Unavailable"

Those are my least favorite words, especially when I really want to get something RIGHT NOW! So, why am I in a frenzy? Because I just decided on a sleeve case for my Macbook Pro, but the site says it is “Currently Unavailable.” I am talking about this awesome Silver/Grey Sleeve from Incase. I really like their sleeve cases, but their last set of colors were just too bright for me. Last night when I was checking out their site, however, too see if they came out with the new Macbook Pro 13″ Hard Shell yet, I found a new line up of sleeves in some really awesome muted tones. Bad part is, they aren’t available yet 🙁

{Incase Sleeve, $34.95. Currently Unavailable via GoIncase.com}

How to Safely remove a Hard Shell Case.

So, I have seen a bunch of reviews and videos about how difficult it is to remove the Incase and Speck hard shell cases and so I decided to make this video tutorial on an easy method of removal. It shouldn’t take anyone 10, 20, 30 minutes to remove a hard shell. As you can see it takes me 2-3 minutes to remove the case and I do not damage the macbook in the process.

Clean your dirty yellow Macbook!

Since I am in the process of refreshing my old white Macbook to factory-like conditions, I have decided to attempt to clean the dirty hand rest. As many of you might already know, the white Macbook’s hand rest yellows and collects dirt over time, and there have been many suggestions out their on how to keep the hand rest clean, so I decided to try it out myself. To be fair, my hand rest is not as dirty as it was once. About 6 months after I bought it, the hand rest was so yellow that I sent it to Apple to have them repair it. They said it was a defect in the hand rest, that it shouldn’t yellow, and they replaced it. It has since been over 2 1/2 years and as you can see in the video, the hand rest is not too bad. However, I really want it to look perfect so I went out and bought the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser because I heard that was the best way to clean the white Macbook.
Now, I would just like to clarify before you watch this video, if you are going to try this at home, it is better to start slow and clean a small area first. This will only work on the hand rest, so don’t try this on the screen or on the track pad or on the glossy casing of your Macbook. I ended up cleaning my hand rest, my keyboard and the frame of my screen (basically any place where that same white matte material is used). When it comes to cleaning the keys, make sure to be very gentle, because I have heard how strong these Erasers are and they could take your lettering off if you are scrubbing to harshly.

DIY Laptop Lap Desk.

When it comes to using my Macbook, I am definitely someone who works AFD, ‘away from desk.’ I follow the theory that a laptop was made to be taken elsewhere and therefor should not be subject to the confines of a desk 24 hours a day. I especially like to use my laptop in bed so that I can surf the net while watching tv, surrounded by pillows and blankets! That is why is it imperative that I use a lap desk. If you are a notebook computer user, you are well aware that sitting your computer down on a pillow or on a comforter can cause the air vents to clog with dust and particles as a pillow doesn’t necessarily get the best ventilation, so having a small lap desk to keep your computer on while working is a necessity. Although you could go out and spend $20-$100 dollars on various styles of lap desks, I prefer to make my own, and so I am going to share with you my tips on how to make a DIY Laptop Lap Desk. Making your own lap desk is easy, but best of all, it is customizable and the directions can be tailored to your specific crafting level.
To make your own DIY Laptop Lap Desk, you will need the following (all of which can be found at a local craft store):
1 Unfinished wooden tray table
1 Piece of sandpaper
1+ bottles of Acrylic crafting paint
2 Pieces of Scrapbook paper (Optional)
1 Jar of Mod Podge (Optional)
1 Can of Acrylic spray sealant
A few foam brushes
Optional Items
Depending on your crafting skill level, you may choose to paint your tray one solid color, multiple colors, or paper mache the desk portion of the tray using scrapbook paper and mod podge. You should think about how you would like your tray to look and what you think you are capable of doing before you begin so that you select the proper paint colors and materials. Using the paper mache tools can be simple, even for a first timer, as long as you take your time and follow the directions properly. This option can also help you to create an even more unique tray table through the use of pretty patterned papers.

Process
Step 1: Prepare your workspace
Before you begin, make sure you have a good amount of space on a table or desk to work on. Remember you will be using paint and glue for this project so you may want to put down newspaper or a disposable table cloth to keep your area clean.
Step 2: Prepare the tray
The first thing you need to do is use the sandpaper to clean up the wooden tray. You want to make the wood as smooth as possible and remove any bumps or splintering sections so that you can apply your paint evenly. This will also prevent you from hurting yourself on a wooden splinter as you work or worse, as you use the desk in the future. After you are done sandpapering the tray, make sure you remove any wooden dust particles from the tray AND your work space- you don’t want the paint on your tray to pick up wood dust as you work.
Step 3: Prepare your materials
If you choose to use just paint for your project, make sure you have a protected surface off to the side to put your paint on. This surface can be as simple as a piece of cardboard or as advanced as a painters palette, but you will need something to dip your foam brush into that is NOT directly into the bottle of paint.
If you choose to paint AND paper mache, this is the point where you should size out your paper to fit the interior of your tray. Take your time, mark, and slowly cut your paper to fit the flat desk portion of your tray before you begin. Remember, the rule of thumb is to measure twice and cut once!
Step 4: Paint
Depending on your level of skill, you may choose to paint the sides of your tray different colors, or simply paint it one solid color. Take your time and make sure to work off of a palette of some sort, and most of all make sure you are using one foam brush per color and cleaning the brushes off in between layers of paint. You will most likely need only 2 layers of paint, but you can apply more or less layers depending on the color you are using and the color result you are looking for. It is best to let the paint dry a little between layers so that you can get an accurate idea of the outcome color of each layer.
If you choose to work with the Mod Podge and scrapbook paper to paper mache the desk portion of your tray, you will want to avoid applying paint to the desk area. If you do get some paint on the desk, don’t worry, it will not hurt your project, and it is common to get paint on the edges of the desk as you paint the interior sides of the tray.
Step 5: Applying the Paper Mache
If you have chosen to work with the paper mache supplies to create a unique desk area, you should wait until the paint has dried on the tray before you begin. Once it is dry you will use another clean foam brush to apply the mod podge to the desk area. To do this, you may dip your foam brush directly inside the bottle of mod podge, but be careful as the mod podge is a glue and you may get run off as you take your brush out of the jar. Slowly and carefully apply an even layer of glue to the wood. You don’t want to apply to little of the glue that your paper won’t solidly stick to it, but you also do not want to apply so much glue that the layer will soak through your paper. Use your best judgement and apply a nice even layer.
Step 6: Apply the paper
After you have applied a nice even layer of glue to the desk, you must quickly put down your paper. I suggest starting from one edge of the tray and working to the next, laying the paper down and smoothing it to the surface of the desk. It is important to note, the paper may appear to have bubbles underneath it or what appears to be “veins” but if you have applied an even layer and have slowly applied the paper and smoothed it down as you went, you will be fine. Depending on the thickness of your chosen paper, as it gets wet during the application it will crinkle the way wet paper does, however, if you have made sure to smooth it down it will dry flat.
Step 7: Apply glue to the top of the paper
Once the paper has been applied to the desk of the tray, you must also add a layer of glue to the top of the paper. Much like you applied it to the desk, you will apply another even layer on top of the paper to seal it. Again, when you do this the paper may appear to crinkle more and more “air bubbles” or “veins” may appear on the paper, but these will disappear as the tray dries as long as you have applied an even layer of glue and made sure to carefully smooth down the paper in step 6.
Step 8: Let it dry
It is best to let the tray dry overnight before you move onto the final part of the project. This way you will give the glue plenty of time to harden and you will see that most, if not all, of the bubbles have dried flat.
Step 9: Apply the spray sealant
After you have given your project time to dry overnight, you may now apply the spray sealant. Make sure you take your project outside to do this, as the fumes of the spray can be harmful indoors and you need proper ventilation. Following the directions on the spray can, apply an even coat to the tray. If your tray has legs make sure to keep those open and have your tray standing so that the whole tray is being sealed. Let the first layer dry for about 10-15 minutes, and if you choose, apply a second coat.
Step 10: Let it dry
After you have applied the spray sealant to the tray, leave it in a nice, well ventilated spot to dry overnight (like in your garage or out on a deck. The spray sealant may say it dries in just a few minutes or hours, but it is best to let the tray dry overnight again before use so that you have aired it out properly and let it set.