I’m installing Drupal on my site and didn’t get very far before I ran into an issue. The tutorial on the Drupal website says I need to make sure my hidden files are visible before uploading to my server because apparently there’s one hidden file that’s very important in order to make sure everything works properly. I don’t see an option in the Finder menu. How do I do it? I’m on a Mac, by the way.

OS X hides files that begin with a “.”, for example “.htaccess”. These are hidden by default because it’s very important you don’t mess with them! If you promise not to edit these files, I’ll tell you how to make them visible.

Promise? Okay.

The quickest way to accomplish this is to type “Terminal” in Spotlight. In Terminal, type (or copy) this line:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
Hit “Enter”, then type
killall Finder

Open a new Finder window (don’t use one that was previously opened) and you’ll see your hidden files. Once you’re done with the files, it’s best to go back into Terminal and hide the files. Type:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE
Hit “Enter”, then type
killall Finder

The difference is that you’re using “TRUE” to show the files, and “FALSE” to hide the files.

April 9th, 2008
Categories: drupal, mac . Author: Cali . Comments: 3 Comments

Is there any way to comment on the Qik website without having a camera/phone with Qik capabilities? I tried to sign up, but it wants to send the application to my phone. Also, how do Qik & Qik Devices work? Do you have to buy a data plan that’s separate from your iphone?

Qik is a live video streaming service. What makes Qik different than services like Ustream (I use both on a regular basis) is that it works on a mobile phone. It’s high quality video, up to 640×480, and you can stream using WiFi or on a cell network, like 3G. What I love about it is that it gives us the ability to share experiences with our friends (viewers, twitter network, etc) when we’re not lugging around our big camera.

The service is in the Alpha stage, meaning that they are letting a few people in at a time, while they test and test and test, and make sure that they can handle expanding on a large scale. That’s why you’re having trouble when you try to sign up. When I go live, everyone has the ability to chat, and those chats go directly to the phone we’re using to stream. In the alpha stage, the moment I stop streaming, comments are stopped, too.

Currently, Qik works only on Nokia N Series phones, so the phone and data plan are a separate cost than the iPhone plan. They’re working hard at making the service available on more phones.

Companies that are working so hard on their applications, like the Qik team, care about their users, so if there’s something you want, something you like, tell them!

April 8th, 2008
Categories: streaming, video . Author: Cali . Comments: 2 Comments

Sometimes when I sync my iPod (6th Gen 80GB iPod Classic) I get messages that say a certain “podcast is not syncing because the video format is not supported by my iPod”. I don’t get it. Podcasts are designed for iPods I thought, so if the format is not compatible for an iPod, then what is it compatible for??? Is there a setting I need to change in my iPod/iTunes?

Podcasts use something called RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication). RSS was designed to provide a way for people to get the entertainment and information you want, where you want it and when you want it.

iPods are just one of those ways to get your content. Podcasts can be formatted in a variety of ways, including iPods, Apple TV, iPhone, Zune, xBox, etc.

Some podcasts offer multiple feeds, some podcasts offer just one feed. For examples of different feeds, take a look at this page where I talk about the different options for watching GeekBrief.TV. The amount of feeds offered will depend on how the producer thinks their audience watches the show, and how much time they’re able to put into post production.

If a show offers only one option, and that doesn’t work on your iPod, you have a couple options. You could ask them to provide an iPod format, or you could take the format they provide and convert it using software.

iSquint is a great free option for getting files onto your iPod. Visual Hub is what I use for more flexibility. Windows users can use Videora.

April 7th, 2008
Categories: ipod, itunes, podcasts, windows . Author: Cali . Comments: 5 Comments