Unfortunately Apple did not think to make the console a nice thing to look at from the get go. Let me show you quickly how you can geek up your terminal as well. Your colleagues will be impressed.

It’s really simple. You need to add these lines to your .profile which resides in your user home directory. If the file does not exist, create it.

export CLICOLOR=1
export LSCOLORS=Gxfxcxdxbxegedabagacad

The first line activates color support for the CLI (command line interface), the second line specifies which colors to use for certain kinds of things. When this is set every new console window will emit special ANSI sequences to set the colors.

You also need to enable these colors for your terminal. Make sure you have set your terminal emulation to xterm-color in Preferences – Advanced in the Terminal app. While you are here you can also set up some other things for how the Terminal should be styled. I prefer the “Pro” style which has a tinted glass background, sort of like a holographic display which you can see through.

The above settings will make your terminal look like this:

If these colors are not your style, don’t fret, Geoff Greer has build a cool online generator to piece together the LSCOLORS code. Just make your own color finger print and paste it into your .profile.

There’s more! Git also sports several color options:

git config color.branch auto
git config color.diff auto
git config color.interactive auto
git config color.status auto

… or you use the catch-all setting which includes all of the above:

git config color.ui true

This adds splashes of colors here and there, for examples a git diff:

Many other tools also support a color option, for example viewing a command’s man page is so much more interesting with a touch of color. If you have additional suggestions on how to make better use of color in terminal please don’t hesitate to comment below.

In fact if you google that, then there’s only one other person that asks the same question:

On my iPhone headset (the one that came with the device, as well as the in-ear buds) there’s a little piece of plastic that slides on the cable to one earbud, and can clip onto the other cable.

• It’s not large enough to accommodate the headset cable below the split, so it can’t be used to somehow hold the cable in place when it’s curled up.
• It’s not tight enough to stay in place if I slide it nearer the earbud, so it can’t be used to essentially move the point where the cable splits closer to the earbuds.
• It’s not tight enough to really hold on to the other earbud cable. It takes nearly no effort at all to pull the cables apart.

What in the world is it good for?!?

After some research we found what it is mean to be used for, as well as several other tricks with Apple cables that you might not have known.

When I asked my twitter followers if they had any good explanations, one stood out:

… either to hold slack under your chin or to hold the buds together at the top when you wrap them up. That’s how I use it anyway. – Jonathan H.

The one place that we SHOULD consult as the authoritative source on the meaning of the clip is Apple. Or rather the user guides. And indeed I found an illustration in the iPod User Guide:

So the answer to my question is that this clip is indeed meant to shift the place where the cables split closer to your throat. There might be physical activities where you want less dangling cable in front of you. Like when I am gardening (read: shoveling) I usually let my cord run under my T-Shirt so that it does not get tangled with the equipment. Don’t you love how Apple describes this feature? “The earphone cord is adjustable”, indeed, any other company would have put an exclamation mark there instead of a period and put this into the advertisement brochure.

Remotely In Command

The above graphic also reminds us of the fact that we are blessed with a remote control on the other wire. I usually listen on my iPhone to podcasts while walking the dog and love to be collecting miles at the same time with Nike+. Now if you have an app that plays background audio it will take over the remote control API and interpret your commands itself.

Because of this I go used to the original set of commands that work while Nike+ is running:

• One pinch: Play, Pause which are also starting and stopping the workout
• Double pinch: skip to next track
• Triple pinch: skip to previous track
• Long pinch: voice information on how quick you are running/moving

But that Nike+ only supports these commands, does not mean that there aren’t any more. I often found that I wanted to skip Leo Laporte’s advertisements, which I do by going into the iPod app and hitting the 2x button while he tells me for the umpteenth time that I should pay for carbonate. But if you don’t have an app in charge of the interpretation of your remote commands, then here’s the complete list, again from the user guide.

• Pause a song or video: Press the center button. Press again to resume playback.
• Skip to the next song: Press the center button twice quickly.
• Return to previous song: Press the center button three times quickly.
• Fast-forward: Press the center button twice quickly and hold.
• Rewind: Press the center button three times quickly and hold.
• Adjust the volume: Press the + or – button.
• Answer an incoming call: Press the center button.
• End the current call: Press the center button.
• Decline an incoming call: Press and hold the center button for about two seconds, then let go. Two low beeps confirm you declined the call.
• Switch to an incoming or on-hold call and put the current call on hold: Press the center button. Press again to switch back to the first call.
• Switch to an incoming or on-hold call and end the current call: Press and hold the center button for about two seconds, then let go. Two low beeps confirm you ended the first call.
• Use Voice Control – Press and hold the center button.

I made the items bold that I bet you did not know about. I know I didn’t, boy how would I love the fast-forward function for those ads … but for some reason Apple/Nike did not think it would be useful to fast-forward a workout.

How you Wind it

Since it was suspected that this mysterious clip might play a role our interest shifted to researching methods to wrap up your earphones in a way that would not be hazardous to their health. It has since been established that you cannot use the clip for that because it is too small to clip onto the cable below the split where there are two cables. I found 3 methods.

The Devil’s Horn

This employs the gesture invented by none other than John Lennon to warp up the cord and then it up with itself. The gesture itself makes it Rock’n'Roll.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY9LIFKlDaU

The Lifehacker Wrap

This is similar to the horn but does not use the gesture. Instead of the tight wrapping at the end the elasticity of the cable itself is used by simply sticking it through the loop.

Unfortunately the video is on Yahoo from where I could not embed it. Watch it in the original article.

The Ultimate Wrap

HackCollege first bashes all other methods for they are twisting and turning the cable causing it to age quickly. Their method comes from a technique that IT guys have known for use with other long cables since the dark ages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcND46YrB1o

This third wrap employes a little extra gimmick to keep the coiled up cable together, but that’s a small price to pay compared to what new earphones are costing these day. So that’s the one I use from now on. If you don’t have this extra thing handy then I suggest practicing the devil’s horn but instead of the tight final wrap simply stick the end through the loop as in the Lifehacker wrap.

Bonus: Saving your Power Adapters

Since we are speaking of cables, here’s a trick that was shown to me by the guys that made Superpin.

Apple power adapters for MacBooks some with a wonderful mechanism to roll up the cord and I trust that you know how this is used. But what you probably don’t know is that with a little trick you can roll it up in a way that you can have gravity unroll it without doing any harm to it.

Instead of starting to roll it up the normal way, you make an extra loop like shown in this picture.

To unroll you simply take the end of the cable, hold your hand sufficiently high and let the adapter give in to gravity. Because of this extra loop the weight of the adapter will not rip the cable out of the case. Or if this bungee jumping action is too much for your stomach, then let the adapter fall on a sofa or bed. But because of this extra measure the wear on the connection is significantly reduced.

Unless of course you have cats. There’s no way of wrapping you can employ to prevent these critters from gnawing away on the cord.

I had been one of the first Austrians with an iPhone 2G and when iPhone 3G became the first official iPhone in Austria I jumped at the chance of upgrading. My then girlfriend (now wife) inherited the 2G and I started developing for my 3G in September 2008.

Shortly thereafter Apple released a new generation of MacBooks in the famous aluminum unibody case. As usual when you purchase Mac hardware you soon feel a minor regret because usually 1-2 months after such a purchase something new arrives to be lusted after. But an upgrade 2 months after having purchased my Mac was out of the question, I was still amortizing the first one.

Then came the WWDC and my mind was blown once more. Apple dangled the Mac carrot even closer in front of my nose by reducing prices, adding a SecureDigital slot, and a great new battery which promises 5 hours of wireless work. And at the same time announcing the release date of the next update to OSX, dubbed Snow Leopard coming in September.

The crack in my heart started to get a little bit wider. Outwardly I told myself that I cannot buy more than one Mac Laptop per year, that I preferred the silver keyboard to the black ones anyway and that the glossy screen is useless. But unknowingly I had already ordered from the universe the circumstances that would make upgrading irrefutable.

When grabbing a couple of things in our Wintergarten the smooth Mac slipped and dropped onto the stone floor. The lower backside corner got dented and I was somewhat wrecked. I researched my options and found that I had cancelled the only insurance which would have covered it 2 years ago. The bottom case would cost $200 and another $200 at an authorized Mac support center to get it installed. Essentially the bottom case is the frame where all parts are mounted inside. So it takes long time to take it all apart.

I found the bottom case for around $50 with shipping on ebay and figured that I would just pay a handy friend to replace it for me. When I received the lower case I figured I’ll wait with replacing it so that I could get a new Mac first in a couple of months and then, after having moved all my development tools to the new one, could refurbish the device and put it on ebay. Or keep it as emergency Mac.

I thought so until today. After a nice day I wanted to climb into my hammock in the same Wintergarten I mentioned before. But when I pulled myself up to the hammock the MacBook felt like exiting it and heading for a second encounter with stone. OMG. F*CK.

The drop this time was more than twice the height, but still it survived… technically. Not aestethically. I had to bend the frame above the Maglock power connector  back, but apart from this the Mac performs as if nothing had happened. This serves as proof of the superior build quality and sturdiness of the MacBook Pro design. So I can tell you from my own experience: Macs bend, they don’t break.

Looks to me as now I don’t have much of a choice to get a new unibody MacBook Pro next month. Incidently it’s my birthday then and I am getting my income tax refund so there now is really no way around it.

Donations for AntiCrack and My App Sales are now being saved to offset the cost of new hardware.

Thanks to Dr Touch for the opportunity to make a contribution to his blog. I’m a new MacBook user and have had my gorgeous new white MacBook for 48 whole hours. I’m writing this with it sat on my lap. I’ve decided to give it a name ‘Polo’. I don’t know if the meaning will translate into other countries, but in the UK a polo is a small, white mint and is cool.

I’ve been a PC Windows user all my life; I’m 38 now and started using computers on a regular daily basis in the early to mid 90’s. One of the main reasons for the switch is the slow ‘Applefication’ of my life. It started as I replaced an MP3 player with an iPod shuffle, and then an iPod Classic and then I replaced my mobile with an iPhone.

I work in the media and have done all my working life and have always been exposed to Apple products but always thought they where for ‘creatives’ not business people. I’m the later, not really the former.

I was in the market for a new computer and was looking at either a Samsung NC10 netbook or a Macbook. I was helped along the way with my friends and followers on twitter (@jayman888). Dr Touch certainly helped me make up my mind.

Okay, so reasons for buying

1. Unrivaled reliability, (my brother has had a MacBook for 5 years, bought 2 new batteries, never crashed or broken down. I’m looking to use mine for running my business on, emails, Twitter, etc etc. I need a Laptop which will never crash or break down.
2. Unmistakeable style and coolness. Loads and load of people have samey and very boring laptops, the MacBook stand out and looks so cool.
3. I’ve definitely been subject to ‘Applefication’. It’s like owning a top of the range German car. It just feels right.

So that’s the gushy stuff out of the way. Here’s how I really feel about it. Now that I’ve unpacked it and used it for 2 whole days these are my early thoughts and worries.

After spending nearly 15 years with PC Windows etc, it has been slightly weird doing some really basic bits and bobs on the Mac. The other weird thing is that I’m still using a Windows laptop side by side for my ‘day’ job (company issue). It is however REALLY REFRESHING to be learning a little something different.

Even in my early stages of MacBook ownership I can already feel and experience ‘Mac Logic’ and in time I’ll have forgotten about PC’s, their constant virus issues, crashes and incompatibility issues. I can honestly say, even at this early stage, I have made the right decision to ‘switch’.

So far all I’m doing on the MacBook is writing this, personal emails, Twitter, on Tweetdeck, and planning my new business venture. Dr Touch has given me the idea of starting my own blog so I’ll be doing a bit of that from here too.

I’d love to come back and blog here again in a couple of months to let you all know how Mac life is treating me. (Only if Dr Touch will have me?)

I’ll sign off now, ‘Polo’ and jayman888 have vegetables to water, children to put to bed and a new blog to set up. Thanks for the opportunity to ramble on!

If anyone wants to touch base with me catch me on Twitter, I’ll tweet my blog address once I’ve set it up. Thank you Dr Touch!