Getting Text From Apple Pages on a PC in a Pinch
The other day I brought a .pages file into a classroom. The problem is all the computers at the school use MS Windows, which can't open .pages files. Did I panic? Yes. Was all hope lost? Nope.
It turns out that the .pages extension is just a fancy compressed file. That means you can simply change the ".pages" extension to ".zip" or ".rar" and get at the file contents.
The simplest way to get at the text from there is to look in the folder called "QuickLook." There should be a PDF in that folder Read more [...]
iOS 5: Why I finally Jailbroke My iPod
First, I want to say that I love my iPod Touch. In Japan it was a constant companion. It was my map, my music, my entertainment during long commutes, my study aid, and a few other nice things along the way. Each very of iOS has brought with it a slew of enhancements that make it easier and more enjoyable to use. Unfortunately, each iteration of iOS brings something else as well, preloaded BS apps. While the available storage options have climbed, there is still just a scant 64gb peak. That means Read more [...]
Thoughts on "Stopping Piracy"
There is no way to stop people from stealing. Humans have been stealing since well before computers came around, and they’ll never stop (at least not in our lifetimes). It’s better to let go of the idea of stopping it and figure out ways to work around it.
Theft is an unstoppable force. If you see a car speeding towards you and you want to live, you don’t think of how to stop the car, you just get the hell out of the way.
Related items
Fix for Disk Utility: “File system formatter failed.”
Situation:
You buy an external hard drive for you Mac. You want to format it for the Mac (Mac OS Extended (journaled)).
So you fire up Disk Utility to reformat. Choose erase, click go, and get “File system formatter failed.” shot back at you.
The problem:
The drive, like most, is set to FAT-32. This means you can't just erase it because, like a bad ex-roommate, FAT-32 leaves all sorts of gross stuff everywhere.
The Solution:
You need to re-partition the drive. Sound tough? It isn't.
1) You Read more [...]
Japanese in Your iPhone (or iPod Touch)
The Japanese dictionary app called, simply enough, Japanese is being updated. Version 2.0 is coming out soon. The developer, CodeFromTokyo, has said the app will be submitted to Apple this week.
I've been studying Japanese seriously for about a year now, I've already spent about a week with a beta version of 2.0 and I feel like it is safe to say that this app is an amazingly useful study companion. Why?
Japanese is based on Jim Breen's freely available EDict, like a pile of other apps. What makes Read more [...]
