Category: Tips and Tricks

If You Like The Pi-hole, You Will Like Rolling-your-own DNSthingy (Netbender)

Yes, a DNSthingy (the consumer-facing name is Netbender).  It’s an (ASUS) router running some custom firmware (based on asuswrt-merlin) that does cool stuff using DNS, such as:

  • blocking ads
  • blocking malware, phishing, and tracking
  • virtual relocation for viewing different content via streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora
  • speeding up downloads
  • speeding up general Internet browsing
  • and more…

Continue reading “If You Like The Pi-hole, You Will Like Rolling-your-own DNSthingy (Netbender)”

Make Animated GIFs In OS X With A Right-click

Create animated GIFs from the OS X Finder in just seconds.  It only takes a few minutes to set up and will give you a “native” feeling without the need to install any additional software.  Plus, you never need to open an app to create the GIF, you can just highlight files > right-click > Make Animated GIF. Continue reading “Make Animated GIFs In OS X With A Right-click”

Create A Website On Your Mac Without A Webserver

Do you need a Website set up right meow?  Using netcat (nc), you can use your Mac to instantly set up a Webpage without configuring a Web server.  This could be used to quickly share files via a Web browser (by creating a hyperlink with file:///some/filepath/), or it could be used as a temporary Website while maintenance is being performed.

This command will create a Webpage that can be downloaded once.  After it is downloaded the program ends and the page will no longer be accessible.  You would need to enter the command again in order to view the page. Continue reading “Create A Website On Your Mac Without A Webserver”

Custom El Capitan Login Window (No Longer Blurred)

I have shown you how to modify the login window for Mavericks and Yosemite.  The Yosemite trick still works in El Capitan with one added benefit: there is no longer a blurred overlaid on your image.

Just save your image as (it needs to a .png file):

/Library/Caches/com.apple.desktop.admin.png Continue reading “Custom El Capitan Login Window (No Longer Blurred)”

Get Lakeside Wi-Fi At Your Cabin By Making A Cantenna For ~$23

If you want Wi-Fi by the campfire or down at the dock this weekend, you can make a cantenna for as low as $23 (it will be more if you need some of the tools or common supplies).  You can either connect the canntena to your computer or your router.  Either method will allow you to connect to your network from a long distance.  I used my cantenna last weekend to pick up my network (over 700 meters away) while sitting in a boat in the middle of the lake. Continue reading “Get Lakeside Wi-Fi At Your Cabin By Making A Cantenna For ~$23”

Play iOS Games Or Record Your iPhone From Your Mac (For Free)

One thing I love about OS X is that is has all sorts of hidden tricks and functionality that are not well-documented, so it is very fun to stumble upon them.  The most recent tip I found is the ability to record your iPhone or iPad’s screen and save it as a video file (or use it as a game controller while the game is displayed full screen on your Mac).  The trick is easy to do and you don’t even need any extra software.  All you need is:

  • an iPhone or iPad that uses a lightning cable (the old 30-pin connector does not work)
  • QuickTime (built into your Mac by default)

Continue reading “Play iOS Games Or Record Your iPhone From Your Mac (For Free)”

Format An Unformattable Flash Drive In OS X

It’s always satisfying to fix something that seems impossibly broken.  I recently fixed a broken flash drive that could not be reformatted.  I first tried to repair the disk using Disk Utility, but that option was completely greyed out (same thing in the Recovery HD).  So then I tried to erase it but was presented with the error “OS X can’t repair the disk “MYDISK”.” Continue reading “Format An Unformattable Flash Drive In OS X”

Let GLaDOS Throw Your Files Into The Incinerator By Changing A System Sound

If the default sound OS X makes when you put a file in the trash doesn’t do it for you, you might enjoy having GLaDOS tell you “file deleted.”  This is a relatively simple trick to do, and will work with other system sound effects as well.  You simply need to replace a file with one of your own. Continue reading “Let GLaDOS Throw Your Files Into The Incinerator By Changing A System Sound”

Automatically Sort Dropbox Camera Uploads Based On Their Geographical Data

I have been a long time fan of using Dropbox to manage my photos, even with the release of Photos.  I have especially liked it ever since Dropbox enabled Camera Uploads from their iOS app.  With my latest script, I can now upload photos from my iPhone and have them automatically sorted into folders based on the city they were taken in.

To accomplish this, OS X’s Spotlight (mdls ) is used to extract the coordinates from the photo, and then those are sent to Google to get the city (or the state, address, and more). Continue reading “Automatically Sort Dropbox Camera Uploads Based On Their Geographical Data”